FAQ

Material size

We sell fabric by the ‘fat quarter’ A fat quarter is one quarter of a square metre of fabric, cut to about 55cm x 50cm (for a 110cm wide fabric). If you order multiples of fat quarters they are always cut as one continuous piece, so if you want one metre, simply order 4.

Fabric size

Type of material

All our fabrics are 100% cotton quilters weight fabric, 110cm wide, unless otherwise stated.

Delivery

UK delivery is made via standard Royal Mail second class unless next day delivery or signed for is purchased, which will be also be provided by Royal Mail.

 

2nd Class (3-5 days)

1st Class (1-2 days)

2nd Class signed for

1st Class signed and guaranteed by next day 1pm

UK

£3.20

£3.85

£4.10

£7.50

 

We are also very pleased to now be able to offer a reduced postage cost for small orders. For all orders of £10 or less you can choose the reduced postage rate of just £1.

And we have a local delivery rate for those living close to our HQ in Huddersfield. 

 

International tracked and signed for

Europe (3-5 working days)

£30

Worldwide (5-7 working days)

£30

 

Please note that for international delivery any customs charges levied will be the responsibility of the purchaser.

If International postage is actually cheaper than quoted we will refund the difference back to you. 

 

Shipping time

We typically ship all orders within 24 hours of them being placed (orders placed on a weekend or holiday will be shipped the next business day), but cannot guarantee delivery times by Royal Mail and would expect to allow a delivery time of 3-5 days (for second class)  to avoid disappointment. Should you require faster delivery we strongly suggest our special delivery service option, which would be next day. Please note that if a parcel does not arrive we wait 14 working days before issuing a refund or resending - this timeframe is advised by Royal Mail before they class a piece of mail as 'lost'.

Returns 

We want our customers to be 100% satisfied. We have a 30-day return policy on items you are not satisfied with. Refunds will be issued once items are returned to us. Refunds will not be given for shipping & handling charges unless the product was faulty. All returns must be in original condition and packaging and they must not have a smoke odour to them. Returns that have a smoke odour will not be refunded. 

Privacy/security

We take your privacy and security very seriously. Please see our full policy here.

Payments

Payments should be made online through the website. We accept all major credit cards and PayPal. Please note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to use the system. If you wish to pay by cheque or bank transfer, please email us directly, but note that the order will not be fulfilled until the funds have cleared.

Do I need to pre-wash my fabric?

We recommend that you pre-wash all fabric before sewing. This will help avoid shrinkage when you wash your completed project. Also, if you are making something for a baby or child washing should remove any irritants from the fabric production. 

Personally, I hand wash all my fabrics, then iron when damp to best remove all the creases!

Can you help me choose coordinating fabric?

Absolutely! We’d love to help. Really – this is the exciting part for us so please ask. Drop us a note (claire@cowandgiraffe.co.uk) and we’ll see what we can put together for you – obviously with no obligation!

Do you provide samples of fabric?

Yes we do. Upon request we can provide a small free swatch of the majority of our fabrics for you to check the colour and quality in your own home. (Some fabrics due to their large pattern do not allow for an accurate swatch to be cut.) Please email us your requests (michelle@cowandgiraffe.co.uk). The first five swatches are completely free, beyond that we simply request that postage is paid – the swatches are still free.

I’m looking for something you don’t stock (or that I bought before but is no longer on the site)

Well that sounds like a reason to increase our stock! If you have seen something elsewhere, it is likely that we can get it for you, or if you have something in mind we may know where to source it from, so please email us to ask. We can always give you a call at a convenient time if it is easier to describe your ideal fabric! If the piece you are looking for is out of stock on our site we may still be able to get hold of this for you, so again, please drop us a note and we’ll do all we can to help.

Washing/shrinkage

Always prewash all craft fabric before using to avoid shrinkage on a completed sewing project. Additionally, drying fabrics in a tumble drier is not recommended.

Minimum order

There is no minimum order value.

Colour discrepancy from photos

All computer monitors and photos (and indeed eyes!) vary and as such the colour you see on screen may not be the exact shade of the fabric when it arrives. We do our utmost to get this as accurate as can be, but we understand this can be frustrating. This is why we offer our free swatch service. If the colour match needs to be exact, please order a swatch first to avoid disappointment.

Do you have a physical shop/can I visit

Alas no. However, if you live in the Yorkshire region we may be able to arrange to meet you with our sample book and you can browse through that rather than the website. We are also happy to bring this along to any sewing/quilting groups if this would suit your needs. Drop us an email and we can arrange something: michelle@cowandgiraffe.co.uk

We are also very happy to run Pop-Up shops at your craft groups, and occasionally run these at our HQ in Huddersfield. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about these events.