Originally Posted by Scissor Queen
Originally Posted by diogirl
I was seriously considering making them for profit, but unless I was given one of those long arm machines and do it myself, I just can't see how I could make a profit if i'm paying hundreds of dollars to have the quilting done.
The problem with that is the people that appreciate how much a hand made quilt is actually worth are generally quilters and making their own. People that don't quilt don't know the value and know they can buy a quilt at a big box store for less than a hundred bucks including sheets and shams. It's tough to compete with China.
How true! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that is all changing and has been for some time now. It seems to me that about 15 years ago, home quilters such as we are, were few and far between. As I get more involved in the process of creating quilts, I see a lot more "newbies" to quilting, much more on-line info. and more "quilt" products for sale.
It has occurred to me that maybe I was simply unaware of the parallel quilting world before I got involved in it, but I don't think so; I think it's growing at a fast pace constantly. That's all to the good for those of you who sell quilts and/or your long-arm quilting skills as more people become aware of the value of what you do. Regarding the price a long arm quilter charges, I'm sure he/she earns every penny and more, if the quality of the work is good. Just take a look at the prices of the kits that are for sale; there's big honkin' price tags on those and, in point of fact, no quality fabric, thread, or notions are inexpensive and therefore we are constantly on the lookout for bargains. I, for one, would be willing to pay what it's worth to get the best quilting job possible once I invested all the time and money into putting together a quilt top.