"Just let me get my magic wand..."
 

I thought it would be fun to share stories of all the ridiculous, impossible quilt requests we all get from time to time, so we can all enjoy the laughs.
My "magic wand story" -

Last weekend, my DSister was packing to go to Texas to be with my DN when she gives birth to her little Emily. This was on Wednesday, and she was leaving on Sunday. In the middle of all the crazy that goes with packing for what might be an extended trip, she looks at me, smiles, and says "I would love to take a hand made quilt for Emily, could you whip one up before I go?" My next line really was "sure, just let me get my magic wand." I did end up taking one of my favorite "gifted by a fellow quilter" quilts off my wall (it has butterflies made with fairy frost fabric) , and after washing it, and adding a label to identify the maker, sent it with her. Three days and a wake up for a quilt? Really? Some of you could have done it, but I will never be that quick.

What "let me get my magic wand" moments have you had?

***
*** My story:
*** Can you make me a quilt for my camper
*** so I want ruin my good comforters?
***
*** I guess quilts are only for dirty, trashy places.
***

A long time friend just assumed that I would just make him, and
his wife a quilt at MY expense.

When I handed him an estimate for what the cost of materials,
and time it would be he asked me if I was crazy. When I explained
to him that I am not a money tree, and that my time is worth more
than he wanted to pay.

He than informed me that he could go to WalMart and buy a quilt
much cheaper. i informed him that YES he could, but he needed to
keep a couple things in mind when he did.

1) it will NOT be custom made just for him & his wife, in colors of
THEIR choice.
2) more than likely it will have been made in China or another country,
where a handmade quilt will be made locally.

Haven't talked to him or his wife since.

I need a couple quilts for my dogs. Here's the pattern I like but different colors. They're outside dogs. No, I don't do custom and am not doing a DWR for a dog or 2.

I made a lap quilt for my son in law. Extra long. He keeps it at work because it gets cold and he wraps it around his shoulders. He said one of his coworkers asked if I could make them one for $50. He just laughed and told them they couldn't afford one.

its a sad world.....which is why we quilt......to make us happy.....and we are!

what really amazes me is that people think a 'craft' by a woman is of less value than a repair on their car and a repair shop per hour is so much more worth it than a quick quilt by one of us. Painting a room is worth the charge but a quilt isn't. What's wrong with people. or you get the," I know you love to quilt, so i knew you'd want to make me on"
Yes, I have loads of money and time to make something for you to drag around the house!!!

Oh, I have a recent one! Someone at work (who I barely know) approached me about making a quilt for a raffle, to benefit charity. I was thinking OK sure I can put together a quick baby quilt or something for a good cause, but when I said that she said, "Oh, no, it has to be a queen size, at LEAST." I asked how much she was selling tickets for and how much she expected to raise, she was selling the tickets for $1 each and hoped to raise $100-$200. I explained that a queen size quilt would likely cost me at least $300 in materials to make, not to mention all my time. She literally stuck her nose in the air (who DOES that??) and said, "Well, I'm sure you're just shopping in all the wrong places. I will find someone else who knows how to make one much cheaper." I laughed and told her "OK sounds great - good luck with that." which she didn't like much at all, I think she expected me to make it anyway. When it came time for the raffle I checked it out...no quilts but there WERE a pair of handmade potholders in the grouping, LOL. Guess she didn't have a lot of luck!

How about those that think you know where all fabrics are to be found. A coworker asked where she could get a panel like the one she used for one DD so she could make another quilt the same. I never saw the first quilt so how did I know where to find such panel.

I am enjoying this "magic wand" thread. We have had this link posted before, but this seems to me to be a good place to repeat it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzoL7ddTEnA

Oh these crack me up.
lynnie you are so right about the disparity between men's and women's work, the auto repair & painting analogies!

Not a quilt, I showed a friend an art print I made, that I was really proud of (a small etching about 4"x4") and she asked me "what other sizes does it come in?" This was way before the internet where you can order different sizes of whatever images, and many people don't know about fine art printing processes, but it floored me as her first - and only! - comment on my print.

A month before Christmas I was asked to make a T Shirt quilt for a Christmas gift someone I barely knew. I was sewing costumes for 30 students putting on Aladdin and wasn't even sure when I would get to my sewing. This lady was a mother to one of the student I sewed costumes for the year before. She was clueless of what she was asking! But at least she was nice about it:D

I do think a lot of the folks who make ridiculous requests don't have a clue how much the materials cost or how much time is spent. I occasionally had people ask me to make a quilt, and I just laughed! I said my time was very expensive, and only true love could come close to paying for one. I do offer to teach someone to do their own quilt, but I haven't been taken up on that yet.

Pam

Last November, Black Friday to be exact, a casual friend on FB messaged me and said a friend of hers wanted a queen size quilt for his daughter's birthday. He didn't know what pattern, said my friend, but wanted "Lots of different colors." When was the birthday, I asked? Dec 29 but he was leaving on the 18th. Could I have it done by then? And how much would it cost?

Well, after I nearly spit apple cider all over my computer screen..

I said I couldn't do any more projects before Christmas, and had never made a quilt larger than twin, and the estimate would be $1300. She wrote back, "Did you mean $1300 or was that a typo---did you mean $130?"

Not a typo, I said. The fabric alone would cost more than 130. She said, "Hold on, I'll message him." A few seconds later, "He said Sorry. He can't afford that. He'll go to Pottery Barn."

I used to know a woman who did custom sewing. Suits will Chanel details, beautiful formal wear, etc. She told me that she had a woman come to here to make a dress. She said she had everything to make the dress. She showed up with a pattern and some fabric. Nothing else. So she looks at it and gives her a price to make the dress. The woman said "Heavens, I can buy one at Foleys for less than that". The seamstress told me she picked up the fabric and pattern, handed them to her and said "Then I suggest you do". She also told me that she was sure she offended the woman but didn't really care. I didn't blame her. It was like comparing an Elvis on velvet to a Picasso. Ridiculous.

One November Someone asked me to make them a quilt for a Christmas gift. I asked...."which Christmas?". Oh, the look I got from her! We did not even get to the discussion of price, etc. Fine by me!
Sandy

Several years back I had new neighbors The guy popped over every so often to borrow stuff from my hubby, but I hadn't met his wife, who was pregnant. When the baby was brought home from the hospital, the new dad was excited & stopped me in the driveway to show her off. I said, wait, I have a little something for the baby. So I ran into my house to grab the baby socks I hand-knitted in fine wool. When I went back outside, they had disappeared into their house. So I knocked on the door. The new mom (I think) opened the door a crack & I said to her, I have something for the baby. She reached out & took the gift & closed the door. So I still didn't get to meet her. Anyway, it gets better. Months go by, I still don't see the mom, but the guy is often at our door borrowing something. One day, as he's standing in our kitchen, I finally said to him, do the socks fit the baby? He was startled & started stuttering, well, she has a lot of socks. I exploded. You mean you're comparing my hand-knit socks to Walmart socks!!!!! ​The thing is, I would've loved to have made the baby a quilt like I do for all the new babies within earshot (& beyond), but after the socks incident, I decided to pass.

Daylesewblesses, thank you for sharing the video. I had not heard it before and I love it.

The man I used to work for ask me to make him a quilt. I told him if he's pay for all of the materials I would. He agreed. I went out and bought the fabrics for a double size, which is the size he ask for. When I told him that I had everything ready to start on it, he told me, "You just go ahead and make me two of them and I'm going to give you $50 for them!" He thought he was really being very generous. Needless to say, I never even started on it. I still have that fabric to this day. I learned my lesson. Now when someone ask me to make them a quilt I tell them I don't sew for the public. Better to just tell them up front than get the indignant looks they give you when true costs are quoted. I make quilts for just my family now, when I want to gift them.

I don't have a story like this yet (I suspect it's because there aren't yet enough people who know I quilt) but I do want to say I like this thread. While reveling in other's lack of understanding isn't quite my cup of tea, it's great to see artisans truely valuing their work!

Good supplies cost good money, skilled labor is not cheap, and quality equipment does not grow on trees. Even if most of our works are gifted we deserve recognition for how much we are giving.

I had a friend I played scrabble with when I lived in the same town as her in the 80's. By the nineties I was into quilting and living elsewhere. I connected with her when I came to her town for some job training and we were going to have dinner together. She said to me, "oh, I have a friend who wants to learn to quilt, so I said we'd stop by before dinner and you'd teach her". I asked if she needed help hand quilting a project or what. And my friend replied that the woman hadn't done anything yet and I could teach her. I said not in the time between getting out of training for the day and going to dinner.

Ahh I have a story a friend Wanted a quit she is one of my best friends and It was the second quilt I ever made. I said you will have to pay for part of it , well a queen size quilt hand quilted and she gave me, Wait sit down! $20.00 she said that should cover it! Gulp! Ok you are my friend and I love you but never again will I do anything close to that again! Kind of a slap in the face!

I had a request to repair a couple of baby quilts that really would have needed a magic wand to fix the quilts. They were baby quilts made of the thinnest cheap flannel. The girls had used them as "blankies" for the last five years and they were so threadbare you could see through them when they were held up. To make matters worse there was no batting and they had been tied with yarn. There was no way to take the layers apart without tearing the fabric. I understood that the girls loved the quilts but sadly it was time for the kids to face the harsh realities of life.

Whats wrong is everything comes from overseas most likely from cheap sweatshop type labor and people don't understand that is what they are buying when they buy a 50 dollar quilt. How much do they think the person in china got paid to make it, probably not much and those quilts always fall apart quicker as well. People seriously need to truly understand what they are buying. If it was made here in America I guarantee it wouldn't cost 50dollars

I made a quilt for the wedding of a dear friend. He loved it, and his wife told me I could make a lot of money by selling them. She knew this because she had a friend that was selling them on Etsy for $99.

I know it's rude to tell someone the cost of their gift, but I couldn't resist letting her know that my out-of-pocket costs for her quilt was $350.

Tee-Hee-Hee! Enjoyed the video!

I don't tell people what it costs...i tell them how many HOURS it takes to make a quilt, a purse, whatever. Esp if quoting a price for one. I don't sew for others. I just smile at the them.

One problem that we read ver and over is that a lot of the ladies do not comunicate the COSTS associated with making a quilt. Time and costs. Speak up! Never take on a request without discussing the total costs and timeline and put it on paper. Get signatures agreeing to the terms. Collect the material costs upfront. A lot of getting cheated is the fault of the quilter...not the " customer". Don't try to be "in business" if you are unable to properly quote the request.
"No" is a powerful word...use it!

Sandy

Before I became a quilter, I was a seamstress, meaning I did custom sewing & alterations for the public. I made a beautiful New Years Eve dress for a friend of mine, she told me she got lots of compliments on it. She said to me 'I hope you don't mind but I told everyone I made it.' That was the last thing I ever made for her.

I have two magic wand stories
My husband came home from work on a Fri. night and announced he needed a baby quilt for a co worker mon. morning Sure, just whip it up in a week-end
I made a quilt for each of my new step children fro Christmas and to make them feel a part of the family. When they opened them their mom asked "what are we suppose to do with these"? Very disappointing to me. I thought I did a good thing.

I love this thread. Non-quilters don't have any idea how much expense or time it takes to make a quilt.

I have been quilting for many years and soon learned that my standard answer was, "Not unless you are part of my family", or simply "NO".

My mom was an expert seamstress. She had a shop attached to our house. She finally whittled down her customers to those who appreciated her work. Her pet peeve was two relatives who, when they came to visit, expected Mother to make them dresses (for free) while they were there. Of course, Mother also had to do all the cooking, cleaning, and entertaining along with the sewing.

I make quilts only for friends and family. I can afford to buy the fabric and give the quilts away. I don't want to take my hobby and turn it into a business.

I had a coworker tell me that she was singing my quilting praises to a friend of hers (I did appreciate that). My coworker then asked if I would make a quilt for her friend. This was my opportunity to do what I felt in my gut and I took into account all of the messages and comments I had read about valuing your work and time. I simply said "Thank you but, no... there are just too many variables involved and I prefer not to do custom work for people other than family". It felt so liberating to say it! Now that I have done it once, I will not have a problem saying it again if asked.

People think because I have one or two sewing machines and possibly more:) and a sewing room that I can sew or mend anything they have and for free. Just last week I was asked to repair a blouse and a former neighbor asked me to repair some items for her and now my dn asked me to hem her chiffon dress. No. I don't have a shingle out saying "Will do mending and repairs"! I sew quilts or whatever because I want to, I don't want to get this started. I wouldn't know where to start with chiffon. I give them the name of a local mending and repair store that does have there shingle out for business.

I had recently made a small baby size for a dear friend's first grandaughter. She was elated with it and showed everyone at work and to her relatives. Her boyfriend's grandson asked if the baby could "share" it with him because he didn't have one of his own(he's three years old);so I made him one with a construction truck panel on one side and the Crosswalk quilt pattern by Jenny Doan(MSQC) on the other side. ANyways,my friend's Aunt said she would like to have one made for HER grandson like the little boy's one. I told my friend I would figure out a price for it and let her know. I did this and it came out to $130 for just the material to make it. I gave her the copy of the materials list to give to the Aunt. I have yet to hear from her;so I am assuming she thought that was too much! No skin off my nose if I don't make one for her, I'm still enjoying my craft. :)

Just recently I posted photos of my winning ribbons at our local quilt show. A mini log cabin came in second. I say mini because the blocks were 3 inches square but the final quilt was @54" wide. It won second in it's category. The best ribbon I have ever won. A friend on facebook said she loved it and wanted it. Not only did it take over a year to make out of scraps, it was paper pieced, which required a lot of mess to pull the 1/4" paper strips off the back. She wanted it as a throw. I told her, I keep all my winners.

I love this thread!
This is what I did with a wedding quilt I made for a nephew who I thought would appreciate the quilt (and I was right--they called me up 2 days after the wedding to say it was the best gift that they got). I had it appraised for them before I gave it to them, and the appraisal was for $1200. A couple of months after the wedding I gave them the appraisal certificate and said they should hold onto it for insurance purposes. This way, they really know the true value of what they got. But, I really have to be confident that someone will appreciate it before I go to the trouble of making a quilt for a gift.

that was so nice of you and smart to have it appraised. Wish you had a photo to show.

I had a similar experience with a friend. He said, since he knew I quilted that I might be able to give him some advice on mending an expensive pair of trousers that he had put a three corner tear into. Of course what he really wanted was for me to mend them. :) I referred him to an alterations place telling him it was where I took all of my hemming, alterations, etc. for my own clothing (and I do!). It was never mentioned again.