Welcome back!
Settling into your early fall routine? Kids back in school? Enjoying the swing between warm and cool days … and even cooler nights that invite you to open the windows? I love it!!!
For many of us, fall means getting back to some serious quilting time. For me, that’s time at the longarm. Are you finding yourself drawn to longarm quilting? Have you been drawn to it enough that you’ve started a longarm business … or maybe are thinking about starting one?
Running a longarm quilting business can be very rewarding. If that’s where your quilting journey is heading, I’d like to offer a few tips to help you succeed. In fact, you’ll find input from four other professional longarm quilters that would love to help boost your success as well.
9 tips for starting/running a successful longarm quilting business
1 – Love to quilt and love your machine!
Okay, this may sound obvious, but make sure you’ve done enough quilting to know that you really enjoy longarm quilting … and that you’d like to take on completing quilts for others as well.
Assuming you’ve made that decision, make sure you love and trust the machine(s) you’ll be working with. If you’re purchasing your first longarm, test drive a variety of machines to make sure you find the one that best fits you, your space and the quilting services you want to offer.
I’m going to make a shameless plug here … also make sure you have excellent support for both you as a machine owner and for your longarm. There’s no time for downtime! The Quilting Connection is here for you. We provide the training and service options you need!
2 – Create a business plan
Start by doing some market research. Are there many longarmers in your area? What types of services do they offer? How much are they charging? How long is it taking for quilters to get their completed projects back? How are longarmers marketing their services?
Once you have that information, draft your plan.
Outline the services you plan to offer and how they will benefit your customers. Identify what will make your longarm business different or unique.
Consider how you plan to market your services.
Come up with a name for your business. Mary Klein, co-owner of Going to Pieces Quilt Shop and owner of Rosewood Custom Quilting Creations, says be creative! And Heidi Bork, Going to Pieces staff member and owner of Quilterazzi, suggests designing a logo. Then print business cards!
Make financial projections … what earnings and expenses do you expect for the first three to five years. Factor in capital expenditures like the cost of your longarm and how long it will take to recover those costs.
Resource: APQS provides information on starting a longarm business. To check out their suggestions, click here. They also provide details on calculating your Return on Investment (i.e., how long it will take you to pay off your longarm), and you can request a Sample Business Plan.
3 – Complete the necessary legalize
With starting a business, you must make sure you cover all the necessary legal aspects. You’ll need a Federal Tax ID (or EIN) for reporting your annual income as well as a seller’s permit number used to report sales and sales tax collected to your state.
You may find it helpful to consult with your lawyer, accountant and insurance agent to make sure you’re fully covered from a business perspective as there may be additional permits or licenses required by your state and local government.
Once you have your business id information, you’ll also be able to purchase necessary supplies at a wholesale rate.
Jennifer George, owner of Northwoods Quilting and The Quilting Connection staff member and instructor, along with Mary and Heidi emphasize the importance of this step. It’s not worth having to pay fines or being shut down for not following the rules.
4 – Establish your pricing and the services you want to offer
Based on the financial projections you made when writing up your business plan, finalize your pricing structure and the type of quilting services you’re going to offer. Free-motion, pantograph and/or computerized? Edge-to-edge and/or custom?
Are there other services you’re willing to add on for an additional charge? Piecing and/or squaring the quilt back? Piecing, adding and/or finishing the binding? Will you provide batting for an additional charge? And how will you charge for thread?
Once you know what options you’ll offer, design an intake form to document your customers’ choices. Include quilt design decisions, thread and batting choices, quilt sizes, promised dates and anything else you need to know to properly complete each project.
Mary notes that her intake form doubles as the invoice for her customer. She writes down everything they’ve discussed which helps later when she’s doing the work. Don’t rely on memory when you’re working on multiple projects over a period of time!
And all our guest quilters agree that you should charge your full rate from the beginning … don’t undervalue your work!
Heidi suggests that if you feel the need to charge a reduced rate for your first few customers, offer an introductory rate, but make sure your customers understand it’s introductory and then flag this as a special rate on your invoice.
Set appropriate pricing expectations!
5 – Setup your record keeping system and determine your work schedule
Establish a workable system to maintain your customer file and track your income and expenses. Keep all your receipts for equipment and supply purchases and log your mileage.
Heidi shares that she started her record keeping with an Excel spreadsheet. Since then, she’s used Quickbooks Self Employed and Machine Quilters Business Manager. As you may expect, each system has its pros and cons. Find what works for you.
And make sure your record keeping system supports filing your state sales tax reports and payments as well as your annual income tax reporting!
Since you’re working for yourself, you get to establish your work schedule … yay! But make sure you stay organized. Be aware of your due dates … make them! If you can’t, contact the customer as soon as possible to work out an adjusted completion date.
Consider setting a consistent work schedule and sticking with it, even if that means you’re practicing on your own quilts in the beginning. Also consider setting specific days/times for quilt drop off and pickup. This will keep your quilting time uninterrupted and more productive.
6 – Practice and continue learning!
You don’t have to be an expert quilter to start your business, but it is wise to only offer services that you can deliver with confidence. It’s okay to turn down projects requiring skills you haven’t developed yet. This is your business; it’s built on your reputation.
Practice to strengthen and grow your skill level. This will also give you samples to share with prospective customers.
Take classes that help you learn more about your longarm and, if you have one, its computer system. And take classes to learn new skills and stay up to date with what’s happening in longarm quilting. (Again, The Quilting Connection can help … see our class schedule!)
7 – Network and market your business
Once you start your business, spread the word that you’re a professional longarm quilter wherever you can!
Join quilt guilds in your area and be sure to take samples of your work for show and tell.
Visit your local quilt stores and ask if they’ll display your business cards.
Given the opportunity … and if you have time … quilt for charity. Build your name recognition while building goodwill for your business.
Heidi suggests the possibility of implementing a referral program. When a new customer comes to you from the recommendation of a current customer, offer her a dollar amount off her first project and then similarly reward the referring customer on her next project.
All our guest quilters agree that word-of-mouth recommendations are important and powerful. Nothing tops a potential customer hearing from someone she knows that your quilting is great!
Mary offers a couple of additional tips. First, develop your customer list with quilters new to using longarm quilting services. Please don’t attempt to ‘steal’ customers from other longarm quilters without their permission. That’s just bad business and will hurt your reputation.
Second, realize that building your business will take time, and there will be ups and downs. Be patient and persistent. Use any ‘open’ time to practice, learn and/or quilt for charity.
Also consider building an online presence. Many professional quilters post samples of their work on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. You can also build an online website to display your portfolio.
Offering another perspective, Wendy Fuller, award-winning quilter, owner of Dynamic Stitches by Wendy and The Quilting Connection instructor, suggests joining a network of other longarm quilters. This gives you a means of asking questions, finding sources for supplies and other needs, sharing/learning new tips and techniques, and venting those occasional frustrations!
8 – Be professional!
Always be friendly and professional. You’ll enjoy working with some quilters more than others, but always put your clients’ needs first!
Wendy especially focuses on communication and relationship building with her customers.
She believes “you need to offer great customer service and show respect and appreciation for every client and every quilt that comes in.” Ask your clients what their ideal longarm quilting experience would look like.
Wendy goes on to suggest getting to know your clients … what they like and don’t like … their preferences … so that you can understand the vision each of them has for their quilts. She makes sure that what she expects of her clients is clearly communicated as well as what they can expect from her.
“Most importantly, I want to earn their trust. They need to know I’m taking care of their ‘baby’ as if it was my own. They need to know that details and quality matter to me, and that the result is a team effort.”
Then, request feedback from your customers so you can continue to grow and improve.
Mary urges you to provide feedback to your customers, too. “A little praise goes a long way to make your customers loyal to you!”
And both Mary and Wendy add that when needed, gently and tactfully provide feedback to your customers regarding any quilt construction issues they may have so they can grow and improve as well.
9 – Have fun!
While there will be frustrating moments, never lose your love of longarm quilting! Always look for the fun! And enjoy your “work,” but also allocate time for your own quilting!
Heidi sums up our business purpose perfectly. “Every quilt has a story, and you will have the honor to be part of that story.”
Okay, so if you’re considering starting a longarm quilting business, I hope you found the inspiration to move forward. If you’re already a longarm professional, I hope you found confirmation for what you’re doing. If you still have questions, please let me know!
And a very special THANK YOU to our guest longarm quilters: Heidi, Wendy, Jennifer and Mary. We appreciate you taking your time to share your knowledge, experience and encouragement!
Now a few final notes …
A New Event Added to Our Calendar!
Are you up for a road trip to northeastern Illinois? We’ve recently added this October quilt show to our schedule of events!
Prairie Star Quilt Guild’s 2024 Quilt Show
Friday, October 18th 9AM – 5PM
Saturday, October 19th 9AM – 4PM
DuPage County Fairgrounds
2015 Manchester Road
Wheaton, Illinois 60187
Please come and say hi!
Class Reminder
Wendy Fuller’s fall class series is coming up fast! Here’s the schedule.
Free-Motion Quilting
Friday, October 4th in Appleton
Saturday, October 5th in Elkhorn
This is a full-day, hands-on class. It will introduce you to a variety of free-motion designs. You’ll create & draw designs, practice stitching them and explore how to use them to fill your quilt blocks and borders. You’ll also get to try using stencils and Wendy will discuss other techniques like echo quilting.
Feathers, Flowers and Leaves
Friday, October 25th in Appleton
Saturday, October 26th in Elkhorn
In this full-day, hands-on class you’ll explore popular ways to draw and stitch free-motion feathers, leaves and flowers. Come experiment as Wendy shows you how to use these motifs in overall designs, blocks and borders!
Rulers and Gridwork
Friday, November 15th in Appleton
Saturday, November 16th in Elkhorn
In this full-day, hands-on class you’ll explore two topics: ruler work and gridwork.
Wendy will share tips and tricks for using rulers safely and effectively on your longarm. You’ll explore creating straight lines, curves, circles and arcs/swags. Wendy will also teach you how to combine patterns to create complex looking designs.
In gridwork, you’ll learn to quilt a grid-based design using stencils, markings or piecing lines to guide your quilting. Common examples include continuous curve or orange peel designs, but the possibilities are endless!
REMEMBER … Wendy’s classes always fill quickly so check your calendar and click or call to register!
THREAD SALE Coming Soon!!!
Do you love using Superior Thread as much as we do? Well, they’ve announced a sale!
Beginning October 1st, we’ll be honoring the …
Thread-A-Palooza Sale
If you purchase in person at either the Elkhorn or Appleton shop,
in stock thread will be available at 30% off.
If you purchase online, use coupon code “thread” to receive 15% off.
NOTE: Discounts can’t be combined. If you use “thread”, you cannot use “FreeShip”.
As always, if you have ANY questions or want additional information about ANY of the products and services we offer, please call us at (262) 723-6775 or email us at info@QuiltingConnection.com.
You can also visit us online at QuiltingConnection.com or in person at 21 Adams Street in Elkhorn, WI (usually M-F 9-4, please call to confirm we’re open) or 1017 W. Northland in Appleton, WI (W, Th & F 10-4, S 10-3).
Finally, check out our blog at QuiltingConnection.com/blog and our Facebook posts.
Please share your thoughts and questions. I’d love to hear from you!
Angie