Knitette

This is very true - making quilts for others - money aside - may well change your whole attitude to quilting.

Years ago I painted ceramics - I had my own kiln and poured molds etc. (I posted a picture so that you can seen the type of thing I loved doing). I adored it. Friends and family saw my pieces and wanted me to make stuff for them, gifts for weddings, etc. etc. Because they were friends and friends of friends, I charged very little.

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It quickly became like a business and robbed all the joy from it. I must have made dozens of ceramic Christmas trees and newborn teddies. Mind-numbing stuff. I eventually gave up, sold all my stuff and haven't done any since.

How are you going to feel, making a pattern that drives you mad and fabric you don't like? If you decide to go ahead, make sure you charge enough that truly reflects the value of your time and skill.

Good luck whatever you decide

Sheilz

Your ceramics are lovely. Such a shame you felt crushed into giving up on your hobby. A few people I know compromise between hobby and having return on the outlay of craft work by making the things they like to sell at craft fairs. I've never sold a quilt for profit. Not that I wouldn't want to, but like many others I've seen the expression on people's faces when the financial investment in any one quilt is explained to them. So far my quilts have been or will be gifts but I do agree with the ladies that this is skilled work and should be valued as such.

Plumtree

Like others I do not try to sell my self short but I also know I am not going to sell a $1000 quilt to the average person.
You didn't say what size quilt you have been asked to make--this will affect the price drastically. I am not sure what your skills are either which will also play a part in the price. If you get to pick the fabric out and the pattern you could get away with a YBR or Turning 20 in a lap size or baby size for about $150 and finish it in about 2 days time from start to finish. If you are doing something with paper piecing (which I wouldn't ever do for customer) you will have to charge a whole lot more, if you are making a queen or king size quilt you will or should be charging the $800-$1000.
If you make a quilts for people you have to look for fabric on sale and when it is buy as much as you can afford. This is how a profit is made-- at least for me it is.
If I have the fabric to make quilt from my stash and I all ready own the pattern, I am long arm quilter so I can get wholesale cost for batting and thread that makes my initial cost is lower than the average then and I make more.

Does that make sense? It is really early here and I haven't had a full coffee yet so it might be all jumbled.
I hope you are able to figure it out and get paid wisely for your time and most importantly don't forget to come and post pictures of the finished quilt so we can ooohhh and aahhhh over its beauty. :-)

Happy Quilting
T

twinkie

I totally agree with you. I once heard a saying that goes something like this. "If I could buy you for what you are worth and sell you for what you think you are worth, I would be rich".
Depending on the complexity of the pattern, I usually take the price of all of the supplies (material, thread, batting, backing, binding, etc) and double it. Then I add $100 to cover the cost of gas getting the material, supplies and also the hidden costs such as electricity, lights, etc. This is a very controversial question with many, many answers.

bearisgray

The question "how much to charge?" has been asked many times.

I think one also needs to factor in the cost of one's equipment and tools.

The actual (replacement) cost of the materials used is only the starting point. I think even some people that have been quilting for years are surprised when they add up EVERYTHING that was used.

(I think it is reasonable to count the cost of electricity for the machines and iron - washer and dryer if used - etc.)

Quite bluntly, all quilts are not equal.

Also, WHO made the quilts also affects the value. Two quilts that looked identical - equal workmanship - blah, blah, blah - if one was made by a well-known quilter like Sharon Schamber (or other award winner) - that one could/would be sold for a lot more than one made by a "not know yet" person.

Edited to add: Seems like Twinkie and I are on the same wavelength this morning. :-)

mom-6

I really don't want to make a quilt unless it is a labor of love. For that reason when someone asks me how much I just tell them my prices start at $350. So far that has been sufficient to keep anyone from inquiring further.
Shortly after I started quilting,
a friend (who I was already planning to make a gift for) asked me to make one with her collection of fabric and I agreed if I got to keep what was left over and if there was not a time limit as to when she got it. Two years later she was ecstatic with receiving "Blankelroy" a queen sized 8" random squares front and back of all different colors and wale widths of corduroy tied at the intersections. It was my first completely machine stitched quilt and I learned a lot about what would and would not work with corduroy! Plus I have a nice stack of beautiful corduroy in my stash.

justducky65

I had this question just the other day on Facebook. Someone messaged me and asked how long it took and how much I charged. I proceeded to tell them about a queen-sized quilt I am working on as a wedding gift and that the supplies alone cost me roughly $250. I then proceeded to tell them that constructing the quilt would be an additional $250-300. They wanted a baby quilt by sometime in January. I told them if they purchased the supplies, the cost for constructing the quilt would be roughly $100. I then went on to explain the cost of the yard goods (at $8-10/yard), etc. and how much materials would cost them. I got a thank you and have not heard back from them since.

I thought my prices were reasonable, and everyone here is correct. Non-sewers do not have any idea what it takes to construct a quilt. They just know what they "think" they should be paying based on the quilts they see in the big box stores that are made overseas.

These days, I am happy to be able to just do this for myself and for gifts for others at my leisure. With a full-time job already, I do not need the added pressure of paying customers. I put enough pressure on myself as it is!

nabobw

I just got $800. for one I just finished. That included all the material and all the embroidery I did on it. It seems like a lot of money but really is not for the time and worry that goes into making a quilt for a paying person. Also my time is WORTH money.

quiltingmimipj

I copied this from the board a few months ago. Please note this is from 2004. I was at a quilt shop last week, and the fabric was priced at $11.99.

quiltmom04

I think pricing is very different depending on why you're doing it. You said you've been "asked to make quilts ". By whom? A local gallery ? A neighbor? Aunt Mary? If they are for a store, charge out the wazoo! If you do well, you make a lot of money, and you won't be cranking out quilts at sweat shop rates. Your neighbor ? Maybe she just wants something inexpensive and having you make a quilt seems like a good option, or to save her running around finding an appropriate wedding gift. Maybe she wouldn't mind paying what your time is worth. You have to use your judgement here. Do you feel like doing it for free, or for just a little? Then go ahead. But be aware, that she might tell everyone how inexpensive you are and you'll end up in the same sweatshop scenario . ( I have made things for people, for free or a little money and said "Don't you DARE tell anyone where you got this" haha!) Aunt Mary? I wouldn't charge a relative, except for supplies, but I would put my own timetable I it, and I generally tell them it takes months. Usually that takes care of it. When you make a business selling things too inexpensively, you don't just ultimately hurt yourself, but the rest of the people who are trying to make a decent wage. How many times to we hear: " My long armer will do a king size for $30. " So the long armers out there charging a reasonable rate are hurt because someone's willing to do it so cheap. Same thing with making a quilt.