Welcome to the business side of Notes from the Studio
Kristie didn’t start out planning to become a quilt teacher.
In fact, before quilting entered her life, she was working in customer service and sales — eventually becoming the top sales manager at her company.
Then a sudden health issue forced her to stop working.
During that time, she started knitting simply as a way to stay busy and connect with others.
Eventually she discovered quilting… and something clicked.
She loved the creativity, the community, and the constant learning.
But like many quilters, she had a quiet thought:
“I wish this could be more than just a hobby.”
Still, the idea of teaching felt intimidating.
She had never taught before.
She had only been quilting for a few years.
And she worried about the same thing many people do:
“What if I’m not experienced enough?”
When she first looked at the Certified Teacher Program, she was also hesitant about the investment.
So she talked with her aunt, who asked her a simple question.
“If you tried it and decided teaching wasn’t for you… how many times would you need to teach to earn your investment back?”
When Kristie did the math, the answer surprised her.
Only about 3 events.
That shifted everything.
She decided to try.
She first became certified in Scrappy Appliqué, and later added Color Confidence for Quilters so she could offer multiple programs when presenting at guilds.
Like most new teachers, her first booking didn’t happen overnight.
Guilds often schedule teachers a year in advance, so it took about six months to secure her first event.
But once that first booking happened…
things started moving.
In her first year teaching, she presented at five guild events.
Mostly local. Mostly in-person. Just getting started.
By her second year, word-of-mouth had spread.
Her calendar jumped to twenty events — traveling both in-state and out-of-state and even teaching some virtual programs.
Each event brought in somewhere between $350 and $1,500 through a combination of speaking fees, workshops, and product sales.
But the most interesting part came next.
In her third year, Kristie actually decided to scale back.
Not because she couldn’t book events. Because she had booked too many.
She realized she wanted to create a schedule that worked better with the rest of her life.
A pretty wonderful problem to have.
But when Kristie talks about the program, she doesn’t start with the numbers.
She talks about the moment after one of her first guild presentations.
A woman came up to her and said:
“I’ve been attending guild meetings for 35 years… and yours is the best program I’ve ever seen.”
Kristie told me that moment stayed with her. Not just because of the compliment.
But because it made her realize something.
She had something meaningful to share.
Teaching didn’t just give her income. It gave her confidence. Connection.
And a deeper place inside the quilting community she loved.
She once told me: “Becoming a certified teacher has made a monumental positive impact on my life.”
And stories like hers are exactly why we created the Certified Teacher Program in the first place.
Have a beautiful rest of your day,
Shannon
P.S. Earlybird enrollment for the 2026 Certified Teacher Program will be opening soon for the waitlist. I’ll share more details soon — including the four certification paths you’ll be able to choose from.
If you missed the previous email, I talked about what it really looks like to become a certified quilt teacher—and why so many quilters are exploring it right now.
P.P.S. If you’ve ever thought about teaching, I’d love to hear — what part feels exciting to you?
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