How Busy Bee Quilt Shop Built a Thriving Longarm Quilting Business in New Zealand

Why Start a Longarm Quilting Business?

For Sue Burnett, the journey into longarm quilting began with a simple dissatisfaction: “I took a quilt to have it quilted, and she only had five patterns for me to choose from… I wasn’t happy with the result. I thought, I can do that, so I ordered a machine from America”.3:51 This impulse, coupled with the fact that there was only one other longarmer in Wellington at the time, set the stage for a business that would eventually handle up to 1,200 quilts a year.

If you’re considering starting a longarm quilting business, Sue’s experience shows that identifying a local gap in services and having the drive to improve on what’s available can be a powerful motivator. The primary keyword, starting a longarm quilting business, is not just about acquiring equipment—it’s about recognizing opportunity and being willing to invest in yourself and your community.3:51

Sue’s first steps were hands-on: after being inspired by a wedding quilt, she began patchwork piecing, tried quilting on her old Elna Supermatic, and quickly realized she wanted to do it professionally. She imported her first longarm and did 50 quilts for friends in the first three months before launching her business in earnest.7:03 This rapid start was possible because she saw a need and acted decisively.

Building a Customer Base: The Power of Community

Sue attributes her early success to being active in local quilt guilds: “I belong to a quilt guild. So, and because virtually no one else was doing it, I had a pretty good run of it”.16:52 For those starting a longarm quilting business today, she recommends joining guilds and quilting groups to build a network and generate word-of-mouth referrals. Even as competition increased in Wellington, Sue and Shanon have maintained steady business by focusing on reputation and return customers.

Shanon adds, “Being a member of the group and having a network already established, either prior to starting out or when you start out I think that that’s really beneficial”.42:45 Their story demonstrates that personal connections, visibility in the quilting community, and reliability are invaluable for finding and keeping customers.

Sue’s customer base grew quickly, in part because she was one of only two longarmers in Wellington in 2000. “When I first started in 2000, there was just the two of us doing it,” she recalls.17:15 This scarcity made it easy to attract clients, but even as more longarmers appeared, Sue’s reputation and consistent quality kept customers coming back. She also notes that belonging to multiple quilting groups helped ensure a steady stream of work, especially in the early years.27:15

The importance of community extends beyond just finding customers. Sue and Shanon emphasize that being part of a guild allows you to show your work, get feedback, and build trust. “Because you can show your quilts to them and they can get an idea of what you do,” Sue explains.42:20 This visibility is a key ingredient in building a sustainable business.

From One Machine to Four: Scaling Up

Sue started with a single hand-guided Gammill longarm, purchased by adding to her mortgage—a common approach for capital-intensive equipment.17:33 As demand grew, she gradually expanded: “I got my second one in 2006, and the fourth one I think was 2008”.3:25 Today, the shop runs four Gammill longarms, with Sue and assistant Jenny splitting the workload: “She works on two machines and I work on two machines. And when she’s not here, sometimes I have all four going”.19:04

This growth wasn’t instant. Sue recalls, “The first couple of years, things were a little bit slow… But the third year, the work just steadily came in all year long”.11:51 For those starting out, patience and readiness to scale as demand allows are key lessons. She also notes that in the shop’s busiest years, they were quilting 100 quilts a month—“that’s maximum capacity… that’s, you know, that was a lot of work”.22:39

Sue’s expansion strategy was cautious but responsive. She waited until her workload demanded another machine before investing. “One quilt a day was more than I could handle” in the early days, but as her skill and reputation grew, so did her throughput.27:56 Eventually, adding more machines and bringing in help allowed her to meet the needs of a growing customer base without sacrificing quality.

The business also benefited from being a one-stop shop. “We’ve got the fabric. We’ve got the quilting… customers can come in, buy the fabric, bring it back, have it quilted, and they buy fabric for the next one while this one’s being done”.41:42 This integration helped fuel their growth and made scaling up more sustainable.

Workflow, Organization, and Capacity Management

Handling 900–1,200 quilts a year requires careful workflow management. Every quilt that comes in is measured, logged on a worksheet, and stored in a labeled bag: “Every quilt that comes in goes in a bag, the worksheet is placed on the end of the bag… so we do sometimes juggle the order of quilts based on the size as to what we can accommodate based on our… time available”.36:10

Sue and Shanon use 14 sets of zipper leaders to keep quilts moving efficiently: “I’ve got 14 sets of leaders and so I can pin on well in advance. That’s really important for the time frame to keep ticking over in the way that we do things”.31:21 This level of organization allows them to maintain a turnaround of about 1–1.4 weeks for edge-to-edge quilting, even with a waiting list of 25–70 quilts.29:44

Their system is highly visual and transparent. The yellow bags with worksheets are stored on shelves, making it easy for any staff member to check a quilt’s status at a glance. “If we have time at the end of the day for a small quilt we can pick a small quilt or at the beginning of the day we say we need three large quilts to get… we get them going,” Shanon explains.37:08 This flexibility helps them manage both customer expectations and their own workload.

To keep everything running smoothly, they keep a secondary numbered list of every quilt as it comes in, providing a backup in case paperwork is misplaced.38:08 This attention to detail ensures that even as volume increases, nothing falls through the cracks. Sue and Shanon also have a clear system for communicating with customers about their quilt’s place in the queue, which helps reduce anxiety and builds trust.37:41

Staffing is another key part of their workflow. Jenny, who works three days a week, handles pantographs and edge-to-edge quilting, while Sue focuses on custom and block work. Shanon manages the shop, ordering, and teaching, ensuring that each aspect of the business gets the attention it needs.18:13

Pricing and Service Offerings

Sue and Shanon price their quilting by the square foot, with an average queen-size edge-to-edge quilt running about $110 USD: “It would be about 150 New Zealand dollars… that’s a real bargain. So that’s like we’re about 60 percent so would that be 110 maybe U.S. dollars?”.21:52 Despite inflation and increased demand, Sue notes, “I’ve only put them 50 cents in the 24 years of the square foot”.27:30 This consistency has helped them retain loyal customers over decades.

Their shop also sells batting, thread, and a wide range of backings: “We’ve got about 500 different wide backers… and we’ve got half a dozen different battings—wool, polyester, cotton, bamboo”.25:09 This one-stop approach is a major asset, making the process easier for customers and encouraging repeat business. Shanon points out, “Because we do the long arm quilting we’ve kept that side of our… we have a good stock of that so you can… there’s rarely a time where we don’t have a wide back that will work with that quilt top”.32:52

They also offer some additional services, like binding, but have become selective about what they take on. For example, they rarely accept t-shirt quilts unless they are sashed, as the plasticky ink is hard on their machines.25:37 This selectivity allows them to focus on the types of work that best fit their workflow and equipment, while still meeting the needs of their core customer base.

Sue and Shanon’s pricing model is straightforward and transparent. They charge by the square foot, which makes it easy for customers to understand and compare costs. This approach, combined with their reputation for quality and reliability, has allowed them to build a strong, loyal clientele.

Choosing What Work to Take On

As the business matured, Sue and Shanon became more selective about the projects they accept. For example, they now rarely take t-shirt quilts: “We’re getting stricter with what we will quilt and what we won’t quilt and primarily because that’s hard on the machines and it’s just it takes too much time and we just can’t accommodate that”.26:07

They focus on what fits their workflow and protects their equipment, a lesson for any longarm business owner: know your limits and don’t be afraid to say no to work that isn’t a good fit. Sue notes that while there is demand for t-shirt quilts, it’s not their specialty, and they would rather refer those jobs to someone else.26:44

This selectivity extends to managing capacity. At times, they have had up to 70 quilts waiting to be quilted, but they are careful not to overcommit. “At the moment I’ve got about 25 waiting to be quilted… on a busy time I’ll have up to 70”.29:22 By being clear about turnaround times and what types of projects they accept, Sue and Shanon keep their business sustainable and their machines in good working order.

Their willingness to say no to certain projects, and to focus on what they do best, is a key factor in their long-term success. It allows them to maintain high standards, protect their equipment, and ensure that their workflow remains manageable—even at high volumes.

Charity, Staff, and Sustaining Passion

Community service is a core part of Busy Bee’s identity. Every Monday, Sue quilts charity quilts for local hospitals and women’s refuges: “We do a lot of charity quilting. So other people tend to make the quilts and we quilt them, bind them and get them to the destination”.19:41 They also donate batting and backing, and coordinate fabric packs for those who want to make charity quilts but lack materials.24:11

The scope of their charity work is broad: “Some of the quilts we make are they need to be certain sizes for what they’re used for… we do for both the neonatal unit and the palliative care unit at the hospital so all the all the extremes and the mortuary well we also yep we do so that the you know when a patient goes out they go out in a handmade well-made quilt”.24:32 This commitment not only helps the community but also strengthens their reputation and network.

Staff support is crucial. Shanon manages ordering, paperwork, and teaching, while Sue and Jenny handle the quilting. “Our staff are fabulous… It keeps everything easier for us, knowing that we can rely on what, no matter what the situation is with the customer, the staff are going to be good”.39:48 The team’s ability to handle difficult situations, including unpicking entire quilts when necessary, demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction and quality.38:55

Passion for the craft keeps Sue going: “It’s my passion. I love it… I wouldn’t want to do anything else”.20:27 Even after 24 years, she has no plans to retire, underscoring the importance of loving the work if you want to sustain a business for the long haul.

Advice for New Longarm Quilters

Sue and Shanon encourage newcomers to focus on community and organization: “Somebody starting out I think you really need to have friends that quilt belong to a guild”.42:05 They also stress the importance of being located near a shop that doesn’t offer longarm services, or becoming a one-stop shop with fabric and quilting under one roof.41:20

They recommend flexibility and customer service: “We work really hard to try and accommodate any method that the customer wants to communicate to us… we do work to do what’s easiest for them”.43:31 This means accepting quilts in person, by courier, or through friends, and being responsive to customer needs.

For those starting a longarm quilting business, Sue and Shanon’s story shows that success comes from a combination of technical skill, organization, and genuine care for customers and community. Building a strong network, investing in efficient systems, and being willing to adapt to changing circumstances are all essential. As Sue puts it, “Quilting in New Zealand is quite, it’s not, we don’t get a lot of competition quilting like I’ve seen in the States. It’s real bread and butter stuff”.42:26 Focusing on reliable, quality service and building relationships is the foundation of a resilient, rewarding quilting business.