My grandmother and her church lady group made folding wreaths (they were made for the kitchen table) from ready made potholders. I don't remember much but they looked just like the ones being made now but of course lacking the great fabrics.
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I have been offered $40 also for them. I have reworked the pattern to a smaller size and like it so much better. They still take a day to make. Author of the pattern did not write directions in a smaller size. I did my own trial and error. I like the size much better. They turn out to be 14 inches in diameter. Much cuter and fit the center of a table better. For them I have been offered $30.
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Originally Posted by Mommalonglegs
(Post 7726479)
I have been offered $40 also for them. They still take a day to make.
I just can't imagine how people can offer $30 for a day's worth of labor?! Assuming that's "only" 8 hours, it works out to be $3.75/hour -- assuming they bought all the materials & paid for your electric bill, and wear & tear on your machine & durable goods. I can't imagine doing that in this area. Minimum wage even for unskilled jobs like being a Wal-Mart greeter pays $10.50/hour. I can't for the life of figure out why people think it's okay to offer such insulting prices to quilters... well, okay, I can, but it still disturbs me. Hopefully some day, we as a society will cease to think it's acceptable to pay some child laborer in Bangladesh $1/day to sew our clothing & home goods in (typically) substandard conditions with the rationale that "at least they have a job now". Then, people will start to see the true cost to produce the things they so love. The fabric alone probably cost at least $10. Low-end for consumables and wear & tear and utilities would be $1. So that leaves you $19 for 8 hours of work (excluding your design time, time spent shopping for materials & any time spent with the buyer), or $2/hour. Sometimes I just want to ask people: "would you work for $2/hour?" |
I donated 2 for a charity auction they went for $50 each. It takes me about 4 hours to make one. I use deco-bond and heat-n-bond instead of the foam so its a little cheaper. I try to buy as much of the materials as possible with 50% off coupons at JoAnns.
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I sell a lot of fabric items so I only purchase fabric either wholesale or at a very good sale. I can make 2 'regular' size wreaths from 2 half yards of fabric and a half yard of a heavy interfacing. So, my total materials cost is around $6 - $7. I currently sell them for $18 - $24 and I sell a lot of them. The 2 pricing methods for selling items are either take your total materials cost x's 3 or if you make several at a time, take your total materials cost for several and add an hourly charge and divide by however many you made. Either of these final figures needs to be adjusted according to how things sell in your area. Also, if you are making them for a friend you may only want to recoup your material costs. The hexies use less fabric but take more time so I charge the same amount. You may also want to adjust for the amount of time you put into it. I make 2 at a time and it takes me less than 2 hours to do it, but, I have made a lot of them and have a routine.
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Originally Posted by Pennyhal
(Post 7725737)
I've run into the Walmart syndrome all the time. People are always asking me if I can make one of my quilted jackets for them. When I tell them that they are $100 plus tax, the change their minds. So be upfront with what you need to charge and don't be shy about it.
as someone else mentioned, I go with the 3-4 x cost price too. |
Can I use the double sided fusible Bosal for the fold n' stitch wreath? I know the pattern says single sided, but has anyone used the double sided? Thanks in advance!
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If you use the double sided wouldn't they be hard to turn inside out?
Originally Posted by grammanene
(Post 7764423)
Can I use the double sided fusible Bosal for the fold n' stitch wreath? I know the pattern says single sided, but has anyone used the double sided? Thanks in advance!
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Yes they would, but I'm thinking only if I fuse the one side as pattern says to, the once it's sewn together and turned inside out, THEN, press and it would fuse then. Any insight?
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