Our very first feature shop is The Cottage Quiltworks at Bilgola! Read on and find out all about a different sewing shop every month. If you would like your business to be the SEWN feature shop of the month, contact sarah@sewn.net.au
 


SEWN paid a visit to the Cottage Quiltworks at Bilgola in Sydney’s Northern Beaches on Saturday, June 6 – which just so happened to be their open day! Set high on a hill above some of Sydney’s most beautiful surf beaches, the shop was bustling with delighted customers browsing for bargains and examining the beautiful quilts on display from their tutors. Jann and Chris still managed to have time to tell us a little bit about their beautiful shop.



The Cottage Quiltworks started life as a home based machine quilting business which Jann ran from a cottage on her farm in the Snowy Mountains of NSW.  After moving back to Sydney in 2000 she met Chris at their local quilt group, Avalon Quilters.  Chris had just returned from 4 years living in Indiana.  They were both looking for a new direction and thought the Northern Beaches area was in need of a quilt shop that met the needs of the local quilters.

The business started in a very small way working from Jann’s workroom at home in Avalon with a limited amount of fabric, however it soon became apparent that they would need bigger premises and by a happy set of coincidences, the ladies found space for the shop in nearby Bilgola.  The vacant shop next door was soon added as the sunny and spacious class room.

Cottage Quiltworks stock a wide range of fabrics from many of the top designers including Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, Martha Negley, Phillip Jacobs,  Amy Butler, A Day in the Country, Yuwa, Anna Griffin, many Moda ranges, reproductions, 30’s/40”s, Japanese,  shirtings, blenders and  selected decorator cottons and linens as well as flannels and hand dyed felted wools.



The shop is  very fortunate to have some of Australia’s best tutors (see class list) and therefore they stock the fabrics that are generally required to suit these classes.  Customers will also find quilt related notions, patterns and books for instruction or inspiration.  Quilters can buy ready-to-make kits or Jann and Chris can customise a kit to suit the customer’s needs.



Wool classes in Sue Spargo patterns and her own Hot Ginger Creations are taught by Judy Edenborough. Shown here is a wool quilt of her own design.



Bridgette Giblin teaches her unique brand of traditional quilts with a modern flair



Sue Ross has a range of wonderful quilts that she teaches in her classes.

Chris has a flair with brights and Jann loves scrappy more traditional quilts and with over 40 years of quilting experience between them, they pride themselves on giving friendly professional service to all their customers.  They enjoy welcoming visiting groups with a cuppa and cake and provide a mail order service for those ladies who are unable to come to the shop on a regular basis. While they do not currently have an online shop, customers can always email Jann and Chris for advice on the products they stock.



The ladies love working together with beautiful fabrics and meeting great people who share our passion for making quilts.  What better business could you be in?




Cottage Quiltworks Shop address is:

Shop 12
1 Bilambee Avenue
Bilgola  NSW  2107
Phone:  02 9918 7550
Fax:  02 9940 0685
Email:  cottagequilts@hotmail.com
Website: www.cottagequiltworks.com.au

Opening Hours
Monday – Friday  9.30 am – 5 pm
Saturday                  9 am – 1 pm

An offer for lucky SEWN readers! Take a drive to the Northern Beaches, have a coffee in nearby Avalon Village (I recommend a latte at The Cooks Larder!, maybe a little browsing at my favourite bookshop, Bookocino, and get a fantastic bonus for shopping at The Cottage Quiltworks! Coffee, books and fabric, sounds like a great outing to me….