# For those that wrap their soaps in fabric....



## eam

....how do you seal them? I've been approached by an upscale inn that has asked me to provide soap for their guest rooms. She'd like them wrapped in fabric. I'm thinking I can buy fabric ribbon (1 1/2" or so since they're small guest soaps) and leaving the ends open - like a cigar band. But, what I'm not sure is how to stick the two ends together. Can I use an ordinary label (like from onlinelabels?) or do I need to glue-gun them?

I've quoted her $1.25/bar, with a potential uptick to $1.40 depending on how her packaging preference works out cost-wise. Does that seem reasonable? They're roughly one ounce bars.

Thanks.
Elizabeth


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## NubianSoaps.com

Can you talk her into scrap booking paper instead? They come precut and in really fabric looking patterns and then yes you can stick the ends with your label.

I do wire ribbon for christmas, tieing it into bows and flattening them, it's very pretty, but they are full sized bars so my card tucks in under the bow material, it's completely hidden but still gives me the ability to advertise, once the bow is untied. Vicki


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## tlcnubians

If your account would go for it, you might think about putting your soaps into small organza bags with drawstrings. You can buy them online for less than 20 cents each, cheaper in quantity. If you stay with the fabric ribbon idea, you can seal the ends with a round label. Caroline


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## eam

Thanks Vicki and Caroline. She has this fabric thing in her head - she got some soaps some years ago that were wrapped in fabric so that's where she got the idea. I'm not very good with wrapping - even presents with paper - but I wonder if I can get her to go with scrapbook paper cigar band-type thing, where it covers pretty much the whole bar but leaves the ends open. That's what I was thinking of doing with the fabric ribbon. If I don't have to wrap like a present, I'll be much better off. 

I mentioned the organza bags but she didn't bite on that one at all. She wants to be able to put the little bars in with all her other toiletry offerings in a tiny basket so I think the bag takes up too much space.

It's still a work in progress so we'll have to see what comes of it. For me, it could be a pretty big thing. Since I don't really sell too much and am just getting into this, it could be significant business. During the summer (her high season) she's probably looking at as much as 50-100 bars a week!! All the more reason to keep it as simple as I can.

Thanks again.
Elizabeth


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## hsmomof4

You can get very small organza bags, just the right size for a tiny bar BUT the soap rubs off on the bag, so you'd need to shrink wrap them underneath. :/


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## nightskyfarm

If she is not set on any one color scheme, WALMART has fat quarters in the fabric section. Just cut, wrap and seal with a label. If she was wanting a specific color and label. Well, tell her that is not what you have to to offer.


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## Trysta

:yeahthat Walmart, Jo-Ann's fabric and stores like that often have fabric on sale for $1/yard. I have bought large pieces of fabric that way that I have used for everything from tablecloths to clothing and 'wrapping paper'. If you use a nice quality sticker type label, the wrapping itself really doesn't have to be too superb, and even though the fabric may differ, you still have a consistent look due to the label.

Wow...... I think you just helped me figure out what I'm going to do for wrapping...... :yes


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## Jo~*

nightskyfarm said:


> If she is not set on any one color scheme, WALMART has fat quarters in the fabric section. Just cut, wrap and seal with a label. If she was wanting a specific color and label. Well, tell her that is not what you have to to offer.


OK so what is a fat quarter? I'm at a total loss with this one. lol
JoAnn.


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## hsmomof4

A fat quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric. Ordinarily, if you got a 1/4 yard of fabric, they would measure it at 9" (1/4 of 36") and cut it there, and you'd have a 9" by 45" (usually, anyway, fabrics are 45" wide) strip of material. But a "fat" quarter is different, in that they measure and cut it at 18" (1/2 a yard) but then cut that strip in half, so you have an 18" by 22.5" piece of material...it's "fatter" looking than the other, but it's still 1/4 of a yard.


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## Trysta

Buying discounted fabric by the yard would still be lot cheaper. More cutting, but with a potential big acoount like yours it would save a huge amount of cutting. You'll have a lot of wrapping to do, though with all those little bars, but it sounds like it could end up being profitable to you. Good luck!


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## eam

Thanks everyone for all the thoughts and suggestions. If I go with fabric, how do I stop it from unraveling or having unfinished edges? And, when you wrap them, do you do it like a present? I suspect that fabric would work out a lot cheaper than fancy ribbon, but more labor. She'd actually like a variety of colors/patterns so that's not a problem.

What kind of label could I get that would stick on the fabric? I don't think what I've gotten from onlinelabels.com would be sufficient. 

Elizabeth


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## Kalne

When I first started I tried fabric but I was never been able to get it to wrap nicely around the soap. Even cutting it in strips and wrapping 'cigar band' style you'll get frayed edges and that drives me nuts. I was able to make little bags though and that was cute but took way too much time. Now I use scrap booking papers and it looks very nice and upscale. Either wrapped as complete little packages or as cigar bands over another layer of paper. And the cost is about the same as fabric really if you wait for sales on the papers.


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## jdranch

Faye Farms does a very nice bag for her b&b. I really like it, she posted a pic of it awhile back.

As for fabric and wrapping soap, it is very labor extensive (and I hate wrapping). I won't do it anymore, but when I did, I wrapped the soap and stuck it a business card. I will try to find a pic and post...


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## Sheryl

cut your fabric with pinking shears. It leaves the little edges down the side of the fabric, and helps with fraying. Make sure they are pinking shears for fabric. I have seen some in the paper scrapbooking area at various stores....those will not cut fabric very well.

sheryl


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## eam

Ok, I've convinced myself that fabric as a cigar band strip isn't the way to go. It doesn't have the right look. I've tried wrapping a bar in fabric and it looks much better. BUT. It's time consuming to cut the fabric and then do the wrapping (which I'm not very good at), it uses more fabric than the strip (so more cost), and there's still the issue of finding a label that will stick. It's an improvement in looks but a setback in labor and possibly cost.

Kathy and Jennifer: Could you both post pics for me? I'd like to see what the scrapbook paper looks like on a wrapped bar (especially since it looks upscale). I'd also like to see a fabric wrapped one to see that as well. Mine looks ok, but a bit lumpy at the corners.

I got a sheer ribbon to try out as a cigar band but couldn't find the right size so while that's still a possibility, it's not panning out into something that works yet.

I also saw 5"x5" squares of fabric sold as bundles of 42. I forget what they were called but that might be an option -though expensive. They were $12.50 for the bundle, but I wouldn't be able to use them all because some of them have large patterns that wouldn't work on a tiny bar of soap.

Thanks for the ideas - more ideas welcome!
Elizabeth


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## Jenny M

I did some small rectangular soaps once & packaged them in a clear, flat cello bag. The bag was just the right size so did not look sloppy. I stood the soaps on end, blew into the bag to open them wide & slipped over the soap. Not very hard, really. Then I folded the open end over & fastened with my label. A pretty ribbon around would look good, I think. If you have to wrap in fabric I don't think you're getting enough to cover the extra cost & labor that will take.


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## eam

Thanks Jenny. That's exactly what my husband says (that it's not worth the cost). When I brought her samples I showed her my usual shrink wrap with cigar band and she wanted something more upscale. I had brought the samples in a plastic bag and gave her that as an option - either a foldover one or a ziploc one. She didn't like either. 

I guess I'm still going to search out the correct size fabric ribbon (1 1/2") and see what those costs are and what it looks like. I hate to think I'm going to have to wrap in fabric just to get the account. I guess the other option is to quote a higher price and hope I still get the business.

Thanks again.
Elizabeth


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## hsmomof4

If you have to wrap in fabric to get the account, then you definitely need to calculate your additional costs AND your additional time into the equation. It sounds like it would be a good account, but you have to make money doing it, too.


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## Faye Farms

Just for some ideas this is how I wrap my guest soaps. I use a 1 oz glassine bag with a fold over card stock label stapled on. For a little more decorative edge on the label you can use one of those boarder paper punches. I've got making my labels pretty streamlined. A business card template is the perfect size.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fayefarms/6009996212/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fayefarms/6009964992/


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## eam

Ooooh, Heather, I love that scalloped edge. I never even knew there was such a thing as a border paper punch! I'll have to figure out a way to get this into my lineup!

I wonder if I could do the scrapbook paper with a fancy punch of some kind to see if that would satisfy the client?

Thanks!
Elizabeth


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## Trysta

Quote: _I also saw 5"x5" squares of fabric sold as bundles of 42. I forget what they were called but that might be an option -though expensive. They were $12.50 for the bundle, but I wouldn't be able to use them all because some of them have large patterns that wouldn't work on a tiny bar of soap._

Seriously, look for fabric on the roll. I buy fabric at Jo-Anns for $1-2, yard, so for $12.50 I have loads and loads more fabric than you would have with the bundles, PLUS I can pick the pattern, so no loss: everything I buy could be used. And by using the pinking shears there is no sowing involved. Bright colors with a small stripe, checkered, dotted or even flowered pattern would work well.

I think Avery sells labels of all sizes that they have templates for you can download for free so you can design and print your own sticky label.


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## MF-Alpines

Faye Farms said:


> Just for some ideas this is how I wrap my guest soaps. I use a 1 oz glassine bag with a fold over card stock label stapled on. For a little more decorative edge on the label you can use one of those boarder paper punches. I've got making my labels pretty streamlined. A business card template is the perfect size.
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/fayefarms/6009996212/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/fayefarms/6009964992/


This is exactly what I do, too. And I print the ingredients on the back. Business card template and glassine bag. Easy, nice looking, and economical!


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## jimandpj

I would never wrap something in fabric for that cheap. Too much labor, not enough profit. Can you get her to wrap them? Tell her that you'll sell them naked and she can wrap them in whatever fabric she wants? What kind of quantity is she talking about? Seems like a lot of work with very little return. If it were me, I would give her a price for the bars naked and the bars wrapped in fabric - and it would be a really wide gap between the two prices.

PJ


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## hsmomof4

:yeahthat I did that once, because the customer wanted a lot of options for packaging (different colored organza bags) and for me to stock them all was going to be a pain. So I made it worth her while to buy the soaps naked except for shrink wrapping and buy the bags herself. Made my life so much easier.


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## jimandpj

One thing I've found that you have to be careful with is going out of your way and doing things at certain prices when you're first starting because you so desperately want sales. And then you can't sustain it once your business is up and running well. When we first started, we could do things because the children had the time to do it, so it really wasn't a big deal. Well now, even my children's time is precious and expensive and there are a lot of things that we just have to say no to because I won't squander our time like that. So, price it like you're super busy because time is money!

PJ


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## NubianSoaps.com

Read what PJ wrote again and again....we all have those first customers and first stores where we were desperate....I have a privacy agreement with a store that is keeping me out of a very popular tourist area (I can't sell within 50 miles of their store). I was so grateful to have this store, but they are now only reordering 3 times a year. I want my soap in the tourist area before summer, they are going to have to let me rip up the privacy agreement or find another soaper. But it has taken me 8 years to get up the gumption to do this.

Labor is huge, it will be the first thing you have paid out for salary, dont' waste it on tedious stuff. Vicki


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## Kalne

Agree totally. I am notifying all my stores 1/1 that anyone still wanting shrink wrapped bars will have to pay extra (I've switched most over this year). I HATE shrink wrapping....wrapping in paper *for me* is easier and takes the same amount of time (and cost). Switching the rest over will allow me to wrap more ahead of orders. 

I plan on working smarter next year too....getting a year's supply of soap labels printed up and cut during my slower pre-market season months. Same for UPC labels and the wrapping paper itself. And then, when I get dedicated space, I'll have a wrapping station that will make things even easier.


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## Anita Martin

Just a note on the fabric, I 've bought fabric wrapped soaps before and they had a smell to them. The fabric seems to hold dust and dirt and smell musty for some reason the way paper and plastic wraps never do.


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## eam

Thanks everyone. I've read, re-read, and re-read again all the words of wisdom. What I've decided to do is present her with several sample options. I'll price them according to which I want her to choose! Hopefully she'll go with the cheapest option - which will be the simplest and least expensive for me to do. The one I'm hoping she'll go for is a cigar band-type look, except out of fancy wired ribbon, twisted into a bit of a bow, with a card tucked inside. That won't be too expensive and very simple for me to do. The others will be some version of paper and fabric wrapped. (One of her concerns is whether or not the people who inspect businesses will require a fully wrapped bar.) I'll probably price the simplest at $1.15/bar and the others at $1.50/bar. Hopefully that's enough of a financial incentive for her to choose the simple.

I'll try to post pictures if I can get any that look decent. 

Thanks again. You all gave me lots to think about and helped me tremendously!
Elizabeth


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## Dorit

Heather, I love your packaging, to me it looks homemade and elegant.


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## Faye Farms

Dorit said:


> Heather, I love your packaging, to me it looks homemade and elegant.


Thank You! I've got a lot of good feed back from customers because of this packaging.


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## Jenny M

Heather's glassine bags & pretty label are perfect. I don't know why an inn keeper would object to that at all. It's not plastic, it does not look mass produced & it's user friendly. And pretty!


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## Kalne

I've been using those glassine bags for my samples but not for my mini bars. I'm going to have to re-think that.


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## old dominion

Don't they make an iron on seam binding that you could iron onto both edges of the fabric strip. Fold over the exposed end on the back of the soap and use a glue stick to hold it in place.

Just a thought.

J


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## eam

Great news - she went for the glassine bags with a fancy tag. Now, to find the right look for the tag.

Heather: where did you purchase your border punch? There's load on amazon but I need to be sure the pattern I choose will fit a tiny card and bag. My guest soaps are about an ounce and are 1 1/2" x 2".

Thanks everyone!
Elizabeth


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## Faye Farms

Congratulations! 
I get my punches from Michael's. The Martha Stewart line has a whole bunch of really nice ones. The price isn't bad when you can use one of their 40% off coupons. The quality is there too. Please post a pic when you have your packaging figured out. I'm sure everybody would love to see!


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## Kalne

They carry them at Hobby Lobby and Joann's too. They are easy to line up if you need it to be longer than the actual punch. Congrats!


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