How Using Quilting Pantographs Can Help Your Quilting Business

If you are not sure at first about putting one of your own designs straight onto your quilt then you might consider making use of quilting pantographs. A quilting pantograph is a design on paper or card that you would buy in order to transfer onto your quilt with a laser pointer or stylus. Then it is simply a matter of following the pattern. You are most likely to use them with longarm quilting machines or mid-arm quilting machines.

The advantage of this for a quilt business is that it offers an "off the shelf" solution to your customers which shows them in a very visual form what you are offering. What's more the range of what is on offer is huge covering a wide range of themes. The beauty of these pantographs is that whilst the design maybe someone else's, you can add your own individuality, or that of the customer, by using a range of textiles and colors. You could, of course, combine different pantographs to provide different results.

Therefore, a quilting pantograph combines the advantages of having an "off the shelf" design to offer to your customers, whilst at the same time gives you the flexibility to create a completely original quilt that your customer can show off to their family and friends.

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Do I Need A Longarm Quilter for My Quilting Business?

One question many quilters ask when considering starting a quilting business is "do I need to buy a longarm quilter?". For those of you who not familiar with longarm quilters they are basically a sewing machine with a longer arm for greater maneuverability and attached to a frame. This allows for you to quilt without the hassle of having to pick up and rotate your quilt every few minutes. The long arm allows the quilter to freely move the quilt around and create patterns as complicated or as simple as desired.

All this allows you to do the work in a fraction of the time that it would do on a conventional machine. This has clear implications for your quilting business - i.e. your time is money and the quicker you can make quilts then the higher your profit margins will be.

For your quilting business you should look at the downsides of investing a longarm quilter as well as the benefits. The first consideration has to be cost. There is no getting away from it - longarm quilting machines are expensive! You will need to consider carefully how serious you are about quilting business and whether you see your business as long-term before taking the plunge and investing in a machine. As it will be a part of your business, you will be able to offset the cost of the machine against tax.

Another consideration is space. Longarm quilters are attached to large frames, so you will need to think about whether you have sufficient space in your home.

Overall, it is not essential to have a longarm quilter to start a quilting business. However, a longarm quilter does allow you to complete larger projects in significantly less time.

Options for Starting a Quilting Business

When starting a quilting business (as with any business) you need a clear vision as to what sort of business you want to pursue and a plan as to how you will achieve this. Here are some options to consider:

• Making quilts to order - in order to achieve this you will need to establish your reputation as a quilter and build up a portfolio. You will need to agree a price with the customer beforehand, so you will need to become quite adept at accurately estimating the cost of your materials.
• Making decorative items to sell - you could sell these through craft stores or through websites such as Etsy. Making smaller items increases your options for selling.
• Become a quilting tutor - there are always people wanting to learn new quilting techniques.
• Sell quilting patterns - there are several options for this. You could sell your designs to quilting magazines. Alternatively you could make up a number of patterns into an e-book and sell via a website.

You may want to keep your options open and try more than one these strategies to see what works for you.


Find out more about starting your own quilting business.

Tips for Starting a Quilting Business

Making the transition from quilter to actually starting a quilting business can be a daunting prospect at first. The key factors you need are determination, a clear vision as to what sort of business you want and a plan as to how you intend to achieve this. Here are a few tips to start you thinking:

• What sort of items do you intend to make? - think about what you enjoy making and what you are good at.
• Do you have any limitations on your skills? - be realistic and do not take on projects that you will not be able to complete successfully.
• Do you have a particular skill or interest that sets you apart from your competitors?
• Do some research into what people in your area are buying - look at prices in craft stores and in classified ads to give you an idea.
• You can supplement your income with making smaller decorative items to sell through craft stores and websites such as Etsy.

Most importantly though, is to be realistic about how quickly you will start to pick up commissions for quilts - it takes time to build up a reputation and to your name known. If you are looking to replace your day job with you new quilting business then it will be case of starting small and working your time around you main employment until you get established.

Find out more about starting your own quilting business.