How Happy Bee Quilts Started Their Longarm Quilting Business in Las Vegas

A Family Dream Becomes a Business

For anyone interested in starting a longarm quilting business, the story of Happy Bee Quilts offers a candid look at what it takes to get off the ground. Happy Bee Quilts is the creation of Leslie and Sarah Sisson, a mother- and daughter-in-law team in Las Vegas. Their journey began in September 2024, when they purchased their first longarm machine—without prior longarm experience—with the intention of turning Leslie’s dream into a family business. “We just purchased the long arm September, 2024, just a little over a year,” Leslie shares.2:23 Both women had quilting backgrounds, but only in piecing and small projects; they had always sent their quilts out to be finished.3:08

Leslie’s entrepreneurial background (having bought, sold, and run several businesses) gave them confidence to take the leap. “Over the last 15 years or so have become an accidental entrepreneur and have purchased two businesses and sold them and founded another business and sold that, but I’m still running it for the larger company that bought it”.5:49 This experience proved invaluable in setting up the new venture.

The business is also a legacy project. Leslie describes how her granddaughters, ages eight and eleven, are already making birthday banners on the longarm, and the family hopes to pass down both skills and the business itself: “That’s our dream is to leave the legacy…my granddaughters, her kids that are eight and 11, making birthday banners on the long arm and other things”.7:03

Learning the Longarm: Training and Trial

Neither Leslie nor Sarah had used a longarm before purchasing their machine. Sarah took the lead on learning, attending training sessions and a major industry summit. “I’ve been the one using the machine and, and found four sweet little customers brought to me by my grandma. So I’m like, okay, we are launched now. I can quit my other job”.9:01

The learning curve was steep but manageable. Sarah relied on the vendor’s training modules and direct support: “Once I had some time to go through the training modules, a few things clicked a little more for me…getting started with it was trial and error, like not being afraid to mess it up at first”.14:12 She also benefited from one-on-one educator sessions and technical support, which she described as a “huge lifeline”.17:32

Sarah practiced extensively before taking on customer quilts, using family projects as her test cases. She recalls, “I was terrified because, you know, I got, I got really nervous…the tension was off one time. I’m like, Oh, no. So like, let me practice tension. Hold on. So I’ve learned to practice on the side a lot to get my tension dialed in before I let it go”.20:04

This careful approach paid off: “They come back, they said, Okay, we’re coming to you. Now we really like your work. And like, I don’t have a ton of experience. I’m like, okay, something’s working”.20:22

Setting Up the Business Right

Leslie’s business acumen meant Happy Bee Quilts was structured properly from day one. “The first thing I did was set up a corporation and make sure it made sure that everything was done with the state properly and accounting and QuickBooks”.25:40 She emphasizes the importance of treating quilting as a business, not just a passion: “If you want to run it as a business, even like we’re slowly starting, but everything behind the scenes is where it needs to be, you know, and depreciation of your machine, but it has to be in service first before you can start that”.25:57

This approach ensures they can grow sustainably and take advantage of tax benefits and proper bookkeeping from the outset. Leslie’s experience helping others start prosthetic companies gave her a clear roadmap: “I already knew the groundwork that needed to go in and starting any business. So I did that even before we bought the machine. Cause I thought this is what I want to do”.26:37

Naming the business was also a family affair. “The name of our company is Happy Bee Quilts. My mom’s name was Happy and her last name started with a B. So that’s where that came from. So we’re the Happy Bees”.26:46

Finding Customers: Family, Friends, and Community

In their first year, most of Happy Bee Quilts’ clients have been family or friends. “We have four customers at this time—four non-family customers. We have lots of families”.9:17 Sarah’s mother and aunt are both quilters who send work their way, and word of mouth has already begun to bring in referrals: “They all know that I just, I don’t quite have the time quite yet, but in two weeks I will”.11:57

To expand, they’ve joined a local quilt guild and plan to become more active in the community. “We’ve recently joined one. We haven’t been into any of the meetings yet…but that is our goal is to, you know, really get involved”.12:17 Leslie also points to the importance of the quilting community and national shows for networking and inspiration: “The community is absolutely amazing…my aunt saw people that she has known from California all the way into Houston that have, have now gone on other places, but because they were quilters, they ended up in the same place. So the community is really exciting for us”.13:08

Sarah notes that word of mouth and referrals are already working: “They come back, they said, Okay, we’re coming to you. Now we really like your work…I’m like, okay, something’s working”.20:22

Marketing Online and Building a Presence

Sarah has set up a website (happybeequilts.com), Instagram, and Facebook for the business. “We have a website and we’ve got an Instagram and a Facebook account. I tend to gravitate towards Instagram, but I think Facebook is probably where it’s at for this customer base”.11:27

The website, built on Shopify, includes a quilt intake form for future online orders, although all current business has been in-person. “I have a quilt intake form on there. Haven’t used it yet. Everyone’s been in person, word of mouth. And I have a printable intake form that I just take notes on”.28:39 They also sell patterns for a local quilt teacher and have a section for the next generation’s handmade crafts: “On our website is a few things for sale, like those patterns…and then there’s a little section on there that I call the dabble shop. So whatever my girls want to make and sell, instead of setting up a lemonade stand all the time, I said, can we just sell things on the website?”.29:13

Sarah’s design skills have also helped other quilters: “She is actually helping a couple of quilt designers with their patterns and formatting their patterns and making them even more beautiful”.28:06

The team recognizes that social media and a strong online presence will be increasingly important as they grow beyond their immediate circle. Their approach is to balance local connections with outreach to a broader audience.

Workflow, Capacity, and Family Balance

Sarah expects to work on quilting four to five hours a day, after homeschooling her children in the morning.31:13 She acknowledges the need to set boundaries: “It would be wise for me to like give myself a limit because I can get into a project and then forget about checking the clock”.31:01

Their workspace is a dedicated 1200-square-foot house they call the “quilting cottage,” with stations for both adults and children. “This is just a little house in Las Vegas that we’re financially able to because the mortgage is so low to just have a little sewing house. So the master bedroom, we have three sewing stations in there where we sew whatever we want”.22:35 The living room houses their 14-foot, 30-inch throat longarm machine, and they’re already thinking about adding another: “We think that there’s room for another one right there. Because we know…to be successful, we’re going to have to scale”.23:14

The cottage setup allows the business to remain distinct from home life, and the children can participate in creative projects. Leslie describes how the girls have their own sewing station and make things alongside the adults.22:51

Balancing family, business, and other work is an ongoing process. Sarah is transitioning out of her graphic design job to focus more on quilting, and Leslie continues to run another business while supporting Happy Bee Quilts. Their ability to share responsibilities and cheer each other on is a key part of their workflow.24:36

Custom Work and Artistic Ambitions

Sarah’s background as a graphic designer and architect gives her a unique edge. She’s already exploring custom quilting: “I’m a little afraid of doing it handguided. So I currently have somebody’s cool top and each panel is embroidered. So I think what I’m going to do is hand draw it, scan it in and digitize it and then let the computer put out a hand drawn design”.21:51

Their first business quilt, featuring their logo and hand-guided quilting, is a testament to their creative approach and willingness to learn by doing. “This was actually her first quilt that she ever pieced that Val taught her…I actually 100%, no rulers or anything hand guided because I didn’t want to do an edge to edge over it. And it’s very, you know, it’s, it’s simple, but it’s beautiful”.34:41

Sarah’s technical skills allow her to digitize her own designs, combining artistry with precision. This sets Happy Bee Quilts apart from many new businesses that only offer edge-to-edge quilting. Their willingness to experiment and push their creative boundaries is already attracting positive feedback from customers: “They took that quilt to their little group and everyone ood and odd and ooh, it’s so good. So I’m like, okay, well then maybe that means more people will come”.32:05

Looking Ahead: Scaling and Legacy

While still in their first year, Leslie and Sarah are thinking ahead. Leslie notes, “Because I have run other businesses that really to be successful, we’re going to have to scale. And when I retire in a few years…I can join her full time and doing this”.23:14

Their vision includes involving more family members and passing on skills to the next generation. “That’s our dream is to leave the legacy…my granddaughters, her kids that are eight and 11, making birthday banners on the long arm and other things”.7:03

They are also realistic about the pace of growth. Sarah is still transitioning out of her previous job, and they are intentionally growing slowly to ensure quality and sustainability. As they become more active in local guilds and expand their online presence, they expect their customer base to grow organically.