Tuesday Rotate (Mary’s shop)

Greetings and welcome to another instalment of Tuesday Rotate.

Today I am going to tell you about my friend Mary’s shop in Gisborne- Patch ‘n’ Quilt.  I met Mary years ago on my very first trip to sewjourn, when my friend Annie convinced Mary to stock my patterns. Now I get to catch up with Mary every time I go to sewjourn.

My visit to Mary is always a bit of a sewjourn joke, as my arrival may  be delayed somewhat when I pop in to Mary's.  (Ok Mary and I once spent three hours chatting over the counter …but only once and we have never lived it down !). I love hanging out in Mary’s shop, everyone gets a cheery hello when they enter and as much help as they need. The customers all strike up conversations and offer suggestions, it really is fun. There is always lots of laughter coming from the back room where the classes are held…..

     There is a huge range of really diverse fabrics, lots of bright and lots of more traditional fabrics. Mary also stocks both acrylic and wool felt, buttons, masses of hardware and gadgets, threads, doo-dads, gizmos and whatchamacallits.

On this trip I got some great little clip thingo’s that I had been searching all over the internet for, a little top-up of delicious wool felts as I had run out of black, some fabrics for a new bag, cotton – a little bit of everything.

I did ask Mary if it was Ok to take all the photos and I told her about Tuesday Rotate and told her it was a little bit about sharing the love and a little bit about me being sick of talking about me all the time.

So, in her usual gorgeous Mary style (the woman is insanely generous) she gave me a fat 1/4 pack for one of you guys.

So tell me, folks, what makes a good shop experience for you? Are you a leave-me-alone kind of shopper or a chatty shopper. What brings you back to a shop or what scares you off?

I’ll randomly pick a winner and send them this great set of fat 1/4’s courtesy of Mary.

Worst job in the world !!!!

After our gorgeous time at Magnolia Square, we headed off to Brenda's for lunch and some stitching ...... Brenda is serously one of the most welcoming people I have ever met. She tells a great joke !!!
We laughed a good chunk of the day away before we headed off to a patchwork shop.

You know, at first, I found it hard to understand the crabbiness of the shopkeepers. But the more I thought of it the more I felt duty bound to share with you the plight of the Patchwork shop worker.

Ode to the Patchwork Shop Worker

Oh Patchwork shop worker I know you’re no shirker
for harder jobs barely exist !

You must slave all the day, putting fabrics away,
and cutting must sure hurt your wrist!

People pop in, and they smile and they grin
but you’re wishing them dead in their tracks.

For they demand your attention and want you to mention
the location of pretty charm packs.

When they come in to visit and dare ask "where is it"
you mutter and glower and groan.

With a roll of the eyes, and a number of sighs
It”s all you can do not to moan.

Is it your fate, in this job that you hate?

for all customers to come and annoy you.

You want them to quit, so you treat them like shit
and get snooty when someone implores you.

Your whingey and whiny, and your shop is so tiny
that and you bump and you shove as you pass

Then you look down your nose, and strike up your pose
(the one with the pole up your A...)

We still give you our cash, to increase our stash
And we smile and try to be sweet.

But we save up our thoughts and our nasty retorts
till we’re safely back out in the street !

No more I promise........................