love to sew

posted on another's post but realized it should be separate from their post. Does anyone have a price sheet already made up that they would like to share? I have been quilting for many years but for myself, my sister and charities that I support. Quilts of Valor, Christ Child Society, Aid for adoption for special needs kids, Hope Cottage. I have had several requests for quilting of other peoples personal quilts (not for charity). And certainly NOT for any show! haha, I was thinking that I didn't want to do this as a business and have to report for taxes. But I was thinking of asking them to provide the thread color of their choice but specify the brand, and give me a gift card to the LQS or Joannes for the batting ( I only use warm and natural off the roll) but no money changing hands other than that with a donation to one of the charities I quilt for (their choice). What do you think? btw, I would not advertise as I would not want to take business away from LA'rs.

newbee3

sounds like to me you have a good idea. And it would be nice for you to earn some reward for your quilting. I basically do the same as you I quilt for charities and va quilts so I know where you are coming from

quiltingshorttimer

Not sure about AZ, but where I live, you would still have to report "payment in kind" as earnings if you were doing a lot of this. If you have a certain group that you are long arming their charity quilts for, perhaps you could get around this by asking them to bring you certain thread, bat, and backing and just hold it for those quilts.

ManiacQuilter2

I had to start machine quilting for others since I had lost my job (company relocated). I thought it would be fun but it was NOT. When you start getting paid, quilters will want it done their way.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...d-t275578.html
There have been some horror stories posted on this site. Read them before you make the plunge. I was so busy I had NO TIME to quilt for myself. It seemed that everyone wanted their quilt done quickly! Good Luck!

PaperPrincess

As Maniac said, think long and hard before you turn a hobby into a business. It often turns a fun, enjoyable activity into, well, work.
As far as pricing goes, you can google 'long arm quilting services' to get rates from different providers as a starting point. This will also give you an idea of other services they charge for: squaring a quilt, fixing borders, seaming backing, pressing, etc.
Pricing varies by geographic location. Some places, you can get an overall meander for $0.01 per square inch, some places the lowest is $0.015 or $0.02. If you go to your LQS or ask at a guild meeting you should be able to get info for local quilters.
I worked with a local quilter and quickly decided that it wasn't for me: wonky tops, threads all over, pet hair, wavy borders etc. Plus they want it yesterday. I'm very careful as I piece my tops, I don't need to deal with other folks' problems.