@Immaculata here, a 100 spend+25 delivery would be 125+23%+~15 handling –> about 168 and I’ve got stung for customs on gifts, because if someone declares any value, even if it’s a gift, they will apply duty on the item+the postage+handling fee. So the declared value is $5 and shipping 25, I will still have to pay about $20.
Honestly our customs people are *******s
And news just in, the EU are now planning on applying a flat €5 fee on all packages originating outside the EU, because of all the Temu, shein stuff
I did a bit of math and I think using my order it would come down to €18-ish/yard in Ireland. So a bit more expensive than in NL but likely still cheaper than buying in a local quilt store, if they even exist in Ireland. Is your VAT 23%? I thought ours was high at 21%. A lot of people go shopping in Germany because their VAT is only 19%.
I don’t mind paying the taxes I owe, taxes pay for important things, and I get that it would be unfair competition for our own retailers if we were able to buy tax free online. A €6 handling fee also sounds reasonable to me (€15 is a lot though). But adding tariffs on top of that sounds a bit vengeful. I understand they want to hit the Chinese webshops full of use-once-and-throw-away items, but these guys are moving distribution to within the EU as we speak. We need to change the whole culture around buying things just to throw them away.
I also don’t know how this is going to work out in Ireland. I know for VAT we pretend that Northern Ireland is still in the EU. But if a person in Northern Ireland is ordering from mainland UK, does that mean they’re going to pay a €5 tariff per item even if it’s within the same country? If not, you and your friend could set up a parcel smuggling route lol.
I completely agree with you re taxes. I’ve just had surgery with an overnight stay in hospital-completely free. My cancer treatment-Ditto. The two combined in the states and I’d be looking at medical debt of over 400k our taxes are totally worth it!
But the customs this is a bit of a mess and it’s outrageous that we’re charged vat on shipping too! We do have one quilt shop in Galway, solids range from about 12-14€ and prints 16-20 so it’s reasonably competitive. But you can pay over 20 for the really nice stuff like liberty prints.
I think there are already business’ no idea how legal, where you can order stuff to NI and they then walk them across the border and post them to you in the republic I just have a friend do it
And re UK online shops. I’ve just ordered from thesewingstudio they had some nice ruby star society Alice in Wonderland fabric,
I agree that health care costs can be way more variable in the states but most people aren’t playing for things out of pocket. My husband had his appendix out last year and the cost to insurance was $60k but we paid $100 out of pocket. A lot of changes, for the better, were made during Obama’s presidency in regards to healthcare in the US (of course we still have a long way to go and the current administration is trying to roll some of that back ).
Re: things to do while you can’t stand, do you crochet at all? This sounds like the perfect time to start a nice big crochet blanket.
I hope you’re recovering well!
3 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
1167
Insurance is not affordable for a lot of people, which is why many go to emergency rooms to be treated for simple things. Yes, if one does have insurance, the out of pocket cost is not too high, but even on Medicare, people have to pay 20% out of pocket. That can be thousands of dollars. A supplemental plan can help pay for those, but the premiums are running about $300 a month. On a limited retirement budget, that is a lot. We have friends who can’t get certain health issues resolved because they can’t afford any additional medical costs just to get by on their social security. That is why I am constantly encouraging younger people to start planning for retirement. No one can live on just $1200 a month in most of our country.
Diving in quickly with some UK quilt shops, I like Doughtys, Empress Mills, and Bramble Patch for general quilting stuff. A Beautiful Thing and What The Fabric are good for modern fabrics. I get a lot of my Ruby Star Society fabric from A Beautiful Thing, including their Ruby Star blendersAdvent Calendar.
Ooohh that advent calendar looks so enticing! You should share photos. I can’t wait until I get my hot little hands on the ruby star scrap bag I’ve ordered.. Which will hopefully be Thursday..
(with my notes about how many more pieces I can do/need to do.)
It is so fun that I’m contemplating trying to get one for my birthday in summer, either by asking my partner or a friend to pick the fabrics and wrap them if I buy them, or asking if A Beautiful Thing will curate a box for me. That might be pricey though but I can dream
I hope the scrap bag is good. I loved opening the two I got. Both were very cohesive sets. One was from a single line, which I used to make the Manx Quilt Courthouse Steps Block and Pouch, and the other had lots of cute prints from a couple of lines, including the mushies I used for ‘Lil Mush Pouch and the outside of this kitty pouch which I haven’t posted yet.
My DDs tiny dog needs a new little doggie blanket. I received a large donation of fabric last year and I kept these flannel prints. The browns are my stash.
This is a disappearing 16 block. Now to root through the stash for a backing and binding.
@Immaculata I’m really enjoying QAYG as a way to make improv blocks right now. I’ve not tried joining two blocks. I have a book called Quilt As You Go Made Modern which had a good explanation of everything, but in true ADHD style, I just read half the instructions and started inventing stuff.
And @marionberries the kitty pouch is an adorable pattern from SewingTimes on YouTube. This is the video, and on the website there’s a pattern that is helpful. I modified it by adding a second strap with a D-ring so the pouch could be clipped round a bag handle or similar.
Has anyone heard of seeded cotton before? The chartreuse in the bottom left of the second one looked “mouldy” to my eye, and the bits picked off, so I asked the company that sold the advent calendar, and they explained that it’s cotton seed fragments consciously left in the fabric:
I think you can see it in that photo. I’m not keen on it. Reminds me too much of a cold, damp flat I once lived in that made my soft furnishings and board game boxes go mouldy.
7 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
1178
Your blocks are vibrant and fun!
I have heard of seeded cotton fabrics but have only seen it in more natural colors and looser weaves. I don’t think I would like it much in my quilting cottons.
Thank you. That was part of why I wasn’t a fan of this fabric. To me, the chartreuse and the pluses are such a bold combo that don’t go with the “feel” of the print.
I will probably use it for the back of one of the mini quilts, as I can’t see me using it in a lot of other projects
If you can pick it off, wouldn’t it just disappear in the wash? I’ve never heard of it. Very odd.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
1181
They actually are woven into the fabric and held on with a thread or two. You do have to work at picking them off and there are usually tons of them. I would think quilting cotton or clothing with those little cotton seeds would not be comfortable at all. But the seeds are small so maybe it isn’t that bad. It still looks like mildew spots to me.
I just have a friend do it 
).
