Need some advice

[SKQuilts]

Hello Everyone, I've been reading this forum for months now and I know I can count on great advice. I went by my not so local quilt shop to find out what was required to leave my cards. She suggested that I do as many charity quilts as possible to get my name and quality of work out among the quilters. I agree but I am concerned about how to limit how many quilts come in, should I charge a beginners fee, how can I avoid offending someone if I have too many and cannot accept more? I know this has come up before so please give me your thoughts. I felt she was suggesting that I not charge for these quilts. I also felt like she was letting me know I had to pay my dues to get in the door. Thanks.

[Matt Sparrow]

Do you already have too many quilts?

If not then why are you worried about being too busy. Get some quilts first then you can determine a comfortable workload. Once that workload is achieved, recommend the quilts you don't want to do to other local LAQ's.

Best case scenario, you are only doing the style of quilting you are best at and making lots of friends by sharing the work you don't want to do.

The first dozen quilts I quilted were for charity and I now sit at a 6 week wait list. A good way to get your foot in the door at your lqs is to approach a teacher and offer to quilt her class samples in exchange for handing out your cards to her students.

Hope this helps.

[SKQuilts]

Thanks for responding, My concern is that if I just say I am doing quilts for free, I will be swamped. I want to do this as a business but I need to get my foot in the door. I recently relocated so no one knows me here. I have attended guild meetings in the area and I would like to connect with quilters at the meetings or at the shops. I don't want to just announce that I am willing to do donation quilts for free because if I get too many I will be bogged down and won't get a paying customer. How can I get the word out but have some control on how many I take in without causing problems when I decline a quilt. I didn't explain very well, hope you can understand my concerns. I need to start somewhere and need advice on how to start.

[SKQuilts]

Thanks Matt, I will ask about quilting for the teachers, great idea!

[Matt Sparrow]

I do one charity quilt a month. If they want to wait that's fine by me. Try to choose the quilts that will get you the most exposure. Or the least exposure till you have enough practice to show your work.

[JustSewSimple]

Also, Join your local quilt guild and stand up and tell them you are just starting a business and tell them if they have a quilt top they consider will be a utility quilt you will quilt it for them for 1 cent a square inch (they can't get it done cheaper than that). Tell them you will take the first 10 that you get. After the first 10 you should no longer be a beginner. Then tell them you know what you are doing and your price is now a cent and a half or whatever. Also, fabric stores might also allow you to hang your quilts in them. It helps them sell fabric and allows you to advertise.

[srichardson]

Sheridan,

Does your guild make charity quilts? Perhaps you could offer to quilt some of those which would give other guild members an opportunity of seeing your work. Does your guild have a newsletter where you could place an ad. Our guilt makes lots of charity quilts and there are always some waiting for quilting. We just pick up as many as we would like at our monthly meeting. There is also a table at each meeting with quilt show announcements, retreat info and cards from various businesses. If you have something similar you could perhaps leave your cards there.

Good luck,

Sue

[SKQuilts]

Sylvia, You have made my heart smile! I just needed someone to say "do it this way" and I would feel guided in the right direction! So many thanks to you and to Matt for responding!

[SKQuilts]

Thank you Sue! Great advice!

[RitaR]

Hi Sheridan, first of all, Remember this is YOUR business and YOU are the boss. You set your limits and stick to them.. you don't need to tell them you only accept 6 in reserve, or 12, or whatever your number. Just tell them you can't accept any more at this time.

Average the days it will take to do each one, and list it on your calendar, which I keep by my machine, lol, with white out.. Have your number and stick to it. Because of my age and health problems, I am careful to not book more than 6 weeks in advance, and I also have the customers name, addy and phone pinned to the quilts.. Then if I turn belly up, the quilts will get back to the owners.. finished or not.

With a bad memory from meds, I also pin a list of what batting, what threads and colors, and how it's to be quilted, if by pattern or panto, QZ or freehand. I list which one, and in pencil I make note of the date I should start it. If I can't start it then, I notify them I will be late.

Join one or two guilds, ask for permission to pass fliers or business cards out to the members.. If they have show and tell, try to have another quilt to show off at each meeting.

If they call for bids to do community service quilts, give them a discount and say if you will reduce the price of the batting, sew their backing or not, need to press, cut threads, and a charge for threads. For Freehand, custom or regular. With Community Service quilts, the quilting should suit the top, and not be custom, or anything that takes a real long time. Hope the customers will build up to your limit.. As you go on, you will have better ideas on how long it will take, and can adjust your time, or limit accordingly. also for paying customers have a minimum fee paid up front and not refundable, in case they decide they want someone else to do it for them. You did spend your time with them and their projects.

Probably a lot more info than you needed, but covers some things I'd just not thought about when I first started so I'm guessing some others haven't thought of either.

Good Luck, check in more often, and let us know how it's going.. it was real slow getting started here, but now it's more steadily slow. LOL, We just don't have a large bunch of piecers and three of us long arming. One does computer quilting, one dies ALL freehand and it's beautiful, and I use the Topper, the Quiltazoid, panto's templates and free hand, whatever I can, I just don't have the Side Saddle computer yet.

I must be jittery today.. I usually can keep my replies under length control.

RitaR

[SKQuilts]

Thanks, or should I say what I am really feeling......Thank you, Oh! Thank you! (over and over again)

[Sandra Darlington]

I am in the midst of starting my business and I just ordered (tonight) business cards. On the back I have a "frequent buyer" type of message. There are 5 boxes and my message says: Special offer... Add together the cost of your 5 quilts, divide by 5 to get the average, then deduct 50% of that amount from your next quilt.

I plan to announcement my business at my next guild meeting (if the rest of my paperwork goes through OK). I have an acrylic sign stand from Staples, with a business card holder attached. I will make up an 8 1/2 X 11 inch flyer on my computer and insert it in the holder and put a bunch of business cards in the card holder section. This will be on the table with all the other business cards and fabric shop flyers, etc. Hopefully, members will take them and USE them.

I have some promotional ideas, too that I will use when I feel it is appropriate. I will just be doing this part time, but I would like to have a few quilts each month to do.

I also did lots of charity quilts (pieced and quilted from my stash) the last two years for the guild. At this point, I don't want to do as much piecing for them, so I said I would do some quilting instead. I have a Take Five coming next month to quilt. Lots of the ladies do the smaller quilts with their domestic machines, so I said I would do some of the larger ones. This will give me more exposure.

I am also considering joining a second guild in the fall. I want to see how busy I get between now and then before I join. Maybe I'll need that night to quilt.

Good luck with your business.

[SKQuilts]

Sandra, Thanks for responding! Love your ideas. I am curious as to what a "Take Five" is, could you please explain? I appreciate your help and everyone else who replied. I'm not sure how my question ended up in this topic? Oh, so much to learn!

[RitaR]

Sandra, and Sheridan, good luck to both of you.. your enthusiasm alone should get you started.. just have those lines in place and don';t let them erase the limits and set their own...

RitaR

[Quilting Heidi]

Sheridan you have received some very good advice. I do some charity work but I limit it now that I'm established. I have a waiting list and I can only get so much done. Don't be afraid to tell them you are "booked" with charity quilts but still taking a waiting list for customers. I recommend that you show, show, show! That gets the word out. Also instead of giving lower prices consider a discount until you feel like you have a good base or your business is up to where you want it.

[ffq-lar]

Hi and welcome!

I would suggest that when you make an announcement at the guild meeting, don't say you are just starting your business. Say you appreciate the charity work being done and want to participate. Tell them you will quilt one quilt a month without charge until the end of the year. Any other piecers who would like to have their charity quilt quilted will get a nice (maybe 25% discount) up to two more a month. You will have them lining up--especially if you set limits as to the number you will take each month. Then the rest of the slots in your calendar can be filled by regular customers--whether you have any or not! This will get your work shown and appreciated. If someone asks you how long you have been quilting, tell them 4 years (or whatever) and then that you finally have the longarm of your dreams.

Not always, but sometimes newbies are preyed upon by greedy...er...frugal piecers who want lots of something for nothing--so tread lightly at guild, keep mouth closed and ears open, and don't push too hard. That sounded terrible but sometimes a wait-and-see lets you know if established quilters are already members of the guild family and whether they will welcome another. Remember there is always room for a generous and talented quilter--so smile, let them get to know you, do some pretty work, quilt a bit for free, and you will be happily quilting for the locals in a short time.

Isn't this a great adventure?!:cool:

[Sandra Darlington]

Thanks, Rita. I appreciate the support.

Sheridan: Take Five is the name of a quilt top pattern. It says, "Take 5 minutes; Chose 5 fabrics; And in 5 hours you've made this fantastic quilt."

It measures 64" X 76" and is an easy pattern. It would be similar to a Turning Twenty or the Yellow Brick Road, if you're familiar with either of those designs.

[witha'K'quilting]

Hi Sheridan...I am just going to simply say this...I choose which charities I quilt for for free! if somebody wants a charity quilt quilted...if it isn't YOUR charity...you can charge them for the quilting. It is your business. DO not worry about how many customer quilts. The quality of your quilting will quickly be seen by others as you do more quilts! Show show show to everyone who will look at your quilts. Word of mouth is very important too.