You don't have to quilt to start a quilting business. There are plenty of ideas to find your niche in the world of quilting businesses. Making and selling quilting kits is one niche market. Beginning quilters would buy quilting kits. They are your target market.
As you plan your quilting kits, keep in mind some of the obstacles a beginning quilter would face and strive to overcome them. For instance, a beginning quilter might be daunted by all the patterns out there from which to choose. If a beginner selects a difficult pattern, chances are that the project will never be finished and the beginner might never try quilting again! To avoid that, select simple quilt patterns for your quilting kits. Another obstacle beginning quilters face is fabric selection.
Your quilting kit will have the fabric pieces with it, taking the guess work out of color coordinating and fabric selection. Go ahead and cut the pattern pieces for your quilting kits, too. Beginners will especially love this! You could offer higher level quilters with another option. For the slightly more advanced quilter, you could print (or trace) the patterns onto fabric and allow the quilter to cut them out. Take into consideration how much time this might take, however.
Don't forget to include threads and even a needle for hand stitching! There are many different levels at which you could offer quilting kits. You could make kits for quilt block pillows, wall hangings, lap quilts or full size quilts. You could also compile kits for quilted toys and dolls.
Another niche market for quilting kits could revolve around holiday themes. Offer quilting kits for ornaments and other decorations. How do you plan to sell your quilting kits? Many have dreams of mass market production, but you can sell your quilting kits without a contract from a large chain store! Consider selling the kits from your own website or Internet store. You could even sell them from an online auction site/store.
Small, classified line ads are an inexpensive way to advertise if you choose to advertise in craft magazines. Don't overlook all the free publications in your particular area, either. Many newspapers or local tabloid sized magazines offer free classifieds.
Writing an effective classified line ad is not hard. Keep the information short and sweet, and don't forget to include your contact information. A good classified ad might read: "Quilting kits. Perfect for beginners! See designs online at www.
mywebsitename.com." You will also need to consider how to package your kits. The first way that comes to mind (and probably the easiest) is to include the fabric pieces, threads, needle and good instructions in a resealable plastic bag. The idea is to keep the kit simple for your buyer but to make money for your business.
So, the less paper you include for directions, the more profitable your kit. But, make sure you include all necessary directions! For instance, your detailed directions could fit on one side of paper or card stock. Use the other side to display a completed block from your quilt kit.
Make sure to include your business name and contact information on that side as well. Home computers and inexpensive color laser printers make professional printing very affordable. Consider investing in a laser printer if you will be printing your own directions. Copy printed by inkjet method smears and runs if it gets wet. When you assemble your kit, make sure the sheet or cardstock is inserted in the bag so that the photo of the completed quilt or block faces outside.
This gives your customer a chance to see what they are purchasing and an example of how it should look upon completion.
Penny Halgren http://www.TheQuiltingCoach.com Penny, a quilter for more than 27 years, enjoys exploring all aspects of quilting and sharing her knowledge with others. If you are looking for an Internet quilting club with a wide variety of resources for all level quilters, check out http://www.TheQuiltingCoach.com .
