This week we had a visit from one of our lovely online customers who had travelled all the way from South Lanarkshire, to visit family and to visit Calico Laine! She is a regular customer online due to the fact that there aren't many fabric stores in her area and we find that this is often the case with our online customers. Calico Laine textiles aim to offer people the opportunity to buy high quality dressmaking fabrics online who otherwise may not have the chance to buy them locally. Calico Laine stores are based in Wirral with shops in both Liscard and Neston which allows local customers to buy fabrics and haberdashery for all of their dressmaking projects and craft ideas. With our online store however, we give this opportunity to customers across the UK and internationally including countries like France, Spain and Germany. Calico Laine was established in 1973 with market stalls in Chester, Liverpool and Birkenhead. Over time this evolved to a more permanent shop in Liscard and then around 8 years ago the company expanded to include a website and a warehouse for online orders in Neston. With buying fabric online, it can sometimes be difficult to determine if the fabric is correct for your needs. All computer monitors show colours slightly differently and it can be hard to decide on a fabric if you cannot feel it in 'real life'. To allow customers to see fabric before they purchase a large amount, we offer a sample service online. Samples are charged at £1.00 each and come with a card featuring the specifications of the fabric and price. Samples are roughly 3" x 5" and this allows you to feel the fabric fully and see the true colour so you can decide if it is right for what you need. It is always important to order samples if you are unsure about a fabric as we cannot offer an exchange or refund if the fabric isn't quite how you imagined. As well as offering high quality fabrics online we sell a good range of haberdashery items to compliment your fabric. From gutermann sewing thread to ykk zips, self cover buttons to polyester boning our haberdashery section online is full of items that are perfect for all your projects. If you are looking for anything specific and cannot see what you want, the Calico Laine staff are always happy to help. We can be contacted via email or on the telephone and will do our best to find what you are looking for.