Penny Halgren asked:


ou have never made a quilt, you can start a quilting business.

We’ve been taught all our lives to share – share toys, share money, share food. Why not share your quilting knowledge? You can start a quilting business by sharing what you know about quilting.

You don’t have to be a veteran quilter with 50 years of sewing experience to have sound advice to share, either. If you have quilted for a month, you know more about quilting than someone picking up a needle and thread for the first time. Start a quilting business that teaches basic skills.

Your most basic quilting information could teach some important skills. A lot of wannabe quilters won’t even start a quilting project because the chore of selecting appropriate fabrics seems like such a daunting task. Perhaps you start a membership based website that offers quilting tips to beginners about how to start a quilt. You could also start your quilting business with an old-fashioned paper printed newsletter that you mail out monthly or quarterly to beginning quilters. Some of your topics could be how to select a quilt pattern, how to select fabrics, which threads to use, etc.

Of course, the longer you quilt, the more information you can share with your subscribers. But you sharing information is not the only kind of quilting business you can start.

If you are like most quilters or crafters, you have a lot of leftover fabrics taking up storage space! You could start a quilting business that concentrates on selling your fabric leftovers (and just think how much fun it would be to spend the money you make on new fabric)!

Maybe you could start a quilting business by developing a quilters consignment store online. People could pay you to sell their leftover fabrics, threads and other notions.

If you love quilts, but haven’t ever quilted and are afraid to try, you can still start a quilting business. You could coordinate quilters retreats for others. You can make arrangements at a local hotel or bed and breakfast to get great room rates for any overnight guests. Reserve a location, plan a few games, prepare snacks, whatever the quilters need you to do. They’ll benefit because they got a retreat without having to do a lot of the work and you will benefit by being around quilters and quilting. Maybe you’ll even be encouraged to start your own quilt project!

The two ideas that usually come to mind when people think about starting a quilting business are to sell quilts or to provide a quilting service for tops that have already been pieced. Both are good ideas.

If you choose to sell quilts, you have a lot of options. You could sell only appliqu?uilts (like pieced quilts, baby quilts, etc.). You could sell them online, through a small newspaper ad (or word of mouth since that’s free), or at area craft shows. If selling quilts at a show, take a project along to work on between customers. When shoppers see you working on a project, it draws their interest more keenly to your work which will hopefully lead to a sell.

Don’t let lack of experience be an obstacle between you and your quilting business. Your quilting business can grow right along with your quilting skill level. All you really need to start a quilting business is a love for the art and a desire to succeed – you don’t even need a lot of money. If you’ve been thinking about starting a quilting business, decide today to do it. You’ll be glad you did!



Wesley

Penny Halgren asked:


would just like to make some extra money each month. Maybe you are miserable with your present full time job. No matter what your reason for considering, it, there is no time like the present to start a quilting business of your own.

Necessity made me start my quilting business. My job was cut when the State of California downsized. I wasn’t thrilled with the job anyway, but it paid the bills. So, with my kids grown and in college, I decided to look at the setback as an opportunity. I knew I loved quilting, so I explored starting a quilting business.

That was in 2004. It’s been a whirlwind of learning and success ever since! If you have been thinking of starting a quilting business but are afraid that today’s economy will not support it, think again. Think about your own economy rather than the country’s.

If you could stand to have some extra money, start a quilting business to earn some. Remember, even in bad economic times, there are people who are virtually unaffected by the times. And, depending on the quilting business you choose, the economy might help your business.

For example, if you are a quilter who ha s lots of remnants or fabrics you just haven’t used, why not sell those to other quilters? If you offer them at a discounted price, you create a win-win situation. You make money from your quilting business, and quilters save money by buying from you.

Statistics show that even though quilters prefer buying supplies from retail stores and quilt shows, the number of quilters buying supplies online has grown. In 2003, only 17 percent of quilters said they bought more than half their supplies online or through mail order. Just three years later, that percentage had jumped to 20 percent.

The 2006 survey shows statistics for quilters who bought more than half their supplies online. That survey doesn’t even explore how many quilters bought less than half their supplies via the world wide web. I’m sure that number is much larger!!

There are many ways you could choose to start a quilting business – thanks to high speed internet. High speed internet allows users to download files more quickly and safely than dial-up connections. This means that if your quilting business involves selling quilting patterns online, your customers could buy the pattern and download it right away. No shipping and handling charges (or extra work for you) since the pattern won’t have to be sent by postal carrier!

More quilters surveyed reported having high speed internet access. In 2006, 73 percent had high speed internet access. In 2003, only 62 percent reported high speed access..

Another good thing about starting a quilting business online is that your business will be truly global. Quilting is not just an American hobby. Quilting supplies and services offered through online quilting businesses reach much farther than the United State’s slumping economy. Don’t let a nation’s economic woes create a slump for you or your quilting business!

Internet businesses are great for a quilting business because the owner can dodge the expenses associated with renting or leasing store space, an added utility bill, etc. When you work from home, you are already paying those house expenses. Plus, you won’t feel the pressure to “sink or swim” that a retail storefront carries with it!

If you do decide that an internet quilting business is the way to go, keep track of your home expenses. If you dedicate a certain area of your home to your quilting business, chances are that you can deduct some of those come tax time.



Mildred

Kirsten Stone asked:


Are you a hobbyist quilter or a part-time quilter looking to make money from your quilting passion? Are you having a difficult time selling your work? If the answer is yes, then check this out.

Study the market before you begin

If you are serious about turning your quilts into money, it’s very important that you research the market before you begin trying to sell. Studying the market helps you find what types of quilts are currently in high demand in your area. Once you know this, you may think about making those quilts which are in high demand in your area. This makes it easy to sell your quilts while getting a good enough price for your quilts.

Those who take quilting only as their hobby don’t need to spend much time researching the market as the results from the research might end up in a conclusion that the demand for their favorite type of quilts is very low. If your choices are flexible or if you are ready to produce any quilt that the customers might want then there shouldn’t be any problems for you to generate a good amount of money from your hobby.

Setting the price for quilts

Determining a price for a quilt consists of a few steps, the first one being market research which you should have already done prior to sewing quilts.

Keeping track of the time spent

The second step in pricing should be performed during the creation of the quilt, which is “keeping track of your time”. You should write down or keep a record of the time spent on the quilt; this includes the total time you spent on the quilt (from choosing a design to finishing the quilt).

First, find out the total time you spent on different steps in quilting (preparing the paper pattern, piecing, basting, quilting, binding, putting your studio back in order after the quilt is completed etc.), then estimate the total time it takes on all these steps and divide it by the size (in sq.ft) of your quilt. Now you have calculated the time it takes to produce one square foot of a quilt in that particular style.

Determine how much your time is worth to you

The next step in pricing is finding out the price of your time, or deciding how much the time you sped on making a quilt is worth.

If you are a beginner or if you are doing an unskilled job then the minimum wage can be between $6.00 and $7.00 per hour. If you are a seasoned quilter or doing difficult tasks, your time is worth more than that. Something on the range of $10-$15 per hour should be reasonable rate in this scenario. Nevertheless, it’s up to you to decide how much your time is worth. The market research you should have done can help you in making a decision about that. You may also contact other quilters in your area and talk with them about this and reach a conclusion.

Quilt appraisal

An appraisal is a formally written document about the price and other attributes of a quilt. Things which should be included in a quilt appraisal are, a description of the quilt, a defined price, system used in determining the price, the reason for the appraisal (sale or resale, insurance purposes, IRS requirements, equitable division of property etc.) and the signature of the appraiser.

Selling quilts

After your quilt is done, you would likely want to sell or market it so that you can generate money for the time and effort you had put in crafting your quilt. Small scale quilters, new quilters, part-time quilters, or someone doing quilting as a hobby usually find that the promotion of their quilts is tougher than the stitching part. So let’s list a few quilt promotion methods which will be very helpful for the above mentioned group.

Quilting brokers and shops

It’s difficult for amateur quilters and part-timers to open their on quilt shops and sell their pieces there. For these types of quilters it will be useful to look for other ways of promoting their work. There are quilt brokers and handicraft shops who would be glad to sell your pieces upon paying a cut. It should be easy for you to find such brokers and stores in your area and offer your products through them. Once your quilts become popular and when the demand for your quilts increases you might want to step up to larger scale or full time quilt work and think about directly marketing your products to customers.

Selling your pieces at online auction sites

Another option available for amateur or part-time quilters is to display their work on online auction sites. There are many of them available on the internet. Online auctions make it possible for a quilter to find a way to sell the quilts at maximum price. Some of these websites even give you options to sell your quilts at a fixed price instead of listing them for auctions. It’s up to you to figure out whether you want consumers to bid for you quilt or just buy it at a price you fixed.

Some websites might even allows you to specify a “Minimum Bid” so that you can prevent your work from being purchased at a lower price than you see fit. This is a really efficient way for part-time or hobby quilters to sell their work.

Other quilting related income avenues

There are many other ways to generate cash from quilting related things. Next you’ll find two of such ways which require a certain amount of expertise.

Teaching quilt lessons

If you are an expert in quilting and have very little time (just a couple of hours a day or less) to spend on quilting, you might wish to choose this option. You could find some schools offering quilting lessons and contact them offering to teach a quilting class for beginner quilters. If you have a unique quilting technique about which you can give classes, it would be easier for you to get a contract as a quilting instructor. Another option is to offer quilting lessons at your own place. You might use your spare time like this and you should be able to earn good enough money from this.

Designing brand new quilt patterns

If you are good at making new and unique quilt patters, you can easily make lots of money selling them to other quilters as demand for fresh patterns will always be high. For marketing quilt patterns you design, you could use the same methods described above for marketing quilts.

Like in any business, if you use your time and resources in the most effective manner it’s not hard to make a good quilting career or generate good income from quilting.



Timothy

Penny Halgren asked:


Quilters who are not already a machine embroidery enthusiast just may find themselves engrossed in the craft once they realize they could incorporate machine embroidery into their quilting.

Embroidery is a traditional way to add special decorative touches to quilts. Whether by hand or machine, a quilter may accent his or her creation with embroidered flowers or other accents. But today’s machine embroidery – for those willing to try it – can make quilting quite different.

For instance, a quilter may use a simple embroidery design to let the machine “quilt” the project. Simple designs that can be stitched in one color work best, especially for the beginning machine embroidery quilter.

If you want to give this a try, look for an embroidery design that’s simple – one that you can visualize stitched into a quilt. Some redwork inspired designs work well. Other simple designs like flowers, circles, sun/moon, houses, hearts – there are all sorts of designs to choose from – can work well as quilting stitches.

Be sure to keep your quilt top’s theme in mind. We all know and love the traditional beauty of the double wedding ring quilt. While the quilt top is beautiful with its color variety, the quilt back is just as pretty with its simple stitching that follows the design on the top.

What if you used an embroidery machine to quilt hearts into the quilt design? That one unexpected touch would truly make your quilt unique.

Have you ever needed to throw together a quick quilt? Many quilting pros laugh at the notion, but sometimes we need a quick gift to give and want to make it personal. Lap quilts and baby quilts are very easy to create on an embroidery machine.

Simply hoop your top fabric, batting and backing fabric into an embroidery hoop. Pick a design and get to work! Even if you are quilting solid color fabrics, you can complete a quick, beautiful quilt with the embroidery machine in no time!

Some ideas for a baby blanket for a boy would be to use outlines of footballs, airplanes, trucks, trains, etc., for your quilting pattern. The hardest part of your job will be re-hooping fabric and pushing the “start” button!

Ideas for a baby blanket for a girl include outlines of flowers, baskets, dolls, kittens, etc.

The method above uses machine embroidery on relatively small quilts. Larger quilts can be done the same way or may be quilted with machine embroidery by individual quilt blocks. Experiment to decide which method is easiest for you and remember that the machine embroidery quilting method may change with each unique project.

If you can’t find a pattern you like already on embroidery file, ask a digitizer to help you create one. A digitizer is someone who takes art images like line drawings, clip art and fonts and alters them to become a stitch pattern. So if you’d like for your family tree wall hanging to be quilted with a tree pattern, a digitizer can create one for you.

Be sure to let your digitizer know you plan to use the image for quilting. The digitizer will need to plan stitches accordingly.

Quilting is rich in tradition and therefore many true-blue quilters do not like the idea of using machine embroidery to quilt their projects. Isn’t it great to try new ideas and techniques? Remember, not to long ago quilters refused to consider machine quilting at all! Embroidery machines will never take the place of quilters, but it can be a fun and rewarding sewing technique to try from time to time.



Lucille

Penny Halgren asked:


Quilting has changed over the years, thanks mostly to the development of various quilting gadgets. Rotary cutters simplified fabric cutting and make it more accurate than scissors. In addition to ease and accuracy, the rotary cutter eliminated the blisters scissors can create on the thumb and finger! Something so simple has proven to be a revolutionary quilting gadget.

Speaking of revolutionary, today’s quilting has really benefited from computers. Computerized sewing machines are a big change for today’s quilter. The ¼ inch presser foot and a walking foot have become standard quilting gadgets on many sewing machines.

Once upon a time, machine quilting as reserved for use at an industrial level. While it’s a much bigger “quilting gadget,” home quilting machines are another useful and attainable tool for quilters.

The Internet may be the biggest quilting gadget. Today, quilters have a world of threads, fabrics and other supplies at their fingertips. The Internet also is a great search tool, great at helping professionals and hobbyists find unique and helpful quilting gadgets.

Quilters can also find a wide array of free quilting patterns online. The Internet offers quilters the chance to perform a general search for quilt patterns or search for a specific pattern.

The Internet is also helpful because it affords quilters the opportunity to join quilting forums, subscribe to quilting newsletters, and to learn from frequently asked question pages. Quilters may use the Internet to join online chats with other quilters. Quilters may utilize other websites, like YouTube, to view instructional videos about quilting and special problems quilters may encounter.

The Internet is also a great place to shop for fabrics. Many quilters do not live near traditional brick and mortar fabric shops and some larger retail chains are discontinuing their fabric departments. The Internet fills that gap for quilters.

Fabric has come a long way over the years, too. With improvements in fabric manufacturing, today’s cloth could conceivably last hundreds of years. Fabric manufacturers, in addition to giving quilters better quality, are also delivering more variety. Available styles and colors have diversified. If you like Japanese fabric and your local shop doesn’t carry any, look online for sources. You will see how different, yet how similar, fabrics from another culture are to your own.

The Internet is a useful quilting gadget for quilters who want to sell their works. Many quilters sell their quilts or quilting services online through Internet auctions such as eBay or through their own websites and advertising on other quilting websites.

With your favorite quilting gadgets, fabric and a design in mind, you are ready to begin your quilting project. But, if you want to truly customize your design, there are several quilting gadgets that will help. Custom cut acrylic templates can help cut even the most challenging patches. Fabric pencils and colored chalks provide quilters the supplies needed to temporarily mark fabrics.

The ultimate quilting gadget is computer software that helps you custom design your own quilt and quilt blocks. A little computer literacy is all that’s required. Such software will let you take a traditional quilt pattern that is pre-loaded into the program, and alter lines to create your very own creation.

Each quilter has his or her own favorite quilting gadget. Maybe your favorite is a light weight quilt frame, your old rotary cutter, or something as simple and standard as a seam ripper. No matter what your choice, there’s no denying that the world is full of useful and affordable quilting gadgets that make quilting more enjoyable.



Julia

Penny Halgren asked:


If you have ever considered starting a quilting business but don’t feel good about America’s tough economy, I challenge you to think again. There are plenty of reasons to start your own quilting business now!

Money spent on quilting supplies in 2006 increased 45.4 percent. That year, quilters spent $3.3 billion in the United States alone. Statistics further show that the average quilter spent just over $2,300 for supplies in 2006.

Some will argue that times have changed since 2006. It’s true. Times have changed and those changes make this a great time to start a quilting business of your own.

For instance, many large businesses and corporations are downsizing. Quilters can turn their hobby into money if they find themselves without a “regular” job. Maybe you could use your quilting skills or knowledge to earn extra money on a part time basis. In times like these, every little bit of money you can earn helps!

But in addition to all those great reasons, there’s still a bigger reason that this is a great time to start a quilting business.

Statistics show that quilters would prefer to buy supplies from retail stores and quilt shows, but the number of quilters who shop for supplies and services online has grown. In 2003, only 17 percent of quilters said they bought more than half their supplies online or through mail order. Just three years later, that percentage had jumped to 20 percent.

The 2006 survey shows statistics for quilters who bought more than half their supplies online. The survey doesn’t even address how many quilters bought LESS than half their supplies online. I’m sure that number is huge!

More quilters report having high speed internet access. In 2006, 73 percent of quilters surveyed had access to high speed internet – which makes shopping online safer. That percentage was 12 percent higher than in 2003.

Here’s another good reason to start a quilting business online. As more and more quilters reach retirement age, spending more time at home and often moving to rural communities where there are no quilting shops, online opportunities will continue to grow.

Quilting is not solely an American hobby. Quilting is spreading world-wide. Not too many years ago, Japan and Australia hosted their first quilting shows. Those shows have grown and we are now seeing quilt shows in many Scandinavian, European and Asian countries.

To sum it up: quilting supplies and services offered online reach much farther than the United State’s slumping economy affects. There’s no need to let a nation’s economic slump create a slump for you or your dream business.

Whether you want to offer a hand or machine quilting service, sell supplies or start a remnant shop on your favorite online auction site, there’s no time like the present to start your own quilting business.

Internet businesses give quilters the opportunity to be business owners without the often expensive overhead of renting office or retail space. An internet business is just as real and viable as a brick and mortar location – each setting has its own benefits. An internet business will allow the quilter time to grow his or her business without feeling the pressure to “sink or swim” in a storefront location.

If your dream is to start a quilting business, don’t wait another day. That doesn’t mean you should march in and tell your boss you’re through tomorrow, but you should start investigating your quilting business options. The online market is not saturated, and the sooner you get in and find your niche, the sooner your own quilting business will be profitable!



Jamie

Penny Halgren asked:


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. Beginner quilters would purchase 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 intermediate 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 kits that will make ornaments and other decorations.

How will you 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. A lot of 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. On the other side, take a photo of a completed quilt block from your 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.



Debbie

Penny Halgren asked:


ou’re not a quilter, you can still have your own quilting business. Create your own niche in the quilting business by giving old quilts new life.

Chances are that you have several old quilts in your house. You never use them because they are old and lumpy. Don’t discard them! There is still a lot of charm in those old quilts!

Try recycling those quilts into other items. The older the quilt, the more money you can charge for the item!

Do you like to sew purses? It’s been a hot trend over the past few years. Add something new by making the purse from old quilts. Add additional embellishments like beads or sequins for a truly unique look.

Old quilts can be used to decorate photo frames. The look would be very unique and totally marketable to anyone who loves quilts or quilting.

Old quilts can also be used to decorate scrap book and photo album covers. If you are custom making these covers, you can even personalize them with embroidery (machine or hand) before completing construction of your project.

If you like to make dolls, consider using old quilts in your sewing. Make a stunning coat from an old quilt for an old world Santa.

Speaking of Santa, you could make custom Christmas ornaments from old quilts. Use the old quilts to make balls to hang on your tree. Stuff them for added fullness and add buttons or tassels to the top or bottom to completely dress up the old quilt.

Stockings would be another great item to construct from old quilts. Personalize them with machine or hand embroidery, fabric paint, or hot fix rhinestones and sequins for a really unique look.

If you have mroe ideas than old quilts, you can find some more. Start shopping at thrift stores and yard sales to find old quilts. Ask friends and family members if they have any old quilts they’d like to get rid of. One small stain on a quilt may be enough to take it out of circulation, but won’t be a problem to work around as you make various crafts from it!

As you search for old quilts, look for fabrics that are not too worn. Even though the person who buys the purse or decorations that you make may never wash them, you will want to wash them before you use them in your crafts.

Don’t use scented laundry items when washing the old quilts you will use in your crafts. Use only unscented and dye free detergents when you wash your old quilts. When producing items for sale, it is best to stick with hypoallergenic products for washing!

If you are working your quilt recycling business from home, keep in mind that your customers may want items produced in a smoke-free, pet-free environment. That’s something you may choose to note on your products, too.

The crafter who recycles quilts has many options for selling his or her products. You may sell them through ads in magazines or online newsletters, through your own online store or auction, and even at craft shows and sales.

Depending on the products you actually create, you might be able to sell those in retail locations. Arrange to sell your items either wholesale or on consignment. In a wholesale arrangement, the store owner would buy items from you, then mark them up to make a profit. With a consignment arrangement, you would leave products at the store and only be paid when they actually sold. Either way can work to your advantage!



Carlos

Penny Halgren asked:


Like many other crafts and hobbies, quilting has survived the test of time. Some quilt historians date the beginning of quilting back to the middle ages, when quilted clothes were made for warriors sent to battle in cold climates. According to history, fabrics were layered and stitched in the same quilting method used today to keep the layers intact and keep the warriors warm.

You might note several differences:

· The quilting was done by hand (as was the construction of the clothes)

· There were no fancy designs of either the quilting pattern or the clothes

· Probably this clothing was made by local tailors (who generally were men)

Quilting today is much more fun and includes both men and women! Because there are more than 20 million quilters in the US, fabric stores have dedicated sections of their shops to quilting fabric. In many communities, it is easy to find a quilting store or two (or three) – a shop that caters just to quilters. And finding quilting fabric online is getting easier by the day.

With a wide selection of resources, the next question is whether you will enjoy quilting. The art of quilting has something for almost everyone.

Traditional patchwork quilts are still very popular. They provide a framework for design while allowing the quilter to use fabric selection to vary the overall look of the quilt. Contemporary quilts, or art quilts, are also popular, and provide a canvas for designing quilts that has no bounds.

Many quiltmakers still rely on hand sewing which makes quilts portable. Your quilt project easily goes into the waiting room of doctors and dance classes, travels with you in the car on long trips, and turns idle time into productive time.

Other quilters complete their entire quilt project on the machine – from piecing blocks to machine quilting and finishing the binding.

Whether your quilt is made by hand or machine, the sense of pride you feel when your quilt is finished is at least equal to the feeling of love, admiration and appreciation that the person who uses or receives the quilt feels.

And you become a thread in the history of time – linking past generations with the future.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

www.How-to-Quilt.com

Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com

Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts



Lois

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Whether you’re an expert at quilting, or are just beginning, you will find you can advance your knowledge a great deal with the number of books on quilting that are available. There are several categories that quilting books fall into and a number of titles are available. The categories are historical, encyclopedias on how to pattern, art books and books on the joy of quilting.

The most popular are the how-to books and they are a must for beginners. They have a wide range- from books on the overall quilting craft to step-by-step instructions books. There are also books that take each aspect of quilting and methodically explain it. The instructional books first deal with basic aspects like selection of fabric and basic tools needed to get started and then they will proceed to give instructions regarding assembly of the quilt blocks and then the quilt. They also give detailed explanation about quilting through hand as well as machine. Every quilter must have atleast one book of this kind in her quilting library and then will proceed to collect a good many of these books. When in you’re on your quilting project, you will need to refer to these books many times.

Encyclopedia of patterns is another book that every quilter should have purchased in time. These books display a range of block patterns and also show the basic assembly. Because these books have to cover a wide range of topics, they will only briefly discuss all the aspects without going into too much detail. If its detail you want, you need to take a book that features instructions on specific patterns. With the number of quilting techniques and block patterns that exist today, you can imagine how extensive these books will be. For instance, books of this kind will dedicate an entire volume to go in to the details of a Log Cabin Pattern.

Because quilting can be dated way back in the American history, this craft and its nuances have been extensively studied and there are many a historical books available on it. It is truly inspiring to the modern quilter when she sees the great many designs that our ancestors did with the limited supplies available to them. There are also quilting books which deal with the pleasure one gets out of quilting, both from solitary pursuit and from the social form like quilting bees. There is also an entire segment dedicated to quilters who have revolutionized the art of quilting. These quilters often display their work in museums and galleries and also publish books that are not only on quilts but also the thought processes that went behind making them. Quilt collectors publish books too. They are just as inspiring as the historical books quilting.

Choose a time, when there is likely to be no interruption, to go through the range of quilting books that you want to make a part of your library. You can either go to a local bookstore; your library or you could even search online for the books you are looking for. Take out enough time to browse and get a feel of the number of titles available to you. Undoubtedly you will be tempted to buy more books than you initially planned but you can short list a few and save the rest for later.

One of the greatest joys of quilting is going through a book on this topic and luckily there are enough books and titles to select from.



Duane