Welcome to Seller Spotlight! This will give you the chance to get to learn more about our awesome sellers — and maybe inspire you to start a destash pop-up of your own!
This week we are getting to know Michelle of From Bolt to Beauty Destash. Michelle has been a top seller on FGF from its earliest days and has lots of advice for new destashers! Welcome, Michelle!
FGF Shop: From Bolt To Beauty Destash / Instagram: @frombolttobeauty
Hi everyone, I’m Michelle. I’m a quilter, blogger, and pattern designer based in Massachusetts!
Q: Tell us about your first (or favorite!) sale you ever made on FeelGood Fibers.
A: I tend to list several items at a time. I don’t remember my initial sale, but I recall that first wave of listings and getting email after email informing me of purchases. It was fun to know my unloved, well-priced fabric was someone else’s treasure.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about selling on FeelGood Fibers?
A: Selling on FGF has taught me about my own stash and buying habits. When I started destashing, I thought I needed a smaller stash. Then I ended up selling several hundred dollars’ worth of fabric on FGF … and spent that on new fabric purchases.
What I needed was not less stash but a smarter stash. I needed faster and more widespread turnover. I have that now that I’ve found a venue for moving the chunks of my stash that no longer get my creativity going. My stash doesn’t feel like a burden anymore. I look at it and get excited to sew!
Q: If you could provide one tip for other FGF destashers, what would it be?
A: FGF has a solid fan base through its Instagram feed, its blog, and its newsletter, but that audience is still growing. I chalk up some of my success to introducing others to FGF. I have an IG account (@fbtbdestash) dedicated to destashing, and I post every FGF listing to that feed with the popular #thegreatfabricdestash hashtag and direct interested buyers to my FGF pop-up shop.
Some people might say, Why bother using FGF if you’re going to post everything to IG? The way I see it, IG listings by nature have a short shelf life. After a day or two, a post is already old news. I don’t want to keep posting the same item on IG in hopes of getting it in front of the right eyes. Fabric buyers can search listings on FGF and find a well-priced treasure or hard-to-find collection by using that search function. In that regard, my FGF posts are always new and relevant.
Q: If you could meet any other destasher in real life, who would it be?
A: Well, I keep tabs on a few FGF shops. I’ve found tannaMade, whose owner shares my love for Art Gallery Fabrics and Bonnie and Camille collections. Tiny Tomatoes has a lot of oldies-but-goodies from Free Spirit. And PeteyAndCo has a little bit of everything at good prices. I’d love to meet up with any of these sellers for a socially distanced cup of tea or—better yet—a tour of their stashes.
Q: What’s your favorite fabric designer/brand to sell on FGF?
A: My favorite brand to sell—and to buy—is Moda. I like the weight and quality of Moda’s product, and the company works with a lot of talented, modern designers. Once a Moda collection is gone from quilt shops, though, it’s gone—there’s often not an option to reorder. Other quilters know this too, so when I list a selection of Moda fabrics on FGF, it will likely get scooped up fast.
Q: Now that you’ve made room in your sewing room for new fabric, what do you have your eye on?
A: Until last week, I had my eye on a fat quarter bundle of Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane in PeteyAndCo’s pop-up shop, but I waited too long to snatch it up! REGRETS! : )
Thank you, Michelle! For more on Michelle, check out her blog From Bolt to Beauty. And check out our mini-interview with Michelle here!
