An online guild for custom quilters

Custom in Common eGuild

Are you a custom quilt maker? Are you interested in starting a custom quilting business? If so, you might be interested in the Custom in Common eGuild. Started in February 2008 by Deidre McLeod, Custom in Common eGuild provides a place for custom quilters to discuss all aspects of their art and their business, share ideas and support each other.

What is a Custom Quilter?

Custom quilters design quilts in cooperation with their customers then piece, appliqué, quilt, bind, label  and sell the quilt. The customer gets a completely unique, one-of-a-kind quilt made to their specifications.

Custom quilters are different from long-arm quilters in that they do all the quilting tasks, not just the final quilting. Custom quilters work for themselves and are involved in all aspects of marketing, advertising and managing their business.

Not everyone can quilt. Some people are terrified of the thought of trying to make even the simplest four-patch. But that doesn't change the fact that many people want a quilt to give as a gift and want it to have more meaning than a mass-produced quilted blanket from a department store.

Some of the most popular quilts that Custom Quilters are being asked to design right now are memory quilts which can use scanned photographs or letters and feature colors and patterns that are meaningful to the recipient.

T-shirt quilts are also very popular, especially as graduation quilts. They feature the recipients T-shirts sewn up into a quilt and can include everything from little-league jerseys through high-school varsity shirts, concert T's, and anything else with a logo or picture.

Custom quilters can also make quilts that serve as decor or advertising for a business, produce an heirloom-quality wedding quilt or anything else you can dream up.

What does the eGuild provide?

The eGuild allows custom quilters to share ideas and information on advertising, marketing, and pricing as well as artistic and technical topics such as quilting and piecing techniques, fabrics, threads, and machines. Any topic that is relevant to a custom quilter may show up on Custom in Common. Deidre will also provide a Custom in Common guild membership card to members since often quilt shops give discounts to guild members.

Where are Custom in Common members located?

The site is based in San Diego, but has members from all over the US and some from Canada. Any custom quilter, no matter where they are located, is welcome to join. Membership is free and you may use a screen name or pseudonym for yourself and your company if you don't want customers knowing confidential details of your business (like if you're planning to increase prices, for example).

Is the eGuild a way to get customers?

The site is not designed for communicating with customers - each custom quilter has his or her own website for that. Rather it's a discussion area where custom quilters can talk to others in their trade about topics that are important to them. Each week Deidre posts on a new topic and members chime in through comments and polls. Deidre said that some topics are more interesting to her members than others.

Advertising and marketing seem to be the  most popular topics. Financial topics are also popular especially lately as people's budgets for luxuries like custom quilts have been squeezed.

In fact, How to get people to pay a fair price for custom quilts is a hot topic among the eGuild membership. It's common for customers to undervalue a quilt. Some see it as merely a handicraft, some compare these custom works of art with the cheap, flimsy "quilts" available in discount stores.

Deidre said that some quilters even undervalue their own work. Some of them are not willing or able to hold out for the price they deserve for their work and that is becoming more common as the economy sinks. Deidre said that she does not know of anyone who makes their entire living from custom quilting. (But wouldn't it be wonderful if you could?)

Check out part two tomorrow.

Kelly