ScrappyAZ

I don't mind binding, but I would pay someone to sandwich my quilts. Absolutely hate sandwiching!! Hate it, hate it, hate it. Sometimes I put the quilt top, batting and backing on my table, waiting for the sandwiching fairy to sandwich my quilt, but she never comes.

GailG

I agree with ScrappyAZ! I love the binding process! So I would not use the service, but I think that you are very industrious to want to start this type of business. I'm sure a lot of people would consider hiring you. I have no idea of how to charge for your service. Good luck.

QuiltNama

I charge $1.50 per foot for binding. I sew binding to the front and hand stitch to the back. Curved edges are more. Depending on the size of the quilt, have customer bring me uncut fabric for their binding and I cut, sew and press to fit the quilt. I one time had someone bring me a binding she has made that was all bias and many small pieces sewn together. They were stretched and did not want to lay flat, when I called her about the problem she said, steam into submission. I do not like to do shoddy work so request flat fabric now and everyone I have done quilts for seem ok with that. I also do machine binding as some people just don't like binding!!!

Peckish

I did this for about six months. I do show-quality bindings; hand-sewn, invisible stitches, mitered corners, full to the edge. I was charging $.25 an inch. I had lots of people trying to get me to lower my prices by offering to sew the binding on by machine first, and leave the rest for me to do by hand. At first, I said yes to this and lowered the price to $.20 for those customers, but that ended up being such a headache that I quit doing it. So many people A) do not know how to join binding ends, they would simply fold them over, B) always iron the binding in half (which makes for a less-full binding), C) do not keep a consistent quarter-inch seam when attaching binding (which also makes for a less-full binding). I had bizarre requests, the weirdest one was to bind a quilt that was monk's cloth woven with worsted weight yarn, and backed with polar fleece. Very fluffy and fat, and the customer was unhappy that I was unable to get a quarter-inch wide binding on it.
The other problem I had was time. I had customers who wanted a very fast turn-around. One in particular had several quilts she wanted bound at the same time. I gave her a quote and she disappeared for three months. Came back, took me up on my quote, then wanted all of the quilts bound in 5 days because they were gifts.

I think the part that finally convinced me to shut it down was the fact that the work is all or nothing. I'd go for a month with nothing, then I'd get 7 binding jobs, half of which were rush jobs. I'm still raising a family and it's difficult to work on rush bindings when I have after-school sports and clubs, boy scout activities, orthodontist appointments, etc. Maybe when my kids are grown and gone....

NanaCsews2

Couldn't agree more with Skittl1321. My thoughts are that if I were sending my work out to be longarmed, I would want quality work done-both on the front of the quilt and the back, and near perfect if not perfect looking corners. Charging by the inch for me would be the way to go. With a contract clearly stating the terms, especially if the work is not done by an agreed-upon date and. You will want to have samples to provide as your way of doing it should be satisfactory to the customer before work is started.
Good luck in your venture-I would think there is a great calling for this.

Bubbie

Peckish has brought up still yet another problem that anyone who works for others from home has run into "THE RUSH JOBS". I take care of the books and billing for a friend of mine who works from home, I've done this for 13 of the 14 years shes had her business. After I worked her books for a year, I had to point out to her that she HAD to charge an extra fee for RUSH jobs. It was always the same people who would wait until the last minute and then they would want their stuff NOW, without regard for others (jobs she was working on without deadlines, her family, her ability to sleep). I told my friend that at first some people might not be happy about the up charge, but that most would understand. So I made up the new price sheets and e-mailed them out. The only people who questioned the charges as I had told her, where the ones who ALWAYS had a RUSH. She was concerned that she would lose customers. I pointed out that it would show her in a "MORE PROFESSIONAL LIGHT", and it did. She lost 1 customer for a few months, but they even came back (and pay the up charge for RUSH). It also changed how often she receives RUSH jobs. The people who did it all of the time, now don't do it as much (they plan better). My friend didn't lose any money over this, because she was able to plan her work out better too. It has also given her more family time. So when you setting your price sheet up, plan on an UP CHARGE for RUSH jobs. You know how fast you work and what will be involved in doing the quality of work, so when you give your price and turnaround time you need to know how much the up charge is for faster service (because you will not be able to work on anything else maybe not even dinner - lol). Good luck

PaperPrincess

Many long arm quilters will sandwich and baste your quilt for a nominal charge.

maryellen2u

My mother used to do this to make a little pocket money. I don't remember what she charged but I do remember thinking it wasn't enough. Thank God she didn't charge my quilter sister or I. I was always surprised how fast she could finish a quilt. Her stitches were invisible and study, God rest her soul. I think you should charge by the inch and even more if you provide the fabric and sew it on. Good luck with your enterprise!

AnnT

That's sounds like an excellent opportunity for you! I would charge by the inch unless you were planning to round off to the nearest foot or do the calculations for a partial foot. Personally, I'd rather not do all the math :-) . My long arm quilter doesn't do binding but I don't mind doing it.

Kris P

My friend has a quilting business, and charges 24 cents per inch for handgun binding. She also charges $15 per hour for any other sewing or fixing she needs to do on a quilt top before quilting it.