I have a lady that is wanting me to make her a full/queen or even a twin size quilt with Lady Bugs on it. I have the pattern but now, how do I go about telling her how much it will cost? I've never done this before.

Any help would be great.

I don't know what to tell you to charge the lady to make the quilt. You've got the expense of the materials (fabric, thread, batting) and your own time and the machine time. Whatever you do, from what I have read on here, tell her up front what the cost will before doing anything, and get a deposit. Most folks just don't realize how much it really costs to make a quilt!

I agree. That's why I was wondering and wanting to ask you all on here. Also, I don't FMQ yet either. So, if she wanted it from me it would be SID or someone else would have to do it.

Anyone else intersted in doing a quilt for someone? LOL

Time plus materials.

$300-500 is not unusual and not unreasonable.

Have her buy the fabric after you've decided how much, but I'd suggest a little bit over. Maybe enough for a pair of pillow cases, just in case.

The others here know more about prices, but do make sure she has the amount firmly agreed to, maybe even with a contract both of you sign. Be sure to add everything to it, the folks here on this forum will have lots of ideas on that.

I do everything by hand. I double the price of the materials and add $10.00 per hour for the actual stitching and quilting. That way if it takes longer than I thought it would, it is covered. By all means get a hefty deposit. No everyone likes the same patterns and it is sometimes harder to sell one pattern than others. Best of luck...

How much does a normal longarm charge for quilting though?

I know to charge a whole lot. That way they go away and leave me alone!!

I have found this article to be very helpful:

http://www.bryerpatch.com/faq/marketing.htm

I've only been commissioned to make one quilt, and even though my customer said she'd pay me, I didn't make any money on the deal. By the time she reimbursed me for fabric, backing, batting, and the extra embroidery she decided she wanted AFTER we had discussed price, we were at a price that I think she felt was pretty high. Since she was a friend, I decided to let it go, but I'm much wiser now.

I've used the above link to determine how much my quilts would cost to replace, then advised the quilt recipient to insure it for that amount. They have the choice of insuring it or not, but it subtly makes the point that they should take care of that quilt and not use it as a dog bed or car cover. Ha.