Quiltmaker #191 • QuiltingCompany.com 49
WonderFil® and Aurifil) emblazonedwiththeirnames
have been great opportunitiesforexpandingtheir
product lines. What aboutdesigninga fabricline?Or
maybe providing kitsforyourmostpopularpatternor
selling a block-of-the-monthprogram?Addingaffiliate
links to your blog postsorwebsite,allowingyouto
receive a percentageofyouraudience’spurchases
when they click throughfromyoursite?Anddon’t
forget publishing in magazinesandbooks,recording
webinars, or creatingvideoworkshops—eachproduct
has its own benefi ts andreachesa differentcustomer
base.
Consider Your Connections
So how should a newdesignerapproachthebusiness
end of modern quilting?Theansweris uniquetoeach
individual and pivotsonhisorherbusinessplan.
Probably the most importantthingtodois toresearch
the industry thoroughlyandnetworkwithasmany
professionals as possible.
Heather Black, an award-winningquilterwhois
anticipating the publicationofherfirstbookin 2020
says,“Asa newcomertothe
businessofquiltdesigner/
teacher,I trytogrowmy
businessanddiversifymy
incomestreamsbysetting
goalsandthentakingstepsto
achievethem.I'velearnedto
conquermyanxietiesaboutreachingouttootherindustryprofessionals. (I think)
it's important to taketheinitiativeandnotwaitfornew
income streams to openontheirown.”
As far as connecting
with other designers
goes, it is easy to do
on social media, and
even more eff ective if
you follow up
face-to-face. If you
can, join industry
professional organi-
zations like The
Modern Quilt Guild
and Craft Industry
Alliance. Attend
Colonnade • 60"x 72"
This quilt by Heather Black was displayed
at QuiltCon 2019.
Photo Credit: George BoeQuiltCon and reach out to the MQG staff , workshop
leaders, and lecturers. Check out the professional
development courses off ered at Quilt Market. Make an
investment in your career and attend an international
quilt show.And lastly, be open to new opportunities and don’t limit
yourself. Malka Dubrawsky started out making hand
dyed, brightly patterned fabrics that she sold online
and at quilt events. She created patterns for magazines,
designed several lines of
fabric, and lectured. “(Recent-
ly) I’ve altered what I do for
income. I still teach and vend,
but my focus is more on my
self-published patterns and
lookingforcollaborationswith
otherartistsandsmall
makers.”She’salsochosentotakeonnon-artworkto
roundoutherincome,soshecan“focusonwhatI want
tomakeratherthantryingtofigureoutwhatfolks
wanttobuy.”Decidingwheretofocusyourefforts,buildyour
business,andcreatea productmixis justpartofthe
challenge.Therestis makinganddesigningbeautiful
quilts!Whileyou’reatit,
keepinmindthatif
yourpassionandyour
professioncoincide,you
areoneofthelucky
ones.Photo courtesy of Heather Black
Photo courtesy of Malka Dubrawsky“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will
never have to work a day in your life.”-Mark Twain
Ombré Gingham Modern • 54" x 60"
by Malka Dubrawsky
Photo Credit: Hornickrivlin.com