Joel and Son Fabrics

Thank you all so much for the positive words and support you sent my way after my last post. Since then, we have put our flat back on the market, and we have had multiple offers above our asking price, so I am quite happy about that. We are off to Northampton to view properties this weekend so I am really looking forward to the weekend. I am however cognisant of the fact that things could go wrong so I have decided not to get emotionally involved in the process this time round. Que sera sera.

Now on to the reason for today's post. Joel and Son fabrics. Have you ever been there? I have never gone there. Alison tells me it is near Edgware Road, which is technically not very far from my house. Joel and Son are suppliers to her Majesty the Queen, a fact which they are very proud of, as I am sure I would be if by some stroke of luck my macarons made their way to her Maj's dinner table.
I have been to their website countless times, but because their prices are quite extraordinary, I never bought anything from them. They have the most exquisite fabrics which are, unfortunately, reflected in their not so exquisite prices.

I never thought I would ever buy anything from them, until a couple of weeks ago when I went to my usual spot on their website, the bargain section. I saw this amazing looking cotton faille fabric going for £10/metre. I kept praying the fabric would still be there when I got paid and thankfully it was. So I ordered 3 metres. Two weeks passed and I still had not received my parcel. I called them yesterday to inform them. The lady I spoke to was quite helpful, and she gave me the number of their delivery company, as well as my reference number. A quick call to the delivery company, and my parcel was delivered today. AMAZING!!

Just look at this beautiful fabric. If you are not drooling now, I think you need to see a Doctor. There either is something wrong with your eyes, or the part of your brain that curates your emotions is malfunctioning.

Now, not only was the customer service really good, the packaging had me quivering with excitement. Alison was visiting and she could not help laughing at me. We decided to learn more about cotton faile, as neither of us had worked with it before. So out came the Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide.

Now this is not a shop I will regularly buy from. Don't get me wrong. It is not that they don't sell good fabric. They do. They sell Very good fabric. From Italy and other places. They have all sorts of designer fabrics. And therein lies the rub. Designer fabrics are not cheap. Alison and I even played a guessing game. She read out a discounted fabric description, and asked me to guess the price. I said £100. It turns out I was almost £900 short of the price. The actual price was £989/metre, down from £1,472. Yes I know, I had the same reaction as you are probably having now. If I was ever looking for a reason for Mr.Dibs to ask for a divorce, I think buying even 0.00001 metres of this fabric would be good enough. In case you were wondering if this fabric was made of gold, here it is. Feast thy eyes!

If there is anyone of you out there who buys from Joel and Son regularly, I hate you, and I never EVER want to meet you because my inability to suppress my jealousy and envy would inevitably lead to murder, and I really, really want to see Noah grow. I won't be able to turn him into the professional sportsman he is destined to be from Belmarsh prison. To those of you, like me, who can only dream of making a purchase from the bargain section, rejoice. They always have some sort of offer. The offers are still expensive for the likes of us, but for that special occasion, or reward or treat, a remnant piece of 2metres at £40-£50 is achievable.

An added surprise for me, was the packaging. The fabric came wrapped in tissue paper, in a branded plastic bag, with the royal charter proudly incorporated....of course.

A postcard was included, which I thought was a nice touch, as well as a tape measure. Wasn't that sweet of them? I'm sure I shall buy from them again, if only to see what little free gift wends its way towards me.

I love my cheap fabrics. I am a Goldhawk road girl to the core, but once in a while, a very rare while, I like to indulge myself. This purchase does not really qualify as a splurge because the fabric was heavily discounted, and I have bought more expensive fabric than this, but the whole experience of buying from Joel and Son to me, was a treat. Have you ever bought from them?