Newsletter May 2022

Newsletters

May 9, 2022

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Hello Lovely Ladies
I am getting in early this month to tell you about a few changes at the Eye Of A Needle. From time to time it’s important to reassess what is selling well and where we could do better, so this month we are looking at a few items that we need to move on.
Life in retail always has its challenges, and with that come some necessary changes to stock supplies that we will carry in the future. I know what sells well in our store, and I also know what doesn’t move so quickly! In light of this, we will be creating an area for discontinued items over the next few days. There will be some GREAT bargains in store for you!

KNITTING NEWS

I don’t pride myself as a great knitter although I can knit a basic pattern. I am however a colour nut which is why the vibrant colours in the Malabrigo range appeal to me, and obviously to many of you as well!
Malabrigos Rios is one of the products everyone is loving and I would like to stock more of. The Rios yarn is a 100% merino superwash; this soft, strong and washable worsted yarn is one of the most popular in the range. The plies help resist pilling, and its washability makes it ideal for frequently-worn garments. Spun from premium superwash merino, it comes in an array of watercolour-multi, semi-solid, and variegated colourways.

Rios is kettle-dyed in small batches by artisan dyers and is full of subtle variation. It’s important to get enough yarn to complete each project since each bag is a different dye lot, and hanks may even vary within the same bag due to the dying process. To ensure random colour distribution, work from two hanks of yarn at once, alternating a few rows from each.

The DMC Hollie Range is also a popular yarn for the little ones in a cashmere, merino & silk mix. It is slightly more expensive at $17 ball but most baby patterns only require 2 or 3 x 50g balls of this super soft yarn. I plan to stock the full set of colours in this range as well as the gorgeous baby patterns provided by DMC. Kiwi Stitch Knitting patterns sell really well here as well, and will continue to be available in store and online.

As new winter stock starts arriving in May I will build up both the Malabrigo and Hollie DMC ranges, and also more of the CHIAOGOO knitting products. We are the only supplier of ChiaoGoo in the central North Island, and many knitters are switching from other brands to build up their interchangeable sets in the ChiaoGoo range.

Unfortunately for some of you, this will mean that regular Broadway Yarns in DK and 4 ply, and Sirdar 4 ply will gradually move off the shelves at The Eye Of A Needle to be replaced by good supplies of Malabrigo and DMC Hollie. Please be assured that you can still buy these other yarns in Taupo! The Woolshed has a much wider range of yarns available and I will be sending customers around to support their shop if we are unable to supply your needs here in our store.

DID YOU KNOW???!!!

We recently upgraded our cute MINI to a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid vehicle, and David spent the weekend removing all the sign writing off the side and back. When I next drove in to town I felt NAKED as the only way my car could be identified was by my registration plate – which would make NO SENSE to anyone trying to figure it out without the clues on our sign writing!

For your information … we are officially

THE EYE OF A NEEDLE – TEOAN for short!

Not to be confused with eye of THE needle, Eye of Needle or any other derivative. This may explain why some of you are unable to find us online – it’s all in the spelling and you need to remember the THE!!! Our personalised plate is the clue! TEOAN1

WEBSITE UPDATE
By the time you read this, I am hopeful that our website is fully functioning, and you will be able to shop online. The fabric side of things is STILL coming!!!
It has ended up being such a huge, time consuming job, and I am dependent on other people to get this all running smoothly; we are nearly there!!

As BERNINA is still in SALE mode until May 22nd, you will find all BERNINA items on sale discounted on the website – pop over and have a look at www.theeyeofaneedle.co.nz

I still have two Bernina Accessory cases available for $157.40. These cases have a place for EVERYTHING! If you want to keep all your feet in one case, then this is the way to go, including a special compartment for your BSR, and your walking foot!

WANDERER’S WIFE SEW ALONG

Last Friday saw the end of our Wanderer’s Wife Sew Along. I am so proud of some of the wonderful efforts of some of our participants in this project. Attached are a couple of samples completed by Viv and Maggie.
It has been amazing to see how different fabrics can pull together a completely different look, and these photos speak for themselves. It will be great to see a few more of these quilts finished and ready for the exhibition in June.

THE EYE OF A NEEDLE ‘MYSTERY QUILT’

Following on from the success of the Wanderer’s Wife Sew Along, popular demand would suggest there is interest in another collective monthly Sew Along. We will now focus on our in-house Mystery Quilt.
Some of you have mentioned that you don’t really like the idea of a MYSTERY – this is no different to putting together any kind of sampler – the ‘mystery’ is simply that we don’t know what pattern is coming next!
We gained inspiration from Bernina’s blog ‘The Old Block Sampler Quilt Along’ which has been posted and added to over the last 12 months.
You can follow a link here:
https://blog.bernina.com/en/2021/03/sewing-old-patchwork-blocks
There are some really unusual but highly effective blocks in this sampler quilt top, made up of traditional blocks all measuring different sizes. At the end of the project you get given a choice of at least 6 different layouts for your blocks, so no two quilts will look the same.
The challenge will be in learning some new techniques, including how to stitch Y-Seams, and some foundation paper piecing. and you get to choose the fabrics you want to use for your quilt top!

This is how it will work – you sign up for the Mystery Quilt, and each month for the next 12 months, we will supply you with TWO block patterns, which you will need to complete before you get your next TWO patterns the following month. This means you will need to complete your blocks to show us before you receive the next pattern (either in person or by screen shot). You will need 18-20 Fat Quarters to make the quilt top, which ideally we would like you to buy from us at The Eye Of A Needle. The finishing will be up to you.

We will launch the first pattern for our MYSTERY QUILT on Friday 3rd June. The cost will be $10 month. We are happy to send the patterns to you each month, or you can pick up in store – but we will need EVIDENCE that you have completed your homework each month!
The Sew Along class will be held on the FIRST FRIDAY of the month, starting on 3rd June.

TAUPO QUILTMAKERS have their bi-annual Quilt Exhibition at the Great Lake Centre from 24th – 26th June. This was a huge event 2 years ago, and we look forward to being a merchant again at the Exhibition as well as having the shop open all weekend. We expect many quilters will travel to Taupo for this long Matariki themed weekend, and there is certainly enough talent amongst the Taupo Quiltmaking ladies to warrant a great display of beautiful quilts. Mark it in your diary now!

The NZ Quilt Symposium registry of classes was released late last week. If you have already registered for this event from October 4-9th October in Lower Hutt, you will have received all the relevant information via email.
If you would like to go in the draw to win a brand new Bernina B475QE sewing machine, we have raffle tickets available in store for $2 ticket, or $10 for a book of 5.
There are plenty of exciting classes on offer with tutors from NZ and Australia. The earlier you registered for the symposium, the more likely you are to get your first choice for classes – I’m finding it very hard to choose which class I would like to do the most!

In the mean time, there is plenty to do around the shop, and we have some beautiful new fabrics arriving weekly at the moment. As part of my culling process, there are quite a few 1/2 metre bundles on sale now, so get in early for the best bargain!
There are several spaces still available for our Wednesday and Thursday afternoon classes – $80 for the term. Please ask in store if you are interested in sewing your way through Term 2 on a regular basis.

Happy Stitching

Kay

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