I have been a professional quilt pattern designer for seven years. Over that time I have learned a number of things which I never knew before. Some I had an idea about, but others took me by surprise. From thinking that one of my patterns would be a resounding success (that did not happen) to learning how to be a good marketing person, there is more to designing than you may think. Here are the 15 things I did not know until I became a professional quilt pattern designer.

A little bit about me: I have been quilting for about 35 years and have been a professional designer for seven years. My business, Create with Claudia, is small. I sell wholesale to shops around the United States and I sell to individuals through my Etsy shop and at quilt shows.

Every designer has a different business model and these are observations based on the size and scope of my designing experiences.

You can watch the list here or read on to get all of the fun details.

1. It’s Not as Easy as You May Think it is

Things like amount of time it takes to design a pattern from conception until goes on sale are things I did not think that much about when I started. There is a big learning curve and there are so many aspects of being a professional that I didn’t really consider at first.

2. Other Designers are Very Helpful

Being someone who likes to work on my own, but has questions, I quickly realized that other quilters are a fantastic resource when I have questions. I found facebook groups and colleagues throughout the years that have helped me immensely.

3. You Need Business Skills

This is one of those things that I thought I would need before I started, but I did not realize how involved that would be. I am a one-woman shop so it’s important for me to keep on top of deadlines, invoices, a website and many other things. It is a lot to keep track of.

4. You Need Marketing Skills

*My booth at a recent quilt show. Trying to get my name out there more.

I barely passed my marketing class in college so this has been tough for me. In this day and age of quickly shifting social media and 30 second sound bytes, it is important to have some marketing skills to get (and keep) a brand out there. It’s probably my least favorite thing to do, but it’s necessary.

5. Working With Customers

Having never worked in retail, I was not familiar with working with customers. For the most part, thankfully, I have had wonderful interactions, but it has been a skill I have developed over the years.

I have been fortunate to have lovely customers, both individuals and shops.

6. There is Secret Sewing Involved

This may not apply to all professional quilt pattern designers, but it applies to many of us. There is a fair amount of secret sewing involved. I often design quilts for catalogs. Because I am working with fabric before it is released to the public I can’t show off what I’m doing. That is a shame because I’d love to post pictures to social media, but it’s a big no-no.

7. Pattern Testers are Important

Before I became a professional I would just sketch out my designs and figure out the measurements while I sewed the quilt. I quickly realized that I needed pattern testers to check over my work. It is amazing how many errors/suggestions they have noted over the years. No matter how many times I check a pattern there is always something I need to fix. My testers are invaluable!

8. Professional Designers End Up with Lots of Quilts

This one may sound weird, but I always end making my patterns at least twice. I usually make a tester version, then I make the quilt for the cover of my pattern sleeve. Often, after the pattern is released, I will remake it in a different colorway.

I have ended up with so many quilts, that many of them get donated. Even doing that, my storage are is filling up quickly!

9. There are Loads of Quilt Pattern Designers so there is a lot of Competition

I never knew how many designers there were out there. It may be competition, but it is so inspiring and I am continually blown away by all of the beautiful designs out there.

It’s inspirational to me and the competition keeps me on my toes.

10. You Need Math Skills

I know, I know….not everyone liked math in school, but those lessons have helped me immensely. For every pattern I write, there are pages of math figures created while I figure out measurements. Even with calculators and computers, math skills are my friend.

11. Sometimes We Get Freebies

No all of us get freebies, but they are out there. I get fabric when I work with a fabric brand for a collection. I can also get free fabric if I have a quilt in a magazine. It’s a mutually beneficial process…I get the fabric and the company gets exposure for their product.

*I got the fabrics above while I was an ambassador for Island Batik.

12. Theft

Unfortunately, especially with the emergence of AI, there is pattern theft. It is not fun when it happens and before I became a professional I didn’t really think it was out there. However, it definitely is.

13. Not Every Pattern Designed is a Hit

*My three worst selling quilts.

This bummed me out when I first stated selling my designs. I had always gotten great feedback from family and friends about my quilts so I assumed that as soon as I put them out there the response would be terrific. Boy was I wrong.

Some patterns do well, others gather dust on the shelf.

It’s also always interesting to me to see which patterns sell well to shops and which sell better to individuals because they are definitely not the same.

14. It’s a Solitary Effort

I knew this one going into it, but it is, for the most part, a fairly solitary endeavor. I have made many friends through this career, but they are mostly online. I love to go to a big convention to I can meet friends and see other like-minded creators.

15. I Miss Sewing For Myself

My quilt “Indonesian Arrow Fish”, designed by me. No pattern, it was just for fun and it was made about 20 years ago and it is still one of my favorites.

Once I became a professional I lost a lot of time to sew for myself. I work an average of about 40 hours a week. After that, quite honestly, I have no desire to keep sewing, even if it is for myself.

I have learned to carve out some time for it because I miss it.

The 15 Things I Did Not Know When I Became a Professional Quilt Pattern Designer

Are you a professional designer? If so, what did you learn after becoming one? If you are thinking about it, why not give it a try?

I’m so lucky to be able to do what I love and make a bit of money from it at the same time.

Interested in Seeing All of My Patterns?

Visit my Etsy Shop here.

Happy Quilting! – Claudia