Well said - we think alike! I quilt to escape. Later they can be up for grabs...if they become work from the start they never get done in my house.

So funny how different we all are! I love having commissions because then I know I am making something someone wants, and it isn't going to end up lurking around my house.

I tend to undercharge on my commissions, as I am still thinking of it as "paying for my hobby" rather than "income". I have a price sheet of fixed amounts (for a crib quilt $85-$200) that is the cost of my time/planning/skill, to which I add the actual cost of materials. The range within the price comes from factoring in the pattern - it takes way less time to plan and make a rail fence quilt than to plan and make a foundation-pieced quilt where every block is different! And then there is applique...

Alison

I repaired a quilt for a friend's neighbor so I had no real connection to the women. The quilt was in terrible condition and to top it off it was a store bought quilt but over the years gone torn up, etc. She loved the quilt and wanted it fixed. She had all the materials except the batting. I told her $150. She looked at me like I had 2 heads. I said to her, I can see you are not comfortabel with that so I won't waste anymore of your time. She responded and said she just didn't think it would be so much. So I said to her, well let me ask you this....I began to tell her all I had to do, take out the bad parts, take off the backing, make the new squares, sew them on the top, layer and tie it (it was origionally tied so I kept it that way). I figured my time would be approximately 30 hours. So I said to her...you're a professional women, what do you make an hour? She looked at me and said, OK I see your point. The quilt came out better than I had expected and when I dropped it off she even gave me an extra $10. Friends or no friends, acquaintances, family doesn't matter sometimes, your time is your time, so charge what you feel you are comfortable with and stick to it.

I'm with you 100%. I made a quilt to order for a friend and will never do that again ever........it was all stress and no fun.

Quiltingsavta, I get the same response. Usually, I name my price if they are not willing to pay for the cost of the fabric and time. I just let it go, because as a lot of the women describe, it can be stressful be cause you are getting paid you want it to be perfect. However you come back to the lady you had to redo the quilt for was perfect!! You explained the process of what you had to do to give her what she wanted, and she was happy in the end. Nice going.

If I were pricing a quilt for a friend instead of a stranger, the price would be different. That being said, I'd be sure to tell the friend that they were to keep the price TO THEMSELVES, because there would be NO WAY I'd sell quilt to a stranger without being paid well for it, and I wouldn't want my friend telling people, " Oh, she'll make you a quilt for this low price"! I put a lap size quilt together for a friend and said she really didn't have to pay me, but she gave me a gift card for $50. But there is NO WAY I'd only charge $50 if I were going to try and make this a business. Just saying.

Yes get the price down on paper , with his signed agreement. I made a quilt for some one with them knowing it was going to be $$$'s when it was done, they just couldn't believe they had agreed to pay that. so I gave the quilt to one of my daughters for a birthday gift.
to much work and $$ to give away out of the family.