"Just let me get my magic wand..."
05-09-2016, 02:44 PM
#101
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
Posts: 6,003
QuiltnLady1, you didn't need a magic wand for that "friend", you needed a broomstick to bop her over the head with, then to give her to fly away on!!! For the garage floor!! Just imagine!!!
05-09-2016, 02:46 PM
#102
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,434
Originally Posted by QuiltnLady1
Great thread!! I LOVE Cathy Miller -- her songs always make me smile. My story -- I was asked by a friend a couple of years ago to make a twin quilt -- I asked who it was for what it should look like, etc. I she had some specifics in colors, fabrics, etc, then told me it had to be heavily quilted because it was to replace the quilt her son used on the garage floor when he was working on his car -- the one he had from Walmart wore out too fast. Needless to say, I said I would not make the quilt -- she was not happy.
05-09-2016, 08:27 PM
#104
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,414
Originally Posted by lynnie
what really amazes me is that people think a 'craft' by a woman is of less value than a repair on their car and a repair shop per hour is so much more worth it than a quick quilt by one of us.
05-09-2016, 08:49 PM
#105
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North East Lower peninsula of Michigan
Posts: 6,231
I have a store bought quilt in my camper well I got It for free but no way would I make anything other than a scrappy quilt for the camper
__________________
Last edited by Up North; 05-09-2016 at 08:53 PM.
05-09-2016, 09:24 PM
#106
Power Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 26,062
Originally Posted by Jo Anne B.
Last Fall I had a lunch with a GF, I had driven to her small town about 30 min. from me. Thought I'd stop at he local shop for a yard of flannel. This friend went on to buy over $100 for a pattern and fabric, I am being confused she is a non-quilter... on the way back to the car she announces we could quilt for an hour on Wednesday's at her house. I thought my head was going to fall off my shoulders. When I claimed "no we would do this at my house, it was just wasn't worth it for me to spend 30 min. packing my car, the 30 min. drive for an hour of sewing.
She now wants to gift me the the goods.
She now wants to gift me the the goods.
05-09-2016, 09:41 PM
#107
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,859
Originally Posted by jbj137
***
*** My story:
*** Can you make me a quilt for my camper
*** so I want ruin my good comforters?
***
*** I guess quilts are only for dirty, trashy places.
***
*** My story:
*** Can you make me a quilt for my camper
*** so I want ruin my good comforters?
***
*** I guess quilts are only for dirty, trashy places.
***
05-09-2016, 09:43 PM
#108
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,859
Originally Posted by glassnquilts
I made a lap quilt for my son in law. Extra long. He keeps it at work because it gets cold and he wraps it around his shoulders. He said one of his coworkers asked if I could make them one for $50. He just laughed and told them they couldn't afford one.
05-10-2016, 03:57 AM
#109
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: West Bend, WI
Posts: 2,229
I made an oversized queen bargello quilt for my daughter and then soon-to-be son-in-law. It was incredibly time consuming and fairly expensive (for me at least). I probably had $250-$300 in materials alone and then I had paid someone $200 to finish the quilting on it. My friend, who doesn't sew or do any crafts says to me "Oh I want one, would you make me one?". I said....well....I guess but you'd have to pay for the materials and quilting. When I told her what it would cost....AT COST.....she just said...well I thought we were friends and you'd just give it to me, besides, you can get a quilt at Walmart for much less. OKAY.......so.....go buy one at Walmart. And I dare you to buy one that looks like mine 
WTH? lol
WTH? lol
05-10-2016, 07:46 AM
#110
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
Posts: 266
Originally Posted by Sandygirl
I don't tell people what it costs...i tell them how many HOURS it takes to make a quilt, a purse, whatever. Esp if quoting a price for one. I don't sew for others. I just smile at the them.
One problem that we read ver and over is that a lot of the ladies do not comunicate the COSTS associated with making a quilt. Time and costs. Speak up! Never take on a request without discussing the total costs and timeline and put it on paper. Get signatures agreeing to the terms. Collect the material costs upfront. A lot of getting cheated is the fault of the quilter...not the " customer". Don't try to be "in business" if you are unable to properly quote the request.
"No" is a powerful word...use it!
Sandy
One problem that we read ver and over is that a lot of the ladies do not comunicate the COSTS associated with making a quilt. Time and costs. Speak up! Never take on a request without discussing the total costs and timeline and put it on paper. Get signatures agreeing to the terms. Collect the material costs upfront. A lot of getting cheated is the fault of the quilter...not the " customer". Don't try to be "in business" if you are unable to properly quote the request.
"No" is a powerful word...use it!
Sandy
Back in the 80's I made most of my clothes, including some things like tailored slacks. I was a single mom at the time, so when a lady at church approached me and asked if I could make a dress for her, all I saw was an opportunity to make some money and never thought to ask several important questions. I didn't think to ask what kind of fabric it was or what type of pattern, and told her I would do it for $20.00. STUPID ME STUPID ME STUPID ME!!! NO WONDER her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when I gave her the price - she handed me a bag with six yards of slinky, slide-y silk charmeuse and a pattern for a dress with a full circle skirt on it!
I didn't have the guts back then to say, "I'm sorry...I'll have to re-think that price and timeline..." and went ahead and made it. It took me weeks longer than I originally thought it would, but every time I called her to tell her it was taking longer, she just happily said, "That's fine!" UGH! She knew she was taking advantage of my ignorance, plus she'd seen my work and knew that I would do a good job regardless...
That dress was a nightmare - I had to do French seams on almost the entire dress, plus it needed tons of handwork. It turned out beautiful though and she very happily handed me a twenty dollar bill when it was finished. Didn't even seem ashamed of herself.
After that I did one more dress for a little girl at church. I charged a more realistic price, but the mom picked a pattern that had miles and miles of ruffles and gathers. What a headache! After that I decided that I would NEVER sew for money again! Took all the fun out of it.
Now I only make quilts for people that I love, and I make them as gifts, on my own timeline. I don't do mending either, and like many of you, I have a seamstress that I take my mending and alterations to. I don't have a problem telling people "No" any more. Life's too short to put up with that aggravation.
The problem that I have now is with my best friend - we've been besties for around 25 years and I love her dearly...can't imagine life without her. I've been working on an Irish Chain quilt for her and I'm looking forward to hand quilting it (never done that before.)
She's a very loving, giving person, but she does a lot of guilt and has a hard time receiving things from others. She's thrilled that I'm making her the quilt but she kept trying to pay me for it until out of frustration one day I said,"NANCY! If you try to pay me one more time for this GIFT that I'm so lovingly and willingly making for you, I'm gonna burn the damn thing! OK?!"
She looked a bit shocked and then we both started laughing. Then she said, "You're right...I've got to stop doing that. THANK YOU...I'm going to cherish this quilt!"
Last edited by SherylM; 05-10-2016 at 08:00 AM.
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