Meet Ursula Almeida of Ursa Makes

Each month in the Longarm League, we hold a coaching call with one of our members to talk about their business. This month I sat down with Ursula Almeida of UrsaMakes. We talked about strategies for continuing to build her client base, the value of consistency in attending guild meetings, building relationships with local shops, using Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies to guide goal-setting, and a big future goal.

While League members have full access to the recording of the call, we asked Ursula to share a little more about herself and her business with our blog readers.

Without further ado, let's meet Ursula...

Ursula Almeida, UrsaMakes

Located: Santa Barbara, CA area
In business: 8 months
Machine and software: Babylock Coronet, handguided without software
In the Longarm League: 11 months

Where to find Ursula
Website: https://www.ursamakes.com/
Instagram: @ursamakes
Best way for someone to contact you for quilting? Instagram DM, book a quilt on my website, or email

Q&A

Tell us a little about your business and the services you provide at UrsaMakes.
I provide custom quilting and, in the materials I use, I favor natural fibers. I will definitely use poly thread when it's the best choice for the job.

Do you have any advice for someone just starting out with their business?
I think Jess says, "Start messy." I've repeated that basic sentiment countless times. Just keep going!

How did you get started longarm quilting?
I tried out piecing to see if I liked it and I did, enough. But what really caught my attention was the intricate custom quilting I found on the internet. Not even in person because it was the pandemic! So I tried it with moderate success on my domestic and liked it enough to upgrade. And then upgrade again. And again! It should be no surprise that I'm looking to upgrade yet again.

Could you tell us about a business "win" you've had?
Just getting up the courage to go to our local guild was a win for me, but when guest speaker Verschka Zarate of Pride and Joy Quilting praised my custom quilting in front of the guild, it made my day, my week, my whole month!

What quilting designs have you been loving lately?
I've been quilting feathers of all kinds all over the place!

What is your favorite notion for longarm quilting?
I don't have a favorite yet, but I just installed Red Snappers and I have high hopes for them.

What's your favorite part of making a quilt?
Quilting it! The faster I get through the piecing part, the faster I get to the quilting.

Favorite snack while sewing?
Almonds, string cheese and dark chocolate ... but not outside the kitchen/dining room. House rules (because we have a teen).

What other hobbies do you enjoy aside from quliting?
Reading, podcasts and knitting! The first two pair well with quilting but I still find time to knit. Pattern writing on the other hand is on hiatus.

If you'd like to watch the call with Ursula, or are interested in being a guest, we'd love to have you join us! Whether you're interested in starting your own longarm quilting business, or wanting to improve your current business, check out our Rookie Season course! You can see all the details, read about how the course has helped previous students, and get started here.

Thanks so much for talking with us this month Ursula!