Jan in VA

$50 - $75?? Are you kidding?!
If you could finish a queen quilt in 10 hours flat, you'd be working for $5 an hour! No way.
Seriously, you'd devalue your own work as well as that of other quilters who do this for income. Please reconsider how you see yourself and the value of your time, experience, and skill. You deserve better!

Jan in VA

carolaug

If you enjoy making quilts and have no projects in the making then I would agree with 50 - 75.00 - I would also have her go to the store with a list of what you need for Fabric and thread. If you do not FMQ it and need to send it out to have that done then you should let her know that and what it costs. People have no glue on how expensive our hobby is...

HomespunHearth

I think in our industry, the craftmanship in our work is far under-valued. Along with labor and materials, as well as quilting costs, there should be a certain mark-up for your expertise ... the more of a quilting expert you are, the more you should charge. Not to mention time and energy deciding on fabric ... just my 2 cents ... haha I won't charge for that

Gannyrosie

My quilting is my escape and hobby and no one has ever asked me to make them one. If someone asked , it would probably be a family member or close friend ( who is just like family). I'm a very giving person, and even though the extra $$ would make me happy in a fabric shop, I know I would not charge them for my time. If it's a person who I am just an acquaintance with, it would be about $100. I am no where near a professional, so I could not charge professional rates.

JanetP

I agree with everyone here - don't shortchange yourself. I do machine embroidery and custom sewing/mending for friends. I give up a lot of my time to do this and if they don't want to pay what it is worth, they find someone else to do it or they do it themselves. It doesn't bother me one way or the other. My time is too valuable to not be compensated for it.

MaryKatherine

My family all got 1 free quilts. Now any additional quilt is priced this way. They pay for the materials and pay me at least half the material price again + postage or shipping costs, PLUS any amount above that they think they can afford. Then I give them a cost to quote to their friends just in case they think I'll make everyone a cheap quilt. (Most are surprised at the deal they received and usually increase what they planned to pay)
MaryKatherine

coopah

As always, Jan has some good points and says them well. I agree with her!

lclang

Long ago I quit doing work for those who do not quilt or sew because they have no inkling what it takes to make a quilt. Now I tell them I will NOT make a quilt for them, but if they are determined to have a quilt I will be glad to help them make their own, offering advice and guidance as needed. That is usually the end of it.

needlefruit

Some consideration has to be given to your location. In South Central Texas, I charge $6.75 per square foot as a base price for all supplies and labor---turn key. A relatively simple twin quilt would be roughly $300 at that rate; a complicated pattern or custom quilting would be more. Remember not to 'jump up if you don't intend to run.' That customer will tell another, and another, and another, and you'll end up working yourself to death for a little of nothing and wishing you'd never 'jumped up.' Wanna ask me how I know?

justflyingin

I can guess how you know.

Do you stay busy with that price of $6.75 per square foot?