When I started selling online 21 years ago, there were hardly any companies available to help small businesses with the development of a website. I was so fortunate to have a husband with a background in mathematical engineering who enjoyed building and thinking about software. It was my husband who suggested that I should have a "shopping cart", when I asked him how someone from South Bend, IN could pay me. Together with a small consulting firm, he developed my website. Everything was difficult and very minimal: shopping cart, checkout procedure, (no) inventory control, bookkeeping, mailing lists etc. In those days we even had to take a picture of every piece of fabric as well, putting them slowly, one by one online, on the "world wide web".

This Summer a customer planted a seed. I was chatting with her on Facetime about color and showing her fabrics that could help her create whatever she had in mind. She, familiar with website development, gave me some convincing points and I followed her advice and took a look at e-commerce again. 

These days, it is easy to create a website without any knowledge of code. There are so many integrations that up to a few years ago were impossible to have. Now you can find building blocks that you can use or skip. At the same time, everything has become so much more affordable as well.

It made me wonder: can I have a website that works for me and my students? A website where I can show fabrics but where I can still be flexible for when I want to be "closed"? Something super simple?

I found a way and built www.collagefabric.com, fabric with a focus on collage, without the help of my husband, who really is not a fan of me doing this in "retirement". He is afraid that I will get consumed with it again, but I have made my decision and will have time for family, volunteering and my own art. All this is not always asking for my attention and then I can and love to help my students and others. That has been going on at such a scale these last two years (it actually has never really stopped) that having a website will make it easier for all. I can show possibilities in fabrics great for collage to anyone at the same time and I don't have to send invoices as the website takes care of that. Even chatting can become easier! 

Most important factor to go ahead with this: It is now possible to deactivate a website temporarily. People can browse 24/7 but they can only order when the website is open. Sure, that will be the case most of the time, but I don't have to be open 24/7 nor will I have the financial responsibilities that force me to be open 24/7. That means when I am away at shows, on teaching or family trips I can announce in the top bar when ordering is available again. I can control the amount of work I can handle as I will not have any employees. I am the one who is selecting, cutting, packing and sending your fabrics. I have the flexibility I want to have. My students/ customers have been really understanding and accommodating and it is this attitude of no rush of all of you that can make new ideas a reality. Of course I will ship as soon as possible and of course it means you will get the fabrics quickly, but I am not filling orders late at night, hiring a team or so as I did in the past. Reasonable is the word. 

I use business tools to help my students with their creations and since I am having more and more students (and customers from the old days who stuck with me), it's nice to have better tools. Especially with a book coming out. But, my goal is not a financial one like every "real" business is.  I am a hybrid, lol!

International people will not be able to order online. Sorry, but after Covid, shipping has become so expensive and so complicated it doesn't make sense to work that out on a website my little scale. If an international customer would like to get fabric, we will do it on a case by case basis via email. I just mentioned this to my students in France last week as well.

Collagefabric.com is for people who need small amounts and big variety. It is all tiny, unless I think a fabric is sooo good for my community, I can have fat quarters or even bolts, in which case you can order yardage. Like the new Kaffe Fassett August 2024 collection that just came out. This collection has just amazing fabrics for collage and I ordered bolts in those that arrived the day I returned from France. Those bolts have now been cut into Yards, Half Yards, Fat quarters and especially Builders. Builders are packages that help you build a collage. Each package has 20 different pieces of fabric in size 4.5" x 10" and it is these Builders that my students love. I make ranges in colors that can make good flows and connections to other colors. This is about detail in color and I don't think something like this is anywhere else available online (or in brick and mortar shops) at that level of detail. It is my way of playing with color, my passion, that I share with my community of "fabric people"! 

People making applique quilts will appreciate this as well as they can get many different reds for let's say little berries, without having to buy fat quarters. Also quilters enjoying piecing with many different fabrics may benefit. You can make a "planned scrappy" quilt super easy with my Builders. They can make wonderful backgrounds!

The website is open now and I am sure some things will have to get adjusted as we go. But it is a start and I hope you will be just as excited as the person who suggested it to me.

The site will be closed for the first time when I go to Houston for Market and Festival. I will teach 2 classes and have also been invited to present three Open Studio Sessions during Festival, which is again a new experience. In total, I will spend quite some days on the road and during that time customers can browse collagefabric.com but not order. When I return home, the site gladly takes orders again. Sounds pretty perfect, not? No long waiting for you, no backlog for me, no inventory problems, no credit card authorizations waiting to be processed. Simple and straightforward. 

Carlymul.com will not change except that most shopping has moved over to collagefabric.com. I will continue sharing my blog here, my teaching and my own quilts. We will see how the journey continues!