Free is the price you charge. You are happy with this arrangement. Good for you! BUT... For those who plan to cover their costs and charge for the labor, they need and must give a written proposal prior to beginning the project. One does not remodel a kitchen without a written proposal.....it does not make sense to do otherwise. If the customer is not happy with the arrangement...too bad. It is not meant to be.

I don't quilt for others and i certainly expect to cover my costs and labor if I would. My time is precious and i do what I enjoy doing. I sew and quilt for my pleasure. And IF I choose to...I give my very special people a gift from me.

You cant be mad at the customer IF you do not discuss the financial terms ahead of time. And ask for a deposit to cover materials.

Sandy

Perfect!!! And professional too!

Sandy

The reason I don't charge is cause I do it because I want to and at this time I am able to afford it. This is a hobby for me not a job. Many people donate to strangers....I donate to friends and family....its the same thing. I do it cause it feels good. Besides I can only have so many quilts in my house.... ; )

There is a difference between doing a favor and/or giving a gift

and

being hired/commissioned to do something.

I'm thinking of making quilts for others and thought to charge ten cents per square inch. I would buy all supplies and that would still leave me enough money for the making and quilting. I also would limit the size I make since I machine quilt on my home machine, not a long arm. The bigger quilts seem expensive at this price, though. What do you think about my price?

I know for the ones I have done for pay, I will figure out my costs of fabric, and I go with the full price of the fabric, but usually get it on sale. I also do a sample square to get an idea of how long it will take me to put the quilt together. It may not be real accurate, so I may add an extra hour or so to the time. I times this number by the amount I want to earn per hour. For the quilting I base it on what my local quilt shop charges. Usually .015 - .04 per square inch. I also base my binding charge on what some of the other quilters in my state are charging. I then write up a proposal, and if it comes to an odd amount, I up it a few dollars. I have found that I can usually judge pretty well how long a quilt will take me. I don't go over my proposal amount. If I find it took a whole lot longer, then I adjust for the next quilt that I do like that. I also ask my clients to not share with others what they paid for their quilt. The reason behind this, is that someone may like a simple four patch quilt I made, and ask what was paid for that quilt and expects a much more complicated design for the same price. My clients have been great in not sharing prices. I do have them give a non refundable deposit up front of 50% and they also have a proposal that details what will be done on the quilt. I had one guy that had me make a quilt for his wife, and he gave me an extra $20 than what I quoted to him. I really appreciated that, and he paid for the whole quilt up front. He has been one of my best word of mouth advertisers. I really like the idea from longarm university. The only thing I don't do is detail the cost of everything for my customers. I just don't like people knowing how much I make, even though it may not be a lot. My customers have been fine with a very basic proposal that states how the quilt will be done, and then the total amount it will cost.