Quilters Unlimited

What Quilters Unlimited does

Quilters Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit quilt guild founded in 1972 by Bonnie Spather and headquartered in Merrifield, Virginia. It operates as a federation of 11 chapters across Northern Virginia — Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Fairfax, Haymarket, McLean, Mt. Vernon, Reston, Springfield, and Vienna — serving over 1,000 combined members. The organization delivers quilting education, community engagement, and charitable service through chapter meetings, workshops, bees, trunk shows, retreats, and Zoom-based virtual events, with meetings held at community venues including fire stations, libraries, churches, and senior living facilities.

The guild's core "product" is membership-based access to its educational and social programming, supported by an underlying technology platform: Wild Apricot membership management software, which powers the QU website, member directory, event registration, payment processing, mobile app, and digital membership cards. The organization does not develop proprietary technology and relies entirely on this third-party SaaS infrastructure for member administration.

Quilters Unlimited generates revenue through annual membership dues — $30 per year for a primary chapter membership and $15 per year for associate memberships in additional chapters — plus tax-deductible donations directed either to specific chapters or to general operations. The membership year runs July 1 through June 30. There is no commercial revenue, no venture or institutional funding, and no published financial statements; the entity is member-funded and community-governed under QU Bylaws by a central executive board. The guild also runs charitable outreach projects, including a flag quilt initiative for the Bull Run Warrior Retreat supporting the USA's 250th anniversary.

Name

Quilters Unlimited

Legal name

Quilters Unlimited

Website

https://quiltersunlimited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quilters Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit quilt guild operating 11 chapters across Northern Virginia, serving over 1,000 members through annual memberships, quilting education, workshops, and community service projects since 1972.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Merrifield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues: $30 per year for primary membership in one chapter, with ability to join additional chapters as associate member for $15 per year. Membership year runs July 1 through June 30.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to support the mission of preserving quilting tradition and promoting quilting education. Donations can be directed to specific chapters or to Quilters Unlimited general operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Quilters Unlimited is a nonprofit quilt guild that sells annual chapter memberships ($30 primary, $15 associate) granting access to quilting education, workshops, bees, trunk shows, and retreats across 11 chapters in Northern Virginia. It also accepts tax-deductible donations to support charitable quilting projects and public quilting education. Members participate in a hybrid in-person and virtual (Zoom) community for skill development and community service.

Product overview

Quilters Unlimited is a community quilting guild with 11 chapters across Northern Virginia, serving over 1,000 members. The organization offers membership-based access to quilting education, workshops, community events, and charitable projects. The primary customer-facing products are the membership program and chapter activities. Wild Apricot serves as the membership management platform powering member profiles, event registration, and the mobile app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quilters Unlimited Membership

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1972Wild Apricot provides membership management software powering the Quilters Unlimited website, event registration, membership directory, mobile app, and payment processing for membership dues and event fees.
• Herndon Fortnightly LibraryminorOthersWeekly quilting bee held at the Herndon Fortnightly Library Makers Space, providing tables, tools, sewing machines and friendly advice to the community.
• Vienna Fire DepartmentminorOthersVienna chapter holds regular meetings at the Vienna Fire Department, 400 Center Street S., 2nd Floor.
• Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire DepartmentminorOthersSpringfield chapter meets every Tuesday at the firehall of the Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department at 7011 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA.
• Goodwin HouseminorOthersArlington chapter holds in-person meetings at Goodwin House Auditorium (Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, 3440 S Jefferson St, Falls Church, VA).
• The Quilter's StudiominorOthersAnnandale Education Bee meets at The Quilter's Studio, Unit L, Fair City Mall, 9600 Main Street, Fairfax, VA.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Quilter's Society: National quilting organization running shows, publications, memberships, and educational programming at scale. Comparable as a broader, established player in the quilting community space, though it operates nationally and across more commercial activities than QU's regional community focus.

Direct peers

• Modern Quilt Guild: Federated network of quilting guilds with a central organization and local chapters, similar structurally to Quilters Unlimited. Highly comparable operating model, though oriented toward modern/contemporary quilting aesthetics and serving members nationally rather than a single Virginia region.

Others

• Embroidery Guild of America: National membership organization supporting needlework education through local chapters, seminars, and publications. Comparable as a nonprofit, member-driven craft guild with a similar chapter-based education model, though focused on embroidery rather than quilting.
• Quilt Alliance: National nonprofit focused on documenting, preserving, and celebrating quiltmaking heritage and tradition. Comparable as a mission-driven organization in the quilting ecosystem, but operates as an advocacy/research entity rather than a local-chapter membership guild.
• American Sewing Guild: National membership organization of sewing enthusiasts organized into local neighborhood groups. Comparable as a federated, member-driven craft guild model with chapters and educational focus, though broader than quilting specifically.

Regional players

• Minnesota Quilters, Inc. Statewide quilting organization in Minnesota offering meetings, retreats, and educational programming to a broad membership base. Comparable as a regionally organized quilting association with a similar educational/community mission, though operating in the upper Midwest rather than Northern Virginia.
• Houston Area Quilt Guild: Regional quilt guild serving a large metropolitan area through chapters, meetings, workshops, and shows. Comparable as a similarly structured regional guild serving hobby quilters, but operating in a different geography (Houston, TX) and not in direct competition with QU.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/quiltersunlimitedquiltshow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quilters-unlimited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Quilters Unlimited