Originally Posted by ckcowl
it is difficult to decide how much to charge for your work, and it applies to all art forms not just quilting...my mom is an artist, (painter) she tells a story all the time about the time she took a couple paintings into a gallery to try to place them...the owner asked her how much she wanted for them, one of them she told him $500 thinking that that was a HUGE price and he would probably tell her she was dreaming...turned out, he wouldn't accept the pieces because they were so (UNDER-PRICED) he told her she should be asking a minimum of $3700 for the one in question...she was excited and said..."i would happily accept $3700 for it" he told her that since she did not believe her work was good enough for more than $500 she needed to go home, when she felt her work was up to their standards they would talk again...she never went back, but she did start making alot more money for her work...she gets after me frequently for selling too (cheap) if you really are not sure...spend the $$ to have a quilt appraised one day. i have one i have about $300 into, plus time of course..was ready to sell it for $600...had it appraised...it appraised at $3400...who woulda guessed ?
I think that the one thing that bothers me (and it is NOT the price. If I could command prices like that, and find the market, and provide the goods, then why not?) but the thing that disturbs me?
They don't list the quiltmaker. You are not purchasing a piece of fiber art by "Trish Casey-Green", you are purchasing from their website, where they refer to themselves as we/they, not Mary/Janette. We could be as easily (*and I DO NOT KNOW THIS AS FACT) a bunch of immigrant women who are paid minimum wages under the table, as two or three prolific and highly skilled artists and business women.
When 'hobby' quilters tend to price their work, they DO undercharge. I read here how (and know in person) someone says they will do or have sold such and such quilt for $50 or $100.
Now, simple math here, assume you bought everything on sale at the LQS. A quilt requires HOW much yardage? At say, $7.00, you need 3.5 yards for the back, and maybe (making life simple) 4 yards over all for the front and then batting at say, $15.
You are at $67.50 BEFORE thread.
BEFORE buying needles.
BEFORE purchasing the pattern.
BEFORE charging yourself minimum wage ($7.35) for the (15??? )
hours it takes to make.
You should never sell a quilt for UNDER $ 177.45, with that math. And that isn't really even allowing a profit, nor is it taking into account the classes you've taken to learn the skill, nor the machines, rulers and other durable accessories you require.
ETA:: Having now read through, I see that I must have missed the names of the artists. I wish there was a more prominent BIO section for them...