sewjoyce

Joanne -- thanks so much for your response. I never thought about it quite that way before. I have one friend who is a survivor and who wears the pink ribbons, makes items for breast cancer patients, and is generally "gung ho" about it all. I showed her the pink ribbon quilt I'd made, and she cried. My DD also told me that her MIL simply loved the quilt and had hung it in her bedroom. So I guess that I was just too quick to judge (a trait that I'm not proud of and am really trying to work on :D )

JoanneS

Oh yes, we survivors tend to be VERY active in BC fundraising. We want a CURE to be found for pretty obvious reasons.

I'm glad your friend's MIL has hung the quilt in her bedroom. She clearlly treasures it. Maybe she was too choked up to thank you. I hope she gets around to it, though. It's never too late for someone to say thank you!

cr12cats

even a bad neighbor asked me to make a african theme quilt.I told her I would help her since she says she wants to learn if she just gets her supplies. I notice if I offer that way they don't mention it again. When say they want to learn but just want it done for them. I helped a friend make 5 quillows in one week couple of xmas ago I did the putting together and then she helped tie them it was alot of fun.

bstanbro

I'm so glad we've had this thread because last night I received my first request for a bed-sized quilt from a long-time friend's husband. To be fair to my friend, she followed up his email with one of her own saying that she didn't know he had this desire and apologizing if I was offended. (Not really, but geez.) Here is the request:

I have a personal request for a quilt. I'll pay you fairly: I want one with a big black bear on it, we can work on the layout. I need it large enough to hang over on a queen-sized bed. Would you consider doing it when you have time?

And this was my response:

Oh gosh. I have so many projects lined up to be done that it will probably be quite some time before I could get to this. Further, you need to understand that the fabric alone for a quilt this size would be over $200. The quilting would be another $200, so you can see that the materials alone are very expensive. As for my time, it would probably take me a about a month of daily work to do a quilt this size. That said, if you will pick a pattern and purchase the fabric, I’ll be happy to sew it together for you. Think about it and let me know.

As of yet, I haven't heard from him.

Olivia's Grammy

And probably won't. I usually make a quilt for our Church auction every year. One year this lady didn't want to up the bid (less than $100) so she missed the quilt. Later she came up to me to ask if I would make her one. I told her it would start at $200. She walked away in a huff.

MistyMarie

Every time I give away a quilt to a friend (usually baby quilts), several in my family remind me that I haven't finished quilts for them. I think there is a finality in giving a person a quilt. For example, I used blocks from a Christmas swap to make my MIL a quilt. (My current picture under my name.) Now, when I have found the perfect fabric for another quilt for her, I feel incredibly guilty for making her another one before I make the rest of my family theirs. It would look bad if I made my MIL two before I even got around to the rest of the family. It wouldn't do any good to explain that I did not actually make the blocks in her first quilt, so I just have to let the fabric for her second one sit on the shelf. She will probably be dead by the the time I get around to making the rest of the family their quilts.

Maybe if you made small wall hangings for everyone in the family that asks for a quilt, they would at least get a "quilt" from you. (Actually, I think I might try this. :-P :-P )

MistyMarie

Wow. I honestly think quilting is one of the most under-appreciated, under-rewarded arts out there.

My mom is a professional artist and she can paint a mural in a week and make an easy thousand. Her cost is maybe $50.00 for the paint and another $50.00 for the brushes and such. We make a quilt that takes months, costs hundreds in fabric, batting, and thread; takes hundreds of hours, and then we cannot sell it for what we have in it. Incredible.

jojo47

I had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago when I had taken a quilt top I had finished to 'show-and-tell' at work. One of the staff liked it and told me she'd like to have me make one for her in the same colors..."But I want to see it first when it's finished." (Like...before she paid for it). I told her to go to the local LQS, pick out 20 FQs of her choice and bring them to me. Nope....never heard from her on the subject again!

Rachel

aliaslaceygreen you made me laugh... I've said the same thing. You go buy the fabric and the pattern and then I'll figure out how much I'm going to charge you to do it. It never happens. I have a SIL, love her dearly, but she wants one of every quilt I make... so sorry... you don't ever use the afghan I made you 15 years ago. I've never seen it once on the couch or bed. I actually asked about it a couple of years ago, she had no idea where it was. Then a friend of mine (since we were little kids) asked me to make one for her bf (which I don't even like) and I said NO, flat out. I was kinda proud of myself. She said, but I'll pay you for it. Yeah, you'd pay for materials, not the 100's of hours I put into it. sorry, not gonna happen, I think she got the idea. I even went as far to say that if she ever gave the one I made her to her BF, don't even expect anything from me again. period.

Boston1954

My sister is always after me to make her a quilt. I already made her 3 complete ones and about 5 or 6 tops.