I love this picture of your shop. I'm going to give this some thought. I liked Bella's answer about batting. How big and how small, or complicated, can you go? What would a set-up charge entail?

I pretty much agree with PaperPrincess - this was *almost* my answer, except then I remembered the Flynn laser-cut kits and Keepsake's shapes, so someone out there somewhere is buying. However, whether they're buying enough to justify the cost is another question.

Another direction to go if you're still wanting to pursue this is the scrapbooking market.

card stock hexagons diamonds etc for english paper piecing

Cabbage Rose Quilt Shop in Fort Worth, Tx has a die cut machine of their own. They are making fused die cuts for their block of the month program. You need to visit with them. The fused applique shapes are new to the market made first by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. Get input from them. They seem to be the "new" thing.

Very Interested read! Thanks for all the coments!

Do you have a lot of assorted dies? Do you make dies that you don't have?
How can we get some cut by you?

I would love to have my quilt patterns pre-cut but I could not afford it.

Ages ago, before the invention of the rotary cutter, Keepsake Quilting sold kits that were all pre-cut. All of their kits were like that - at least, that's how I remember it. :-)

Wow! thanks for all of the great feedback.

I will say I had no delusions of this being a good "money making scheme" mostly I just like making things and helping.

to Paperprincess: those are pretty cool. definitely made for the home market (which might well be all that is needed) but they are about halfway between a kitchen cookie cutter and the die rule stock this uses.

The capacity of the machine is 5/8" thickness (single or stacked) and can cut shapes up to 18"x12" with a single "hit" and larger dies by swinging it over one half doing a hit and then moving the head to cover the other half and doing a second hit. This particular unit began it's life working in a automobile upholstery factory, then moved on to doing purses and lastly making baby moccasins. I use it to make the leather bits for gauntlets used in modern medieval combats

I have a few dies now (purse patterns, baby moccasins, pennant flag, finishing up glove patterns now) and yes we make our own dies. I buy the 30" lengths of "blades" and bend them to the shape needed and then weld the ends closed.

I will try to do a quick video of the beastie in action this weekend.

thanks again for all of the feedback,
Steve

Thanks for the shop comment.
It is a one car garage and the list of machines shoehorned in it is kind of fun:

Benchmaster 10 ton punch press
4 ton Kick press
"Clicker" press
Roper 36" treadle shear
Drill press
30" brake/roll/shear
Whitney #17 punch
Pneumatic hammer
Beverly Shears (bench mounted metal shear 14ga capacity)
Two buffers
Oxyacetylene torch
Anvil
Forming Stakes and stake plate
120 lb Eucalyptus Stump for forming into.
Triple burner propane forge
Micro "smelter"
spin caster for lost wax casting.
4' x 7' workbench.