Career opportunities in Quilting

So you are a quilter who wants it to be more that your hobby? Welcome to the gang! But you are wondering what your options are. Today I will exploit all the different directions that you can grow your career in if you are a quilter.

I have been quilting since 2010, and have met thousands of quilters - each one pursuing their passion in a different direction than the other! So it is not an easy task to put together this list, but I have chosen the 12 most promising fields that you can be in to make a living from doing a version of what you love - quilting. 

Quilter : Oh yes! That is a career! You can be a quilter - like make and sell quilts - any kind any size any pattern! It might not be a very lucrative career, but it will surely help you fund your passion.

Art Quilter : If you have that artistic flair, you can try your hand at making art quilts. You can use your strength - piecing, applique , embellishment - to make the most. This will usually involve a lot of investment in terms of time, but will yield wonderful results if you have originality and talent.

Quilt Manufacturer : You can also manufacture quilts in bulk and supply to stores. This will usually involve employing people to make quilts and training them. But it will be worth the efforts. You can collaborate with famous quilters so that they design the quilts and you make them and you two can sell them together.

Quilted Bag Maker : Quilted bags of all sizes and shapes are really in. And I'm not talking about just tote bags. Everything from coin pouches to quilted luggage in included in this category. You could manufacture them on a large scale or make them to order as per your convenience.

Long Arm Quilter : If you are willing to invest in a Long Arm Machine, you can quilt for other people too. You can take quilt tops made by others and use your talents as a Free Motion Quilter to finish their quilts for them.

Quilting Instructor : If you can teach quilting, there is a huge market waiting for you! There is always a need for teachers - from beginners to advanced quilting techniques. Whatever you choose to teach make sure that you are willing to part with complete knowledge and not hold back anything if you want to make a career as a teacher.

Pattern Writer : If you are good at designing original quilts, you can write patterns from them and publish them to make money. Just make sure your designs are original and instructions clear.

Book Author : If you have more than one pattern to share at a time or a story to share, you can always write a book. It need not be a quilting pattern book, you can write about your research or even fiction based around quilting.

Fabric Designer : This is an awesome field if you are an artist. You can approach fabric manufacturers with your designs to have your own fabric line!

Quilt Show Judge : You can apply to be a certified quilt judge from one of the various National Association of Quilt Judges. They usually have a program that you enroll in and upon completion are certified to be a quilt judge.

Product Designer : If you have ideas for products that you think will help other quilters lives easier, you can become a product designer. From rulers to furniture - the possibilities are endless.

Quilt Journalist : If you are good at reporting, you can become a Quilt Journalist. You can cover the events as a press representative and write for magazines or even start your own e-zine.

Want to know more about how you can explore each of these fields? As you all know, I am a BERNINA Brand Ambassador and also a contributor to the BERNINA International Blog. I am doing a series of posts on the BERNINA blog about The Business of Quilting. In this series, starting in December, every month, I will be taking up one of the options and giving you more details about it. Follow the BERNINA International Blog to get updates when I post a new post.