Firstly, let me wish you all a very happy new year from everyone at Cheapfabrics, although it is not what we quite expected it to be.  We look forward to adding more exclusive, exciting fabrics and related products this year to continue with the love of sewing.

To mark the end of a very trying 2020, we took the decision to take a much-deserved two-week break which the whole team appreciated. We all enjoyed having the time to spend time with our families during the festive period, it has been a refreshing start, and are now back stronger in mind, body and spirit as ever to serve you this year!

A family run business based in Berkshire, we are proud to have a treasure of collective knowledge that has been passed down generations for over 50 years, now that is quite impressive if I say so myself. Let me introduce ourselves to you, we are a small team. Nicola, Sue, Nick, Jo, Ulla & Dave and then we have our cutting and despatch team whom we would be lost without, teamwork is of utmost importance in our business and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have them work closely alongside us as one big happy family at work, especially when the boys break out the tunes, it can be quite entertaining!

We are a family-orientated business and we like to extend that gesture further to our customers, which is why we take pride in delivering top-end customer service. It is expected that shopping for fabrics online can be quite disconcerting, especially as many of you are in a habit to visit retail shops, to feel and see the fabrics in person. This is where we confidently step in, we totally understand that - which is why we offer a sample service for the majority of our products and a customer phoneline for those that would rather talk to us firsthand.

Through these challenging times, the team has been dedicated to working very hard over the past year to fulfill all our sewing enthusiasts' orders. By no means has it been easy, especially with revised safety measures and regulations that were introduced to operate as efficiently as possible in this unprecedented time. 

Last year, in the first lockdown many of our customers, kept themselves busy and there was an increase in demand for polycotton and cotton fabric in plain and prints and of course everyone went nuts on purchasing elastic for facemasks, muslin, scrubs, and bags. Our stock supplies were stretched but we managed to see it through with much success. The pleasing news is that much of the stock is now recuperated, with the odd few lines that may take a little longer but other than that we are functioning as normal. 

We also noticed at this time that it became ever-increasing evident to communicate with our customers, so we set up another office where we could just attend to calls and assist as many of you with telephone orders and other matters. Some calls were conversations as simple as "how are you and thank you for saving us from boredom, I can go back to my sewing now"  and just a little chit chat, it really made us aware of the mental health issues that were highlighted on the news and campaigns throughout the pandemic. All in all, it has felt good that we can help by just listening and sharing our knowledge of fabrics. Just knowing that one can call whilst self-shielding or self-isolating and talk about their sewing stories and passion for their projects was a lovely feeling.

Operating on a skeleton staff level was challenging but with all the support shown and the thank you messages we were receiving, it really did uplift the team spirit. Thank you once again!

We are pleased to inform you all that a great collection of new stock, will be arriving towards the end of Feb. This is a great time to add to your fabric stash - after all, there is no such thing as a sewing room with enough fabric! 

Through this lockdown there has been so so much historical drama on the channels and of course like many, I got hooked on the much-talked-about Netflix series 'Bridgerton', and yes whilst many were busy admiring the Duke of Hastings, I of course had my third eye on the costume cupboard of the series. My goodness, oh what a treat it was for us, every scene was captivating and wholeheartedly embraced with its vibrancy, its decor, the embellishment, the eye to detail encompassed on the dresses, gowns, and waistcoats were as delightful, if not more than the Duke himself. It got me thinking of all the fabrics we have in store so this is where we got our collection up and running called 'Inspired by Bridgerton'. We have been dealing with theatre companies, production houses, and many show companies, that we felt it necessary to highlight and remind everyone of the vast spectrum we have to offer across the whole board. So do not forget to check out our glorious fabrics such as silks, taffetas, corded laces, crepe-back satins, countess satins, duchess satins, twinkle satins, dress velvets, laces, organzas, embellished fabrics, and a great more of the showtime fabrics. 

Hobbies are always a good way to relax and many find sewing so rewarding and fulfilling, and this really came to the forefront through this pandemic as many of you kindly donated your efforts by supporting the truly amazing NHS and every keyworker. Crafting can be quite therapeutic, activities such as cross-stitch, tapestry, diamond painting, toy-making, doll dresses, and dressmaking are very popular stress-busters. Our range of haberdashery has further expanded and will continue to do so, to enable us to provide a wider range of products such as sewing storage boxes and bags, sewing covers, machine accessories, strong thread, heavyweight zips, bias binding, cotton tapes, cords, piping, wool yarn, knitting accessories, toy-filling, crafting, buttons, motifs, fat quarters alongside more seasonal, occasional, and fancy ribbons and trims and much more. We are always welcome to feedback so if you do not find what you are looking for, do not hesitate to pop us an email or give us a call. The team is happy to help and if we can source it, we will!. 

We have collaborated alongside a few pattern companies to provide sewing patterns that will not go amiss. This is always being revised and updated and here you will find inspiration and guidance to stitching your own garment. Find bridal, costumes, summer dresses, coats, baby, trousers, skirts, blouses, gowns etc. 

When I think of the winter months, cozy comes to mind, I certainly am not a fan of cold weather so you can imagine how much fleece fabric sits in my office and in my wardrobe. Sue and I love our fleece blankets and cushions and my favourite latest addition was a fully fleece lined boucle coat and the wool blend coat.

A great way to experiment with different types of fabric, these bundles have become very popular amongst students and those of you who just want a random challenge as to what you can make out of the materials. It also serves a great purpose to see the different range of fabrics we actually do, whether it is fancy laces, satins, chiffons, stretch fabrics, heavyweight fabrics. The remnants are the perfect scrapbook on our portal where you will find great clearance prices and the last chance to buy multiple lengths end of roll stock. 

It is a trying time for the postal services, as they are busier than ever with the increase in online orders, shortage of staff,  so, please be advised that there may be a delay in receiving packages at times due to a significant lag with Royal Mail and Parcelforce. We take every effort to ensure orders are processed on the next working day and despatched at the earliest so you can get on with your sewing, please bear in mind that it is beyond our control to speed up delivery with the delivery agents.  

Finally, please let us take the opportunity to thank you all once again , to each of you who have supported our business and allowed us to serve you. We appreciate the feedback as it helps us to improve our services to you all.