Quilting and Patchwork

Travel with your Quilting & Fabric Arts Business

by Mary Emma Allen on July 23rd, 2007

Do you have a quilting or fabric arts business you can operate wherever you happen to be making your home or while you’re traveling?  Some people travel and then return to a home base.  Others continually travel and work at their art from a motor coach or fifth wheel.

Nowdays with the use of computers and the Internet, sales can be transacted from almost anywhere.  Or you could do as Mark Allen does by utilizing an online company, like Cafe Press, if you have something quilt related to sell that can be adapted to their capabilities.  And they will handle the sales for you.

Last night a friend told me about a couple she met at a rodeo who make and sell western type jewelry at fairs, shows, and rodeos.  They live in motor home, make their jewelry there, and use it as their business headquarters.  She said they set up their laptop in it so also can take orders.  So their home business is located wherever their motor home is at the moment.  (Some people even home school their children while doing this.)

Now someone could live like this with certain types of quilting businesses.  Also, as you travel, you could attend quilt shows, craft fairs, as well as operate an Internet sales/mail order business from your motor home.

If you teach at workshops, you’re probably already traveling, yet coming back to your home base in between.  You also could do this from a more mobile home. 

My writing  (some of it quilt related) doesn’t require that I stay at home to write and research.  Although Jim and I have a home base, whenever we travel I take my laptop with me.  Usually I can carry whatever resource materials I need, too. 

Occasionally I run into situations where I don’t have Internet access for a couple of days.  If I plan well, I usually can keep up with my column, book and blogging deadlines.  Also, while we travel, I continually do research for the travel related columns I write.

             So why not take your quilting business along as you travel to all the places you dream of?  You don’t necessarily need to travel full time either, perhaps for the summer….or winter…or school vacations.

Do you have a traveling quilting or fabric arts business you’d like to tell us about?  Or know of someone who does.  I’d enjoy hearing about it.

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