We can talk about this tomorrow at lunch also Connie. I was told by a person who went to craft shows that you should charge 3x your costs.

A lot of it depends on if they furnish the materials. If they do, I'd either go with them or give them specific amounts to get. If they are a non sewer or non quilter, they might not know how much, etc.

Check out some of the quilt sellers on Etsy and see what their rates are for finished quilts in the size you are making. Be sure to also check how many they have actually sold using that price matrix. I think you'll find that the current rates are closer to twice the cost of materials, not three times, for utilitarian quilts. Whatever price you and the buyer agree upon will be the best price when all is said and done. ;-)

I would maybe try to keep it simple. Since they are already used to paying for materials, perhaps charge materials times 2 for an easy quilt, materials times 3 for an intermediate quilt, and materials times 4 for an expert level quilt (feathered star, bear's paw). If the quilt is queen or king-sized, add another multiple (materials times 3 for an easy queen-sized quilt, for example).

it also depends on your location. in the area of a big city, you can charge a lot more because there's more money going around and less competition.

determine how much you want to make each hour. how many hours will it take. if you don't know, overestimate. it still won't be enough hours. then double that, AT LEAST. so it you want $10 an hour for a quilt that takes 10 hours, double $100 and charge AT LEAST $200 (plus all materials). the reason is this: you can do what they can't. that's worth a premium price. your plumber charges, what? $50? to walk into the house. and he charges you for any materials he needs to buy. he's no better at what he does than you are.

if you live in an area where money is tighter, decide on how low you want to go. there is a point at which it doesn't pay any more. below a certain price, people think you should work for free and then get huffy when you want a fair price. they think they can bargain and they don't want to understand that you're already at rock-bottom. if they can't afford to pay you fair price, they have to buy off-the-rack. people can't have everything they want just because they want it.

whatever you decide, good luck. let us know how it works out.

I don't do commissioned work because I don't want to do what others want, only what I want. Does that sound selfish? Yes, well, that's okay. I worked too many years having to do everything according to someone else's wishes. Now that I'm retired it's my turn. If I make something that I've enjoyed and someone wants to buy it then as long as I get my money back plus just a little, I'm okay with it. Afterall, I've had the enjoyment of making it.

I agree - doing a "commission" piece just takes the fun out of quilting. But if I ever do something for someone whos asks, usually becasue they are family, I tell them they are not allowed to say where they got it!! LOL!

Go on the web site Etsy and see what quilts are selling for.

this is what I would do. That way you can stay competitive but not be over or under priced.

I actually prefer to make what I want and set a price on it, then to take a commission. I will if the price is right, make it worth my time.

I hope the pattern is very simple--otherwise you will be getting about a dollar an hour! I recently did 2 quilts "for hire" and charged $10 per hour. I kept a tally of my hours and didn't actually charge out as many as I spent, but still it came out to about $200 per quilt for labor. They furnished supplies and paid for the long arm quilting.