How to Earn $ From Sewing and Quilting – My Story

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Welcome to Day 2 of How to Earn $ From Sewing and Quilting! Today I am sharing a bit about my story…

I have been selling handmade items since I was a teenager, but it wasn’t until I learned how to quilt that I began to earn a significant amount of money from my hobby.

If you are on my newsletter list, you will have received my welcome emails, where I shared a bit of my story. I first started earning when I began teaching others how to quilt. I enjoyed this so much, and still do, and when a few years later I started my own Quilt Shop, teaching was an integral part of my business.

You see, having a quilt shop (selling supplies), teaching classes, and quilting for others all went hand in hand to making my business successful. One without the other would have resulted in a lot less income earned, which is why I say a quilting business has many arms!

I started my shop with a small amount of stock, more on that later in the week! I started teaching classes immediately, and even with my limited stock had enough for my beginners to get hooked on quilting 😊

Drawing in the customers for lessons led to selling supplies, which led to money to buy more supplies, and so it went on and on. By the time I closed down my shop I had a huge sale, which was all profit, and plenty of leftovers that I am still selling off bit by bit today.

Starting was the hardest part.

I kept thinking I should wait until I have more stock…. I should wait until I am a more experienced quilter…. but my friends encouraged me to just start, and there was a little voice in my head that said “If you build it, they will come!”  (Yes, I’ve watched the movie 😊)

And they did!

I only had the shop open two days a week. I still had three teenagers I was home schooling (unschooling was probably more accurate!), and a household to run. I was never going to be running a full time business, and was not aiming for a full time income. But I ended up making a very nice side income which helped with our family’s finances.

Now everyone’s situation is different. You may be hoping to earn a little bit of pocket money on the side… or you may want/need to earn a full time income. I believe either is possible. I have friends who totally earn a full time income from sewing and quilting. Many more, however, just earn a side income.

For me a side income makes me more than happy! I am thankful that I can do something I enjoy and earn money from it. I am also passionate about encouraging others to do the same. I don’t see it as competition, there is room for all of us.

Pros and Cons of Having a Sewing and Quilting Business

I have learned a lot over the years about earning money from my hobbies, and there have been pros and cons.

The Pros of Having a Sewing and Quilting Business

– I am doing something I enjoy

– I am meeting other like minded people, most of whom are lovely!

– I can determine how much time I put into my business – how many classes I teach, how many markets I sell at, how much money I put into stock.

The Cons of Having a Sewing and Quilting Business

– I find it hard to switch off because it is my business and I am constantly thinking of new ideas and things I could/should be doing

– It can be overwhelming to be running a shop, teaching classes, finishing quilts for others and sewing for craft markets. Each of these are a side income in themselves and sometimes it is hard to say NO!

– One con that I have heard of, is that earning money from your hobby ruins your enjoyment of that hobby. I have not experienced this thankfully, but it seems many others have, so it should be taken into consideration.

How I am Earning Money from Sewing and Quilting Now

If you have been reading my blog regularly, you will know that I recently moved back to Arabia, where in my absence, my friend Nora moved her quilt shop to the capital city and I no longer “need” to have my own.

Nora was my main supplier when I had the quilt shop here 6 years ago. She has kindly told me her shop is my shop, so I sort of treat it like it is 😊 I get to sell some of my supplies at the shop, and teach classes. We help each other out.

I do miss it being my shop in the sense that the profits are not going straight to me, but then I also don’t have the responsibility that comes with being the owner of the shop. At this stage of my life where I seem to be travelling more than being home, it works well.

Tomorrow I am going to touch briefly on the legal side of things, and then the day after it will be on to starting to sell sewing and quilting supplies!

For those of you who do earn from sewing and quilting, I’d love to hear your pros & cons!

PS Please remember I am answering your comments in the comment section below and not via email like I usually do. Sorry for the hassle, but I am hoping this month we can share ideas!

PPS The main page of this series is here along with links to each post for this series.

PPPS You can download the FREE EBOOK of last year’s series, 31 Days of Quilting UFOs HERE!