Tag: quiltingaccessory

JUKI Posts

Meet Your JUKI National Accounts

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on Meet Your JUKI National Accounts

At JUKI, we know how great it is when you find your favorite sewing shop! They’re equipped with every accessory you need, fabrics you can never say no to, or that JUKI machine you love. Today we’re going to introduce our JUKI National Accounts, dealers around you that aim to be your favorite by carrying every JUKI product! From your favorite quilting accessories to impeccable customer service, National Account JUKI dealers are there to help you on your sewing journey. Follow along below as we introduce our National Account dealers and how you can reach out to them today!

1st Sewing Center

Minnesota quilters know and love the 1st Sewing Center! Family-owned, this business has been around for over 50 years, initially established by Darrell and Lu Jensen in 1960 to help quilters and sewists in their community achieve their dreams of creating. Proud carriers of all JUKI products, they offer three locations around the state with exceptional customer service and high-quality sewing products.

Step into one of their shops and enjoy the world of options available! From your daily notions to classes and events offered to sewists like you, 1St Sewing Center is ready to help your sewing, and quilting goals come to life! Looking forward to seeing you. You can find their contact information and more by clicking here.

35th Avenue Sew & Vac

From one shop focused on vacuum sales and repairs to becoming one of the largest independent sewing machine stores and fabric businesses in the southwest, check out 35th Avenue Sew & Vac from Phoenix, Arizona! With over 30 years of business, this family-owned shop by Bill and wife Rita, as well as their daughter and son Jacquelyn and John, has been supplying customers like you with JUKI machines and beautiful fabrics all around the world.

Offering a variety of JUKI sewing machines that range from our long-arm Miyabi J-350QVP to our MO sergers, 35th Avenue Sew & Vac has created a matching variety of classes and events to inspire your creativity! Whichever hobby you love, whether it’s sewing, embroidery, or quilting, this one aims to be your one-stop shop. To learn more about 35th Avenue Sew & Vac, meet them at Rusty Barn Phoenix from January 26 – 28 or learn how you can visit them and click here today!

Angels Sewing and Vacuum Center

Learn and grow your skills with Angels Sewing and Vacuum Center in Salem, New Hampshire! Recently named Best of New Hampshire Shop by New Hampshire Magazine in 2021, customers here will find various products available. Browse and test-drive their extensive collection of JUKI sewing, quilting, embroidery, serger machines, parts, and accessories, and know your sewing machine is in capable hands with their repair services.

Enjoy their customer benefits and receive unlimited free quilting lessons and five free embroidery lessons when your purchase a machine, helping beginner quilters grow their skill one class at a time! Attend a quilt class, create at an event, or find your next machine by visiting here to learn more about Angels Sewing and Vacuum Center.

Aurora Sewing Center

Are you located in New York? Check out Aurora Sewing Center, located in East Aurora, New York! With over 40 years in business, this sewing center offers a variety of JUKI sewing and quilting machines ready to help you create!

They also offer over 300 classes each year that beginner and advanced crafters alike will love, getting you ready to create new and exciting projects! If you’re a project lover, you can enjoy this shop’s seasonal Sewing, Embroidery and Serger Clubs! With special sewing guests bringing in their unique ideas and tips, you’ll love getting a new perspective on your favorite hobbies.

To learn how you can visit Aurora Sewing Center, visit us here.

Austin Sewing Machines and Quilting

Meet one of the oldest sewing and quilt shops in Central Texas, Austin Sewing Machines and Quilting! Opened in 1953, this shop has been around for over 60 years, offering quilters and sewists like you the notions, tools, fabrics, and machines you need to help your creations come to life. With Bob Clark and his wife Ruth owning and running the business since 1984, they’ve stayed as a family-owned shop that focuses on quality service backed by decades of experience.

Known for their community outreach, Austin Sewing Machines and Quilting has continued to give back by providing their local churches with used sewing machines for community projects and donating them to Central America with their churches group! Want to check out their shop? Visit us here to find out more!

Barnes Sewing Center, INC.

Since 1978 Barnes Sewing Center’s priority has been you, the customer! With a focus on providing invaluable support, Barnes offers customers complete guide lessons on their machine or software, 20% off all notions, threads, and stabilizers, one year of free service, and a support system ready to help keep your sewing and growing.

Visit Barnes Sewing Center and find the best machine for your project needs by speaking with one of their experienced sales team members, ready to help you get what’s right for you! Visit us here to learn more about Barnes Sewing Center and how you can visit.

Blue Bars Quilts, Inc.

Modern quilters all over the country will love Blue Bar Quilts, Inc.! Focused on modern quilters located in Middleton, Wisconsin, and their shop is ready with the sewing machines and fabrics creators love and need. Offering all JUKI QVP machine models, a full line of JUKI sewing machines, sergers, long arm quilting machines, and of course, our personalization machines, the TAJIMA Sai and RICOH Ri 100, you can find everything you need to start creating today.

If you’re new to sewing and quilting, take advantage of the classes and projects offered by Blue Bar Quilts, Inc.! Offering a variety of classes that range from machine sewing to color theory, they’re ready to help you succeed in your next creation. In addition, Blue Bar Quilts, Inc. is an active member of their community, consistently giving back by hosting programs like the Days for Girls Middleton Team, receiving finished quilts for donations, and more!

So whether you’re new to sewing and looking for help finding the suitable machine for you or a creator looking for new accessories and inspiration, Blue Bar Quilts is here to help your projects come to life! Click here to learn more about the Blue Bar Quilt’s Inc. shop!

Country Stitches

Since 1982 Country Stitches has been ready to help you sew and quilt! From our Miyabi long arms to the highest quality fabrics and fun classes, this shop is ready to help your creative dreams come to life!

Know your machine is in capable hands at Country Stitches! With their three full-time, industrially skilled technicians with a combined 40 years of experience, which offer services at East Lansing and Jackson, their ready to handle your JUKI machine at any time, with a limited-time warranty promise.

Visit here to learn more about Country Stitches and how you can shop with them!

Gigi’s Fabric Shop

Gigi’s Fabric Shop of Tampa Bay, Florida, invites you to visit and enjoy the passion of quilting and sewing! Opened in 2013, Gigi, a fun nickname given by her granddaughter, opened a shop and began sharing her love and passion for sewing and quilting with the community. Here you can find our JUKI sewing and long-arm machine line surrounded by notions and designer fabrics.

Please stop in and attend sewing or quilting classes, place your children in a fun sewing program or speak with friendly and knowledgeable staff when you visit their 4200 sq. ft. shop, the perfect place for a beginner. Can’t make it to their shop? Visit them here to learn more about their JUKI Junkies online shop! And to find out how you can visit Gigi’s Fabric Shop, visit us here!

Grome’s Sewing Machine Company

Created and upheld by six generations of the Grome family, meet Grome’s Sewing Machine Company in San Antonio and Universal City, Texas! Ran by Sisters Cyndi Grome and Irma Tremillio, Grome’s is a deep-rooted Texas quilt and sewing shop that offers a perfect place to drop off your sewing machine for servicing and repairs, the opportunity to browse a large variety of JUKI products, notions, and fabrics you can’t turn away from!

If you’re new to sewing, Grome’s is ready to help your creative dreams come true! From helping you find the perfect sewing machine to offering basic sewing and quilting classes that will get your creative flow going, they’re ready to help you create every step of the way.

To learn more about Grome’s Sewing and how you can visit, read along here!

Jackman’s Fabrics Americas’ Premier Quilting and Sewing Machine Superstore

One of the longest-standing quilt and sewing shops, Jackman’s Fabrics Americas’ Premier Quilting and Sewing Machine Superstore has been locally owned and operated for 119 years and is ready to help you start creating! Offering our full JUKI line and RICOH Ri 100 direct-to-garment printer, JUKI creators from all roads can find what they need at their locations!

With fabric that ranges from quilting to home décor and then garment creation, Jackman Fabric features a wonderful selection for all creator types, including quilting notions, backings, battings, books, patterns, and supplies. Be sure to sign up for their free embroidery and sewing classes and clubs open to adults and kids! To find out more about Jackman’s Fabrics, visit us here!

Ken’s Sewing Center

Shop comfortably knowing you’re in good hands at Ken’s Sewing Center! With a full-service department and shop open for over 50 years, they’re ready to help you find your first machine or fix your favorite one! With same-day service for locals and free classes for customers, Ken’s team focuses on ensuring you’re comfortable and ready to use your machine.

Don’t worry if you’re out of state! Ken’s Sewing Center will work with customers over the phone and give instructions on how to operate your new machine just as if you had bought it in the store! They also assist with repair orders out of state, complete with a free estimate over the phone. To learn how you can shop at Ken’s Sewing Center, visit us here today!

Why Shop at a National Account Dealer?

  1. One-On-One Training: Throughout the year, JUKI trainers visit these dealers to keep their staff up to date on the newest JUKI home products to help provide you with reliable support during and after your purchase.
  2. Qualified Service Department: JUKI’s National Account Retail Dealers maintain a qualified service department, which is trained on JUKI products and has direct support from JUKI America. They’ll be able to help you keep your JUKI expertly tuned up.
  3. JUKI Access: National Account Dealers have access to the entire JUKI Home Sewing product line, including direct-to-garment printing, a compact commercial embroidery system, longarm quilting, and tabletop quilting along with a full line of sewing machines and sergers for you to experience.

Please stay updated next week as we share our other National Account Dealers with you! Whether you’re located right by one or looking for a trustworthy online shop to buy your machine from, our National Account dealers are ready to help you start creating. To learn more about our National account dealers and how you can visit one, check out our site here!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Spotlight: An Inappropriate Quilter with Leslie Bercher

by sewinwithjuki1 Comment on JUKI Spotlight: An Inappropriate Quilter with Leslie Bercher

Known for creating beautiful quilts, sharing tips and tricks for your sewing rooms, and her quilting podcast with co-host Rochelle Rice, we’re excited to spotlight Leslie Bercher, Quilter and podcast host for Inappropriate Quilters! Joining us for this month’s spotlight, we got to interview Leslie about her journey in quilting, the podcast’s beginning with co-host Rochelle, and how she created her brand.

It all started with Leslie’s grandmother, Helen. Helen was a member of a church that held Auxiliary Meetings where other members would quilt, crochet, and embroider. It took Leslie several years to watch her grandmother attend these meetings and see her create beautiful projects before picking up the hobby. So it was 2018 when Leslie, with two of her best friends, decided to take a class called ‘Quilt 101’.

“My first quilt was a log cabin, and I made two immediately. That was the beginning, and I haven’t looked back.”

Leslie began sharing her work online, finding a passion for creating and taking the time to build these quilts and designs. It was after a friend recommended she create a profile on social media, explaining she was missing out by not joining the online community when she opened her account. Opening herself up to the idea, she began posting and sharing her projects, excited to see how many beautiful quilters were out there in the world.

It was online that Leslie found a supportive community in her projects and offered her the opportunity to network and build relationships with new people! Consistently supporting one another in their ideas, and encouraging those who have lost their “sew-jo,” as Leslie says, has made the community, unlike any other group she’s been a part of.

This community has also been the inspiration for countless projects she’s created, inspired by other creators on social media. While not a modern quilter, she finds inspiration in all their designs picking from their color selections, patterns, and quilting textures. She also focuses on who she is creating, letting that drive much of the inspiration.

At one of these quilt retreats with the quilting community, she met Rochelle, someone who, according to Leslie, “has never met a stranger.” Leslie and Rochelle were placed in the same group, and their group’s theme was chickens! With their organized and over-the-top decorations, they couldn’t resist having a group mascot, Leon, the rubber chicken.

One day, during the retreat, Leon went missing! Leslie convinced Rochelle was to blame for the Rubber Duck disappearance, and she took it upon herself to ‘borrow’ Rochelle’s foot controller from her machine when she wasn’t looking. The joke would fall back on Leslie when Rochelle returned to the retreat the next day after a nice early night in, unaware her controller had been taken in the first place! They were fast friends after that, bonding over jokes and laughter.

 A couple of years later, the podcast topic would come up between the two friends. During a dream quilt vacation, a sewing retreat where two of their favorites, Camille Roskelley and Angela Walters, would attend, they were having breakfast when the idea popped into Leslie’s head.

With only an idea and some research, Rochelle purchased all the equipment while on their retreat and had it shipped to her home for when they arrived back in town. Excited about their new project, there was only one thing missing, a name! But, as their friends joined in on the conversation, one name stuck out. Walking away from their breakfast table, their friend Angela turned around and offered up “Inappropriate Quilters,” the perfect name for the inappropriate duo!

“Angela was getting up from the table and casually said, ‘oh, I know what you should name it. Inappropriate Quilters.’ We looked at each other and said, “that’s it!”

From there, the show project was on! Weekly episodes, released on Saturdays, became the norm where two quilting friends could join together to discuss life and quilting. With no script in hand, the two friends meet at Leslie’s studio weekly to record before she finishes editing and schedules the episodes Saturday morning. Finding their way into other quilters’ studios through their speakers, their show focuses on just two friends who love quilting, allowing listeners to feel like they have friends in the room with them when they’re creating.

One topic Leslie loves to cover is the process of creating and organizing your studio space. As quilters and sewists know, having a space that encourages creativity and allows you to move and build your projects is important! As an advocate for ‘Function and Beauty,’ we asked Leslie what recommendations she can offer to those building their studio space today.

“You have to start with function. But if it isn’t cute, it better have a very good reason to take up your space!”

What else can you find in Leslie’s studio? Her JUKI! With her Haruka TL-18QVP, named Camille after Camille Roskelley, Leslie has been able to create beautiful quilts and projects she loves. With 95% of her projects involving straight-stitch, she chose a machine that fit her needs. Her top three features at the time were: consistent straight stitch, an automatic thread cutter, and speed! Her best recommendation to sewists and quilters looking for a new machine is to focus on what features are important to you, figure out what type of stitches you plan to create with, the speed, and visit your local dealer! A local dealer can listen to everything you may want and offer machine recommendations and test-sewing.

Leslie’s quilting has opened up a community for her, allowing her to be creative, meet new people, and enjoy her hobby! As she’s transitioned to a content creator and business owner, we asked what advice she’d offer to someone trying to build their brand. “There are so many little things that you didn’t plan. Be gracious with yourself in the process.” Setting up the government business aspects of a shop, like tax ID, sales taxes, and even finding a partner, can be challenging, but the final product is worth it when you love what you do!

We’re so excited to continue seeing Leslies’ brand and content grow, especially with possible plans of opening a YouTube page for creators to join! Listening to feedback from the community she’s created is vital, and she trusts them to lead her toward new and exciting project ventures. So even with her reservations about being on camera, you can expect Leslie to meet her community in the middle and find a way to join the video world!

From quilting to running a podcast, we had a great time getting to know Leslie and going behind the scenes for her projects. If you’ve enjoyed getting to know Leslie and want to keep up with her and Rochelle’s podcast and future quilt projects, join us in following her socials and websites below!

Blog: read here!

Instagram: follow here!

Linktree: Find Leslies channels here!

YouTube: watch here!

Podcast: Inappropriate Quilters – available where you listen to podcasts

Inappropriate Quilters Shop: shop here!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

Catching Up with Rob Appell

by sewinwithjuki2 Comments on Catching Up with Rob Appell

You may recognize this month’s spotlight from “Michael Miller Fabrics Making It Fun” or “Man Sewing,” we’re so excited to spotlight our JUKI Ambassador, Rob Appell, during National Sewing and Quilting month! In today’s blog, we get to speak with Rob about his journey in quilting, his passion for the craft, and how he came to be where he is today.

Robs journey in quilting began when he moved back home from college, spending his free time outside and snowboarding. His mother, the manager and eventual owner of the local quilt shop brought Rob into the business, where he started as a clerk. When his mother began bringing in machines to sell, Rob eventually shifted to machine repairs, and here is where he started falling in love with sewing!

Creating fun Hawaiian shirts as his uniform for the quilt shop, he found himself having fun making them and eventually began looking into patchwork quilting. A fun and easy way to pick up quilting, he began testing his skills in free motion quilting his projects. Again, finding himself loving the hobby. The rest, as they say, is history!

Since he began to quilt, Rob has accomplished a published quilt book, starred in and hosted multiple quilting YouTube shows, created a community for his teachings, and so much more! His videos encourage new quilters to be creative and enjoy their projects! With a focus on basic techniques, his hope when he’s creating for viewers is that they find something they can take away from his lessons and learn how to make their versions.

Recently starring in ‘Michael Miller Fabrics’ Making it Fun,’ you can follow along with his high-energy videos and view the different patterns and free motion quilting techniques Rob uses. While he offers some design patterns and templates for quilters, his work mainly focuses on organic creation. Going with the flow, his work often doesn’t follow design patterns; the finished design patterns he has sold usually come from these organic works he’s completed after the fact!

“The Free Motion Quilting, I prefer to go freestyle, no pattern, sometimes a plan, but usually pretty random and free.”

Quilting didn’t take him away from the outdoors he loved. Combing two of his favorite things, Rob is known for his landscape quilts. These beautiful pieces focus on nature and showcase views in bright colors. In fact, in 2009, Rob created 12 different quilts that featured faces of endangered species. Using the patterns from his work, he was able to fundraise and advocate for these species through sales that went toward endangered species charities.

He also authored a pattern book, “Making Waves … Adventures of a Surf Quilter,” a self-published print book featuring his landscape and seascape quilts. Early in his quilting journey, Rob was known for his scenic creations. Then, using free motion quilting and applique, he would add fun designs like fish, coral, rocks, lighthouses, ships, and more! Then, bringing in his love for surfing, he created a piece that intertwined surf terms with quilting terms, going above the average and setting himself apart.

Now, as someone who’s been quilting and creating those quilting videos we love for years, we asked Rob what keeps him going. “Videos are free and can be viewed over and over again if you’re learning from them. I love to present my passion for quilting.” Rob likes to focus on basic quilting techniques because he’s often reminded of how many new quilters have emerged in the community over the years. Thanks to video cameras and social sites like YouTube, where Rob hosts, he can teach how to construct quilts and the basic skills all quilters want to know. Keeping himself motivated with fun fabrics and the creative process has pushed him to bring that energy into each episode’s studio. Thankful for the following he’s gained on YouTube that keeps him going!

Rob at his studio with the J-350QVP & J-150QVP

He recently created a new quilt, the “Synergy Remix,” designed by Kristie J. Smith in her pattern book, “Splice Magic,” that he loved! Always excited to try out new and different quilting techniques, like he encourages his viewers, Rob locked himself in the quilt shop, Stitchin’ Heaven, his latest collaboration where he’ll be hosting new quilting episodes, and went to work! In one night, he created a quilt and video, maligning the entire project and finishing it. Yet, this project places a smile on his face when he thinks about it.

While Rob has gone on to try other ventures, like his work in textile design with Free Spirit Fabrics, he vouches for his love of quilting. Sharing his love of fabric and free motion quilting, he focuses on his desire to quilt the top to push him through the construction process. Recently, he’s begun focusing on improving his precision in his patchwork! By creating little half-square triangles and trimming them up, he’s found joy in practicing his skills.

Always learning and growing, Rob has begun a new journey in his quilting career with Stitchin’ Heaven! As their new YouTube manager and Content presenter, he’ll be able to create a team of quilt lovers like himself who can share their passion for the craft while teaching others worldwide. Stepping back from handling all processes by himself, he’ll now have quilting friends who will help him create new and exciting projects for viewers like you. We’re excited to see the different techniques and quilting styles that will emerge from this new partnership!

“The thing I love most about the quilting industry is that there is so much for everyone.”

With the quilting community constantly growing as new members find their passion for the hobby, we asked Rob what advice he has for JUKI Quilters. “Get to know your machine, spend 7me learning the nuances, understand what the different feet do and when to use them. Then, remember – this is a hobby, not a race. Please slow down to enjoy the process.” When you enjoy the steps to what you’re creating and take a moment to appreciate each technique you’ve picked up, you’ll truly enjoy the finished project. As Rob mentions, so many people need something positive in their lives. Take the time to find your passion, teach and work with others in your quilting community, and enjoy the process.

We hope you enjoyed learning more about Rob with us, and we hope this inspires you to join him on an online video one day and check out quilting! A hobby for everyone, we hope everyone enjoys National Sewing and Quilting month with a fun new project!

JUKI Posts, Tips

Quilting Basics with JUKI

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on Quilting Basics with JUKI

Today we’ll go over some essential tools and presser feet you’ll need to create a quilt from start to finish. When we start a hobby, we might want to grab every item we see at the shops, so follow along as we share the important ones you should grab first!

Tools to Have in Your Kit

Rotary Cutter: Shaped like a pizza cutter, the rotary cutter is perfect for cutting out your fabric pieces. If you’re using patterns for your work, using a rotary cutter is an easy and quick way to correctly cut the fabric piece to the size and shape you need. These come in different sizes, ranging from small cutters that are great for tight cuts and a large one for big projects! For quilting, we recommend purchasing a medium-sized one.

Scissors: Besides your rotary cutter, ensure scissors are designated for cutting fabric. You want to keep these separate, so they stay sharp for cutting thread and fabric cleanly. So often, when we mix our scissors and cut items like paper, cardboard, or more, this dulls the blade, fraying your material in the long run when you use them.

Seam Ripper: Make sure to keep a seam ripper on hand for those mistakes! Advanced and beginner quilters benefit from this in their tool kits since it is perfect for fixing those little mess-ups.

Self-Healing Cutting Mat: Keep your workspace safe from scratches and find yourself a self-healing cutting mat! This will allow you to use your rotary cutter safely and can be found in many different sizes.

Fabric: Sewing isn’t complete without fabric! There are many options out there for quilters to choose from. You can choose to buy fabric by the yard or purchase bundles! We recommend sticking to 100% cotton. Choose from mini charm packs, jelly rolls, jolly bars, and more, depending on the size of the quilt you want to create and what form of designs you envision.

Thread: Like your fabric, look for a thread that suits your project, like 100% cotton for quilting. Look for options that are durable and not too cheap. Here you’ll want to find a thread that won’t birds nest on you in the creative process while sticking to your budget. For quilters, we recommend Aurifil! Like we use in our JUKI Studio when creating, Aurifil is 100% Egyptian cotton and comes in many colors, perfect for your project needs. We recommend purchasing neutral colors when you begin, like tan, white and black; this way, you can easily bind most of your projects without worrying about the thread color.

Pins and Pattern weights: When you want to keep your fabric in place, using quilting pins and pattern weights is a great solution! Use quilting pins when piecing your quilts to keep the fabric from moving, and use pattern weights when cutting out the fabric with your rotary cutter! These two accessories will make your cutting and sewing experience easy and help you create a professional finished product.

For pins, try and look for longer options, as this will help you hold the fabric better when sewing through those thick pieces, and they are also much easier to grab! You can also purchase safety pins, which come straight and curved for the finishing stages of your quilt process.

Rulers: Clear-gridded rulers are important in quilting because measuring correctly matters! Helping you quickly and accurately cut fabric for your project, rulers come in an array of size options suited for your needs.

Presser Feet for the Average Quilter

While your machines will come with presser feet, let’s go over some basic presser feet you should have on hand when quilting and what they’re for!

1/4″ Presser Foot

Essential for piecing your quilts together, the 1/4″ Presser Foot allows you accurately piece your quilts together quickly and efficiently. This accessory is perfect for when you’re piecing and don’t have time consistently mind the bottom measurements on your plate.

Walking Foot

A Walking Foot is basically used for putting a set of feed dogs on top of the quilt sandwich, working in conjunction with the bottom feed dogs, and evenly helping you pull your quilt through the sewing machine. Quilting with a standard presser foot on thick fabric or hard-to-feed material like the ¼” Presser Foot, for example, could lead to tucks and uneven stitches; this is why we use a Walking Foot!

Free Motion Quilting Foot

Want to add designs and texture to your quilts? You’re going to want a Free Motion Quilting Foot! With a Free Motion Quilting Foot, you will drop, or lower, your feed dogs and begin moving your quilt under the foot, free motioning the design yourself! While it takes practice using free motion quilting and controlling the quilt yourself, it can be an enjoyable and rewarding skill to learn!

We recommend checking out an Open Toe Foot when looking for your Free Motion Quilting Foot. With a small space left open on the presser foot, you’ll have a better eye on the needle and be able to easily create your designs!

Get To Quilting!

As you begin your quilting journey, research what tools you’ll need when creating! These listed are perfect for setting up your workspace and machine, so keep these in mind while you’re at the shop. If you’re an experienced quilter, what presser feet and tools do you think quilters should keep on hand? Let us know down below!

Business Plus, JUKI Posts

How to Start Your Quilting Business

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on How to Start Your Quilting Business

Do friends and family members ask for you to make quilts for them? Is someone asking where you got that pillow that you quilted yourself? Sometimes, when we get good at our craft, we find people who want to buy our work. That’s when a business starts to grow, so where do you start?

Today we’re going to dive into how you can start your own at-home quilting business. Now, a quilting business doesn’t mean you have to create projects endlessly; in fact, there are possibilities in pattern creation, custom requested works, and more. In this post, we’ve pulled together some steps to make your own quilting business and how to start.

Create Your Business Plan

While a business can start with some scribbled plans in your notes app, creating a successful one without a real plan is much more challenging. Businesses, large and small, begin to see success when some serious planning and budgeting is put into play. A business plan is a roadmap you create for your company.

Business plans should include:

  • Description of your business
  • How do you plan to manage it
  • The products and services you plan to sell
  • Market and competitor research
  • Budget and finance plans
  • Marketing and advertising plans

All of these things can be completed by you, but if you decide to build your brand and go legal, look for a professional who focuses on small businesses. They can help you decide on a business structure that’s best for your plan and are more likely to have contacts that can help you in finance and marketing matters when you need it. Need help creating your plans? Keep up with JUKI Business Plus blog posts to help you start your business here.

Getting the Right Equipment

Now that you have your business idea in motion let’s start thinking about the equipment you’ll need for your small business.

The Machines

The best thing about quilting is it doesn’t require a specialty machine. There are two basic types of machine quilting that quilters can access on most sewing machines—straight line and free motion.

Straight-Line

This type is best accomplished by replacing a regular presser foot with a walking foot and even feed foot. A walking foot is a specialized pressure foot that grips the top of the quilt sandwich, advancing it through the machine at the same rate as the quilt’s back, which touches and is moved along by the sewing machine’s feed dogs.

A machine like the TL-2010Q is perfect for basic straight stitches and piecing. However, a free motion quilting machine like the TL-18QVP or Miyabi J-350QVP is required for designs like curves and intricate patterns.

Free Motion Quilting

With free motion quilting, you’re able to create intricate designs as if you had hand-stitched them into the quilt. Learning FMQ takes time, but many resources are available that teach you to create unique designs.

For FMQ, the machine’s feed dogs are lowered, meaning nothing is in place under the quilt sandwich to guide it along. The quilter is in total control of the motion. Now your speed and how fast you run the sewing machine work together to determine stitch length. You have options on sewing feet like a darning foot or a special foot for machine quilting. Remember that special feet resemble a darning foot but have larger openings.

A machine like the Miyabi J-350QVP is perfect for free motion quilting since you have a large workspace and can use the machine bars to move and design intricate pieces.

What to Sell

If you’ve thought about opening your quilting business, you probably already have some ideas set aside on what you would sell in your shop. However, there are so many ways to make money with your long-arm or sewing machine, so let’s review some options for what you can do with yours!

Quilts Commissions

Not everyone has the skills for quilting, and that’s where quilters like you come in to help! With so many quilt lovers in the world who don’t have the time and skills to create their ideas, you can offer services for making custom quilts. A venture like this is excellent because of revenue, as shoppers pay well for handcrafted personalized items.

Mass Production

Use that machine! Mass production doesn’t have to mean creating 100’s of quilts, but instead using simple designs and creating multiples of the quilt to sell in marketplaces or e-shops. Also, not every quilt has to be unique, as many homeowners enjoy simple pieces they can add to family rooms and bedrooms.

Patterns

Owning a quilting business doesn’t mean just selling quilts. Many quilters love to try their hand at creating new projects. Create patterns and upload their PDF files onto your site! By selling physical copies to your local quilt shop, you now have a product that people can continually purchase that doesn’t require you to quilt!

Long-Arm Rentals

Do you have a long arm at home? Many quilters work on domestic home machines, meaning they don’t have that large workspace long-arm quilters have. Offer long-arm rentals to local quilters for hourly rates, and enjoy that time to work on other projects. You can also offer your skills for rent and finish quilts for others on your long arm.

Teach Quilting

If you’ve been quilting for years, attended quilting classes yourself, and find yourself teaching friends and family, look into teaching! Contact your local quilt shop’s favorite sewing brands, or start your own social media channel. There are always new quilters in the world looking for instruction, and with technology, you can offer online and in-person education.

How and Where to Sell

Now that you have an idea of what services and products you can offer let’s discuss how you will reach your audience and sell to them. In our day and age, many small businesses begin on social media platforms or e-shops.

Social Media and Sales

The best way to reach your audience is through social media platforms. Easily accessible and free to use, sites like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and more have opened up new sales channels for small businesses. One of the first things you should do when starting a side-hustle is set up a business or company page. Many customers now run to social media sites to see if your company is legit before ordering. In addition, these sites offer customers the opportunity to see what kind of products and services you offer, customer reviews, and so much more.

Social media sites now offer selling points for businesses as well. Facebook marketplace, for example, is perfect for selling home goods. Anyone can post an item for sale, and you can hit niche markets easily by discovering pages and groups for specific topics. Facebook marketplace does hold guidelines that sellers must abide by when selling, and can be found here. (link guidelines)

Instagram offers its version of an e-shop now as well. With Instagram shopping, you’re able to post products for sale directly onto your Instagram account. Think of this as a digital storefront for your shop. You can include graphics, videos, shopping tags, and more to drive sales. It also allows you to place full product descriptions, advertisements, and more. However, unlike Facebook, there is an approval process for selling on Instagram’s shop. To have a shop on Instagram, you need a business page, Instagram shop approval, and a small fee is applied.

Remember that you don’t need to invest money when selling on social media off the bat. Instead, you can focus on organically growing your business by word of mouth, using engaging posts, and attaching hashtags to your descriptions.

E-Shops

If you feel you’ve outgrown selling on social media sites and want to upgrade, the next step we recommend is researching e-shops. Now there are multiple options when it comes to opening an e-shop, so we gathered a few of the top ones below:

eBay: This eCommerce site has been a go-to for sellers since 1995. With the ability to sell any form of product and service, you can sell services like finishing quilts, or you sell your hand-made projects. Their fees include non-refundable product/service listings and fee charges if you’re placing your product in multiple categories for sale. The perks of this site revolve around its popularity. With eBay constantly having high traffic, your items can easily be accessed by customers all over the country.

Etsy: Artisan-focused and highly popular, Etsy is the perfect e-shop location for someone opening their small business. This site allows you to promote and sell your handcrafted products at low fees. Listing fees are $0.20 for each item and will last for four months. This site is great for upgrading their shops but isn’t ready to fully commit to a website.

Shopify: Shopify is an excellent option for those opening their first e-shop. With Shopify, you can create a website to sell your products and customize the site to your aesthetic. This is a significant step when building your credibility as an established business! Everything is now done on this site, from placing products and selling to handling inventory and processing payments. Shopify comes with a monthly fee from a Basic package of $29 to an Advanced package for $299.

In-Person Sales

If you’re someone who enjoys selling in person, research your local farmer’s markets and artisan fairs! You can purchase a shop space and sell to new customers you wouldn’t have reached online by communicating with these event planners. These events do require a larger budget and should be planned accordingly. Keep in mind the furniture you’ll need to showcase your products, how you’ll handle money, and other variables like food, inventory, and more. ‘

Get To Work

Now that you have a basic rundown of what you need to start your new side business, it’s time to sit down and plan! Circling back to the start of our planning, it’s time to create that business plan. Remember to include your product/service plan, marketing plan, budget plan, and finance plan. Starting a business plan is like building a roadmap. Follow the roadmap, and you’ll have a much higher chance of reaching your destination, a thriving business, than trying to jump into this with a few notes written down.

We hope this has been able to help you get a clearer vision for your future quilting business! So if you’re looking to start your own quilting business, join us here to learn more about JUKI Business plus and how we can help you today!