Look at these buds just bursting open! I am so excited to feel a hint of spring in the air. I have an elevated back deck that gives me the feeling I am up in a tree house, and one of the trees that shades it is starting to do some very interesting things. As I snapped the picture, a little honey bee flew right onto one of the front branches. It went right to the blossom! If you enlarge the picture I wonder if you can see it.
Every year at this time, I find myself wishing that I had taken the time to plant some daffodils back in October. My husband discovered this pot on our side yard, and what a surprise it was! Evidently the people we bought our house from thought farther ahead than we did!
Thanks for all the opinions on fabric packaging in response to my post yesterday. I appreciated them one and all, even if you didn't agree with me. Even the nice lady (brave soul was she to disagree with me), who told me to let it go, that there are more important things in life than fabric folding. lol I love you one and all, truly. Thank you for reading my blog, thank you for taking the time to comment and thank you for feeling comfortable to express your feelings to me even if they aren't the same as mine.
Many people said they didn't really care how the fabric was packaged as long as it arrived promptly and undamaged. Lots of you said that packaging was VERY important to you. Some said they really appreciated nice packaging, but did not want to pay more for it.
So here is my little experiment. I took my sad little bundles and undid them and put them back in the zip lock bag my own way. A way that I think is much more aesthetically pleasing.
Before:
After:
Flip it over, and here is the backside:
I used the same zip lock bag they were sent to me in. And they would have fit even better in the same Priority Mail envelope they were squished into. (Which I ripped apart in my excitement to get at the fabric).
It took me about 45 seconds to arrange the fabric nicely and slip it into the zip lock bag. Probably less time than it took someone to tie that pathetic string around the stacks of fabric. So, no extra time spent in fancy packaging materials. No extra cost in postage. Less than a minute to show "I care".
One reader thought I was advocating extra and possibly costly packaging. Not at all. You don't need ribbons and tissue and confetti to make a dozen fat quarters look appealing. Just fold and stack them carefully--that's all you need to do. No extra materials, no extra cost.
I am standing firm. As my old boss used to say, "I'll die on this hill". I like a decent presentation, whether I pay more for it or not (which I don't think I should have to do). Taking the time to arrange the fabric prettily shows that someone cares and wants the person on the other end to be pleased with their purchase. To some, it may be a small thing. But not to me.
Wow! Now I can see all the fabrics and want to know the name of the black and pink line! Could you let me know what it is? Better presentation can sell more fabric too :)
Posted by: Shelley | February 23, 2012 at 11:35 AM
I am with you on the packaging. I love when fabric is presented nicely; if you are out shopping at the stores, the display attracts you. Online shopping should come nicely presented. I loved the way that Shabby Fabrics bagged your purchase at Road to CA.
Posted by: Esther | February 23, 2012 at 12:30 PM
I pick your fabric presentation. You get what you pay for I guess. I'm really glad you are "loose" again.
Best Wishes,
Mary
Posted by: Mary Kastner | February 23, 2012 at 02:07 PM
I'm glad you're sticking to your guns, Nicole! Your own re-packaging shows just how little touches make fabric look so different! By seeing them folded like this is your stash, you are probably more apt to use them sooner than later, too!
Cheers!
Posted by: Candace | February 23, 2012 at 02:50 PM
Hi,Nicole:It's all about presentation, baby!
The fabric looks so much prettier fanned out and you can easily store it for later use. My
Mother used to cut the crusts off all my sand-
wiches to make them prettier and they tasted MUCH better that way! By the way, she always made delicious bread pudding from the crusts, so no waste there! The daffodils make my heart sing.Thanks so much
Posted by: Jan Woods Trenkler | February 23, 2012 at 03:02 PM
I TOTALLY agree with you!!! I received a very lumpy package today with the fabrics messy and wrinkly. I was so VERY disappointed. Shabby Fabrics and Fat Quarter Shop never ever let me down and I will stick with them. I was feeling dismayed at what I received today and felt better after reading your two posts. I couldn't agree more!
Posted by: Bari Jo | February 23, 2012 at 08:06 PM
Amen Sister! I agree 100%
Posted by: Wendy | February 24, 2012 at 02:43 PM
I totally agree with you! When I order fabric, I always look forward to getting it in the mail, then if it comes all disheveled and just thrown in a bag, it's like a big letdown. It seems like the sender just didn't care. Another thing I see more and more is getting an invoice and no "thank you" written anywhere on the invoice! I find this really rude. I am not talking about the big fabric companies, but little private on-line quilt shops. Thanks for such a wonderful blog!
Posted by: carol broughton | February 25, 2012 at 04:59 AM
I would not have given those two sad looking stacks of fabric a second
look but would have snatched that prettily arranged stack right away! It makes me so happy just to look at the picture, I think I'll order a stack just like it from SF. I'm new to your blog and love it.
Posted by: Sharon Nisson | February 28, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Presentation is everything! You bring up a great subject Nicole! It is the same attention that you would want in a restaurant or shopping anywhere. I go back to the places that add a little tissue to your bag/simple!
Posted by: Sinta | February 28, 2012 at 11:16 AM