Page 44 - The Digital Cloth holiday issue
P. 44

How do you choose new fabric for the shop?           Crowe’s Mum and Dad, and of course all my
        New fabric is always coming into the shop, so it’s  regular customers and students!
        worthwhile popping in at least monthly to see the
        new range and I have exclusive rights to the Tula  When your friends/family find out that you
        Pink range of fabric in this area.                   own a patchwork shop, what do they say or ask?
                                                             I don’t think a lot of non-patch workers get a
        What has surprised you most about running a  patchwork shop – they usually think, until they
        patchwork shop?                                      walk in the store, that I have a little hobby room
        How quickly the shop became so BIG – the shop  with a couple of bolts of fabric and a couple of
        has gone from having a bit of fabric to being quite  friends are sitting there having a cup of tea.
        immense – there are nearly 4000 bolts of             However, it’s not at all like that!
        different fabric here now! Nesting Needles is on
        the map now – it’s the biggest fabric shop between What do you think will change about Nesting
        Kempsey and Lismore.                                 Needles over the next five years?
                                                             I see the business growing steadily to becoming
        What’s the best thing to happen since you            a destination base for students and customers
        started operating the shop?                          with more diverse tutors, plus extending the shop
        The best thing to happen is having two highly        to accommodate even more wool and fabric for
        commended quilts at the Sydney Quilt Show and  quilting and dressmaking.
        for my students to be recognised at the Sydney
        Quilt Show, which has now happened quite a few
        times.                                               As a small business owner, what sorts of trends
                                                             do you see?
        Tell me about some of the people you’ve met          There was a period of time five to six years ago
        while running the shop?                              when online buying was quite big, but I see the
        I have lots of famous people dropping in –           trends going back to customers now wanting to
        Caroline Sharkey, Rachel Daisy, Jane MacDonald  see, touch and feel their fabric and talk to
        and Russell                                          somebody. The old store feel with really good
                                                             service is definitely returning – people want kits
                                                             cut for them, help to develop their colour
                                                             palette and being able to match fabric hues not
                                                             just colours.


                                                             What might we be surprised to know about
                                                             you?
                                                             I was a hair stylist at Harrods in London for a few
                                                             years! Great fun!


                                                             Given you have so much spare time Lisa – what
                                                             else do you fit in to your busy schedule?
                                                             I spend as much time as I can with my children
                                                             – we go places and do things together. As well,
                                                             we have a vast array of animals to look after as a
                                                             family – cats, birds, fish and dogs – and this keeps
                                                             us all occupied.


                                                             See You at the SHOP….
                                                                            Lisa x
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