frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Hello visitor.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions that may provide you with information you may be seeking. Please do not hesitate to contact me on this site and I will be happy to chat with you if you want to know something else.

SHIPPING COSTS

Our postal costs are raised twice a year and are the dearest in the world. Despite our high shipping costs, I offer you subsidised shipping in Australia and overseas. I wear this cost myself. I also offer Australian buyer subsidised shipping on my book which weighs in at over 800 grams (389 pages/A4 size).

COMBINED SHIPPING AND EXCESS SHIPPING REFUNDS

Multiple items purchased will be combined into the one parcel. Excess shipping is routinely refunded back to you. I do this all the time.

MY BOOK:

I am able to personally sign copies of my book and include any specific message you wish for me to write inside the front page. This personalisation service is only available if you purchase directly from this website. Please contact me to discuss your specific messaging needs and I am happy to oblige. My book is a popular wedding gift choice for younger people as it contains a lifetime’s experience on budgeting and household management.

My book also sells through Books Online Australia. Here is a link: https://booksonlineaustralia.com.au/shop/budget-cook-grow/ If you purchase during our weekend, then we have to delay a visit to our town’s post office as our post office will be closed for the weekend. Order acknowledgements occur as soon as I see them so you will hear from me. We usually post within 2 business days of receiving an order.

PAYMENT METHODS ONLINE

I prefer PayPal as a trusted third party payment method in order to avoid handling any credit/debit card information on this website due to increasing security issues related to web commerce. You can also use your debit/credit card to effect payments at checkout via Paypal. I do not keep any financial information on this site for your protection as I am sick and tired of all the amoral money grubbing scammers out there who refuse to work for a living and prefer to steal instead.

PAYMENT METHODS IN MY STUDIO

I now have an onsite card reader in my studio so you can use your credit/debit card as you would with a usual EFTPOS system in any shop.

I do not keep cash on the premises at all.

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS ON THIS SITE

I have found images stolen from two of my Etsy shops online, pretending to sell what I am selling. People who have done this are infringing copyright law and have no legal right whatsoever to pretend to sell my one of a kind designs and creations via photographs I have taken for my Etsy shops and posting it to their sales platforms outside Etsy. If you see anything I post here including stolen Etsy reviews on any other overseas site, the image, along with any reviews have been stolen for illegal purposes by thieving, amoral, parasitic scum who are too lazy to put in an honest day’s work and prefer to steal instead. If I could find this scum, I would have no hesitation in ripping them a second arsehole. This is the only site you will see these designs for sale. If you see copies of my images anywhere else, then they have been stolen by people wanting to steal money from unsuspecting buyers. I specialise in one of a kind designs in everything I create. I do not produce mass produced rubbish at all, as has been advertised on thieving sites. If you wish to purchase mass produced, please shop elsewhere. Check out my Links page where I have named and shamed the websites that thieve.

WHAT I SELL ON THIS SITE

My “daytime” job is a self-employed designer and maker of wearable one of a kind bead embroidery and jewellery pieces. I also work as an independent wool dyer and felter, creating unique hand dyed, hand felted mixed media paintings. I tend to work every day of the week as my work is my passion. My jewellery designs are currently in art galleries in my home state of Victoria. I also have an Etsy shop where I post some of my general jewellery and bead embroidery designs works here: Jane Bari Design I sell off surplus beading supplies to my needs in my design work at Jane Bari Beads on Etsy too. The supplies are brand new, unless the product description specifically states “vintage supply”. My third Etsy shop is Sheep Shed Yarns on Etsy sells some crochet work as I have transitioned my hand dyed Merino products to this site. Please consult the Links page for information on what galleries stock my designs.

DO YOU WISH TO STOCK MY DESIGNS?

Please drop me a line to discuss this possibility as I am happy to create market specific designs at specific price points to suit your gallery or business. For example, I created designer clothing specific jewellery in the past for a client. The possibilities are pretty broad so please contact me to discuss your specific needs. Do not be afraid to ask.

CUSTOMS DUTIES and DELAYED DELIVERY TIMES

I am not responsible for any customs fees imposed on buyers by their own government. All such fees are the sole responsibility of buyers. I am also not responsible for any state based taxation imposed by your country. If taxation is owing on parcels, the payment onus is up to the buyer. Please note that I cannot be held responsible for excessive delays in shipping times if your parcel is being held up in your particular country’s customs office. We are currently posting twice a week.

SALES

I currently only sell my creations to most countries. If you wish to purchase any of my designs and live outside where I post, please pop over to the Contact page and send me a note. If you wish to purchase my book and you live outside the banned countries, please visit the Links page and take a link to book sellers online. Book buyers from around the world can purchase using the provided links. Please note: I do not sell at all to any countries ruled over by despots. I don’t think there is any need for me to name the despotically ruled countries as they generate sufficient appalling publicity themselves through their wanton disregard they delusionally hide with political propaganda.

REFUNDS

Please contact me if you wish to return a creation. I operate locally under Australian consumer laws. Merely changing your mind about a product after you have purchased does not constitute reasonable grounds for returning said creation. What I create is specially created to fall within the “fit for purpose” guidelines. This is why all my jewellery on this site contains measurements so there can be no mistake about “the wrong size”, etc. Jewellery that has been worn cannot be returned at all. I have an extremely sensitive nose that picks up any perfume, including skin care product perfumes. These creations cannot be returned at all as they are rendered worthless by the smell that embeds itself in the ultrasuede backing. Whilst some people like to wear perfume, to people like me who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities, I find perfume a distinctly offensive and allergy ridden stench. I cannot in all honesty re-sell jewellery that carries embedded stink. Any jewellery that has broken may be returned to me at the purchaser’s expense and I will repair any damage. This being said, I have never had a single return in the 10 years I have been creating my pieces. Each piece of jewellery that is sold is accompanied by care, use and storage instructions.

PACKAGING

We pay special care with packaging to ensure your precious purchase arrives in the same condition as it was packaged. We have been packing for mail order since 2012 with no breakages along the way.

GIFT WRAPPING SERVICE

I offer a free gift wrapping service and accompanying photographic card. If you are purchasing anything on this site for a loved one and would like this special and free extra service, please contact me prior to making a purchase to discuss your special needs. Otherwise, regular packaging will be employed and your parcel will contain a sales invoice for your financial records.

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

I offer a twice a year newsletter and definitely not a flood of trivial, advertising filled rubbish that fits under the spam label. Newsletters will feature new designs from my workroom plus interesting little tidbits of design information about processes and challenges I face as a creative. There is no third party advertising in my newsletters, only my creations and some interesting articles too. Subscribers’ email addresses will not be sold off or handed out to any third party at all. All contact details will remain strictly private. Readers who wish to unsubscribe to my newsletter can easily do so by contacting me through this site and I will immediately remove their email address from my private database.

HAND MADE IN A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

My jewellery, wool and felted creations are all produced in a clean, smoke, perfume and chemical free household. We live like this in a clean coastal environment that is pollution free because I have multiple chemical sensitivities. We have a non-shedding Shih Tzu dog and a Maltese. Both dogs are clean as they are bathed regularly, clipped professionally and brushed. Neither dog has contact with any of my wool based creations or any of my other creations at all. I only use quality wool mix and rainwater when washing and setting yarn and dyes. All products are air dried outside in pollution free coastal air. Once made up, each creation is photographed, carefully catalogued and stored away in a sealed bag to ensure no contamination with anything at all. My studio workspace is cleaned on a regular basis in between each creative task. No foods or drinks are consumed in my studio at all. We live in a non smoking household.

DYE ISSUES

I only use archival quality acid dyes in the manufacture of my designs. The only acid in the dyes I use is the white vinegar I add to the dye bath. Whilst I regularly read about a plethora of alternative food related dyes online, I always question the archival properties of such products when applied to wool. I have had difficulty in finding any archival information on using food dyes on wool at all except for the reality that the dyes are not suitable for long term use in wool as they fade. I find it a pointless exercise in hand dyeing using inappropriate dyes and then having someone purchase the wool and spending considerable time and expertise in knitting or crocheting it up, only to find the dyes fade with every wash. This is why I only use quality Victorian made acid dyes in my hand dyeing. All hand spun and commercially spun wool, once dyed, is washed in quality wool mix and rinsed several times in rain water and conditioned to take out any residual dye bleeding. However, I do recommend you wash your knitted or crocheted up garment separately the first couple of times as sometimes there is a very feint residual dye present. All hand spun wool is washed again in rainwater after spinning to further set the ply. There may be a minute amount of vegetable matter in my hand spun wool as I have prepared the wool from fleece to finish here at home. The only mechanisation I employ are my two hands and flicker combs, drum carder, spinning wheel, yarn swift and countless hours of labour.

HAND DYED MERINO TOPS PRESENTATION

I photograph each hand dyed Merino top batch I make as a flat, circular “cake” and not plaited up. I do not plait up my roving at all so that you are able to see the entire colourway transition of each roving in detail when considering a purchase. I also photograph both sides of each roving cake so you can see the colour variations present. I never second guess colour or assume that near enough is good enough in terms of presentation of a product that takes a few days to make. Each roving is fully presented so you can see what you purchase. I can also dye larger quantities of Merino tops. Please drop me a line if you need to discuss this.

HAND SPUN PRESENTATION

Hand spun wool is posted off in hank format and packaged in a large organza bag. All hand spun wool is washed again and conditioned in rainwater after spinning to further set the ply.

SLIGHT WEIGHT VARIATIONS IN HANKS

I purchase commercial hanks in particular “set” weights. However, after the dyeing process and the removal of all the extra strings that are applied to hanks to keep them together, hanks may lose up to 10 grams in weight. This is a common occurrence as hanks are weighed with the separation strings included.

MONITOR COLOUR VARIATIONS

I try to photograph as closely as possible to reflect the colourway I see in my photographic booth and also outside in “natural” light. Individual computer monitors vary in how they interpret colour. Computer monitors can vary in colour presentation according to their manufacturer and even their age. I try as best I can to produce a photograph that is as close as possible to the item in my hand.

PRIVATE COMMISSIONS

I do accept private commission work from time to time, depending upon my workload. Please do not hesitate to ask me as private commissions do not attract any higher costs than comparable designs you see on this site. If I have materials available and a firm design concept, I am happy to consider your particular request and discuss your specific needs and tastes. Private commissions will attract an initial 40% deposit which will be forfeited by the purchaser if they decide not to purchase a finished design due to merely changing their mind. I reserve the right to donate the forfeited deposit to an animal charity of my choice.

VISIT MY WORKROOM

My workroom in Wonthaggi is open by appointment only. Please contact me via this website if you wish to visit to view my works and framed mixed media felted paintings and “ready to frame” textile paintings, consider my book or just want to drop in for an arty visit and generally poke about the place. You are always welcome for a cuppa as I do not do any hard sales on anyone. I am just happy to meet up with fellow artists. Please refer to Covid-19 protocols further up this information page. Non mask wearers will be denied entry. This is not negotiable. If you intend to visit and make an appointment, please do not wear any perfume, scented hand cream, scent filled hair products or hairspray at all as the chemical sensitivity I live with will cause me a lot of allergic grief and asthma for days after your visit.

HOW TO CARE FOR WOOL

Although I offer some products that are a “sock yarn” blend of wool and nylon, I only recommend handwashing. Gentle hand wash in barely lukewarm water with a quality wool mix is recommended. Do not wring or agitate to avoid felting. Do not wash in hot water as this will also felt the fibre. Do not place in a tumble dryer either as this will felt and ruin the fibre. Gently squish out excess water but DO NOT WRING OR TWIST at all. Just press the wool together gently to remove excess rinse water and then proceed to lay out to dry on a flat garment rack in the shade. Shape the garment when it is newly placed on the rack and leave it to dry naturally. Look after wool and you will enjoy your knitting/crochet/weaving for many years. Take a tip from me and save your wool washing for those very hot summer days. I also have a brand new large fly screen that I lay on bricks to keep the screen off the ground. The elevated screen is placed in the shade where I lay out my woollens to dry. Do not peg or hang your woollens on a coat hanger as the wool will stretch and ruin. Dry flat and shape garments whilst they are wet is the best way.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR FELTED WORKS

I always wash my woollens during the hottest part of the year as the high temperatures ensure quick drying times. Felted articles of wear are easy to maintain. If they need to be washed, simply place some lukewarm water in a sink and add a splash of quality wool mix. Gently press the article down into the water, making sure it is totally submerged. Gently press up and down a few times and then drain out the water. Rinse the article in the same temperature water by gently pressing down. Carefully press the article together to extract excess water. DO NOT WRING. Place a clean window fly screen on some bricks in the shade, as described above in the “how to care for wool” paragraph. Lay out the article in its original shape and leave to dry. The article may be pressed using the “wool” setting on an iron with a pressing cloth between the iron and felt. Use the steam button on your iron to assist the felt to set wrinkle free. If you need to iron, gently press the iron down onto the article. Do not slide the iron around in a rough manner.

ANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS?

Simply drop me a line via this website and I will endeavour to answer to the best of my ability. I will answer your queries as soon as I see them in my email system.