pricing to quilt a quilt top
 

Hi,

I have had a lady ask me if I would quilt a quilt for her. She has the quilt top all put together. She did embroidery of flowers and butterflies. She said she would provide batting, backing and thread for me, so all I need to do is quilt it. She doesn't care if it is done by machine or hand. The top is already marked. In between the squares, she has little stars. In the blocks, around some butterflies, she has a star shape. There is a lot of stopping and starting, which really I don't mind. If I quilt by machine, I use my dsm which I have done before. If I quilt by hand it just takes longer. I am not sure what to charge. When I do quilts that have meandering I charge 1 1/2 cents per square inch. Should I charge more for this? I can't post pictures as I have limited internet, and when I do post pictures, it takes a lot of internet time.

Yes, you should charge more for all the starts and stops, because it takes longer.

I don't quilt for money, so can't suggest how much more, though.

Not only is it custom quilting, but you have to quilt on her lines and there are lots of starts and stops. If the design is not very intricate, I would think at least 3 cents per square inch, plus an hourly charge if you have to layer and baste the quilt. If you don't want to deal with burying the thread for all the starts and stops, you might tell her that you will leave the thread ends long enough for her to bury.

As a hand quilter I would have no problem with doing it by hand. I would suggest a set price for the assembling of the top, batting and backing. I charge by the square inch depending on how close they want the quilting. At least it is already marked. I would start at 7 cents a square inch and move up if the quilting needs to be very close together. I would also charge a flat fee for binding. Personally I prefer to quilt rather than piece. If you are the same you might be able to work out a deal for her to make tops for you and you to quilt for her. Good luck.

I have no idea how much to charge but I hand quilt and I would charge more for hand quilting than machine. Just my opinion. I think there's more wear and tear on the body (sore bleeding fingers).

I have a friend who maxhine quilts simple meandering and she charges 1 1/2 cents a sq inch also and no binding is incluses. By hand, I haven't a clue but 7 times seems realistic.