mamabear229

If you do the qult and later the shams and valances, PLEASE, make sure she orders enought material for them at the same time as the quilt material. If she doesn't and you try to get the same fabric when she buy her home, you'll never match it. Everyone has already said it, Get money up front.

I, too, got burned by 2 close friends ( a married couple) each wanted a Seminole Jacket, they're as much work as a quilt top. Going price for a real seminole jacket is $600 to $1100, I was only charging $300 each. Needless to say I didn't get it.

So, get paid up front!

k9dancer

You know, this pattern, Radiant Star, is not the easiest for a beginner to do, and for a variety of reasons. If I were you, I'd make one for myself first so you know what you are getting into.

Here are my thoughts:
1) You are having technical difficulties now on one of your own projects. It will be worse later when combined with the stress of a project for another. These current difficulties, IMHO, should be well past you before taking on a commissioned project.

2) You are still learning. As a teacher, I would suggest you get some easy quilts under your belt first.

3) I don't know how much free motion work you have ever done, but for most people it takes about a hundred hours of practice before they feel they have begun to understand the process.

I would humbly suggest that you try something easier to start, like a log cabin. Since it would be a learning experience, and this is a good friend, let her buy the supplies, and you supply the labor for free on a pattern of YOUR choice.
Just my 2 cents...your mileage may vary.

watterstide

The last baby quilt i made, i told the girl not to tell anyone that i make quilts for price..it is too stressful for me, they think your nuts when you tell them how much you have invested in the fabric/batting,backing and thread alone.
let alone pay you a fair price for your time.
i make them,for people, out of the goodness of my heart..plus i would rather make charity quilts.
have her look on etsy to get an idea on what a homemade quilt costs..

the clock on the electrical strip is brilliant idea..i should do it, just to see wht kind of actual time i spend making them!

jolo

So in other words she wants a whole room decorated. Check into the prices of that. My daughter had it professionlly done and just the bed,window treatments and pillow shams to match cost her $25 thousand. AS someone else stated get all the fabric at one time or else there will be no matching it later. and realize you are tying yourself down to many months of work.Maybe a year. A lone star quilt is not an easy pattern either.

DebsShelties

She already knows I will be buying more fabric than the pattern calls for as a just in case I make a boo boo. She is sending me the money after I tell her this is how much. She is paying UPFRONT!

DebsShelties

Am using Moda Marbles for the fabric, I know Favorite Fabrics carries it and I have ordered from her before. Great customer service! It will give me something to create quilt wise, will be posting pics as I go so everyone can see the progress. Looking at starting just after July 4th. She knows this will be a large project and will run into next year, and is ok with this.

charity-crafter

>Have decided Radiant Star will be the pattern.

Wow, that's not a beginner pattern at all. I'm afraid to tackle that and I've been making quilt blocks and tops for several years.

Please understand we are only sharing our own past experiences with quilting for "friends" It's the fastest way to lose a friendship.

Either you wind up doing it for a great price for your friend that you get frustrated with the amount of work you are doing for so little return.

Or you actually charge enough to make it worth your while and antagonize your friend who doesn't understand how much real work it involved.

Also ask about who pays shipping back to your friend. That will be ~$20-30 wouldn't it? for a big quilt?

You are basically looking at a huge job, requirng weeks if not months or more of work if you are eventually doing her entire bedroom.

Really look at all aspects of this before agreeing to do it. Only you know what you are willing to do for your friend.

I don't do any sewing or quilting for pay. If I have something finished and someone wants to buy it, then I'll sell it to them. I don't do custom work for anyone. For me, it's sucks all the joy of it.

auntmag

I would charge $10/sq.foot for a completed quilt, even if she furnished all the materials for it.

Granny B

Awhile back there was a breakdown of how much it costs to make a quilt. It should stillbe somewhere on the board. It was a lot more than $100.00.

MomNanaWolf

Sorry forgot to say way to go on your find