Show-Day Packets for Quilt Guilds
A done-for-you kit of entry tags, judge sheets, ribbon tallies, and viewers' choice ballots for volunteer-run quilt guild shows.
The problem
Small quilt guilds put on a yearly show run by a few tired volunteers. Entries arrive on mismatched forms, tags get mixed up, and judges' scores end up on scrap paper. The show chair often burns out, and the job gets handed off with no documented system.
Where people complain about it
Look in quilt guild Facebook groups, quilting subreddits, and guild newsletters for show chairs asking for entry form templates or complaining about hand-tallying ballots. Also check guild websites for show forms that look homemade or are years out of date. Volunteer-recruitment posts that mention the show chair role being hard to fill are another signal.
The idea
Sell a customized show packet for each guild: entry form, numbered hang tags, judge scorecards, a ribbon and category tally sheet, and viewers' choice ballots with a tally template. You build it in Google Sheets and Docs with the guild's categories, logo, and dates. Then deliver print-ready files and a one-page run-of-show checklist. Offer optional printing and sorting.
The guild's show chair or treasurer pays from the show budget, which usually comes from ticket sales, raffle quilts, and vendor fees.
Charge a flat $150-$300 per show packet, plus $50-$100 for printed and pre-numbered tags. Offer a yearly refresh at a discount so the guild comes back each season.
Start for under $100
- Collect 10 public guild show forms and note what each one is missing or does badly, such as category lists, tag numbering, and score tallying.
- Build a template packet in Google Sheets and Docs with auto-totaling judge sheets and a ballot tally. Test it with a mock 40-entry show.
- Make a sample PDF packet with a fictional guild name and put it on a one-page site.
- Email 20 guilds with upcoming shows, and offer one a discounted first packet in exchange for feedback and a testimonial.
Landing the first customer
Find a guild with a show 3-6 months out whose website lists the show chair's contact. Offer to build their packet at a discount in exchange for a testimonial and a referral to their regional guild network.
What could go wrong
- Guilds are volunteer-run with small budgets and slow decisions, so sales cycles may be long and prices must stay low.
- Shows happen once a year, so revenue is seasonal and depends on repeat renewals and word of mouth between guilds.
Verify demand in 15 minutes
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