i have done a couple on line bom's i have found that you wind up paying 3 times as much to make the quilt as you would if you just bought the patterns and did it yourself; the fabric choices are not always to your liking, sometimes the kit peices are not cut correctly and you go through contacting the shop and trying to get a replacement fabric; and a couple i did was just because i really really wanted to make the quilt but the patterns were just not available unless you did it their way...i have signed up, paid big, and still used my own fabrics...using the ones they send for something totally different.
every year i swear i will not waste my money on another one...this year i am doing 3...but they are almost done...and next year? no way...i'm going it on my own.
the first one i did was through a lqs; i figured it out about 1/2 way through, if i had bought the yardage from the shop and the pattern packet i would have spent about $157; doing it month by month and buying the kits cost me $487; and that was with no shipping or sign up fees.
so, if you are considering doing one i recommend figuring out the actual cost and really checking out the fabrics. do you love them and cant find them anywhere else? is it the only way to do this quilt...do you really think it will hold your interest for a whole year? they do not let you decide 1/2 way through that you don't want to make it anymore; you are commited to finish the program. and if you are finding ones you like that have the $25 signup fees, keep looking, there are plenty of shops that offer the exact same bom without the signup fees.