With our one-year anniversary coming up I wanted to share some thoughts about what I've learned this year. There have been lots of challenges. Many days I wondered what ever possessed me to start an online business! But overall this year has been full of learning, making friends with other shop owners, making connections with quilters all over the world and more happy and exciting days than not.
Starting an online fabric store has been an exciting, yet challenging journey for me. When I first decided to launch Soul Stitchery, I had visions of connecting with other quilters, sharing my love for fabrics, and helping others bring their creative visions to life. But like most small business ventures, the road to success hasn’t been as smooth as I imagined. Here are a few of the things that Soul Stitchery and I have grown through this year.
Building the Store: Learning the Ropes of E-commerce
At the start, there were so many things I needed to figure out that had nothing to do with quilting itself. From choosing the right platform to understanding website design and user experience, I found myself spending countless hours learning new technical skills. E-commerce platforms like Shopify or Etsy offer great support but making everything look polished and professional is another challenge entirely.
I also had to decide which fabric lines to carry. Do I focus on color families? Patterns? By designer? And what about descriptions? I had to get creative and think about what my audience would search for or find most helpful, while also staying true to the aesthetic and brand I was building.
Sourcing Fabrics and Inventory Challenges
Sourcing the right fabrics was a big hurdle. I wanted to carry unique, high-quality fabrics that would appeal to both seasoned quilters and beginners. But it turns out, finding wholesale suppliers, dealing with minimum orders, and ensuring I could turn a profit on the fabric was more complicated than I anticipated.
There’s also the question of balancing inventory. How much fabric is enough without over-investing? Predicting trends and knowing which collections will sell fast and which will sit on shelves was (and still is) a constant guessing game. It's tough to keep the shop fresh without overstocking or understocking, which can hurt sales or frustrate customers.
Creating Consistent Social Media Content
Once the store was up and running, I quickly realized the importance of creating engaging social media content. But, as much as I love quilting, consistently coming up with fresh ideas for posts, reels, and stories can be exhausting. Social media is a vital part of growing a business today, and maintaining a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube is practically a full-time job on its own.
At first, I thought I could just post pictures of the beautiful fabrics I had for sale. But social media requires a strategy. It’s not enough to just post images of your products—you have to tell a story, build a community, and provide value to your audience. That means taking time to craft the perfect captions, staging photos, editing videos, and engaging with followers.
The Pressure of Perfection
One of the biggest struggles I face is the pressure to appear perfect online. From perfect lighting in photos to seamless transitions in videos, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything needs to be flawless. But I’ve figured out that it’s okay to show the messy side of running a business too—the behind-the-scenes chaos, the mistakes, and the learning moments. I have learned that authenticity resonates more with people than perfection ever will.
The more I embrace my imperfections and let my personality shine through, the better the response. Showing the ups and downs of running Soul Stitchery has helped me build stronger connections with my audience. My customers both near and far are getting to know me and my crazy ways…my favorite part is responding to comments and questions on all of our social media platforms.
Staying Inspired and Avoiding Burnout
Creativity is at the core of quilting, but when you’re constantly creating content to grow your business, it’s easy to feel drained. There have been days where I’ve struggled to come up with a new idea for a YouTube video or a fresh Instagram post. The pressure to stay relevant on social media can lead to burnout, especially when you’re juggling other aspects of the business.
I stumbled on to a great way to combat this burnout. From March to October, I travel around the state of Washington where I live and participate in several quilt shows as a vendor. This gets me out of the shop and interacting with my local customers face to face.
I’ve also realized that if I wanted to have the energy and creativity I needed to move Soul Stitchery forward, I had to be intentional about taking breaks and stepping away from the screen when needed to refill the creativity tank.
The Reward of Connecting with Customers
Despite these struggles, the rewards make it all worthwhile. Every time I get a message from a customer saying how much they loved their fabric or how a video I posted helped them with a quilting technique, it reminds me why I started in the first place. Soul Stitchery is more than just an online fabric store—it’s a community of people who share a passion for quilting, creativity, and self-expression.
Running an online fabric shop and creating content is a lot of hard work, but it's also incredibly rewarding. I’m constantly learning, evolving, and trying new things, and that keeps me motivated every day. If you’re thinking of starting your own quilting business, my best advice is this: embrace the challenges, learn from your mistakes, and don’t be afraid to show the messy, authentic side of your journey. You’ll find your tribe, and the right customers will appreciate you for who you are.