Originally Posted by Sierra
Too many people on QF have mentioned that quilting for $$ and doing someone else's pattern or idea takes the "fun" out of quilting. Twice I've had people ask me for a quit. My neice or said "anything to do with water" (she white water rafts, among other things) and I couldn't come up with any idea at all! I finally asked her to go to a quilt shop and buy 5 yards of fabric she really liked. I thought this might give me an idea for a design (I could use it on the back,if not the front), and also give her an idea of the cost. Now this is a neice I love dearly. She sent me some slightly varigated fabric (from JoAnn's I'm sure) and it looked so plain that I suddenly felt free to do whatever I wanted. I did a bardello (I didn't know it was called that and I may be misspelling it) and on the back I stitched a panel of circular waterfall design. She told me she was thrilled.
Her daughter came up to me and said "I love hummingbirds and lime green." I was free to do what ever, within those perimeters. Her quilt is my avatar.
The point of all this is, it can be deadening to make a quilt that isn't "yours". I'd be so careful before doing so. Either sew for those you love, for charity (a chance to do that new pattern or just to go wild for a bit), or, if you need money, then for what it really costs + labor.
I agree that making a quilt with someone else's parameter can be no fun at all.
Had to laugh about the "bardello" comment. What you meant was "bargello", but what flashed into my mind was "bordello" (spelled differently), a house of ill repute.