The quilting world is changing, and your shop needs to keep up.
While traditional quilt shops once thrived solely on word-of-mouth and local advertising, today's successful shops are meeting their customers where they spend hours each day — on social media.
With a younger generation discovering the joy of quilting, you need to embrace social media marketing ideas if you want to bring in new customers and grow your quilt shop. But how do you get started with social media marketing?
This post covers six easy-to-implement ideas you can use to start marketing your shop and selling on social media today.
Before we explore our list of marketing ideas and tactics you can implement on social media, let’s establish why social media marketing is important for quilt shops today.
The answer is simple: young quilters!
Have you noticed more 20- and 30-somethings browsing your batiks lately? You're not imagining it. Millennials and Gen Z crafters are embracing quilting with fresh enthusiasm, bringing new energy to our community. As younger people join the quilting community, social media becomes more important for quilt shops and other businesses in the space looking to reach them.
Related Read: 9 Textile Industry Trends To Look Out for in 2025
Social media also offers a unique opportunity to create and connect with communities. Historically, quilting has been a communal activity, and social media can help you bring that tradition into the modern era.
Let’s take a look at some of the social media platforms you might consider joining to market your quilt shop, and how you can use them:
Now, let's explore some social media marketing ideas you might implement today for your quilt shop.
The first type of content you might want to promote on your social media is new fabric reveals. Sharing new products and prints as they arrive in your store helps build anticipation and excitement, and gives customers a reason to visit. You can turn delivery day into an event by filming unboxing videos and sharing them on platforms like Instagram Stories.
Related Read: 7 Fabric Store Marketing Ideas To Attract More Customers
Not sure where to start? Here are a few photography tips for fabric displays:
Remember: You're not just selling fabric, you're selling possibilities. Show how these new arrivals could transform into something beautiful.
Instagram's visual focus makes it perfect for new arrivals. Use grid posts for your best styled shots and Stories for those authentic unboxing moments. Create a dedicated Instagram Story Highlight labeled "New Arrivals" so customers can always check what's fresh. The Instagram shopping feature even lets followers purchase directly from your posts if you set up an e-commerce website.
The best salesperson for any business is a happy customer. For quilt shops, this can mean showcasing customer projects. Give your customers the opportunity to show off the quilts and other pieces they’ve created with supplies from your shop.
Create a regular feature post series dedicated to showcasing customer work. Make it special and make the featured customer feel like an honoree, not an advertiser. Interview the featured quilter about their process, challenges, and why they chose those fabrics.
Have a simple submission process: "Email us a photo of your finished quilt with a few sentences about your experience making it!"
You might also consider offering a small discount on their next purchase as a thank-you for being featured.
Related Read: 8-Step Guide to Creating a Fabric Store Website
Launch a memorable, unique hashtag including your quilt shop’s name, like #StitchedAtSunnysideQuilts or #MadeWithMountainFabrics, then display it prominently in your shop, on receipts, and in packaging. Encourage customers to use it when posting their works-in-progress and finished projects.
Remember to check this hashtag frequently and comment on any shared posts. Social media engagement works best when it’s a two-way street. (But don’t forget to ask permission before reposting customer content to your store’s feed.)
Facebook's community-oriented features make it ideal for customer spotlights. The longer post format allows you to tell more of the maker's story, and comments become conversations where other customers can ask questions about techniques or fabrics used. Instagram has several similar features and can help you reach a younger audience.
Pro tip: Use your point of sale (POS) solution to identify potential customers to feature. Track customer purchase patterns for customers who are frequently purchasing coordinating fabrics or buying patterns alongside fabrics. Then, reach out personally: “Hi Sarah! We noticed you purchased the Moonlight Garden pattern last month. We'd love to see how your project turned out if you'd like to share!"
Another great way to engage with your community and grow your online audience is to give followers and customers a peek behind the curtain. Behind-the-scenes content humanizes your brand and gives your customers the chance to connect with your store and your employees.
Related Read: How To Manage Employees: 9 Tips for Fabric Stores
Some options for great behind-the-scenes content for quilt shops include:
These simple peeks into your processes are a win-win because they’re relatively easy to film and share, and customers will love feeling like they have a backstage pass to your store’s operations.
These quick-hit, authentic formats are perfect for behind-the-scenes glimpses. Instagram Stories' 24-hour lifespan makes them ideal for casual, day-in-the-life content, while TikTok's casual vibe works wonderfully for fabric-cutting videos and quick shop tours.
Our fourth idea for great quilt shop content is a no-brainer for any quilt shop that offers classes — how-to and tutorial content. This type of content positions your shop as an educational resource, rather than just a product supplier — this builds trust and loyalty faster than any product mix.
But what types of how-to content should you focus on? It entirely depends on your store, staff expertise, and offerings. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Keep these focused on a single tip rather than comprehensive tutorials. Think "quilting hacks" that make your followers' lives easier, not full-on lessons.
Related Read: The 7 Best Ways To Create a Hugely Successful Craft Class
You can also create more “Quilting 101”-style content targeted at beginning quilters. This content is great for making your store seem accessible and friendly to beginner quilters, inviting them to come in without feeling intimidated.
YouTube is great for detailed tutorials where you need to show a multistep process. Its searchable nature means your content continues working long after posting. Pinterest, on the other hand, is perfect for supplementary content like fabric selection guides and color theory posts.
As a quilt shop, you have a unique social media marketing advantage: Your products are naturally gorgeous. You can showcase your inventory with beautiful fabric lays that stop scrolling in its tracks.
You can showcase products in unique ways that are aesthetically pleasing in your content grid, while also sparking creativity in your followers (and, hopefully, inspiring them to come get the supplies for their new creation in your store).
Related Read: Attract Your Ideal Customers With 10 Quilt Shop Marketing Ideas
Here are some ideas to try:
Alongside your styled photos, include the exact yardage needed for popular projects: "Everything you need for the Starlight Quilt!”
You can also use your social media accounts to position yourself as the trend authority in your niche. Share seasonal color predictions and emerging or re-emerging quilting styles, like, "We're seeing sage green everywhere this fall — here are five ways to incorporate it into your quilts this season."
Instagram's grid showcase is tailor-made for this approach. Your beautifully styled flat lays will stop the scroll and drive engagement. Meanwhile, Pinterest's search-driven platform ensures your seasonal inspiration and color stories reach quilters actively looking for ideas. Both platforms reward high-quality visuals with increased reach, so be sure to put your best foot forward.
Last but not least, as we mentioned at the top of this post, quilting has historically been a communal and community-building activity. Why not carry this legacy into your social media presence?
Create a dedicated space where your customers can connect, share projects, and help each other. Establish positive community guidelines, post regular conversion prompts, and encourage customer contributions. The magic happens when customers start interacting with one another in the group outside of your store’s posts. When you see this happening, it’s time to step back a bit and let the community grow organically.
Need some tips for conversation-starters? Get those comments flowing with questions that quilters love debating:
These conversations humanize your brand and create connections between community members who discover shared experiences.
Facebook Groups, like Cuts and Bolts Fabrics Mystery Quilts, are unmatched for community building! The threaded comment structure facilitates deeper conversations, while the events feature makes scheduling virtual gatherings seamless.
Ready to launch your first social media retail marketing campaign? Here’s a simple, 30-day starter plan. Start by committing to three weekly posts during your first month. For example:
This manageable schedule builds consistency without overwhelming you. After 30 days, evaluate what's working and expand where it makes sense for your shop and your customer base.
Here are a few quick tips for keeping social media from taking up all your time:
Getting started with social media marketing for your quilt shop doesn’t require too many tools, aside from a smartphone and an internet connection.
Luckily, you can make your marketing more effective when you use a POS system such as Like Sew. An advanced point of sale system helps you track customer purchase history for personalized outreach, identify slow-moving inventory to feature in promotional content, and more.
You've got all the pieces of your new social media marketing strategy — now, it's time to stitch them together. Explore the six social media marketing ideas and take each of them for a test drive. Pay attention to which posts generate the most engagement from your community — and when you notice certain content resonating, create more of it.
But remember: Social media marketing is just the beginning. Pretty pictures might draw quilters in, but your shop's operational foundation turns followers into loyal customers.
Like Sew POS offers all the features you need to capitalize on the success of your social media campaigns and turn new visitors into happy customers. Our system tracks inventory so you know exactly what's available when followers ask about that gorgeous batik you posted, remembers customer preferences when online admirers visit your physical shop, and ensures your e-commerce store reflects the same personality your social audience loves.
To learn more, schedule your free Like Sew demo today.