I know that I am a 'thrifty' quilter..but, I just dropped off a quilt to a quilter for a friend..and, I don't know the exact size but, it is no bigger then a twin sized quilt....the gal is charging a total of $90 to 'stipple' it for her and that was including charges for the 'thread' and so many bobbins...and, she had to supply the 'batting'...for the $90 did not include the batting!!! Have I knocked myself in the head??Is this normal? Is machine quilters that do just stippling cost that much?? I just have to know for I have been sick for her for the cost and keeping my mouth shut..but, know I won't seek out a machine quilter over this, I'll have to just keep plugging along w/my baby steps of doing this! Skeat........who doesn't mean to insult anyone out there trying to make a living and I am asking for I just 'don't know' what is norm!All I can think of is how much more fabric I would have bought instead! Please give an opinion!!

I have a longarm for my own use, I don't do other people's quilts. I think the $90 price is about right, considering the time and effort involved in putting a quilt on the frame, stippeling a quilt, the costs of materials, her time planning with the customer etc. I do my own because I know what it costs to have them done.
When you pay a profesional quilter you also pay for their skill and the use of the very expensive quilting machine and tools they use. Another thing most people don't give a thought to is the space the longarm machine takes in the quilter's home/studio, these machines are huge. It's not cheap!
Mary

I think that sounds reasonable. Around here it would be more.

Most professional longarm quilters charge by the sq. inch. Depending on competition in your area it varies by region of the US. Base prices can range from $.01 to $.03 per sq. inch and then go upward from there. Charges for thread and bobbins are normal charges along with any other charges for any services such as suppling batting, any repairs the have to made to your friends quilt, binding if asked for. Quilting charge alone for a quilt say 80"X100" at $.01 per square inch would be $80.00 not including supplies or any additional services, and $.01 is a really good rate and there would have to be a lot of competition in your area for a rate that low.

Skeat, that sounds close. Around here quilters charge between .0125 - .015 per inch; thread (especially variegated or specialty thread), batting, and sewing on the binding are all extra.

Most will provide a price listing to help you figure out how much a particular quilt will cost, and it should list out any charges that are extras. A twin size is generally 60" x 90", but you should always measure the one you're sending so that you get a good idea ahead of time how much it will cost.

Don't let one experience guide you; if she is much higher or charges a lot of extras, you may find someone else who doesn't :wink:

Most of the people I know who do basic quilting charge $0.02 per inch. I did have one lady who did it for less, but I must confess that I was not impressed with the quality of her work. Also, she would include the cost of the batting for that price, but it was a too-puffy poly batt and I didn't want that, so I provided my own. The important thing is to find a good quilter.

I have to admit I am 'shocked' by the price! I'm sure my gaping open mouth gave that thought away too:)The gal does beautiful work for I have seen it so that won't be a problem for my friend. There was no work for the prep of the quilt, it was pressed and ready and looked sharp. Also, she is on a gracie frame system. I'm sure there is much time involved as far as hooking the quilt up for I do it the old fashioned way and run it thru my machine...not have the machine guide easy (I wish for!) Her price was just stippling...no binding and no batting...just the price to stipple it w/thread figured in. I guess I am just a naive quilter here!! I honestly had no idea what others charged for I've done my own after paying for 3done...been awhile but, didn't seem high at the time. I just wanted to put my stash in fabrics instead. Guess as our economy goes and we are counting all of our fat quarters, I'm wondering if someone's time becomes out of reach for too many? Glad I said nothing!:)LOL Thanks for the input....hope there is more coming:0)Skeat

That prices seems a little high for my area especially with just stippling.... :oops:

Think of it in relative terms too....

how much would you spend on a night out? A dinner for two in a top restaurant? On clothes? Furnishings for your house?

I think people sometimes get things a bit skewed. My partner is a tradesman, and he will often get people complaining over a bill of say $120 for a window. He points out that you can spend more than that on a dinner for two at a top restaurant here, and it's one night then it's over. A window is something in your house for a long time.

Same with a quilt... if you want it done professionally it's because you want the best for that top, you want it to last a long time. So you pay for it. :-)

How many dollars per hour makes professional quilting worthwhile?

Based on what I've heard, it takes 4 or 5 hours to load a twin-sized quilt on a frame and stipple quilt. At $90 for the quilt, that would pay about $20 per hour. Around here, people pay that much per hour for cleaning, and cleaning requires much less skill and much less in the way of equipment investment.

Sometimes when I add up how much a quilt costs just for the fabric (top and backing) and batting, I'm shocked!

I hear you and that is why I can't bring myself to send quilts out. (Me, myself, and I had long talks about the very subject.) My personal goal is to improve my own skills. Unfortunately, I have that attitude with home improvement too. If I can do it, why hire someone else? (I hope you can all see me beating my head against the wall.)

We have an excellent machine quilter in our area who can do a very good job, but she is not cheap. 2.5 cents per sq inch for stippled, 4.5 cents for specialty jobs. Her specialty jobs are just stunning, I've long admired her work. I don't know if she includes batting and backing, as I normally hand quilt.

For stippling that is not bad,I paid about 125.00 for an all over pattern,stippling is more labor intensive.And that 125.00 did not include batting,but did include the threads and bobbins used.And did not include the having the binding done.But different areas of the country much less different long-armers charge differently.

The quilt shop I went to gave me some handouts with names and prices of quilters in the area and they are quite expensive and some have a minimum charge as well. If they do a great job it is worth it.

I agree that pricing varies by areas. I've heard that the East and West coast prices are dearer than here in the Midwest. There are a few quilters in my area from long arm quilting to smaller home systems that charge $60 - 65 to stipple a quilt, batting not included. I had my very first quilt quilted by a lady that lives the next town over. I supplied the batting and purchased binding (didn't have a clue I was to make it :oops: ) She charged me $40 to quilt and bind....now that's a bargain!!

My quilt lady here in Phx is wonderful.
She charges 45 dollars and that includes binding.
She does fancy patterns that you pick out.
You supply the backing,binding fabric and batting.

In my area the going rate for an all over design (by computer LA) for a twin size quilt is $65 , that does not include batting or backing.

I feel your pain....I was paying someone to quilt my quilts....cost for a baby blanket $40.00....and I've paid as much as $120.00 for custom Queen....

Dad has a machine now and I can quilt my own...but let me say he has a Gammil......not the most expensive one but it did cost $15,000.00.....and that was used....not counting the light system....table was included.....So now maybe you can understand more why it is so expensive.......and if they do a great job which I hope they do you will be happy I hope.....it is a gift to be able to use a Longarm Machine....:-)

Just letting you know....:-)....don't forget thread and bobbins and the batting and backing for those who don't come with it....:-)

gcathie...I guess I wouldn't have been shocked at the price if this person has a gammill...but, doesn't! I think the $65 some say would be more practical and not the sticker shock for quilting no designs, etc...only stippling. How busy would these people be if they were more practical? It's like driving the VW into a Mercedes shop to have work done. If this was a show quilt, and there was 'detail' and 'discussion of detail' and a person went to a professional shop...I'd understand. Otherwise, sorry...I just 'don't' get it!! No offense to anyone...but, I wonder if we are starting to outprice ourselves? Skeat........who would also understand if this quilt would be on 'show'....not prob dragged around in the college car. Hit me w/a bobbin!LOL

You might be surprised, but Gammill is just a name of a brand. There are other machines out there that cost as much or more the a Gammill. Just because someone doesn't own a Gammill doesn't mean that they aren't just as invested in their business as you imply. If they are competent with their machine they are every bit as good as the next person. It's more important to be good with the machine you own than the name on it. It still takes the same amount of time to do the same thing with any brand of machine, and as such deserves the same fees.

And $20/hr is *not $20/hr to the quilter. Out of that she has to pay self-employment tax (15%) in addition to regular income taxes, not to mention insurance, maintenance, office expenses, utilities, etc. I think I read recently that the quilter is likely to end up with half of that after all the expenses. $10/hr is not a lot to make for skilled work.

I was self-employed as a graphic designer for 13 years. By the time I left the business ten years ago, I was charging $65/hr and not getting rich. I was also as busy as I could get without hiring others. There's a lot of unbillable time, and I would think that holds for quilters as well.

it is very expensive here to get quilt quilted 90.00 would be one of the cheap ones that is why I have taken machine quilting classes and do my
own Harriet Hargrave taught me a lot and she has a good book out but there are others too Happy Quilting Dodie

Thanks Dodie...I will check that out:)I did get the quilt back today..and, no matter what..it is beautiful! I think when my friend gets back home and I drop it off to her, she will be thrilled...no matter what;)

There was no work for the prep of the quilt, it was pressed and ready and looked sharp. Her price was just stippling...no binding and no batting...just the price to stipple it w/thread figured in. I guess I am just a naive quilter here!! I honestly had no idea what others charged for I've done my own I'm wondering if someone's time becomes out of reach for too many? Glad I said nothing!:)LOL Thanks for the input....hope there is more coming:0)Skeat[/quote]

Another way of looking at all of this... :shock: if someone had reached out and touched me and simply given me a Gammill, I would have gladly taken it, said "Thank You," and charged less than what I do for quilting. I work in my home and have no overhead here, but I could have bought a cheap new car for what I paid for my machine. I can't afford to work for nothing, but I do charge a lot less than most do in this area. From about 30 for crib size to about 90 for king size and no one here is complaining...Batting/binding would be extra. Also, there is a certain amount of skill involved; you don't just buy it one day and become an expert quilting feathers the next. Someone else mentioned the price of a nice dinner out...gone forever once consumed. At least with a quilt there is something that will last a lifetime. Of course the other alternative is to quilt by hand. How much would your friend charge for quilting a whole quilt by hand??? And how long would it take???Just curious. :roll:

Little late in answering your question/comment about quilting - but I also was taken aback when I took in a twin-sized quilt to a local quilter. I didn't bother to ask assuming about $50. The total was about $96 (I provided the batting) - but, oh my - what a wonderful job. It was my first quilt to have professionally quilted so she had some "stuff" to work around. (I normally do the tie or stitch in the ditch format because I was just starting out and these first few quilts were definitely beginner quality) I asked other quilters and they stated that was normal pricing for this area. I will definitely use her services again - but will budget. Now I know why some of those quilts in the craft shops have $$$ on them.

I recently took a quilt to be machine quilted and was shocked at the price. I'll admit it had 3 different patterns to be used on it, but it was $477 for a queen size. I could have had it hand quilted for roughly $200. She does do beautiful machine quilting, but not that great. If I had not been in a hurry, I would have had it done by hand. My hand quilting lady takes only about a month, but I have to mark it. ( I positively hate the marking part!) Either way, I would furnish the batting, backing and thread. I do my own binding. :shock:

Where do you live? Mary Mo and does she do a good job? I'd mail them to her for that price.

Hi, just giving an answer on machine quilting. I live in ON. Canada and we pay quite a high price for our quilting. Some of my freinds have paid more than $300. to get one machine quilted. I have had 4 machine quilted 2 twin @ $90 each and 2 double @ $135 and they were just stippled but not close together. Ithink in the US machine quilting is far less then what we pay here.

I am pretty thrifty too and that is why I stick to smaller projects that I can quilt myself. I am doing a fun and your done or quilt as you go for that very reason. I just have a hard time justifying all the expense. Someday, when I am reallllllllyyyyy good maybe.
Quilter 1234 :roll:

I agree with many of the above comments and feel compelled to add my own 2 cents, too! Remember the saying , "You get what you pay for." ? Please keep in mind when you take a quilt to a quilter that is more going on behind the scenes. When I started long arm quilting 2 years ago, I had NO idea how much learning I had to go through before I could make even an old sheet look good with quilting. Long arm quilting requires a quilter to educate herself about the different threads available for quilting. The threads are not the same as for piecing in most cases. A long arm quilter needs to learn about troubleshooting a variety of problems that can pop up at any time-wavy borders, open seams, tucks in piecing seams, thread that won't cooperate, saggy backing fabric, linty thread, thread that breaks, machine that acts up, tension problems and the list could go on! It is a different story with each quilt top that I take in. Sometimes things go quickly and sometimes it takes much longer than I think.
Very seldom have I had a quilt top that was a snap to decide what to do on it. I spend hours of time on some quilts trying to figure out what design is best for the quilt if it is to have custom quilting done on it. I have also learned quite a bit about batting since I am a former hand quilter and used thin poly batting before. Now I know with machine quilting and the experiences I have had that different battings can give a different look to the quilt when it is done. The same can be said about thread as well. My customers really look to me for good practical advice about these things and it's up to me to research and keep on top of the latest trends and products too. Many long arm quilters travel to national quilting shows on their own dime and a trip can be very expensive to take, not to mention time away from their frame.
A long arm quilter also has the joys and trials of running her own business and having to keep track of a number of things besides doing the quilting.They need to keep track of ther schedule, thread inventory, batting inventory, appointments to be made and kept, records to be kept and taxes to be paid, etc. Long arm quilting can be a challenge at times to do well and it's something that I really enjoy. I have heard that there are many long arm quilters that are doing it for supplemental income. It would be a true challenge to make a good living at it these days.
Just some of the things that I have learned along the way in my journey as a long arm quilter!

Thank you, Vickie!

You said what I've been try to find the words to say.

I just do my own thing on my quilts, as my piecing improves so will my quilting. I play grandma I do my own completely. It sure isn't going to win any prizes, but my family enjoy them :D

I agree with the Grandma/family issue - I have made several and they go to family members who are thrilled to have a piece of Grandma's heart. I have made quilts or lap quilts every year for gifts for 3 years now (since I started quilting). This year will do table runners and placemats - as I think they are afraid they (daughters) will get yet another quilt. Youngest daughter brought up old t-shirts and we cut them out Easter weekend - she requested a quilt for next Christmas made from her T-shirts - so the outcome will be a surprise - but not the gift. It was fun to "relive" her T-shirts as each one has a story about her travels. Since these T-shirts are fragile - will probably tie rather than quilt.

This one was a freebie. Occasionally I am asked to do something charitable as far as long arm quilting, and I am happy to assist others as I am able. This might be a certificate for a shop hop, a big discount for a church organization, or other such requests. This particular quilt was put together by a number of volunteers in honor of a lady who worked for the store that refers me to others for quilting. She died of breast cancer a little over a year ago. This quilt will be raffled off and the proceeds given to a family in need. Sue would have liked that! I'm almost certain that other long arm quilters are asked to do the same and probably comply??? So, I guess my point is, long arm quilters aren't really greedy after all....

ditto what Vicki said.

It is too bad that there isn't some type of certification process or something comparable for those that would have the 'knowing' of that 'long-arm' quilter. What so many do seem to forget is those that appreciate the art and always strive to do better and strive to perfect their skills.....that you on the flip of the coin...have ,what I call,' the back yard machine quilter'. The person that has sewn for many years and says they can do it and then does by simply buying a frame, parking their sewing machine and viola...becomes the machine 'long-arm' quilter. Yes, we applaude those that are serious and are passionate of keeping their 'long-arm' quilting or machine quilting professional and serious. But, how many of you out there have earned their stripes (classes, classes, study, etc)are finding around the block from them the gal that is charging the same prices as you ..though w/o the exprience, classes, education, etc. You can say you get what you pay for...but, how many of us don't really know. Yes, there are the obv. ones...and, then there are the others that might appear to look great...but, wait till after the 2nd washing...then what?! No one here is trying to minimize the serious long arm quilter..but, around here I can say there are many that are charging the same...w/o the schooling, classes, etc. All I can say since I am not a professional...they look okay:0) In fact, I'd call myself 'ignorant' on it....yes word of the mouth would be our only advantage...if the word was right after the 2 washings!! I think you that are doing it right and wanting to do it right have missed the point here. I do think this has been a good topic for those that do and have taken the time for classes and know it is ongoing learning...your opinions have educated all of us. And, I know I can not be the only one thinking this:0)IF so....stuff a bobbin in my ear!:)Skeat

As the new owner of an HQ16, I can't imagine anyone spending the money for a longarm setup and not being interested in bettering her skills. Furthermore, I bet there aren't many of us who weren't surprised by the learning curve. It certainly isn't "plug-and-play" to achieve control.

I became a graphic designer without any formal training, classes, etc. It started as a hobby that I got good at, and ended up doing it as a business for 13 years, at the end of which I was charging $65/hr (in 1998!) and had more business than I could handle. Was I a "backyard" designer? Maybe, but a screwup on my part sometimes had the potential of costing thousands of dollars to correct at the printer. Needless to say, I was very careful not to overreach my ability, and to make use of colleagues' knowledge.

Quilters seem to be a remarkably "open" and giving bunch, freely sharing knowledge and tips, even with those who are or may become competitors. Here in Indianapolis, the guild is several hundred strong, and includes piecers and quilters at all levels. I think people know who to go to for simple quilting and who for show-quality, or can easily find out.

But then again, I'm a bit mystified by what a longarm quilter can do that wouldn't show up until after the second wash...

Amen! Yes, that has me wondering also... Could the one who wrote the initial statement about the quilts falling apart or whatever happens after being washed twice please explain a little further? And what exactly is so compelling about the second washing??? Are we long armers being accused of using water soluble thread or what??? Or as we touch the quilts with our evil hands and our evil mechanical devices, does something magically cast a spell and after 2 washings, voila!!! Gone??? Is there an ugly, jealous witch in control of the quilt police, egging them on with infuriating statements; ie... Long arm quilters will destroy our craft, they must go, they must not be allowed to continue this...they are undermining our world; they are evil and greedy; we must stop them now!
On a much more serious note... I do believe that long arm quilters have contributed a great deal to the quilt industry, cottage and otherwise, to make it what it is now. How many people, unless retired, unemployed, empty nesters, or those with just an incredible amount of time on their hands for whatever, would be able to complete their quilts in any reasonable amount of time without the aid of long-armers? There are the purists, the hand quilters, and there will always be; I certainly respect and admire their patience and their skills. But let's be honest? If your favorite local quilt shop had to depend on just the hand quilters to purchase fabric and complete their quilts, how many shop owners do you think would remain in business today? (And believe me, not every hand quilted quilt I see is a prize winner by any means!) :D I think the initial expense of a long arm is usually enough to inspire the new owner to be the best that he/she can be to achieve and maintain a good reputation and work ethics.

Just to empasize the number/lack of hand quilters..this past week, I attended a small local quilt show. There were probably a hundred or so entries. Just guessing on the number, I would say there may have been 12-15 hand quilted and the rest machine quilted. So we old long armers are needed, no matter what some may think!

Thanks to all who answered the pricing questions and education. I appologize to those that feel offended by this subject as I did not mean to cause such a conflict. This was NOT meant to offend the serious 'long arm' quilter-So sorry-Skeat