Take a tour of the Coles Sewing Centre website

From 24th December to 3rd January we have a 10% discount store-wide with the discount code SALE10* – read on to learn how to use it!

Those of our regular customers who have shopped with Coles for a while will know that we upgraded our website just over two years ago to a sleeker design that is easier for customers to use. We intend for you to be able to order online anything that you can buy in the shop itself, which is no mean feat as we sell over 7,000 products! This is what you’ll find me doing from day to day – I add new products, update what’s already there and generally do my best to keep things ticking over. So take a tour of the Coles Sewing Centre website with me and you can see everything we have to offer!

Before we begin, I should note that I am using a web browser on a PC, so the layout will be a little different on mobiles and tablets. If you are using these devices and have any questions, please comment below and I’ll do my best to help!

The homepage

The website homepage has a lot of useful information but you do have to scroll down to see some of it. Right at the top you can see a red bar with several links: click on these for more information. Contact/Find Us will give you our opening hours and how to find the shop or where to park when you get here. Service & Repairs tells you more about what happens when you bring your macine in to us, while FAQ gives a list of frequently asked questions on issues with machines. This page will be updated in 2022 to be more comprehensive and user friendly, and will be a useful first port of call when you have a problem with your machine.

Below this bar and to the right of the logo you will see a search bar with a little magnifying glass icon in it – if you’re not sure where to find what you’re looking for then simply type in here and hit enter!

Next we have a bar with the various categories of products we have on offer at Coles Sewing Centre. There’s a lot to say about this, so I’ll come back to it in a moment. Underneath this bar you can see a banner – this is where we update you about upcoming events, special offers and news. In the previous picture you can see we have a banner about the upoming Coles Live online event in January and if you click on the banner on the website it will take you to the page to book. We always have several banners going round the carousel and we change them regularly, so it’s always worth having a quick look at these!

Keep going down and you’ll see the New Products carousel – the ten most recenly added products appear here so you can aways find the newest additions to the website. As you can see from the image below, I have added a pre-owned S25 overlocker, a brand new ovelocker accessory and a new range of fabric this week.

Scroll right down to the bottom of the homepage and you’ll find a number of quick links, including the Advanced Search and information about Shipping and Returns. This information is at the bottom of every page, so you can always find it.

Categories menu

As I mentioned earlier, you can browse everything we sell online through the red categories menu:

• Machines & Overlockers – all of our new, pre-owned and ex-demonstration machines and overlockers, as well as embroidery software
• Machine Products & Accessories – all products related to your sewing/embroidery machine or overlocker are here, from needles to feet, hoops and spare parts, through to Horn furniture and machine storage.
• Fabric – whether you’re a dressmaker, quilter or crafter, we have something for everyone!
• Courses – you can book all of our courses online here. You can find them grouped by month or by type, as well as one day workshops, weekly classes, monthly classes and owners’ classes
• Sewing Notions – threads, interfacing, bag accessories, haberdashery – you’ll find all of your sewing notions here. I am still updating the haberdashery section so you will see a few more items here in the new year.
• Sewing Tools – general sewing tools e.g., pins, scissors, pattern paper, glue
• Patchwork & Quilting – tools specifically for patchwork and quilting, such as templates rulers and rotary cutters
• Books & Patterns – books by subject and patterns by company or pattern type
• Subscriptions & Gifts – extended warranties, Gold Thread membership, gift cards and gift ideas

Fabrics

All of the fabrics that are in the shop are available to order online. Quilting and craft fabrics can be ordered in increments of 25cm and if you order just 25cm then we will send you a fat quarter. Dressmaking fabrics can be ordered in increments of 10cm and with a minimum order of 10cm then you can order the exact amount you need, or even just a sample. The minimum order and the increments the fabric can be ordered in are explained on every page.

Patterns

We now have the whole Simplicity range, as well as selected Poppy & Jazz, Tilly & the Buttons and The Avid Seamstress patterns available to order online. We have our patterns organised by type, so you can narrow down your search easily, just select from the menu to find (for example) Dresses, Craft and Home Decor, or Vintage patterns. We also have a section devoted to Beginners and Easy-To-Sew patterns so that even inexperienced stitchers can be confident that they can tackle any of the patterns in that section.

When you have found a pattern that you like the look of and clicked on it, make sure to look through all of the pictures. In there you will always find images of the front and back of the pattern envelope and if you click on the picture you can zoom in so you can clearly read all of the information, even the tiniest text. All you need to do to order is select the size you want from the drop-down list and click the red Add to Basket button!

Placing an order

I’m going to take you through the steps of placing an order for 260cm of Christmas jersey – just click through the screenshots below. I will also add the discount code for the holiday sale, SALE10, to get 10% off!

The holiday sale is on from 24th December to 3rd January – just enter the discount code SALE10 at checkout to get 10% off storewide (*excluding items already on offer, the Epic 2, special offer machines, courses, Horn Cabinets, software, extended warranties, Gold Thread membership & patterns).

As Rose mentioned in her post last week, the shop will be shut from 2pm on Christmas Eve until 4th January. We’re looking forward to welcoming you all back in store next year, but in the meantime then have a browse through the website and grab yourself a bargain with that SALE10 discount code!