Thread: How Long Do You Wait to Get on Your Long-Armer's Schedule?

Originally Posted by PlanoDebbie

Just curious, if anyone is willing to share....how much do most LAQ's charge for a quilt? I know there's a huge difference between someone just stippling vs a computerized or detailed design. A friend of mine took a king size log cabin quilt to a LAQ and never asked them up front what they would charge. They did a nice job of FMQ feathers throughout, but charged her $1200. I can't believe someone would take a quilt to be done and have absolutely no clue how much it might cost them.

It's rather hard to say what "most" LAQs charge, because it depends on sooo many factors. How big is the quilt. How dense is the pattern. Is it hand or machine guided. What area of the country are you in - prices quoted in Seattle (for example) would be much higher than rural Arkansas, simply because the cost of living is higher. How skilled and in demand is the quilter - I know of a few LAQs who are so good at quilting, they are able to be very choosy about their clients and they charge a lot more.

Your best bet for pricing in YOUR area is to call around and ask for pricing info. Most quilters will give you a basic quote of cents per inch for pantos or edge-to-edge, and another rate for custom quilting. Some quilters will have pricing info on their websites, also.

$1200 seems awfully steep to me. The most I ever paid was $350 for a machine-guided panto on a 110" x 110" quilt.

Originally Posted by Buckeye Rose

I've never waited months for LA, just a few weeks. There are so many talented LA quilters right here on the board, that I would never waste time looking anywhere else. Many of them post photos of their work here and also have many who can testify to their skills!

Thanks for stating this. I'm one of the LAer's listed on the board & do post pics of my work also. Currently there's no waiting 'cuz I just finished all the quilts that are at the quilt show this weekend. Everyone was concentrating on it, now they'll start thinking Christmas & I'm sure I'll be busy again. But I don't anticipate more than a 2 week turn around for anyone.
As far as price, we all charge by the square inch. Most all are pretty standard at .015 per sq for an all-over meandering type of quilting. The prices vary from that point on. Semi-custom & custom is where the prices really differ. It depends on the skill level of the LAer & how backlogged they are. $1200 is way too steep for anything but a full custom quilt job. It must have been show quality when it was finished.
Look here on the board for all the LAer's. Take a look at their postings & see which one's style fits what you're thinking of putting on your quilt & send them a PM to get the ball rolling. All of us will respond asap.

Different long armers, different time frames. My favorite takes more time because she's in high demand. She's excellent and I will wait 4 weeks for her. Others are 2 weeks and I send my easy quilts to them. But my hard quilts that I want custom go to Tracy because Tracy does awesome work and I know I will love the job.

I LOVE MY L.A.Q.!!!!! Right around this time of year I have several projects in the pipeline, and a schedule to keep. My LAQ allows me to call and get on her schedule before I've even begun the quilt. Since I know I have to finish a quilt by this-and-such a date (because another is right after that on my schedule), I get on the schedule within a day or two after finishing the top. If I finish early, I take it over anyway - several times someone's cancelled at the last minute and my quilt's been put on the frame in its stead, and the quilt gets finished even earlier!

Maybe - if you're certain when a top is going to be finished, you could get on her schedule. I used to finish, then call .... and then wait until my LAQ told me I could schedule way ahead, and how. You probably wouldn't have to get an agreement with your LAQ - as long as you finish by the agreed-on drop-off date: no harm, no foul, no deception.

The LQS I go to has a LA that you can rent. The rental book is open on the counter and all you have to do is put your name and phone num's bert down. I did my grandson's baseball quilt last week and have 2 days in Dec. for two more quilts I will have finished by then. I am just learning to use it and totally enjoy it. The employees are very helpful and the ability to do your own quilt is great. The cost is very reasonable and it sure beats going out and buying a LA. I would have to do around 100+ quilts to just pay for the LA plus the added expense of thread etc. I did my GS's quilt plus batting for less than $100. To me this is the way to go.