Quilting Business Blog » Quilting News

In A Good Way: Quilting Charity

Chuck Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:57:48 +0000

From time to time, I get requests to pass along information about quilting-related charities, and I’m more than happy to help. Below is a message from Teddi Irwin about In A Good Way, Inc., a halway farm based in Oregon. I’ll let Teddi explain the rest:

Glad you’re back. I am involved with an organization trying to help Native American men re enter society after incarceration. We are trying to provide as homey a look as possible in their rooms and of course quilts are at the top of the list. We are at present gathering scraps and folks to piece the quilts and the thing that is missing is someone who will quilt the quilts. I hope that is a service that you might be able to provide for us. We will advertise for you in all publications.

Do you think this is possible. I am sending you our mission statement, Purpose and Philosophy. Thank you for considering our project.

IN A GOOD WAY

PHILOSOPHY
IN A GOOD WAY, Inc. is a nonprofit goal-oriented halfway farm based in Oregon that provides tools to improve the lives of Native American men returning to society and family life after time spent in prisons and jails. It provides an actual home and a range of services including skill assessment, educational assessment and assistance, job training, job placement assistance, drug and alcohol counseling, and social and emotional support. We provide what is needed for an independent, responsible, and productive return to the community.

Please note that this document is phrased in the present tense, although much is yet to be accomplished. It is our belief that what we already believe is then more easily achieved.

MISSION STATEMENT
IN A GOOD WAY provides tools to improve the lives of Native American men returning to society and family life after time away in prisons and jails.

By teaching life skills necessary for successful re-entry to the community and family life, we reduce both recidivism and crime.

Our focus on fostering independence, success, and responsibility boosts competence necessary to integrate successfully back into families and society.

PURPOSE
Exiting incarceration is difficult for all human beings. For Native Americans, perhaps more so in that many did not have solid job skills and safety nets to fall back on before incarceration.

By providing the supportive program at IN A GOOD WAY, we not only give men the skills needed to reintegrate into their families and society, but to help prevent them going back to prison.

Our clients have paid their debt to society and can now benefit by a boost in confidence and competence. Our program provides support to our residents by teaching independent living skills in a supportive, home-like environment. Through a mentor program, recovery counseling, social, cultural, and spiritual support to our clients we instill the belief that with education, hard work, spiritual and personal effort…

“The best is yet to come.”

Here is a list of things that IN A GOOD WAY needs in case you can help out:

100% cotton material in earth tones can be as small as 8 ½ X 2 ½ as we are doing 24 scrap quilts. We will be sure any left over material will be put to good use.

Folks who want to piece the quilt

Quilting for the quilts once they are together

In addition to the men who will reside with us and need the quilts, we will teach the women of our community to quilt and to give them a new vocation where they can help support their families. We will also be instilling our cultures to all who come in contact with IN A GOOD WAY. Of course we want to educate them about the history of quilt making including Seminole piecing. We will offer our classes to anyone in the community.

Thanks ever so much. It’s folks like you who will be responsible for us achieving our goal. Thank you thank you.

If you’d like to get involved, you can contact Terri at inagoodway (at) ymail.com. If you leave a phone number, Terri will call you back.

Good luck Terri!

Quilting Business Clues…

Chuck Smith — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:26:55 +0000

Part of what I’m trying to do with the new www.QuiltingBusiness.com web site is provide links to some good information from other sources. That includes other quilting blogs and websites, and also the occasional general news story.

I came across an interesting article ~~in the Lifestyle section~~ ~~of the Orlando Sentinel~~ about decorating your home with quilts (NOTE: The Orlando Sentinel has placed the article in a paid archive – I have found the new link in the author’s original newspaper, the Hartford Courant). The article is about how “decorators have long appreciated the versatility and artistry of quilted fabrics.” And why am I linking to this article?

Because in the article, there are a number of different ideas that any quilting business can use to increase their product line and sell more quilts. And as a business owner, you should always be on the lookout for great ideas from other successful entrepreneurs that you can use in your business. For example:

“Quilted fabrics can be used to make curtains for windows, shower curtains, slipcovers, duvet covers and bedskirts,” says Wilma
Cogliantry, who, with her husband, Jim, owns Christian Lane Quilts in Berlin, Conn. “We’ve quilted fabric for customers and designers who use it to make drapery panels, sunblocks, custom boat interiors and wind screens.”

It makes a lot of sense to go beyond just traditional quilts and look at how you can use your quilting skills to create other quilted items for sale. And, since many of these items are smaller and take less time, they give you an opportunity to offer a range of products at different prices, from low to high. This gives you a big advantage at craft shows.

By being able to create smaller quilted items, you can produce more and be able to sell at higher volumes. Plus, customers who have purchased your smaller products are more likely to purchase a big ticket item if you stay in touch (and you are building a database of customers and prospects, aren’t you?).

Take a couple of minutes and check out the article at the OrlandoSentinel.com website. Read the article with an eye towards coming up with your own ideas for expanding your quilting product line. It’s a great exercise, and could bring you one step closer to your dream of opening a quilting business, or give you a great entry-level product for your existing quilting business.

Happy Quilting!

Chuck

Back in the Quilting Business Business

Chuck Smith — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:29:08 +0000

Hello everyone, and I’m officially back in the quilting business! I know some of you don’t remember me, but I’ve been running the www.QuiltingBusiness.com web site for over five years now, and I also have a number of other quilting-related web sites that I run.

But, about a year ago, I had to take a full-time job (my accountant assured me that if I kept taking money out of my retirement fund, it would be gone by the time I retired), and I got kind of burned out on running the web sites and doing the whole “9 to 5″ day job thing. So, for the past year, I’ve been spending most of my spare time watching the kids do their various sports and activities, and watching our puppy Ginger grow into a rambunctious dog.

But a funny thing happened about a month ago…

I decided to take a look at my web sites to figure out if they were worth re-registering. And you know what? I was still getting traffic and still making some sales, all without any promotion at all. I knew I was making a few sales every month, but when I added it up, it amazed me that there were as many people able to find me without any online advertising. These people really wanted to know how to make money with their quilting. They really wanted to start a quilting business.

So, what I decided to do was to simplify my quilting business life. I took a look at all the different quilting web sites I had, and decided to trim it down to only those that made sense. I also decided to consolidate all of the quilting business communication to one email list, and to turn www.QuiltingBusiness.com into a blog so I could quickly update the blog and also offer the ability for the Quilting Biz community to comment and interact very easily.

That decision was made about 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I’ve finally finished the blog and updated all my sites. And now, I’m ready for the big unveiling.

So, what I have left are the following web sites:

www.QuiltingBusiness.com – My main web site and the Quilting Business Blog. I’ll use this site as the main focus of my communications.
www.Machine-Quilting-Business.com – This is where I sell my ebook, “How to Start Your Own Machine Quilting Business.”
www.Start-A-Quilt-Shop.com – This is where I sell my ebook, “How to Start Your Own Quilt Shop.”
www.QuiltingForCash.com – This is where I sell my ebook, “How to Start Your Own Quilting Business.”
www.QuiltersTips.com – Home of the top quilting tips on the Internet, and also a weekly contest for your best quilting tips.
www.TopQuiltersTips.com – Just a place that shows a bunch of the top quilting tips from www.QuiltersTips.com.

It was such a nice surprise to see that so many people were still interested in starting a quilting business. I would never have guessed it, although I should based on the wonderful emails I have received from everyone over the years. I’ve been truly humbled by the generosity of the Quilting Biz list over the years, and I regret I haven’t kept up with the list the way that I should have. And that’s all going to change.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be delivering some good information that is designed to get you going in your own personal quilting business. This information will include some great free software and web sites that will allow you to get the most out of your computers and the Internet, as well as some good, solid marketing and business information to help you jumpstart your quilting business.

As always, please feel free to send me any questions or any resources you think will help others. There’s also www.QuiltersTips.com for adding your own quilting tips to the community. I know how giving this group is, and I want to make sure all of the new people who have been added to the Quilting Biz community over the past year, while I’ve been quiet, get as much out of it as possible.

So thanks once again for caring, and I look forward to offering some great information in the weeks to come.

Happy Quilting!

Chuck

How Do I Transfer My Own Designs to Fabric?

Chuck Smith — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:31:52 +0000

One of the reasons that quilters first get into quilting is the chance to express their creativity. And many quilters want to go beyond the available fabrics and create designs of their own.

In the email mini-course, “7 Unique Ways to Make Money with Your Quilting,” I talk about photo memory quilts as a great way to create a niche in your local quilting market. A quilt with special photos is a wonderful way to commemorate events and the live’s of special people.

But how do you go about transferring one of your own designs onto fabric for the one-of-a-kind quilt you want to make – for your own family or friends or for a customer?

There are a couple of ways to use an inkjet to get an image onto fabric. The first is to use photo transfer paper. This is the kind of paper you iron onto t-shirts or other fabric. This is usually not the best choice for a quilt because it can wear off easily and is tacky to the touch.

Instead, there are ways to print directly onto muslin fabric from your inkjet printer. Basically, you can purchase muslin already affixed to a stiffener that will run through your inkjet printer. Or, if you are brave of heart, you can attempt to make the printer sheets yourself. But, this photo copy fabric is available at most quilt shops or craft stores, and is also available on the Internet.

The first thing you’ll want to do to get your design onto fabric is to create your design on a normal sheet of paper that will fit through an inkjet (8-1/2″ x 11″). Make the drawing as large and bold as you would like it to be when it is on your quilt since you will be printing at the same size.

Next, you’ll need to get your drawing scanned. Don’t worry if you don’t have a scanner or know someone who does – most Kinko’s will be able to
help you out with scanning. Once you have the file scanned, you’ll want to save it in JPG format at a relatively high quality (300 dpi or more).

Now, all you have to do is print the JPG image to your inkjet printer and use the photo copy fabric. You’ll soon have your great image on fabric that you can incorporate into your quilts. And, since you have the design in a JPG file, you can use it over and over again.

I found a great web page that goes into more detail on how to get a photo – or image – onto fabric to incorporate into your quilt:

www.quiltbus.com/photo.htm

NOTE: If you do not have a computer, go to your local Kinko’s and tell them what you are trying to do. They should be able to help you from start to finish, including scanning, transfer to a CD (for you to keep), and most likely printing out on an inkjet printer (you will need to buy the photo copy paper).

Good luck,

Chuck

If you have any questions about your quilting business – whether just starting out or looking for a boost with some solid marketing or business advice – feel free to send me an email at chuck@quiltingbusiness.com.

Chuck Smith is the owner of QuiltingBusiness.com, the web’s only site dedicated to helping you make money with your quilting. Visit QuiltingBusiness.com today to sign up for the FREE email mini-course: “7 Unique Ways to Make Money with Your Quilting.”

PLEASE NOTE: This article and product review archive is here for your benefit. If you would like to use any of the articles or product reviews on your own web site or in your own email newsletter, you must include the resource box at the end of the article and contact QuiltingBusiness.com to requestpermission.

Quilting and Copyrights

Chuck Smith — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:29:15 +0000

I’ve had a number of questions from readers about selling the quilts they make and copyright issues. These questions generally fall into two categories:

Can I sell a quilt I make from fabric that has licensed images (i.e. Disney, NASCAR, etc.)?
Can I sell a quilt I make from a pattern I purchase that is copyrighted?

These questions bring up some of the most common – and most confusing – issues involving copyright and quilting. There are all sorts of postings and articles on the Internet that talk about these questions, but I have yet to find a definitive answer. So, I turned to Google Answers to see if I could get some help.

I’m posting the answers I received, with my comments in italics. Since I’m not a lawyer, and I am NOT giving any legal advice, the best thing to do in this case is to discuss the situation with a lawyer. Again, I am not giving legal advice – this article contains opinions not expressed by Chuck Smith, QuiltingBusiness.com, or Gruntled Enterprises. So, enough of covering my backside…. on to the answers.

Here is the “gist”of the answers I received from Google (I am paraphrasing in my own words). To see the complete answers, please go to:

answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=398157

Question: Can you sell quilts made from fabric that you purchase when most fabric designs are copyrighted?

Answer: The first question is the hardest among the two and there are different interpretations among the side of the fabric makers and crafters (like the quilters) as regards to this issue. Just like in any legal matter, nothing is absolute and not everything is black and white since there will always be exceptions in different cases.

This first link goes to an article by eBay Power Sellers Michael Meadors and Karen Dudnikov. They have successfully defended themselves against a number of different lawsuits brought by companies that have licensed their assets for use on fabrics. Mr. Meadors and Ms. Dudnikov have sold items made with licensed fabrics on eBay, and when push came to shove, the licensors have backed off.

What this means is that there is precedent for creating a quilt from fabric with licensed images or designs on them, and offereing them for sale. This seems to come under the “First Sale Doctrine” which is part of the current United States Copyright Law. Basically, the First Sale Doctrine states that when a manufacturer of a copyrighted item releases that item into the stream of commerce, the original owner of the copyright loses control of what happens to that particular item.

To read the complete article, please go to:

â€œUsing Copyrighted Fabricsâ€ By: Michael M. & Karen D., eBay’s Tabberone

auction-resources.com/newsletter/news03222004.html

One of the arguments that big companies use to scare quilters and crafters is to refer to these hand-crafted items as unauthorized or unlicensed products. But, this argument is part of trademark law, not copyright law. But, since they are large companies, many quilters are too scared to go up against the big companies and don’t use the fabric.

There is a federal court case that directly addresses the use of copyrighted fabric. The case, from 1997, involved Precious Moments vs. a company called La Infantil. â€œThe only federal court case directly addressing the use of copyrighted fabric is Precious Moments v. La Infantil, 1997, 1st District. Precious Moments lost in its attempt to stop La Infantil from making bedding from licensed fabrics. We have been in federal court with M&M/Mars, Disney, Major League Baseball, United Media (Peanuts) over the use of licensed fabrics. Every one of them objected to the making and sale of fabric items. Everyone one of them wanted to settle after being sued.â€

Here is a copy of the sole federal court case of copyrighted fabric by Moments v. La Infantil. Basically, in this decision, the court denied the copyright claim by Precious Moments, but did make La Infantil change the tags on their products to clearly show that Precious Moments was the owner of the copyrighted image (but La Infantil was allowed to continue to sell the products with the modification to the tags). The official document is here:

â€œPRECIOUS MOMENTS, INC., Plaintiff, v. LA INFANTIL, INC., et al., Defendants.
Civil No. 97-1635 (PG). July 29, 1997.â€

www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/PreciousMoments/PreciousMoments.html

So in a sense, the crafter did not totally won since the latter was still ordered to modify the tags included with the products to properly cite that the plaintiff was the owner of the copyright for the fabric.

My take on this issue: You can sell quilts made from licensed fabric, and it fits into the First Sale Doctrine under copyright law. You can probably expect some grief from some of the bigger companies, but use the resources at www.TabberOne.com and you should be OK. Again, this is NOT a legal opinion, nor am I giving legal advice.

Question: Can you sell a quilt made from a copyrighted pattern? And if so, what are the restrictions and rules that would apply?

The case here seems to be a little more cut and dried. The quick answer is “No, you may not sell quilts made from a copyrighted pattern.” Here are a couple of resources that go into a great deal of detail about some of the issues:

“Copyright Facts for Crafters & Quilters” by Sylvia Landman

www.sylvias-studio.com/copyright.htm

“Copyright & Quilters: a FAQ & Links”

quilting.about.com/library/weekly/aa000430.htm

The reason is that in the case of a qult pattern, the pattern itself is unavoidably copied and reproduced in the finished product – when you look at the finished quilt, you see a copy of the pattern you created the quilt from. In addition, most quilt pattern copyright holders will put in restrictions on use, so as “for personal use only” or other limiters. This is perfectly legal, and means you cannot sell the finished quilt.

But, there may be a way to sell a quilt from a copyrighted pattern. Basically, you need to ask the owner of the copyright if you can sell the quilt. You may have to come up with some kind of profit-sharing plan, but it never hurts to ask.

My take on this issue: It’s better not to try to sell a quilt made from a copyrighted pattern unless you have permission from the copyright holder. Instead, use public domain patterns or come up with your own patterns. I know this makes things more difficult, but in the end, a lot safer.

I know this article may not be the most helpful I’ve posted, but at least you’ll be exposed to a few new information resources to continue your hunt. Again, I’m not trying to give legal advice, and I’m not an attorney. Please consult a licensed attorney if you do have any questions about quilting and copyright.