Have you been thinking of starting a fiber arts business? Or have you ventured into commercial avenues related to crochet/knitting?
If you have not, then this is the best time to transition your hobby to a business.
Handicrafts made out of threads have worldwide popularity. A few creative entrepreneurs have made a 6 figure business with handmade yarns.
You can read further to know how to weave a success story with threads.
Starting A Fiber Arts Business That Is Successful
You need to be aware of the various kinds of fiber arts before you plunge into entrepreneurship.
Below is the list of major ones that you can consider:
Learn About Various Options for Fiber Arts
1. Felting
The process of matting fibers to make a fabric is felting. There are various ways to do felting. The most common ones are with the application of water and using a felting needle.
It is a versatile art. Toys, slippers, rugs, mats, jewelry, and scarves are popular felt products
2. Weaving
It is the process of making fabric by placing two threads at right angles to each other.
The thread that goes along the length is a warp, while the other one is the weft. Alternating the threads as warp and a weft makes a weaved cloth.
Different ways of alternating the warps and wefts create textures in fabrics. That is how it becomes plain, twill, or satin.
Handloom weaving and power loom are popular methods to make weaved fabrics
3. Knitting
It is the process of creating fabric by interlocking yarns with a pair of knitting needles.
There are several projects possible with knitting. Some of the examples are shawls, blankets, jackets, caps, and gloves.
The knitting technique involves hundreds of stitches. Thus, several projects are possible by combining different colored yarns and stitching techniques.
4. Crochet
Much like knitting, crochet involves making fabrics with yarn. Though the difference is that crochet involves a single crochet hook.
You can make all knitting projects through crochet hooks. Moreover, with crochet, you can also do jewelry and amigurumi since they sell well.
5. Tapestry
It is a kind of weaving where the warp threads do not show on the right side of the fabric.
Tapestry is an expensive art form that depicts a story through its weaves. In the medieval era, tapestries narrated stories related to knights and castles. Though, these days hanging mandala designs are popular with tapestry weaving.
Tapestry artform creates wall decoration items which are popular these days. Fiber artists use a loom with threads of various colors to create tapestry art forms.
6. Quilting
The word quilt comes from a Latin term that means a cushion. It involves stitching together three or more layers of fabric. The quilting technique finds use to create furnishings, quilts, and garments.
Quilting is an easy way to starting a fiber arts business for anyone who knows basic sewing. Moreover, it also works as a therapy to calm and relax the mind.
Various regional cultures have influenced quilting techniques. Some of the popular ones are – Hawaii, South Asia, and African-American.
7. Macrame
It is a form of fiber art that uses knots to create art pieces. Some of the common artworks of macrame are jewelry, wall hangings, and plant hangers.
Many beginner crafters sell macrame bracelets and then move on to dream catchers.
8. Lacemaking
It is the process of making delicate fabric that borders garments and linens. The technique of lacemaking involves intertwining fibers to form a tight web-like pattern.
9. Flocking
Flocking refers to the process of putting fiber particles called flocks on a surface. The technique of flocking enhances the texture and appearance of the base surface.
One of the examples of flocking is putting a snow-like texture on a Christmas tree. Another one is adding a velvet-like surface to the upholstery to give a rich appearance.
In recent times, T-shirts have a flocked structure to depict a color-blocked appearance.
10. Embroidery
Embroidery is one of the most common types of fiber arts.
It involves the use of a thread and needle to create intricate designs on fabric. There are numerous forms of embroidery styles ranging from simple to complex. Chain stitch, running stitch, and cross stitch are the common ones. Whereas stitches like Pekinese and Fishbone are amongst the complex ones.
Some of the embroidery styles are common to regions inspired by local folk art. For instance, the Kutch embroidery is popular with the local tribals residing there. Phulkari from Punjab consists of colorful floral designs done with silk threads.
11. Selling Fiber
Apart from creating fiber art through hands, you can also sell fibers. Several fiber artists need different kinds of yarns and threads. By starting a shop selling fiber, you can provide raw materials to the creatives. That fulfills the needs of the fiber artists.
Along with fiber, you can sell accompaniments like crochet, knitting, and embroidery needles. Some other complementary products include embroidery hoops, jewelry findings, and shawl pins.
Pick Up Niche Within Fiber Arts
As a handmade artist, it is good to have multi-skills. But if you intend to be successful as a creative entrepreneur. Then, it makes sense to nurture a single skillset and excel in one single niche.
So, for starting a fiber arts business, you must pick only one kind of art within the various forms of fiber arts.
The list above is not a comprehensive one. But it includes the main ones. You can pick up one from the list to create products at home and sell.
Prepare A Business Plan For Your Handmade Business
No matter how big or small a business is, a business plan is a must. It is because a well-laid-out plan works as a structure to take action.
A business plan takes care of the what-if scenarios much before they occur. Thus, the business plan helps in sorting the un-planned issues.
Most business plans require complex data that makes their usage difficult. As a small creative business, you can set up your craft business with simple number crunching.
If you know your end goal and how many hours you can put in to achieve it. Then, creating a business plan is easy.
After selecting a niche within the fiber arts, prepare a business plan. Then, as per the plan, you can then begin to —–>
Procure the Materials
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To start a fiber arts business, you need raw materials like fibers. There are several kinds of fiber. You can classify them into three major sets as per their source from plant/animal or synthetic ones.
The common plant ones are cotton, bamboo, hemp, and rice.
While the popular yarns from animals sources are silk, merino, and cashmere.
The popular synthetic fibers are rayon and polyester.
The fiber art materials you would buy would depend upon your project. As a beginner, the popular place to source them would be Amazon. As you grow your business, you can move on to the exclusive yarn shops or stores like Alibaba that sell in bulk.
Figure Out a Marketing Plan
A marketing plan is a subset of the handmade business plan. Depending upon your business plan, the marketing plan will vary.
Much like the business plan, a marketing plan is compulsory to reach your target audience.
The most inexpensive and effective way to market your fiber arts business is through a blog. You can set it up to stay in touch with your customers and to execute sales. That also helps to boost your income when your Etsy shop is not doing well.
Scale as Per Your Profit Margins
Running a handmade business involves a lot of permutations and combinations. You need to identify what sells and what product fetches maximum margins.
Then, as per that data, you retire the products that do not sell or bring substantial revenue.
From there, you focus on creating fiber arts that help in achieving financial goals.
Conclusion
With the advancements in technology, it is easy to start selling crafts online. Though, you must know the wants of your audience and how well you can fulfill their demands.
As a creative fiber arts entrepreneur, your chances of success increase once you fulfill the above two factors.
You can also help other creatives in starting a fiber arts business by sharing this article.
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