Quilt kits -- cheaper to build your own?
 

I have fallen in love with the Vintage Rouge quilt done in soft Christmas colors. It comes in a kit, various sizes, but wow, is it expensive. (If you're curious, here's one site where it's available: http://www.fabricessentials.com/shop...%20-%20BOM.htm )
I saw the actual quilt in a shop and it is absolutely gorgeous (the online pix don't do it justice).

Have any of you done the analysis whether you pay more for a kit than if you purchased the yardage and pattern separately? I actually wouldn't need that exact pattern, but I do love the fabrics and generally the combinations. I could do something like buy fat quarters of the fabrics and make a simple quilt, but this is truly beautiful.

Thanks in advance,
marcia

I have for some and it was much cheaper to cut your own...but then consider the time element to find, and cut the fabrics..Watch for sales and use coupons!! I figure if I am going to do all the work, I can afford to splurge on convenience once in a while...but it has to be a special one

I have never bought a kit or a BOM but often consider it because if I'm left on my own I never buy the same fabrics as it is shown in. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes I like the original better.

I purchased a kit which I. Felt was very expensive at the time. Since then I have started to add up how much fabric for a quilt costs. When I buy I usually buy the top, those fabrics I donot have in my stash. Then the backing at £15 a yard 4 yards. £60 . This is expensive just for the back. You also with a kit don't have to sometimes do any cutting as I believe some ar ready cut. Just think open layout and go. No mess of cutting and pieces are cut by a professional or with special cutters. I enjoyed mine although did make a door cover instead of a so gle quilt. What I enjoyed most was the high quality of the fabric.
Only one way to see if a kit is for you, buy one or ask Santa.

kits are often more expensive than putting your own together- you are paying for the convienience- also, sometimes it is difficult to find all of the exact fabrics that a kit may contain. depending on the kit, sometimes you only need a small amount of a couple fabrics-and if you are purchasing fabrics individually you may have to purchase alot more than you need (not bad if stash building) but that does kind of increase your cost...
every once in a while i pick up a kit- generally if it is on sale for a really good price- is fabrics i really have no desire to collect- or are not available other than in the kit- or i'm picking it up for a gift. 98% of the time i found after getting a kit i really didn't like some (or all) of the fabrics & wound up exchanging them for my own anyway- so i really only bought the pattern...and stash fabric..

That quilt is really beautiful. If I had the money I'd just buy the kit and wouldn't have to worry about ordering enough of the fabrics and then cutting it etc. Good luck. It's a beauty.

I have purchased a few kits in the past. There was one I bought online and didn't get started making the quilt right away. Sure wished I had because there were a couple of pieces missing! The store sold out of the fabric at the time I started piecing the kit and there was none to be found online anywhere. I ended up using a completely different line of fabric just to finish the quilt. If I ever buy a kit again, I will at least inspect every piece just to be sure everything is there.

I agree that it is cheaper to cut your own and sometimes better. I have gotten only a few kits (some as gifts). The positives are - you get ALL the fabric that you need (size as well as variety of colors) in one fell swoop! The down side is that because you get "exactly" what you need, there is no margin of error for "stupid" moments (I have had those most often when I use a kit - lol - especially when cutting). If you can get the pattern and all the fabric you might be better off assembling your kit yourself.

I think the kits tend to be expensive. I prefer to cut my own. I often cut up and bag them so they are ready to go. I like that I have extra fabric, just in case. You don't usually get extra with a kit. My hubby picked one out once. It was expensive and looked pretty in the package. I wasn't paying much attention, and just went ahead and bought it since he liked it so much. But when I was assembling it, I realized it was pretty boring because several of the fabrics were the same print in different colors. I completed the top, but have yet to finish the quilt. It's very blah and needs some applique or something to spice it up. So if you do buy a kit, I recommend selecting one that has prints in a variety of prints and scale to add some interest.

Maybe what you should ask yourself is just what is attracting you most to the quilt. For me it's always the fabrics used versus the pattern. If you love the pattern, you might want to venture out on your own with other fabric and maybe save some money. If you love the fabric and can afford it, treat yourself to the kit. It does seem expensive to buy that way but by the time you search for the fabric, spend your time and gas looking for it....... The advice given as to not wait too long too start it is spot on.

I bought a kit once and I wasn't happy with purchase. It didn't come with the exact fabric that was pictured. They substituted a couple of fabrics. Also, no room for error. Too tense for me. I make quilts as a form of relaxation.

The math of the kit is all broken down on the website.

For the Original size 78x78 you are paying for

Pattern $36.00 (includes templates for applique)
DMC Floss ($3.00?)
18 5/8 yards of fabric (this figure is ridiculous for this size quilt! - but that's what it say's so at $10.00/yd thats $186.50)
for this they are charging $300.

I just found the kit for $189.00 thats quite a savings!!

My local quilt shop- only charges for the fabric that is used.

I buy lots of quilt kits. I have about a dozen or more in my stash. Some were very expensive, some were 60% off so the cost evens out. Seldom do I buy the backing fabric that is offered for the kit. That is where I feel I can save the most money by waiting for a sale and choosing my own backing.

Update: I found the kit on ebay for an excellent price (new in unopened package, free shipping). If anyone is interested there are a few left. I used the Buy It Now option.

Note that this kit is available with or without backing, and some places sell the larger sizes. Still, with the breakdown, the kit pricing was too expensive before I found the ebay option $107.99.

I figure I'll review the pattern and order fabric for backing and additional fabric if I want to expand it to a larger size (more borders or whatever). The fabrics are still available a number of places.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

Note this is a Christmas quilt and I didn't even make this year's (which I have the fabric and pattern for), so I shouldn't really be thinking of next year's yet LOL.

Mnay of us quilt for the joy of creating something beautiful, or something needed, or as a way of expressing love and concern. Only you can determine why you quilt. If your motive is basically for something beautiful then buy the kit. If you love creating, then don't buy the kit. With a kit you are sewing someone else's creatiion, start to finish. Those of us who like to use ideas that are a bit different, or colors that are used just because we like them and can "see" them going together, (think about the "used only stash scraps" quilts that are often posted, so many of which are outstanding), then you have to go with buying your own, or using your own stash.

Some of us zero in on skills and strive toward perfection. Some of us zero in on the person to whom it will go, or a design that is in our heads. Where do you fit? What makes you happy? Thank the Lord we are not all the same!!!!

I would say yes it is more expensive, except for connecting threads has kits at great prices, and maybe applique kits that require small pieces that you can't but in that increment and would have to buy a lot of fat quarters which can become very pricey if you don't have a stash, so I would say it depends on what the quilt is

I never buy kits, one, they're too expensive, two, I want to make the pattern, using MY choices of fabric.

I've been drooling over this one too, maybe I'll check out the ebay option, that is closer to the actual cost if you purchase separately.

[Qthis is a picture of the quilt i purcjased asa kit it was lovely.
UOTE=DOTTYMO;5721053]I purchased a kit which I. Felt was very expensive at the time. Since then I have started to add up how much fabric for a quilt costs. When I buy I usually buy the top, those fabrics I donot have in my stash. Then the backing at £15 a yard 4 yards. £60 . This is expensive just for the back. You also with a kit don't have to sometimes do any cutting as I believe some ar ready cut. Just think open layout and go. No mess of cutting and pieces are cut by a professional or with special cutters. I enjoyed mine although did make a door cover instead of a so gle quilt. What I enjoyed most was the high quality of the fabric.
Only one way to see if a kit is for you, buy one or ask Santa.[/QUOTE]

The only advantage I can see in buying a kit is someone has picked the colors for you. I prefer to get my own, but I did buy a Jenny Beyer kit on sale. I have to get the background fabric and backing, but the price couldn't be beat, so I got it. It is waiting it's turn, but it may be next in line.
Sue

I have bought kits and some are wonderful and some has not been ---some has had plenty of fabric and other has been cut so scimpy that by straightening the fabric I did not have enough so now if I buy a kit I only get it at certain places but I prefer the pattern and my own fabric so really it is what one enjoys and or can afford

I am nearly finished with my Vintage Rouge, done as a BOM from the LQS where I work. It's going to be gorgeous! It ended up costing me about $160 with my employee discount (not including backing). The BOMs in our shop are not marked up...you pay retail for the patterns and the fabric with nothing added. However, we do add a small amount to kits. It takes quite a bit of time to get these cut and packaged, and my boss has to pay me to do it. That said, $300 is an outrageous price for the Vintage Rouge!

I have bought kits and been real happy with them. I f I se a quilt I love I will buy the kit. I figure by the time I run around looking for all the right fabrics-because you can never find them all at one shop- buying more then needed because pattern just need a couple squares- the time to cut it all just isnt worth it. I have bought 2 kits from Conecting Threads and there was enough fabric to make 2 wallhangings. I always have enough fabric left over to go in my scrap bin. So yes I like buying kits.

Wow that is expensive. I've always wanted a kit but just coiuldn't justify what they cost. I guess if you use all quilting store fabric it wouldn't be that much more expensive but I usually get my fabric at JoAnns. Guess you just have to weigh if you want to spend that much on a quilt or if there's somewhere else that money needs to go.

Sounds like you still have to do the cutting in the kits. For me to buy one this $$$ it would have to be per cut. I make up my own per cut kits.

I have bought a couple of kits but only on sale. Regular price is too expensive. If I have the option, I buy the fabric IF the LQS will cut what I need instead of 1/2 yd minimums

I have never purchased a kit - I just think the high cost isn't justified....besides, it wouldn't be 'my creation' - that's one of the reasons I started quilting. I find a pattern I like then mix it up and make it work for me or the person it's intended for.

I have purchased some kits for table runners. One kit barely had enough fabric - if I had made a mistake cutting, there would not have been enough. But the table runner kits I have purchased from Connecting Threads are great! Even if you only need a couple of 4" squares from a piece of fabric, they send a whole FQ! The one I am working on now, I made some color changes, had enough fabric to do so and ended up with 2 FQ's totally untouched! I usually wait until the Connecting Threads kits go on clearance and find their prices very reasonable.

I have purchased several "kits". I define kits as those that are precut as well as those that just have the pattern and the necessary fabric and then you do your own cutting. In fact, most of the kits I have purchased are in the second category. I have looked at the prices and tried to figure out what it is worth to get that special fabric you want in the right category without running around and trying to find it without, probably, not much luck. I usually watch until a specfiic quilt "package" goes on sale or better yet on clearance. I am happy with the way I handle this situation.

Kits are going to be more expensive....you are paying for the cutting done by someone else. A basic kit with yardages of fabric will be less expensive than a kit that has smaller pieces of fabric...less cutting.

But, if you do not have fabrics in your stash, and need to shop and buy fabric, sometimes, kits can be the "better deal." You can get just the bits of fabrics you need in the kit.

I have always not been a kit person...I like my quilts to be unique...not the same colors as anyone else...maybe similar...I do have a large stash, and prefer to work from it...but may buy some of the fabrics that I see in a quilt that I love.

The kit for the king size specifies approximately 30 yards of fabric, plus the pattern for $420. All of the fabric is for sale at $12 per yard, plus shipping. $360 for 30 yards, plus $36 for pattern and $24 for kitting fee. Unless you can get the fabrics cheaper somewhere else, that's what you'd pay for making up the kit yourself - I consider the kitting fee to be in lieu of my driving to the store, using my gas, traffic, etc. There's probably at least $50 in shipping to consider also.

I buy pattern only and use my own fabric choices...I have to have that margin for error....always! Would hate
to buy the kit and run out of fabric and I know that would be a given with me. Yes, I measure 3 times and cut
once!

I bought a BOM from SewBiz in Indiana - I thought the price was reasonable. The expression on my friend's face when I gave it to her made the cost worth it. I bought a kit from Clotilde (after drooling over it for a year). It's only a lap quilt but I have tons of extra fabric. I also have the pattern and have made a kit in a different color way to make next year! Quilt shops work on such a narrow profit margin that it is amazing they can survive!!

I often see materials that I think are beautiful in a quilt kit, but want a different pattern. I will then go to fabric.com or other site and find a sale on for that material.

Which quilt kit did you buy from Clotilde? How about a picture?

With the exception of Connecting Threads, I've found that (unless on sale) kits almost always cost more than yardage would. However, it can be a hassle to find all the correct colors (and I'm terrible at matching colors if I don't get what is 'called for'). Due to expense, I don't buy too many kits.

First of all, that quilt is gorgeous as well as the fabric used. I personally have only bought one kit, which I'm ashamed to say I've yet to put together, but I have a friend who buys a lot of them for the convenience. Obviously you love the quilt and the fabric, so I would say go for it; sometimes we deserve something special, and to me that would be what I would get. This probably doesn't make sense, but sometimes we just need to go for it.

Kits are did innately more expensive. I try to buy more yardage so if I make a mistake I have extra.