alisonquilts

I have stuff listed on Etsy (not that it ever sells! ).

I originally started on Etsy doing custom work (through a service they had called "Alchemy" that allowed people to bid on projects) and kept listing stuff since it doesn't cost much. I have sold enough stuff on (Etsy or privately) to cover my quilting habit and feel like my hobby is not a drain on the family finances. I enjoy the process of quilting and do not feel that I am undervalued when I am getting $1/hour because I am doing it for fun and I am doing it from home (no additional overhead) and only when I want to. When I take commissions I charge a flat fee for the project plus the cost of materials.

I think we crafters have flooded our markets, or perhaps just added to the flood already in progress from China. As the economy went south (and places like Antiques Roadshow showed quilts being worth gazillions of dollars) crafters decided to try to bring in some pin money by selling, so there were many many more handmade items available. As the population ages more and more handmade old quilts are coming onto the market as well, as modern families realize that they cannot stuff everything their parents owned into their (already overstuffed) homes. I agree with the previous poster's comments about there just being too much stuff around - when families used to have two or three handmade quilts per generation they valued them; now they get a new "handmade" quilt every time they change the color of the spare bedroom.

I will be in a craft fair in a month that tries to have more quirky and unusual stuff in it. I will be pricing my items as they would be priced in Crate and Barrel or Williams and Sonoma. Most will be items that get used (like placemats) or are small (like wallhangings), hoping that they will spark people's interest in getting something custom done. This is still underpricing if you are aiming for a living wage...but will probably still price me out of the market! We'll see, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Another point is that all of my friends know that I quilt. Whenever they have leftover fabric from any sewing project they tend to give it to me, because they know eventually it will be made into something and not just languish in a closet. This fabric is free, to me!

Hope this doesn't sound too much like a rant; it isn't intended to be!

Alison

Tashana

In my previous life, before I was a mother and a wife and a domestic goddes, I had a corporate job which payed the bills but gave me no personal satisfaction. I started making these cute salt and pepper shakers and napkin rings that matched. I started selling them at local arts and crafts shows at cost to cover my expenses. Very few sold. My boyfriend (now hubby) suggested to raise the price. I thought he was mad. I did it and they sold like crazy. By the end of that year I was earning more on selling my napkin rings and shakers than in my 9-5 job. People were phoning in their orders, it was insane! My 1 bedroom apartment became storage/work shop. I stopped when I got married because due to my husband's work we moved all over the world quite often. The moral of this long and boring story is that if you price it right it will sell. Prices that are too low are often equated with poor quality and questionable workmanship. People are strange, that feel bad paying little for a gift no matter how beautiful it is.

akisan

I have so many people ask me to make quilts for them and that they will pay me for it. I always tell them that I don't sell my quilts and I only make it for my family. I make and give memory quilts for friends who lost their loved ones. They love the pictures printed in fabric and it is something they can cherish. And yes, people like and admire quilts but most are not willing to pay the price.

Cindy60545

I agree that we are our own worst enemies. The local flea market has a little shop that sells quilts really cheap & it shows! The material, piecing & quilting leave a very lot to be desired! I can't even buy the fabric for what they are charging for a quilt. I do do commission work from time to time, & my customers know ahead of time that these are not cheap to produce. I have listed a few quilts on Etsy, but they never sold. I'm not giving them away. I also agree that with the newer generation that they haven't the room to store the heirlooms of their ancestors. They are also of the cheaper mind too & won't pay the prices for quality that most of us have learned.

jmoore

I enjoyed Jan in VA's post about the breakdown of cost and labor! But luckily we all enjoy quilting regardless of it's worth and our value... so much gratification in a finished quilt.

kathbug

I have come to the conclusion that as we do make quilt for the beauty of them and the love of making them , no one really knows what goes into them if they are not a quilter or even someone who sews. If they took a look at all the pieces that have to be measured and cut after you have picked out all the material . Than piecing it back together to create the beauty of the finished product it would not their socks off. Be a new quilter I told my husband that the true work of the quilt is on the opposite side where all your hard work is really shown!

MadP

As near as I can figure out, people do not want to come close to paying for the time involved in making a quilt, let alone the cost of the supplies.

ghostrider

Reagarding asking price, you also have to figure in the fact that the market is completely flooded; supply far exceeds demand even for well made hand crafted quilts. Unless people stop quilting, that won't change.

damaquilts

I just had the exterminator ask me to make him a quilt , a king size , with some sports teams logo on it. I got out of it by telling him that legally I couldn't do that. Copyright infringement. But I also told him he really couldn't afford it . He was willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars he said. Yep I controlled myself and didn't fall down laughing on the floor. I simple told him that wouldn't even cover the fabric let alone anything else. End of conversation.

Caroline S

Thanks Jan for posting the real value of making a quilt. Going to save it and print it. Perhaps even frame a copy for my wall. A copy will go to my DD who has made several commission T-shirt quilts. Eye opening to be sure.