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Turning My Passion Into Revenue in a Perfect World

How a hobby can become a business

By Mad For FabricPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Canvas fabric scrap sewing machine art made by author

My creative beginnings

Growing up I was never interested in being a creator. I preferred dealing with numbers and majored in finance where my day job had no need for a creative side. What then sparked my interest in creative endeavors?

It all began with a tote bag that caught my eye in a museum gift shop during a trip to Chicago. At the time over ten years ago, the purse was priced at $70, way out of my budget. For reasons I still can't fathom today, my analytical mind decided I had the capacity to learn how to make this tote myself. Never mind I would spend a couple of hundred dollars buying a sewing machine and supplies to make said tote. The time I needed to learn how to sew didn't occur to me either.

I was on a mission when I got home from Chicago. I scoured the reviews online to find a reasonably priced sewing machine and a week later it showed up on my doorstep. This 4-star rated sewing machine almost stopped my sewing aspirations in their tracks. The thread jammed almost every time I sewed a seam. This was before YouTube and online blogging had become popular and resources to troubleshoot my issues were few and far between.

I continued despite the endless jams and with my how-to sewing book in hand, I proceeded to learn how to sew my first tote bag. I finally managed to finish and while it wasn't quite like the one I had seen in Chicago, I was proud of my first handmade item.

The blog is born

Over time, online blogging about sewing started to gain traction. I found an infinite amount of how-to articles on items I was interested in learning how to sew. Thanks to the helpful advice from those bloggers, I was able to troubleshoot the many issues I encountered with my sewing projects.

Years passed. I felt I had gained enough knowledge to share my ideas with the next generation of people interested in sewing and Mad For Fabric was born.

My blog positioning

I had a lot of fabric scraps left over from sewing projects but didn't want to throw them away and have them become landfill. I was sure others had the same problem if they did a lot of sewing or quilting. A large portion of my blog became devoted to coming up with projects to use up fabric scraps.

Based on my most popular blog posts and reader comments, I think there are 3 main factors why readers support me.

1. Unique projects combining sewing and sustainability by using up fabric scraps.

This resonated well with readers because many of them experienced the same problem and I offered solutions.

This DIY laminated pouch project was a popular post designed to use up fabric scraps too small to sew. This involved gluing fabric scraps on top of a piece of bigger fabric and laminating it before sewing the larger pieces together.

DIY laminated pouch with fabric scraps made by author

2. Innovative projects that weren't done before.

There were many tutorials that showed how to make a fabric box but never one that included a lid. My tutorial complete with dimensions on how to make a fabric box with a lid is still one of the most viewed posts on my blog.

DIY fabric box with lid made by author

3. Provide free patterns readers valued.

My most viewed post of all time was a free pincushion pattern designed to use up fabric scraps. To make it more versatile for readers I tested rescaling the pattern 80% and successfully created a smaller pincushion in case the readers wanted a miniature one. I also gave full rights to readers if they wanted to use the pattern to make pincushions to sell.

Pincushions made out of free pattern created by author

Turning my hobby into revenue

Funny enough, my day job at a mobile app company involves finding insights using data to help increase subscription revenue. This benefits me with domain knowledge on how to turn my hobby into revenue with a subscription model.

These are 3 ideas I have to generate revenue based on my blog positioning.

1. Offer digital sewing pattern downloads targeted at a sub-niche of users that want to use up fabric scraps.

These sewing patterns will help people use up their fabric scraps and they can either keep the finished item or gift it to their friends and family.

An example is a digital mug rug pattern I created a few years ago that could be made with fabric scraps. If the fabric scrap was too small, you could sew multiple pieces to fit the pattern size. Below is a Christmas mug rug I made by combining multiple scraps together.

Front of mug rug made with Christmas fabric scraps (left) back of mug rug (right)

2. Create a newsletter highlighting interesting fabric collections, online fabric store discounts, and sewing tips.

After interacting with many in the sewing community over the years, I know there's a sub-niche that loves fabric and some that love to buy fabric to the point of hoarding. Some are new to sewing and I've found many tips online that people could benefit from knowing. People will be likely to subscribe to a newsletter if they discover new fabric collections they love, save money with discounts, and get sewing tips all delivered to their inbox.

3. Create video tutorials.

I've found video instructions much easier to follow than a blog post even with a step-by-step tutorial. I'm sure I'm not alone given how popular YouTube channels on sewing have become. I can create videos to show how to make items I've blogged about in the past or create new videos showing how to make items from my digital patterns. This can create cross-sell opportunities for a subscriber to purchase my pattern.

A perfect world

I didn't start my blog with the intent to make money. I simply wanted to share my projects and contribute to the community that helped me on my sewing journey. Along the way, the reality of domain and host fees has made my blogging days harder financially. With that said, recurring revenue to support my passion for sewing will be a dream come true in a perfect world.

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About the Creator

Mad For Fabric

Sewist and fabric obsessed. Sharing my creative journey one story at a time. Blogging about my creations at www.madforfabric.com

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