QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
I’ve heard of several quilters recently who have been recycling men’s shirts into quilts. 
*These might be shirts from a family member and thus evoke memories.
*They could be shirts you’ve acquired at a second hand store and thought would make a colorful quilt.
*You might have some colorful shirts with Hawaiian prints that would be very striking in a quilt.
*They may be shirts you were going to get rid of and then had an “Ah! Ha!” moment when you decided they’d make good fabric for a quilt.
Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom at Design*Sponge created an interesting quilt from some of Derek’s shirts and …read more

Spread word of your quilting and fabric art success.  Don’t keep it hidden.  You can do this without seeming egotistical…simply let others know wherever appropriate. 
Telling others about our successes and accomplishments often is difficult for some of us because we come from the generation where Mother said, “Don’t toot your own horn.  People will think you’re bragging. ”
However, if you wait solely for others to discover what you’re doing, the world won’t hear about your or your quilting.  You can share, as I call it, without seeming “pushy.”  You can announce over forums and round-ups of success stories, as well as doing …read more

 Utilizing themes, such as the pirate one mentioned in the previous post, Have You Made a Quilt With a Pirate Theme, can help you achieve recognition for your quilt art and for a quilt business (if you’re developing one).
Laura, at Work From Home Momma, mentioned in her comment to a post on Home Biz Notes, Basing Your Home Business Promotions Around Themes, that business owners can begin planning for next year when it comes to themes.  This idea also can apply to making quilts for exhibits and contests, many of which are based on themes. 
“It’s not too late to put …read more

Paying attention to your customers to ensure you have satisfied ones and repeat business becomes an important considerationn for quilting and fabric art business owners.
Yvonne Russell, of Grow Your Writing Business, pointed out to me concering this topic of return customers, “There is quite a bit of research on the fact that it costs a lot more in dollars and time to get a new client, as compared with doing ongoing business with existing customers/clients.”
So often business owners seem to think once they have a customer, that person automatically will return…unless you sell one-of-a-kind items that don’t lend themselves to repeats.  However, you …read more

If you operated a quilting or fabric arts business in the pre-Internet days, you’ve likely discovered that much promotion nowadays is connected with online applications.  Even your business may have an online presence. 
“I’ve always considered myself a PR pro,” comments crafts business expert, Barbara Brabec, in her current e-newsletter bulletin, “but what I was particularly good at in years past was getting print publicity. 
       Yes, for many years Barbara has been considered a pro at helping crafts people promote their enterprises and has written several books on the subject.  Many of us have discovered, as Barbara has, that the PR field …read more

It was exciting to see Yvonne Russell’s article, The Web – Your Partner in Promotion, at Grow Your Writing Business and discover it included an interview of me and one of the other blogs I write for b5media.
                          (Mary Emma)
Since many quilters are writers, or at least contribute patterns and information for books, so you may find the advice  Yvonne offers on her blog of great interest.  Her general advice also applies to businesses, which would include those offering quilts, fabric art, fabrics and other supplies. 
Much of what Yvonne offers here concerns promotion via the Internet and blogs.  She and I discussed this topic …read more

Are you taking the time to attend to “the little things” when it comes to your quilting or fabric art customers?  These would include keeping a file of your customers, getting to know them personally, sending thank you notes, new product notices, how can I help you inquiries? 
When I was making quilts and other fabric items for customers and contact was by mail order, we often developed a friendship with correspondence continuing long after the quilt was made.  Nowadays, your correspondence  could be done by e-mail or hand written notes.  However, in this electronic age, people still like to receive hand-written notes in their mail box.
I’ve …read more

Blogging has become one of the newer methods of promotion, whether you’re involved in your fiber art/quilting as a business or simply want to become better known in this field.  Many fiber artists operate a personal blog, as my daughter does, relating her latest projects and how they interact with her family life.
Others use the blog as a more personal contact with their clients than their web site where they might operate an online store, either as an entity in itself, or as an extension of a physical shop.  Some store owners conduct online tours, whereby you visit the various blogs or …read more