Quilters Going Strong

Survey Says Quilters Going Strong in America; In a 12-month period, the Dedicated Quilter bought an average 99 yards of fabric, according to The Quilting in America™ 2017 Survey released in October.

The Dedicated Quilter is described as female, age 63, with 19 years experience; she spends nearly $3,400 a year pursuing her hobby.

In ranking quilting styles, the Dedicated Quilter prefers traditional quilting (85 percent), modern quilting (37%) and art quilting (20%). 97% of Dedicated Quilters are purchasing fabric, batting and thread in person, mostly at retail locations. Still, 68% of Dedicated Quilters purchase items online.

There are 7 to 10 million quilters in the United States, and 6 to 8.3 million quilting households.  Quilting households spent an average $442 each on quilting-related purchases in 2017, an increase of 48% from 2014.  At $3.7 billion, spending across the entire quilting industry held steady from the 2014 figure of $3.6 billion.  Of the $3.7 billion, Dedicated Quilters spent $2.6 billion (or 72%). 

64% of survey respondents cited quilting-related websites as good resources, up from 28% in 2014.  52% watch online quilting classes and videos, up from 30% in 2014.  They spend 7.9 hours a week visiting online quilting sites, up from 2.5 hours a week in 2014.

Within the Dedicated Quilter segment, there is a growing group of quilters under age 45. While they spend only 10% less than quilters in the higher age bracket, they spend more time visiting quilting-related websites and online videos. Modern is their preferred quilting style. 

The Quilting in America™ 2017 Survey is sponsored in part by Quilts, Inc., which hosts the annual International Quilt Festivals. The 2017 survey is the eighth in a series of studies conducted since 1994. The research was conducted by ORC International and Advantage Research, Inc.