Quiltmaker - CA (2020-01 & 2020-02)

48 Quiltmaker • January/February ’20

Modern MusingsMusings

Diversify! Creating Multiple Sources of Income

by Vivika Hansen DeNegre

We’ve all had that dream: “What would it be like to take

my love of modern quilting to the next level and make

it a career? I design awesome quilts and could do this

full time!” Well, the short answer is that it takes a lot of

eff ort—and sweat—to transform your passion for quilt

design into a profession that actually pays the bills. A

fabulous pattern design business is a good place to

start, but you’ll likely need more than a few great

designs in your back pocket to propel your brand to

the top of the heap. The good news is that although

the market is fl ush with talented designers, there are

plenty of niche opportunities for creative entrepreneurs

who are willing to work hard, think outside the box (or

the pattern!) and make that dream a reality.

Identify Your Product Mix

Of course you have a passion for modern quilt design

or you wouldn’t be considering making it your career.

Yet, before you throw caution to the wind and upload

your fi rst digital pattern to your online shop and

prepare for a tidal wave of orders, consider all of the

possible ways you can generate revenue with your

design. Maybe starting with a digital quilt pattern is the

best choice, but you could also pursue a variety of

options that may lead to more opportunities.

Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill, a trained graphic designer who

recently left a long-time career as the director of

exhibits at a children’s museum, is a relative newcomer

to the quilting industry. But,

despite her recent foray into

full-time, she has made deep

inroads into the business. One

of the ways she’s transitioned

to a full-time modern quilter is

to diversify her business model

and create multiple streams of

income from many of her designs.Diversifyingensures

that all of the hard work she puts in to creating a quilt

design, sewing the sample, writing the pattern, and

marketing the result will pay off. Beyond selling her

quilt patterns and teaching, Sheri’s products include:

• Templates unique to her patterns that make
  sewing her designs even easier


• Licensed designs of her quilts including greeting
  cards, leggings, t-shirts, needle minders, and
  enamel pins


• Custom commissioned quilts for clients


• Consulting with quilt industry professionals

Other modern

quilters have found

that partnering with

manufacturers to

create tools branded

with their logos (such

as Violet Craft’s seam

roller for paper

piecing) or packaged

thread sets (such as

the designer-curated

collections from

submit

amagazine

article

buildyourbrand

pattern

design

find

your

tribe

partnerships

socialmedia

quiltmarket

writebooks

online

shop

templates

workshops

downloads

diversify teaching

dream big

consult

network

license

Photo courtesy of Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill

Big Island Sunset • 60"x 75"

Photo Credit: Matt Graves