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A co-worker of my DD would like me to make a quilt from her recently deceased mother's clothing. She will provide everything needed - clothing, batting, backing and thread. She doesn't want anything fancy. Any suggestion on what to charge for something like this? She would like to have it completed by Christmas.
Thanks for your help.
Mary
Does she just want squares put together or something like a 9 patch with sashing? I just did this for a friend from her fathers shirts. I had to put interfacing behind each one, some were so thin ( used something specific for silk fabric it was very light and didn't add much bulk.). She picked out a quilt pattern she liked and I was comfortable making. I'm thinking of asking $250 + the quilting on my longarm. Only you can know if you can get it done by Christmas. I felt better about having her pick out the pattern so I knew she would be flappy with it. I would want to see the fabrics first. If they are slippery polyester blouse fabrics they will be more time consuming to handle.
until you see what type of fabric she plans on having in it, you really don't know what your getting into. Certain fabrics will need stabilizer on the back and that is alot more work you have to put into it. Go on etsy and do a search for tshirt quilts. You will be able to see what quilts like that are going for.
enjoy your life...it's the only one you have!!!
Heather
You couldn't pay me enough to tackle a quilt like that. I have done it for a favor and just charged for materials needed to do it. As someone mentioned it depends on what kind of clothing she brings. Cotton house dresses are easy enough to make into a top. Knits, jerseys, cordory,denim etc. are tougher to work with and combine.
Originally Posted by Tartan
I could not agree more. I did it once (well actually twice as the client had me make two, one for her and one for her sister). I cussed myself up, down and sideways while making it and swore I would never ever do it again. While I made a couple hundred for each quilt the aggravation wasn't worth it working with all those different weights and types of fabrics. Plus I was looking at fabric I didn't love, which I have discovered is an integral part of the enjoyment of the quilting process for me. I will do T-shirt quilts for hire but I will not make another memory quilt from clothing of deceased loved ones ever again. No amount of money is worth it to me.
I agree! If she's a friend and you WANT to do something like that, I'd do it for the cost of supplies, but with NO DEADLINE! If she's just a random co worker who knows you quilt, I would pass. You'll never make enough money to make this worthwhile, and it will end up being extremely aggravating.
I would be wary of working on a project like that with a deadline of Christmas. That's a lot of pressure!
Christmas 2013 "maybe". We are staring at the calendar and November is looming large! No way would i put the pressure on my plate. I would have to charge a premium to do so.
Sandy
Sandygirl
Janome 9900 / Janome 9700 / Janome Decor 3050 / Janome 1100D serger
Singer Centennial model (inherited from my late, fav aunt!)
I do this stuff because the money feeds my habit -I enjoy working on a project as much as the person appreciates me doing it. I may start out the conversation with "My quilt group gets $300(or whatever) or more to do this" and pay attention to their face. Then negotiate from there. I know that i never "make" any money, but consider the pay a token of my kindness.
I did finish a quilt for a woman - gave her a choice - a variety of things that I could do w/ a range of prices and then let her chose. It took some of the "hardness" out of creating a price, too. It came down to what I'd really like to get paid and how I'd do it, down to still meeting her needs and a cost that I thought she could probably afford.
Last edited by 117becca; 10-24-2012 at 01:31 AM.
my name is becca and i'm a quilt-a-holic :-)
Those are all great suggestions everyone, thanks. I'm working on a t-shirt quilt for my nephew on and off right now, so I do know about the stabilizer on the back. I will check etsy to see what the going price is on there too.
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