I am amazed at how many people think I can just crank out a project for them on a very short notice! Just because I have a sewing room and machines and such, they come up with all these ideas for me to do for them! I don't wanna! I don't have the time and if I did I would do mine! Much of it I am not even skilled to do.Just amazes me and yet I know it shouldn't but it still does! I am not alone on this I am guessing?

Understand entirely!

Same here. There is a young girl at work that wants me to make her a quilt, but has not even offered to pay....i will not commit

Amen to that - they think you have all the time in the world if you have a sewing machine - been there, done that! I'm retired and proud of it.

Just say NO (thank you to Nancy Reagan on that)!

I agree...and they think it should be worth about $5/hr worth of labor too.

I only make things that I plan to give as gifts....I never do a project for anyone. Gifts or charity only...ensures a happy recipient.

Do like I did, Learn to say no!

I've learned to say no, and if they persist, tell them that they cannot afford me! :)

Try collecting from the ones that wants you to, then you do as a favor, then you have to asked and wait for the money. My DH says don't ask and don't do it again. Ya try to be nice :lol:

Your right Barb, I only do the things I want to do and usually is a gift or charity! Bless everyone's heart, I do believe people mean well when they approach me on their projects, but it is not my project.

Oh yes, that and get volunteer for all sorts of projects. Have good friend that thinks I can make all things fabric.
Shows me pictures, and then says "you can do this right, it looks easy" No, doesn't get through. So now I tell her if she will find me a pattern I will make what ever it is. She has yet to bring me patterns!! LOL.
I do love to sew, but don't like filling orders.

Here's the deal, if they insist on a quilt, then offer your price nicely.

By then, they will get the picture.

I understand

The one I liked the most is-Seeing as how your not busy==boy that instantly burns my buns ==could ya make me a dress and as soon as you say Sure and give them a price for your time they say But this will give you some thing to do. Like thats payment enough At this point the smoke is coming out of my ears- Sorry for the venting I was asked to make a fancy dress for a 2nd marriage out of several layers of satin and lace for some one I only just met who is a size 24 who thinks shes a size 5 and surely it should only take a couple yds and at most 2-3hrs of my time I politely told her to check the yellow pages for a seamstress I didn't have the time to spare after all -Grrrr Scratch Hiss Thanx I feel better now :)

Very good friend wants a quilt. No problem I could/would do it
until she added a dust ruffle, curtains and pillow shams all to match.

Just smile, agree and ask which one they wanted to pay for, the Six hundred one or the thousand dollar one. When they pick up their jaws from the floor, you can be clear across the room and out the door!!

I just have so much I want to do and try that I don't have time for all the other. Sometimes I put off hemming my husband's pants because I have quilt patterns I want to try. :p)

Rarely do commissions, causes too many problems!! I make what I want to when I want to! If someone wants to buy what I make....fine! Mostly I make for friends/family as gifts and, of course my quilts for injured soldiers!! This arrangement works for me!!!!! :thumbup:

Those that don't quilt (or craft) have no clue how much work and time is involved. I can totally sympathize with you. I just never reply to a request OR I say some outrageous amount that I would charge and that usually bursts their bubble thinking they could get it for free or for the price of supplies only.

This is a great post. I just started quilting in the last year (most are charity) and a few people wanted to see them. So I brought them in. Oh my gosh, next thing...one lady brought in material and wanted a tiny curtain made. I did it and I did not even receive a Thank You. Then others start telling they want repairs and alterations on clothing! I polietly state that I don't have the time. I work 2 jobs just to support myself. It's all I can do just to get my few charity quilts done! Needless to say, I just make quilts and don't take them into work!! Plus, I just quilt ...I am not a seamstress!!

What blew my mind was the lady I had just met who wondered if I could make her a quilt for her neice's wedding next week. She hadn't seen anything in the store she really liked and besides it would be cheaper to just make one!

I told her it would be at least 6 months before I could start anything I didn't already have going. And I didn't think I'd want to do even a small one for less than $150.

Quilting is somehow perceived by the great masses as one of those things that some of us learn at Grandma's knee and is as natural as breathing. I've found that the best thing to do it elevate into an art form. Don't speak of it as just a little hobby. If you think about it, a lot of design decisions, critical thought and talent goes into making every quilt, even a first quilt. A quilt doesn't have to be and ART quilt to be art.

I'm with the poster that said she tells people they can't afford her. That's what I do. I don't even bother wasting by breath trying to educate the users on the difference between garment making and quilting. I've found it's a waste of breath. I'll give away my art but unless it's glass work, I won't work on commission.

I enjoying ‘giving’ quilts to people that want them. My cousin asked me to shorten a pair of jeans for her. When I said no I don’t shorten pants she said “You can make a quilt but not shorten a pair of jeans?” I told her if I ‘wanted’ to shorten pants I would but don’t even shorten my own. She hemmed and hawed telling me how easy it is to do and that it doesn’t take any time so I suggested she do it herself.

Some really great replies here! I am kinda a jack of all trades who does mending and altering for my OWN family. While I wouldn't call myself a seamstress, I do sew some projects from time to time. If I am not quilting, I am sewing, or embrodiering or cooking or baking or out fishing with my dh or something. I like to try and learn many things, I guess therefore I may toot my own horn by doing these things, then people think your so smart, that you can do magic with nothing!

I try to have a couple baby quilts on hand to sell. That way they can choose the one they like and the price is already on it.

I think non quilters/sewers just have no idea of the cost of materials & the time and work involved. I recently took a 76 x79 pineapple block quilt pieced with Moda in for consignment. The shop owner wanted to me to take less than

Whoops! new computer, sorry.

Anyway, shop owner wanted me to take way less than I wanted, so she could sell it for twice that for commission and still keep it at about $100 or so. My quilt came back home with me.

:) that should do it!

I have had three offers this week, someone promised someone a project made out of her wedding dress and since this lady doesn't even own a machine, she thought of me-
On Thursday someone wanted embrodiery bath towels for her DH for father's day-hadn't bought the towels yet even.
An offer last nite to make them pillow cases.
and here is the one that I am in a pickle with, someone gives me 3 yards of what she considered beautiful fabric for my birthday -has the heart of gold- and can't wait to see what I make with it! I can't either, it is some type of poly knit or something! Gee, a skirt perhaps, but 3 yards!! I suggested a tablecloth (oh how easy) but I think it would just slide off the table :) :) ROFL

I guess we should take these offers as compliments in the nicest way!

It happens all the time. I ask by when do they want it finished and no matter what the date they give me, I say I can't get it done in that time frame, so sorry.

I am asked too repair all kinds of stuff from new elastic in shower caps to re stuffing animals. I tell them I am a quilter and just don't know how to do that kind of work.

I also agree with HEN3ETTA. quilting is an art not a hobby even if we call it one or think it is our "hobby".
peace :D

Boy this subject really got under my skin. It feels good to vent on this board

I TRY to remember that a lot of the questions/requests are from people that really do lack the knowledge of cost, time, and effort required for most needle arts/crafts.

And then there are just the jerks.

Sorry, you can't afford me!

Someone once pushed and asked how much per hour. Told them $25/ hour plus material. They told me that I must think highly of myself. My response: If I don't, who will?

The first thing I would say is that I can put it on my list, but my list is long and it will be about a year and a half before I get to it. I hand quilt and it takes about 150 hours to quilt a queen bed quilt and at minimum wage they can't afford it. I would also throw in an estimate of the materials. ("You want me to work for less than minimum wage? Would you?")

My grandson told me 2 weeks before Christmas he wanted a "huntin" quilt
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: at 7 he fully expected me to have it done for him by Christmas, well...... seeing as he IS the light of my life, I got it done. But I also told him that for his next quilt he needs to give Ya-Ya more time to make it, and maybe he could come help so he sees how long it takes. Can you believe he is now telling his mom he wants to come over some time to help, BUT not to stay all day. What a happy day that will be for me :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

My DD has actually pieced a couple of tops, she does a good job but rarely makes time to work on her ideas.

I hemmed 6 pair of jeans for her friend's daughter. Charged just a little cause I know they are having a hard time.

Friend is back next week with a sackful of blouses and pants she wants altered. After a week, I gave them back, said there was no time, gently hinted this was not what I do.

DD asks me why do I consider this work beneath me. And I'm trying my hardest to get along with DD.

Sewing and alterations are not beneath us, just different, and definitely require a different set of skills.

I soooo know what you are talking about- you take thier requests as a compliment but at the same time you feel that they are taking avantage of your time and skill. Years ago I had my boss call and ask of I could make a couple of pillows for thier new home said he needed them in a week of course I said no problem. Well the couple of pillows ended up being 18 pillow shams 10 throw pillows and a king size duvet. He provided fabric only and I had to purchase the batting fiberfill pattern etc. Now keep in mind I worked full time at his company and had to sew when I got off work. I ended up spending close to 40 hours just in sewing. Needless to say when I got this done I now find out what a couple of pillows really means!!!!!

This, this, all of this, especially the idea of a quilt being art, regardless of its intended use. I don't even have any interest in "art" quilts, yet I consider quilting an art form. I like everyday things to be beautiful as well as functional. Beautiful doesn't necessarily mean complex or intricate, but all beautiful quilts have things in common like precision, consistency, and careful attention to detail. I think non-crafty people don't understand that these things can't be thrown together by just anyone with a machine.

I deal with a lot of this attitude from others regarding my knitting; they see me wear things I've knitted, and they immediately ask for a hat or a scarf or even a sweater. They have no idea that there are over ten thousand stitches in a single pair of socks. My standard answer is always "No, I won't knit [item] for you, but I can teach you to knit it yourself!" In eight years, I've had no takers. :roll:

As for quilting, I only quilt for myself and for gifts--and the gifts are always for people who will understand and respect the work involved. I just finished a quilt for my sister--she requested a bed-size quilt to coordinate with the throw-size one I gave her for Christmas. Their dog had destroyed their comforter, and I told her if he ate the quilt too, she was never, ever getting another one from me. She understood and bought the fabric, batting, thread, and even a new rotary cutter, mat, and some Omnigrids, so I'd say she earned the commission. ;)

Ditto on VickyS' thread