starting a business

[cblevins]

It will soon be time to go back to school and I am not sure I want to do it anymore. I have been buying up fabric for several years now and have TONS of it. I just ordered another 112 yards Monday. The closest fabric shop is either 30 miles north or 30 miles south of us. I have the accu cut studio and LOADS of the dies. We have a 2009 Millie with quiltazoid and plenty of boards and templates. My husband is a retired postmaster but works a part time job. He is 59 and I am 55. He loves using the Millie and I love cutting and piecing. Our basement is about 1500 square feet and is finished for quilting (and looking at the woods out back!). To my knowledge there are no longarm quilters near us. The reason I am telling you all this is I need advice. I would like to cut quilt kits, fat quarters and squares, and sell them either on ebay or start a web page. We would also like to do longarm quilting. Which would be the best way? ALL advice and suggestions are appreciated! Should I wash and press the fabric first? Would there be a demand for fabric with fusible on back and then accu cut into shapes such as trees, houses, hearts and such? Any ideas or thoughts?

[ffq-lar]

How exciting to think about doing something with your DH that you both love!

Making quilt kits will be easy with the machine. Maybe concentrate on scrappy quilts, since you have so much fabric. That would be what I would look for--a tumbler or apple-core quilt is so pretty with a massive variety of fabrics, and I don't have the stash for a project like that. Keeping the kits in themes--florals, repros, brights for kids, etc. could be a good idea.

A web site is necessary, plus offerings on ebay/etsy.

As for the fabric already fused--give it a try. Perfect for kids quilts and decorating. Do some research on the best fusible--some degrade over time and lose their sticky.

It sure looks like you are thinking seriously about this and have done a lot of planning.

I am excited for you! Good luck to you both!

[quiltlover03]

What a wonderful opportunity for you both. I have a store on Etsy, and there are many opportunities for Suppliers. Quilt Kits, Fat Quarters, yardage, bundles are very much in demand without the high fees of Ebay. You should check it out. I have been on Etsy for 3 years now and just had my 233 Quilt Sale, they are now all over the world. Etsy lets you advertise for machine quilting and I have a few steady customers from Ct, NH, and TX as well as a lady from Switzerland, not enough to live on, but it fills a few dead spots in my routine.

It is worth a try, check out Etsy and search for supplies, commercial, fabric kits and you can see what people are listing, how much they sell, what their prices are.

Good luck to you both.

[cblevins]

Thanks ladies! What are your thoughts on whether I should prewash the fabric?

[quiltlover03]

I would never prewash the fabric I plan to sell, nor will I buy prewashed fabric. My batting and backing is not prewashed, so the combination would just not work well in my Quilts.

As far as offering die cuts for applique, yes, i buy the fused ones, ready to iron to my projects.

If you have the feather die, I would like to talk to you!~

[ffq-lar]

I say no. Commercial charm packs and jelly rolls, etc. aren't pre-washed. You would need to wash yardage (a pain) and iron/starch yardage (ditto) to get it to work well with the machine. I say, stick with the industry standard and don't wash it. But I'm inherently lazy!!

[Sandra Darlington]

How exciting! I wish you lots of luck...I say, "Go for it!"

[Quilting Heidi]

Cheri sounds like you've gotten some good advice from Linda and Monika. I don't have any quilt items for sale, only quilting. The best advice I can give you is don't sell yourself short! If you provide quality work and products they will come. Of course everybody is always looking for a good deal so think about ways that you can accomodate without going broke. I think have premade fusibles is a really good idea. Have fun with it.

[cblevins]

Originally posted by quiltlover03

I would never prewash the fabric I plan to sell, nor will I buy prewashed fabric. My batting and backing is not prewashed, so the combination would just not work well in my Quilts.

As far as offering die cuts for applique, yes, i buy the fused ones, ready to iron to my projects.

If you have the feather die, I would like to talk to you!~

Monika, I don't have the feather die but it is one that I intend to order!! I am so glad that you guys wouldn't wash and iron the fabric. I too am a tad lazy. I just looked at the accu cut site and they have a new die from Eleanor Burns that looks interesting. I haven't been on the site for awhile. I will order the feather die today and send you some samples when I get them cut. I would appreciate feedback on the quality and all.

[Carreen]

Cheri, That's sounds really exciting! I have checked out etsy site a couple of times because a friend told me I should sell my aprons there. I found soo much on the site that I felt a bit overwhelmed but these days everything overwhelmes me. (i've had my qz for a week and still am trying to figure it out). GOOD LUCK to you!! Please let us all know what you have for sale so we can buy from one of "us".

Carreen

[quiltlover03]

Cheri that would be awesome!!!! I have been panting for some feathers cut in Batik, I would kiss your feet if you can do this for me. let me know when you get it, i will send you my batik fabric.

[cblevins]

Originally posted by quiltlover03

Cheri that would be awesome!!!! I have been panting for some feathers cut in Batik, I would kiss your feet if you can do this for me. let me know when you get it, i will send you my batik fabric.

I'll let you know when it comes. I have to warn you that my feet are ticklish

[Sparkle]

Selling online is a lot of work, and I would test the waters as they say, first on a trial basis.

My husband and I did a lot of selling on eBay about 10 yrs. ago, and just the paper work, files, packing supplies, and actual packing plus the shipping routine, setting up accounts with credit card and Paypal. etc. it time consuming. Taxes, and percentages of income that are expenses primarily for packing and shipping. Not product.

I just touched the tip of the iceberg with the above paragraph. There is also customer communications & relations involved (keep everyone happy and informed)--- and of course cutting your kits, doing quilting as a business and anything else you have planned if you want this to be your primary source of income---there is ton of back ground stuff to consider that does not even involve actual "product".

I would set up for 6 months "testing" and keep meticulous records. If it's something you feel you can both handle equally well, and make money doing, then go for it! It's a lot of fun too! But, I wanted to mention the "realities" of selling online day in and day outl.

We don't do it anymore, as it got more complicated as eBay changed over the years. I have an Etsy account, but have never pursued selling on there as it is flooded with crafters, and if you don't have a special niche, you do get lost in the "crowd".

I will say that I enjoy & buy fabric and die cuts on line. I don't want pre-washed fabric---that spoils the effect of buying "new fabric"! I sold my AccuQuilt cutter in favor of letting someone else do the cutting for me if I need a certain cut. I also buy a lot of Jelly Rolls, Cakes, and precut fabrics versus cutting my own. I have reduced my fabric stash a lot in the past year, and now prefer to buy kits rather than spend time shopping for "thee perfect fabric" for a quilt. Kits are really very marketable now as when you break down the expense of shopping, coordinating colors and cutting---Kits are less expensive in the long run....and are becoming more of a personal choice for me nowadays.

Best of luck in your new endeaver! Keep us posted.

[cblevins]

Thanks Angie, you have lots of good advice. I am trying to keep from getting too excited and jumping into anything. We may be better off just doing the longarm quilting and kits. Before we bought our Millie I had to send my quilts quite a distance because we couldn't find a local person. I am hoping that there would be a demand. We won't need to make a lot of money. All the equipment is paid for and my husband has his civil service retirement. I could start drawing mine in October but it would be more if I wait. The biggest difference is, I have been heavily funding my 403b and that would stop. I have lost 4 brothers, 1 sister and my mom in the past few years and it has changed our outlook on life a lot. I feel like we had better follow our dreams now because tomorrow sure isn't guaranteed. I am going to return to school in the fall. In the meantime we are going to try to dabble into a few things.