Okay, I feel the need to kind of chime in here. I am a longarm quilter. I know the economy is a bit hard right now and watching pennies is the goal of everyone.
I am wanting to take in customer quilts to help my base line income since my disability doesn't go quite as far as the government says it should. Please don't be offended by my questions and my observations.
The quilting for $40 is a nice price. What was included for that price? Did you furnish the batting? Did you furnish the backing? Does this include attaching the binding? Does this include trimming the quilt?
The price list I have created, a full size quilt would cost around $80, BUT when that quilt is returned to the piecer it is DONE. I not only apply the binding, I also wash and dry the quilt. It is ready to be given away or used when my customer receives it back.
I prefer to wash and dry the quilt myself so I can see if there are any problems with the quilting, i.e. stitching coming out, loose threads, and remove any markings I may have done. If I have marked a quilt, and the customer does not launder the quilt correctly those markings may be there for life so I just bypass that possible disaster. I know I can spritz and wipe and the like, but even then all the chemical from the marking may not be gone or deactivated and I prefer to not take chances (mostly because I speak from bad experience)
For my own "piece" of mind I would appreciate answers to my questions so if necessary I can adjust my pricing.