joyce888

I can never figure out what I'm going to pay. I know if it's custom I'm going to pay out the a--. One of the LQS will let you rent the LA'r but at $125 an hour and no experience I'd end up spending more.

Ellen 1

Just a few comments: All the longarm quilters that I know charge by the SQ Inch (not inch) LXW=Sq Inch. I know one lady who charges by the bobbin. Most longarm quilters do not charge by the flat rate. I don't because it is more difficult to figure out why/how to charge, (and explain it to my customer) when it is easier to just tell the customer what the rate is for the square inch. It is also difficult to keep an accurate accounting of the time it takes to quilt something, when charging by the hour, because of interruptions, etc.

The reason for different prices (per sq inch) depends on the type and/or amount of quilting to be done. A longarm quilter would be (in a sense) paying you to quilt your quilt if she was to do custom quilting and only charge a flat rate or lower price that would be acceptable for doing a simple meandering price.

Reasons for all the "extra charges" you are referring to, such as piecing the back, pressing, etc. is; these are very time comsuming tasks and your longarm quilter just wants to quilt your top and move on to another top to quilt. They do not want prepare the top (pressing, clipping threads) for quilting or finish the quilt, i.e. binding, unlelss they are paid for their time.

It may sound like a lot of money to pay to have a top quilted, but longarm quilters are not getting rich off of their customers.

Hope this helps. Ellen

Farm Quilter

I do longarm quilting for others and I do charge by the inch. That said, I would not want to pay by the piece, i.e. $50.00 for a baby quilt, because I know the quilter would be hustling through the quilt, in git-r-dun mode, and I know I would not be happy. The only time I do charge by the hour is when I m doing ruler work - it is very slow process to get it lined up correctly compared to doing free-motion quilting!

hcarpanini

I charge by the square inch. It takes time to load a quilt, choose thread and pattern. If I have a quilt that is 60x80 that is 4800 square inches. My base price is 1.8 cents per square inch. That quilt is $86.40. If I meander, it will take me about 20-30 minutes to load, time to wind bobbins and thread the machine. Meandering a quilt that size may take an hour and a half. I am now into this for 2+ hours. That also doesn't take into account trimming threads, and keeping the quilt straight as it rolls. Was the backing ironed before it came in? Was it pieced? I now have wear on my machine, electricity, and I don't charge for thread.
How do you put a price on your time? This is the most stressfull yet most rewarding job I have ever had. What if the customer doesn't like what, did I choose the right color thread, and so on...
Thats my two cents of how I charge!

allie1448

I rent out time on my LA (HQ Avante) I offer a two hour lesson to get the new clients familiar with the machine and take them through as many of the different types of quilting as I can within that time. Customers can then rent the machine at an hourly rate. The time it takes them to quilt will depend on the type of quilting they want to do and the size of the quilt.
I am not sure if we will ever be really profitable but the clients we have had so far love the service we offer, they get to complete their projects themselves, and I get to meet lovely people and can put some of the income we receive to offset the money we paid for the machine. Everyone wins!!!

allie1448

Wow! That is a terrible hourly rate!!! Come to Canada and pay $15 per hour and I am happy to be on hand with advice and help all the time you are here! lol

AnnaF

I have been a longarm quilter for seven yrs. I charge by the sq. inch. My prices vary according to what my client wants done on his/her quilt. Basically a loose meander would be $.01 per sq inch. Price would rise accordingly if more dense quilting is desired. Prices for pantograph work also varies according to density and complexity. Panto prices start @ $.0125 per, sq. inch. Custom work also is priced according to density and complexity of design. In general I typically charge $.03 - $.04 for dense custom quilting.
I personally don't know of any quilters in my area that charge by the hour though there may well be some that do.
On occasion I have rented time on my Gammill for people to quilt their own quilt but honestly don't have that many clients that wish to do that. I don't have a second machine or room to add one so don't picture myself doing a lot of renting.
Another thing I do on occasion is to barter for services with a client. It's a win win situation for both myself and the client.

pjnesler

Reading the posts so far, all of a sudden the beautuful work I've seen from Marilyn Badger came to mind - can you imagine how much one of her masterpieces must be worth in quilting labor alone?

Just Me...

When a LA quilter charges by the hour, how will they 'prove' to you that they spent XX hours on it? For estimate purposes, it seems much more tangible to quote by the inch. The reason for the 'other' charges you mention is that when you drop a quilt off to a longarmer, it is expected that the top and back are ready to go. If it creates extra work for them, then there are additional charges. There are some who don't like to piece their own backs, so we longarmers will do that for you, but not for free. :) Time is money in any industry. If we take time away from the actual quilting of the quilt, there are costs associated with that time.

Bottle Blonde

A huge Thank You to everyone for sharing so much information in this discussion. I think it has helped clear up a lot of misunderstanding about how a professional determines their charges. I want to encourage everyone to have those unquilted tops finished up! There are so many options out there ---- from machine rental to bartering for LAQ service, and just about everything in between. Thanks!