Last month I found myself in the beautiful town of Machynlleth, Wales. A place I have visited several times. On this particular visit I stumbled across Wheeler Fabrics. It was during my visit to the shop that I decided to post about my favourite craft shops (old and new). And so, I am pleased to introduce my first interview with Sam – owner of Wheeler Fabrics.
How long has Wheeler Fabrics been open? My parents and sister opened the shop 20 years ago. I have worked here since I was 16 and took over the business in 2006. My partner, Catherine joined me in 2011. We have two wonderful shop staff – Lynda and Becky.
Wheeler Fabrics
What’s the best thing about working in and owning Wheeler Fabrics? It’s great to have a job that is also a creative outlet. Lynda was previously a florist, so has a great eye for colour and design. Becky teaches sewing, so is able to draw on her wealth of knowledge. We love seeing what customers make with their fabric and encourage them to share pictures with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We also love that we get to bring our dog Bo to work with us!
What’s your favourite item in the shop? It has to be our woven grey and white insect fabric. I’ve used it to upholster a couple of pieces of furniture and Catherine has made some cushions with it. Everything about it just works – it’s a good weight and colour, plus the proportions of the design and the pattern repeat aren’t too huge making it very usable. We are happy to offer a metre of this wonderful fabric as a giveway to one lucky reader. Please read on to find out how you can enter!
£16.95 per metre – win me!
What’s your most popular request and/or item sold? What we sell varies a lot. We have a great range of PVC oilcloth table covers that sell like crazy every March/April. I think it’s when we have the first sunny day and people want to brighten up their patio tables! Our most popular design is ‘Birdcage and Butterfly’.
Birdcage and Butterfly -£4.95 per metre
As for made-to-measure items, we’ve noticed a huge increase in the popularity of Roman blinds over the last couple of years. In fact, they seem to be just as popular as curtains with our local customers. This is probably because in Mid-Wales we all live in old houses with 3′ thick walls and deep window recesses.
So if you ever find yourself in Machynlleth, please come and say Hello! If you can’t get to the shop then please website.
You can also stay in touch by:
www.facebook.com/WheelerFabrics
I would like to say a big thank you to Sam, Catherine, Lynda and Becky. You are all super lovely 
Especially as you have offered a giveaway to one lucky Katie Gets Crafty reader! You could win a metre of Sam’s favourite fabric by taking part in the following:
- Leave a comment below sharing what you would make with the insect fabric.
- Send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty and use the hashtag #KGCgiveaway
- Like Katie Gets Crafty Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post letting me know you would like to enter.
Win me! What would you make with this beautiful fabric?
Here’s the important stuff: The giveaway will close on Tuesday 1st July at 6pm and the winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Wednesday 2nd July. Sorry but this giveaway is only open to UK residents.