phusker5

I have been asked to piece and quilt some models (display quilts) for a quilt shop. I have a long arm quilting machine and so have regular pricing but would this go on the same scale? I haven't done piecing for others do you just figure your time? I understand they will furnish the pattern and fabric. Could use some input. I think this could be a great for both the quilt shop and my business.

QuiltingCrazie

Just curious ...did you ask the owner what she was willing to pay? Usually shop owner's have a budget set. For me it would depend on the pattern and how easy it put together. What is your time worth and what are the deadlines? For short deadlines I would charge an additional fee. Do you want to do hourly or by the quilt? I would charge by quilt because hourly is unproveable for a service like that but a finished quilt is provable if that makes since. I would charge by size and complex design. You also have to count in free advertising you will get for your work being displayed so I woud take that into consideration in chargeing. Charge for your thread for piecing and the LA and binding. I would then set a price. Hope that helps can you tell I'm a business major lol

Jan in VA

Who owns the quilt after the shop has displayed it? That might be the deciding factor. If they contribute the materials (they are doing so "at cost", remember)and get to display the sample as long as they need to, then perhaps the quilt could be yours at the end, IF that appeals to you.

This is the dilemma every shop faces, how to handle the samples. It's why, in my former shop, I hired a sample maker. She came in a couple days a week, worked for the same (sorry!) wage the others did, and we used shop fabric, materials, my on-site studio and machine, and owned the sample afterward, which I occasionally sold later.

Before I bought the shop, samples were often made by the staff, at home, with shop fabric, (plus more fabric than they needed), and they were keeping the samples as well as being paid. Not a good business arrangement as far as I was concerned.

Talk it all out beforehand to avoid ANY problems later, can't stress this enough!

Jan in VA

lfletcher

I made sample quilt tops for a local quilt shop for awhile. I called all the quilt shops in the area to still what they paid before committing. A lot of shops would just give you the top when they no longer displayed it. I didn't want all those tops as I didn't get to pick the fabric or the pattern and I have my own UFO's. One shop said she paid in yardage. If the quilt top I was making required 7 yards then I was given a 7 yard credit at the shop. This worked well. The shop quilted the tops as the owner was a longarmer. Hope this helps some.

phusker5

Thanks for all the input. I t gives me some different ways to explore. I wanted to get some ideas before i discussed pricing with her too much because i was a t a loss. I can't aford to give away my time but i also understand the advertising oportunity.