Kimberbell Designs

What Kimberbell Designs does

Kimberbell Designs is a privately held, founder-led machine embroidery and quilting design company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Logan, Utah. The company creates digitized embroidery patterns, step-by-step project instructions, pre-cut project kits, proprietary tools, and specialty stabilizers that allow home embroidery hobbyists to produce quilts, bench pillows, table runners, and in-the-hoop projects with professional results. Its core technical differentiator is the Background Quilting system, which combines the Block-by-Block and Clear Blue Tiles methods to deliver longarm-style quilting on home embroidery machines — a capability supported by hundreds of color-coded digitized designs and the trademarked Orange Pop Rulers and Clear Blue Tiles tool brands.

The company operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce on a Shopify storefront (kimberbell.com) with a distribution network of 162+ independent local quilt shops across the Continental United States. Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time digital downloads ($8–$89.98), physical products including project kits ($24.98–$34.98), stabilizers, tools and embellishments, and a growing subscription portfolio under the ME Time umbrella — Hoop Studio ($33/month), Bella Box, Applique of the Month, and Perfectly Pieced. Marketing is community-led, anchored by the annual Kimberbell Day live event, free downloadable designs, social media on Instagram/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest, and co-marketing partnerships with major embroidery machine OEMs.

Ownership remains with co-founders Kim and Ryan Christopherson; the company has no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment. Kimberbell participates in a multi-tier sponsorship ecosystem for Kimberbell Day 2026 led by Brother (Platinum), Janome (Diamond), Husqvarna Viking, Bernina, Pfaff (Gold), and Baby Lock (Sapphire), which functions as a co-marketing channel with every major embroidery machine manufacturer. The company employs 51–100 people and operates without subsidiaries, public listing, or disclosed M&A activity.

Name

Kimberbell Designs

Legal name

Kimberbell Designs

Website

https://kimberbell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kimberbell Designs is a founder-owned machine embroidery and quilting design company that sells digitized patterns, project kits, proprietary tools, and subscriptions to home embroidery hobbyists through its Shopify storefront and 162+ U.S. quilt shop retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Machine Embroidery Supplies

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913)

akta.pro primary industry

Pattern & Sewing Instruction Retail (Patterns, Books, Classes) (CRALADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Cutting & Sewing Technology Retail (Cutting Machines, Software, Tools) (CRALADAM), Notions & Sewing Accessories Retail (Thread, Needles, Zippers, Buttons) (CRALADAG)

Keywords

• Machine embroidery designs
• Quilting project kits
• Embroidery supplies
• Sewing accessories
• Digital embroidery files

Headquarters

HQ city

Logan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Digital Downloads: One-time purchase digital embroidery files including applique designs ($8), background quilting ($9-$12), feature quilts ($39.98-$89.98), bench pillows ($6-$44.98), project kits, and more. Customers download files immediately after purchase.
2. Physical Products: Project kits with pre-cut fabrics and embellishments, stabilizers (tear-away, cut-away, wash-away, specialty), tools (Clear Blue Tiles, Orange Pop Rulers, scissors), embellishments, and blanks.
3. Subscriptions: ME Time subscriptions including Hoop Studio ($33/month), Bella Box (seasonal), Applique of the Month, and Perfectly Pieced. Provide monthly content and fabric bundles for subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kimberbell Designs sells machine embroidery designs, quilting, sewing, and craft products. Offerings include digital embroidery file downloads, complete project kits with pre-cut fabrics and embellishments, specialty stabilizers, proprietary tools (Clear Blue Tiles, Orange Pop Rulers), and recurring subscription boxes (Hoop Studio, Bella Box, Applique of the Month, Perfectly Pieced). Products are sold direct-to-consumer through kimberbell.com and through a network of local quilt shop retailers across the United States.

Product overview

Kimberbell Designs is a machine embroidery and quilting design company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products centered around creative crafting. The core offerings include Feature Quilts (storytelling themed quilts), Bench Pillows (seasonal embroidered pillows), Project Kits (complete craft sets), and In-the-Hoop Projects (items created entirely in embroidery hoops). Supporting products include Background Quilting designs (using Block-by-Block and Clear Blue Tiles systems), Applique & Fill Designs, Table Runners & Toppers, and Easy Appliques. The company also offers specialty Stabilizers (tear-away, cut-away, wash-away), tools like Clear Blue Tiles and Orange Pop Rulers, Embellishments, and Punch Needle products. Subscriptions include Hoop Studio (monthly fabric bundles), Applique of the Month, Perfectly Pieced (block-based quilts), and Bella Box (quarterly curated boxes). Free Downloads provide accessible entry to the product ecosystem. The company is powered by Shopify e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Orange Pop Rulers: Visual center embroidery applique designs before you cut - innovative tool system for machine embroidery
• Clear Blue Tiles
• Background Quilting
• ME Time Subscriptions
• Kimberbell Day

Products and services

• Feature Quilts

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of background quilting designs available across multiple categories
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BrotherflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Platinum Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Provides free Happy Camper design for all registrants. Major embroidery machine manufacturer with shared customer base in machine embroidery enthusiasts.
• JanomecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Diamond Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Embroidery machine manufacturer partnering for giveaways and event promotion.
• Husqvarna VikingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Gold Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Sewing and embroidery machine brand participating in event giveaways.
• BerninacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Gold Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Premium sewing machine manufacturer sponsoring event giveaways.
• PfaffcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Gold Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Embroidery machine brand participating in event sponsorships.
• Baby LockminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Sapphire Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Embroidery machine manufacturer supporting event giveaways.
• Hab DashminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Ruby Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Product supplier participating in event sponsorship.
• Maywood StudiominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Pearl Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Fabric manufacturer supporting event.
• ME TimeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Pearl Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Partner in subscription services.
• CutterpillarminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Pearl Sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Craft tool manufacturer supporting event.
• OlisominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Special Thanks sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Iron and crafting tool brand.
• Ackfeld ManufacturingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Special Thanks sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Manufacturing partner.
• Magic Quilting-Crafting CollectionminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2026Special Thanks sponsor of Kimberbell Day 2026. Quilting and crafting products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Embroidery Library: Long-running digitized embroidery design marketplace serving home and small-business embroidery machine owners. Comparable product type and customer base.
• Missouri Star Quilt Company: Large DTC quilting retailer offering fabric, kits, and tutorial-driven projects. Comparable on the kit-plus-instruction model and the home quilter customer, though broader than embroidery-only.
• Connecting Threads: Quilting supplies retailer selling fabric, kits, and notions direct to hobbyists via e-commerce and subscription. Comparable on DTC e-commerce, kit model, and home quilter customer base.
• Urban Threads: Digitized machine embroidery design retailer with a distinct aesthetic, serving home embroidery enthusiasts. Comparable business model with downloadable designs and kits.
• OESD (Embroidery Online): Direct competitor selling digitized machine embroidery designs, project kits, threads, and stabilizers to home embroidery hobbyists. Highly comparable product mix and customer base to Kimberbell.
• Dakota Collectibles: Machine embroidery design studio selling digitized applique, in-the-hoop, and quilt patterns to the same home embroidery enthusiast segment. Directly competes on design library breadth and seasonal collections.
• Applique Corner: Independent machine embroidery design studio specializing in applique and quilt-themed digitized designs. Directly comparable on product type and hobbyist customer.
• Designs by JuJu: Independent machine embroidery design studio offering digitized applique and in-the-hoop projects. Closely comparable on product type, hobbyist target customer, and DTC e-commerce model.

Broad incumbents

• Brother International: Major sewing and embroidery machine manufacturer and Kimberbell Day Platinum Sponsor. Comparable through shared customer base of home embroidery owners, though Brother operates upstream in hardware.
• Bernina of America: Premium sewing and embroidery machine brand and Kimberbell Day Gold Sponsor. Comparable through overlapping customer base, though Bernina is a hardware incumbent rather than a design/content specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KimberbellDesigns2/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/KimberbellDesigns
• Instagraminstagram.com/kimberbelldesigns/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kimberbelldesigns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kimberbell-designs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kimberbell Designs