BETTY62

I have never made a T-Shirt Quilt but a friend of a friend wants me to make one for them. They will furnish all of the materials needed and pay me to piece the top and tie it together. I will be responsible for:

1) cutting out and stabilizing the t-shirt blocks - 5 hrs
2) cutting the fabric and adding a border around each individual block as well as the finished top - 4 hrs
3) machine piecing the blocks together - 2 hrs
4) machine binding the quilt - 1 hr
5) tie the top and back together - 2 hrs

I estimate around 14 hrs @ $8 per hour for a total cost of about $112. Since I have never kept up with the hours I spend making a quilt is 14 hours a reasonable estimate of time for the average quilter to make a big block quilt? Is charging $8 per hour a reasonable charge for making a big block quilt?

I want to be fair to both myself and the individual wanting the quilt made so any advise you can give me will really be appreciated.

Thanks in advance or your help.

Prekteacher

I will be interested to this question also.

Terri D.

I helped an acquaintance with her T-shirt quilt business last Christmas. It's always more work than you think.

Don't forget to factor in your time for creating a layout, plus calculating yardage for and time spent cutting compensating strips, sashing, borders, backing and binding. T-shirts are not created equal in that one shirt's logo may give you a 14" square, whereas another may only yield an 8" square. If you have to account for those size differences, it will require more of your time, for which you should rightly charge.

Barbj

I agree with Terri. Having done a few T-shirt quilts myself, I'd be very surprised if you could even come close to finishing it in the time you've allotted. Would she consider just an "estimate" and pay you an hourly rate? Your asking price is very reasonable.

stillclock

no. $8 is less than minimum wage here. your time allocations are really slim, unless you are a lot faster than most.

value your work as you hope others will value the finished product. double your price (at the very, very least), and then see if the person still wants it done. if it's something you really *want* to do, then charge whatever you want.

but don't underestimate the value of your skills, the quality of your work, or the worth of the final product. this is custom work, and for $112 you couldn't even get a throw cushion made in most upholstery shops. and if the person says no thanks, please please please don't take it personally. if they truly cannot afford it, then negotiate. if they think it's not worth it, i'm sure you have other projects you could be working on. because you are worth all of that and infinitely more.

aileen

dunster

Couldn't have said it better than stillclock.

Lisa_wanna_b_quilter

I wouldn't make queen sized quilt for $112. If you do one at that price, everyone will be asking you to do it. Sewing/quilting is a skilled trade that requires specialized equipment and deserves more than minimum wage. Sure, "anyone can learn to do it" as so many people say. Well, I'll just bet anyone can learn to pump septic tanks, too. I certainly don't want to do that and will gladly pay someone with that skill set and equipment more than minimum wage to do it for me. Why isn't your skill and equipment worth anything?

tellabella

Not enough...how about at least $12 per hour for starters....and you need more time than that...I can't bind a quilt in an hour...even on machine...are you making the binding...pressing,etc...takes me longer...just squaring up takes that much time sometimes...

ocydroma

I'm new to quilting but I would also consider wear and tear on your machine, rotary cutter, mat and other tools used. And like as mentioned above, the time you will spend designing the layout. I have learned quilting isn't just sewing, it's an art. Please do not under sale or under estimate your talent. I feel the price you posted is on the way low side. JMHO.

PlanoDebbie

When I make a t-shirt quilt on commission I charge $320.00. That includes the backing fabric, batting, stabilizer for shirts, border fabrics and binding. My finished quilts are usually about 65" wide and about 75" long.

I would much rather donate my time to make a charity quilt than work for only $8.00 per hour. As everyone on this board knows, quilting is a skilled art. If quilting was so easy, nobody would need to hire a quilter. Don't sell yourself cheap.