This is a great discussion...and has provided some good insight into "quilts as commodities".
It's amusing to me to see how much money people will spend on a piece of electronics ("It's the latest / greatest / fastest"). They forget or ignore that one of the "invisible" pieces of that component is "designed obsolesence". Within 6 months to a year, that latest / greatest/ fastest will be obsolete...and the cycle continues.
As for quilts and quilters, I'm reminded and encouraged, as confirmed by the passion, creativity, and effort shared on this site, that quilters are artistisans. They take raw materials (fabric), imbue those materials with their unique vision, nuture the process, and create a product that may not be the latest, greatest, or fastest, but it will always carry, in a manner of speaking, the DNA of the person who created it.
Echoing the tag line for the MasterCard commercials..."A quilt ? Priceless."
I agree that a quilter should never be shy about giving a price quote for their quilt. As noted in an earlier post, who argues with a gallery owner or artist about the price of a piece of "art" in their gallery? We should not be shy about quoting a price for the art in our galleries, either.
I doubt that the painter or sculptor sweats bullets about the cost of all the pieces and time that went into the creation. It's usually more like, "Think I'll put a $____ price tag on it." In my experience, I've never had the artist or the gallery owner back away from the price on the tag. Not that I've purchased, I'm usually "just looking".
A personal aside, I've never sold a quilt I've made, but I have been asked what I would charge. You see? The buyer is trying to establish a negotiation...and you know what that means. In that case, I'd quote a price higher than I would actually charge and we could go from there.
The caveat is that the buyer just may agree to your price on the first round. That's when the quilter would have to make a decision...and that's an entirely different reality.
A couple of years ago, I made a positively gorgeous flannel twin-size quilt for my Mother. It just "sang". I almost hated to give it up...but, she fell in love with it.
Last fall, she moved to an assisted living facility in St. Louis...and put that quilt on her bed. Everyone who saw it told her how lucky she was to have sucha beautiful artifact. Several of them asked her to check with me to see what I would charge to make one for them. Without blinking an eye, I told her to tell them that the price would be $350. Cash. 50% now and 50% upon completion.
Well, no one has asked me to make one, but that's just fine. I make no apologies for what it would cost to own a work of art created by me.
A quilt, unlike a piece of electronics, is never obsolete. An IPod or an HD TV, lots of dollars and "last year's version" within 6 months. A quilt, whenever it's made and for however long it lasts, priceless.
And besides, who can wrap up in an IPod for warmth and comfort? What's more, contrary to what the industrial designer wants us to believe, that HD TV doesn't give much warmth to a room when it's displayed on the wall.
Do all the research you need to get a sense of what the market is for your work of art. Take that into consideration, but remember it's your work, your time, and your creativity. Never be afraid to put a value on that. If you don't value it, then why should anyone else? Step up and stake the claim.