I recently finished a quilt for a friend of a friend who started it 30 years ago. She started to hand quilt it, but because she had used a heavy chintz for the sashing and the backing, she gave up quickly when she couldn't get a needle through it. The poor UFO sat in the closet for 30 years.
My quilty friend suggested she call me, as she knew I had rescued other quilts.
When I went to see her, she and her husband never asked how much it would cost.
I kept a log of how many hours I put into the project (13), and how many bobbins of thread (6) and how many needles I used !~! That shocked me, but the heavy fabric was dulling the needles almost as fast as I changed them.
So, today, I presented her finished quilt. She loved it. Her husband loved it. Her housekeeper (who happened to be there) loved it. Again, we did not discuss the price.
Finally, her husband got up and announced that he had to go on an errand so "how much do we owe you" came up.
I explained I did 13 hours, plus the thread and needles and gave them my price. They didn't bat an eye and rounded it up to the nearest $20.
It made me feel good.
It really did.
So, next time, I won't worry so much, and just say it as it is. My rescue fee is ... so much per hour.
Now, I can go buy my next project !!! Woohooo