How Kristi Droese Built Her Longarm Quilting Business in Wisconsin

Getting Started: From Hobby to Business

If you’re thinking about starting a longarm quilting business, Kristi Droese’s experience offers a real-world roadmap. Kristi began quilting in the late 1990s and quickly realized that if she wanted to finish her own quilts, she needed a longarm machine. “I figured if I was going to get any quilts finished, I’d better get a long arm,” she recalls.2:38

Her journey started with a personal investment in a hand-guided Gammill, purchased after she and her husband visited several dealers. At first, the machine was for personal use, but within six months to a year, word spread, and friends and acquaintances began asking her to quilt for them. “Once I got confidence enough, there were so many people that wanted it,” Kristi says.7:01

She didn’t set out to start a business, but demand grew organically. Kristi’s story shows that for many, a quilting business can emerge naturally from a passion for quilting and a willingness to say yes when opportunity knocks.

Kristi also emphasized that she had no formal training in the beginning: “There was no training at that time. The person came in, set it up, showed me how it worked and left. So I had to do all that myself”.6:55 She was self-taught, learning through trial and error. This hands-on approach gave her confidence, and as she improved, more people sought her out for quilting services. The transition from hobbyist to business owner was not planned, but rather a response to the growing needs of her community.

She also mentioned that her husband Carl was supportive from the start, even helping with the purchase of her first machine: “Carl gave it to you. Yeah, he did. He’s good to me”.11:17 This support system played a role in her ability to take the leap into business.

Building a Customer Base Without Advertising

Kristi’s early business growth relied almost entirely on word of mouth and relationships with local quilt shops. She handed out business cards and taught classes at shops, which was enough to keep her busy. “It was basically just word of mouth. That’s how I got it. And I had some loyal people forever,” she explains.10:10

She didn’t belong to quilt guilds but found that teaching and simply being present in the quilting community brought customers to her door. At times, she had as many as 35 quilts waiting in her home, evidence of the strong demand for longarm services in her area.9:30

Kristi’s approach demonstrates that even without a website or social media, a reputation for quality and reliability can fill your calendar. She noted, “I didn’t belong to any quilt guilds, but I taught at some shops and just gave business cards out. And that was enough at that time”.10:24

She also mentioned that she was not particularly computer savvy, which meant she relied on traditional methods for marketing: “They didn’t have all the computers and all that stuff then as they did now. And I’m not real computer savvy. So it was basically just word of mouth”.10:06

Kristi’s experience shows that being active in the local quilting scene—teaching, sharing knowledge, and building relationships—can be more effective than formal advertising, especially in smaller or close-knit communities.

Transitioning to Full-Time and Opening a Studio

For several years, Kristi balanced her quilting business with a full-time job. That changed in 2009 when her employer dissolved. “Since 09, you’ve just been a full-time quilting. Basically that, and then doing the studio now for 10 years,” she says.12:49

Her business, Windswept Quilters, includes three longarm machines, a classroom, and a fabric and notions shop. She teaches classes, hosts open sewing sessions, and lectures at guilds. This diversification has allowed her to maintain steady income and community engagement, even as her focus shifts between quilting and teaching.13:03

Kristi described her studio: “I have the long arms there, and then I have a big classroom and I have a room of fabric and notions. So we meet for open souls and I teach there, and then I lecture and teach at guilds”.13:06

She also sells batting, wide back fabrics, and offers additional services like piecing, backings, binding, and t-shirt quilts: “I have done all of those, you know, for people, custom work, but most of the time they just bring me in theirs and I do theirs. But I have done the rest”.18:06

The studio has become a hub for local quilters, providing both services and a sense of community. Kristi’s willingness to diversify her offerings has helped her weather changes in demand and maintain a steady flow of work.

Balancing Work, Family, and Flexibility

One of Kristi’s main reasons for running her own business is the flexibility it provides. She works part-time at the studio, alternating weeks between her business and caring for her senior parents. “I have senior parents. So it’s like every other week I do the studio and every other week I do my parents,” she shares.13:35

She emphasizes that the ability to set her own hours is invaluable: “You can work real hard for a week and then have time off to enjoy because it’s your hours”.14:03 This flexibility also allowed her to adjust her workload based on her husband’s schedule and to take vacations without worrying about time off: “What’s nice is when he was at school, I could really crank him out and do it because he wasn’t there. And now when he’s at work, I can do my stuff and do as much or as little as I want. And it, you know, it just gives me the freedom. So we can go on vacations and I don’t have to worry about not having vacation time”.21:42

Kristi also mentioned that her husband Carl is now involved in the quilting: “Sometimes he’s, well, we’re learning. And so he’d be at the machine and I’d be at the quilt, and then we’d switch places. So he’s really into it”.22:01

This family involvement and flexible schedule have allowed Kristi to maintain a healthy work-life balance, even as her responsibilities have shifted over the years. She has slowed down at times to focus on family, and ramped up when she had more availability, showing that a quilting business can adapt to different life stages.

Evolving Equipment and Embracing Technology

Kristi started with a basic, hand-guided longarm and gradually expanded her setup. Today, she has three Gammill machines: her original hand-guided model, one with a stitch regulator, and a newer Statler Stitcher with computerized capabilities. She’s still learning the full potential of the Statler, having completed nine customer quilts with it in her first two months.14:43

Transitioning to computerized quilting is a new chapter for Kristi, and she’s investing in training to get the most from her machine. “I wanna start really getting more involved in it,” she says, noting that edge-to-edge quilting with the Statler is already increasing her efficiency.11:48

She described her learning process: “Well, I’ve done the edge to edge pretty good. I’ve got that going, but I haven’t done anything specific yet. I’m gonna wait for the classes”.12:05

Kristi also highlighted the difference in capacity: “You can crank out a lot more quilts on a Statler than on a hand guided”.12:19 This technological upgrade is allowing her to take on more work and improve turnaround times. She’s also taking advantage of new resources, including online videos and in-person classes, to continue learning: “YouTube is really good. You have a lot on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot now on that”.8:01

Her experience shows that you don’t need to start with the latest technology, but being open to learning and upgrading can help you grow and adapt. Even after decades in business, Kristi is still investing in her skills and equipment to better serve her customers.

Pricing Strategies: From Square Yard to Square Inch

When Kristi began, she charged by the square yard—a method she picked up from what little information was available at the time. “When I first started, the, what I had read about, it was by the square yard. So I’ve just done the square yardage all the time,” she says.15:13

She’s now exploring charging by the square inch, which is more common in today’s market. For custom work, her rate is about $35 per square yard, or roughly 3.5 cents per square inch. “If it’s custom and really a lot of work, then it would be more,” she explains, noting that she adjusts pricing based on the complexity and density of the quilting.16:09

Kristi’s approach is flexible, adapting to the type of work and what’s standard in the industry. She explained, “If they wanted meandering and it was tight, small, that would be more money than if they wanted just big meandering, or custom work or something, then it’s a different price”.15:34

She is aware that many quilters now charge by the square inch, especially for edge-to-edge work, and is considering aligning her pricing with current trends: “I know a lot of people do a one cent an inch, but if it’s got a lot of work to it, it will be more”.16:23

Kristi’s willingness to adjust her pricing as she learns more about industry standards demonstrates the importance of staying informed and flexible. She also noted that her pricing for edge-to-edge quilting is currently the same as her previous rates, but she may adjust as she becomes more comfortable with the computerized process.16:39

Managing Workflow and Turnaround Times

Kristi’s workflow has evolved with her business and personal life. At her busiest, she had as many as 35 quilts waiting in her home.9:30 She has completed hundreds of quilts per year, with the number fluctuating based on her personal and family commitments: “Oh no, hundreds. Hundreds per year? At least”.17:02

Her turnaround time varies depending on the time of year and her schedule: “Well, it would depend on, you know, the time of year and what’s going on, but I can do it within a week sometimes and sometimes it could be a month”.19:04

Kristi’s ability to scale her workload up or down has been crucial to maintaining balance. When her husband was in school, she took on more quilts; when he was home, she slowed down: “It was at the beginning when I first started and then cause my husband was going back to school. So I did more at that point. And then when he wasn’t in school, I cut back some, but I could do as many as I want, but I’ve slowed down some right now”.17:21

She also weathered the pandemic without much disruption, as customers continued to call and visit her shop: “No, I still had people coming to the shop. They’d call and say, are you there? And they’d come in. So I still had people come in to buy fabric and they needed to get out and I was there”.18:33

Kristi’s experience shows that a quilting business can be both resilient and adaptable, able to respond to changes in personal circumstances and external challenges.

Handling Customer Expectations and Difficult Situations

After quilting hundreds of quilts each year, Kristi has only rarely encountered difficult customers. She emphasizes the importance of clear communication, especially for custom projects. “You got to ask them what they want,” she advises.25:49

One memorable situation involved a customer who insisted on quilting over photo prints, despite Kristi’s warnings that it would cause puckering. When the result matched her warning, Kristi removed the stitches and returned the quilt, choosing to maintain goodwill over conflict: “Somebody had pictures, and you couldn’t quilt the pictures, but you could quilt around them. And I would tell them, if you do that, it’s going to bub out. And they told me to do it anyway. And then they got mad that it turned that way. And I had to rip the whole thing out. And I just gave it back to them. And I said, then you do it”.25:25

Her experience underlines that setting expectations and being willing to stand by your expertise is part of running a successful business. Kristi’s approach is to prioritize customer satisfaction, even if it means extra work, but also to stand firm when necessary. She believes that most issues can be avoided by having honest conversations upfront about what is possible and what the customer wants.

Advice for New Quilting Business Owners

Kristi believes the opportunity for success in longarm quilting is as strong as ever. “If you offer that service, you’re going to be successful. You just got to make sure you listen to the people and do a good job,” she says.24:37

She encourages newcomers to take advantage of the wealth of training and resources now available, from online videos to in-person classes. While she had to teach herself, today’s quilters have more support than ever: “YouTube is really good. You have a lot on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot now on that”.8:01

Her final advice: focus on quality, communication, and building relationships. With those foundations, a longarm quilting business can be both rewarding and sustainable. Kristi’s story demonstrates that you don’t need to start with a business plan or a marketing budget—just a willingness to learn, adapt, and serve your community.

She also noted that the demand for quilting services remains high, as many people enjoy piecing but not quilting: “There’s so much out there and so many people that like piecing and don’t like quilting that they pay to get it done just so their quilts get done because they don’t want to do that. They like the piecing part, and I hear that all the time”.24:32

For those starting out, Kristi’s journey is a reminder that success comes from listening to your customers, continuously improving your skills, and building a reputation for reliability and quality.