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Quilters Are an Economic Powerhouse
(From Quilts, Inc)
HOUSTON—November 30, 2006—Those in
the business have heard the grumblings for nearly a
year: The total number of quilters was dropping…they
were spending less…they were dying off…
Well, the news is in, and the naysayers, doom preachers,
and Doubting Thomases can zip their lips. According to
the recently released Quilting in America™ 2006 survey,
the art form with roots in the past and a vision of the
future is not only alive, but more popular than ever.
According to the 2006 numbers, there are more than 27
million quilters in the U.S. spending a total of $3.3
billion annually on their passion. This is almost a 100%
increase in quilters since 1997, and their spending has
gone up 35% just since 2003!
The Quilting in America™ 2006 survey has been conducted
every three years since 1994 and was, once again,
commissioned by Quilts, Inc. (producers of International
Quilt Festival and Market) and ckMedia (formerly
Primedia and publishers of Quilter’s Newsletter
Magazine). The actual study was conducted independently
by NFO Research, Inc. and DP Research Solutions.
The survey also shows that 17% of all U.S. households
report at least one family member who participates in
quilting. It is the most avid—or “Dedicated”
quilters—who spend more than $600 annually which drive
the industry! And while they represent only 4.7% of the
total number of quilters, they account for 88% of total
monies spent yearly.
“This is very, very exciting news for me, not only as a
member of quilting’s artistic community, but of its
business side as well,” says Quilts, Inc. President and
fifth-generation Texas quilter Karey Bresenhan. “I just
knew in my heart looking at all that activity and all
those quilters at International Quilt Festival that
quilting was growing!”
Adds Tina Battock, Group Publisher at ckMedia, “The
numbers in the data were so positive, that I had to
check them over and over again just to be sure they were
accurate. So I am ecstatic about what the 2006 report
tells us!”
Other bits of information the survey reveals is that the
average “Dedicated” quilter is a 59-year-old woman with
a college education and a median household income of
more than $87,000. She has also been quilting for an
average of 13.5 years and enjoys both traditional and
contemporary styles.
The majority also have a room in their house dedicated
to quilting and sewing, own more than $6,500 in quilting
tools and supplies, and spend an average of 2.2 hours a
week on quilting websites.
“I thought that one of the most interesting things we
learned with this survey is how technologically-savvy
quilters have become,” Bresenhan adds. “From downloading
free patterns and ordering supplies to seeing galleries
of other’s works and writing their own thoughts in blogs
and chat rooms, the 2006 quilter is definitely
cyber-sensitive.”
The two-page summary of Quilting in America™ 2006 is now
available at
www.quilts.com under the “News > Announcements”
section.
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