Selling quilts?
 

Hi everyone. This is CraftyPerson here. Ok so I have been familiarizing myself with block quilts and easy patterns like that. And realisticly speaking, looking at these tutorials, it looks as if I will have to pay about $50-$75 per sitting just for fabric and batting. I have heard of people selling quilts and I was wondering if that is even a possibility of block quilts. I don't expect to be able to be really good at quilting right away but I was thinking maybe after I get good. I just think it will be hard to keep up quilting if it costs what it does and I only make $20 a month. So I suppose when it boils down to it my two questions are:
-Can block quilts be expected to sell?
-If so, how much can I ask for them that is not too expensive but I will make good profit?

A friend of mine used to own a fabric/quilt shop and she had to give up the store. She brought home lots of fabric and made a bunch of quilts to sell and all she was able to get was the cost of her fabric - none for her labor. By the time she pieced the blocks and quilted the quilt - the cost was so much that nobody could afford them.

Yes all quilts can be sold. I would suggest that you charge what you put into it for all supplies and then some for your time work! That way you will have enough money to make your next quilt and so on.

Thanks. I would most likely only add $10-$15 for my labor. It just seemed like upwards of $90 was a lot for such a simple beginner quilt pattern, but I guess since they are handmade....... I suppose it is because I am used to seeing lots of listings for crochet and knit things so high price tags can be a little scary. And I suppose I am at somewhat of a disadvantage becuase of my age. Quilts done by a 13 year old probably aren't so appealing.

I sell many of my quilts mostly around the holidays but this year I noticed people are buying more smaller things like table runners, pot holders, things like that. I think some of it is the economy. Good luck.

I think selling smaller things like table runners will do better. Don't get discouraged and Don't sell yourself short and good luck

My suggestion would be to take the 50-75 dollars you'd spend for one session and buy a couple of the best learn to quilt books.

And forget selling!

I don't think that you can recover enough to cover both your fabric and time costs through selling quilts unless you're a really well known designer. I agree that table runners and small items are more likely to sell, but you could also consider baby quilts - they make great gifts.

I don't sell quilts, I just give to family, friends and some people I don't know. I choose what quilt goes to which person, never had anyone refuse them or complain about them. Selling anything depends on location, customers and how cheap things can be bought for. It would be hard to make enough money for your time spent.

You have to be creative to keep your cost down. Use coupons, watch sales, thrift stores, yard sells and CL to name a few ways to save. Don't expect to make a lot but don't sell yourself short either. You will have plenty of time to get stock up before next winter.

At this point in time, i think you need to get creative on your materials, at least when you start out. In times past, quilts were made from fabric on hand, often recycled. It's easiest to use all the same fibers and fabric weight. See if there are any old cotton sheets available. Men's shirts are also a traditional source of quilting fabric (do a search on this board for 'recycled shirts' for inspiration). Let your friends and extended family know what you are looking for and you soon may have more than you need. An old blanket or fleece throw can be used for batting. You should be able to get your startup fabric costs down to a much more reasonable $$ amount, especially for practice pieces. The finished product may not be as pretty as you would like, but you will be developing your skills. Spend your allowance on good quality tools.

Hit the sales, I think you would have fun making flannel baby blankets like I do. It takes me about 3hrs to make one depending on how detailed I want to get on them with the stitching. I buy all my fabric ONSALE always haha I go to Joann fabrics and buy exactly 42" of snuggle flannel fabric....I pick a color for the top and a color for the bottom. I can get my top, batting, and backing I get my top @ $3.89 and my back @ $3.89 then get my batting onsale for $3.74 the materials cost me $11.52 I sell these baby blankets for $30 sometimes $35 if I spend a lot of time on it haha. $30 in my North Dakota area seems to be the most I can get for them ahha...So I just say I clear $15...I attached a couple pictures. I think they would be fun for you to do....and private message me if you are interested in it and I can show you the fast way to make these :) and little kids love them, trust me, I have a 1 1/2 yr old daughter...I also started out piecing plain block baby blankets before I decided to do solid panel flannel blankets I attached a picture of the squares green one. I am soo happy to hear that a 13yr old wants to get into quilting and even thinking about starting a small business! this world needs more kids like you! ambitious ready to start at the bottom, ready to make something of themselves even so young! good for you and good luck![ATTACH=CONFIG]388404[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]388405[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]388406[/ATTACH]

At 13 and being a beginner you may have a time getting buyers. Maybe start with pot holders, candle mats, mug rugs and table runners. They will cast you much less than a quilt and you can sell these smaller items a lot quicker than a full quilt. A good place to sell would be at craft fairs. Maybe start now and build a stash to sell. People like to have the variety to choose from.

Good luck with this. It sounds like you have great aspirations.

The secret to making money at anything is to start with a product that people want, and can't or won't make or find somewhere else. You can keep your costs low by following the suggestions here (I stalk Craigslist, myself), and your labor costs will go down as your skills improve.

Are you really 13? If so, start looking for things people use (or might want to use) at school. Textbook covers, book bags and locker organizers might be useful, and sell-able if you can get them down to a reasonable cost. The advantage there, too, is that you don't need large cuts of fabric (read: $$).

Quilting for money seems like chasing smoke to me. But quilted items might be a way to try!

Very enterprising for a 13 year old. Remember that talent will be rewarded, no matter what your age!

Do you have a sewing machine? I hope so, as that makes the process go faster. Also, do you have a mentor - someone knowledgable about sewing who can help you learn the quilting craft?

Start small. Think baby quilts! Here's one I made - very simple pattern - that used only fabrics I got on sale. It's going to my new grandson. This is called a 'panel' quilt, because the focal point is a center panel. This particular panel is not a 'real' panel, but was cut from a 1.5 yard fabric. I cut it about 28 inches wide and 40 inches long. Then I just bordered it and put 9 patch blocks in the corner. The fabric - because it was on sale, most of it for $1 a yard, probably cost me under $15. Since the pattern is so simple, it took relatively short time to sew, as well.

That's how I suggest you start out - pick up 100% cotton sale fabrics at very low prices. Your first quilts are practice quilts, the ones where you learn how to cut fabric and sew straight.

Good luck to you!


[ATTACH=CONFIG]388413[/ATTACH]

I just bid last week on a king size quilt mariners compass design and missed it (computer had problems). I think it sold for about 70. This was a fully quilted new quilt on ebay. I couldn't have bought the material for that.

I think you can and that your age does not necessarily work against you. I think many people would like to buy from you if you really made it yourself. Think of reusing items and hit the younger market. Like some one mentioned baby items and smaller items like placemats would be good starting points. Best wishes.

Smaller quilted items seem to sell well. Look around here for purses, wallets, wall hanging, table toppers, vests, TISSUE COVERS (tee hee), place mats, mug rugs, luggage tags, key rings, water bottle carriers, there's a huge list of small items that you can whip out without much effort.

Still sticking with spending money on one or two really good "how to quilt" books rather than a bunch of classes.

Yes, I really am 13. Haha. I don't have a sewing machine (yet) and I dont have a mentor. I suppose books would be better because you could go back whenever you wanted and look at them. I have always been very entreprenurial, and when I mean selling quilts (and quilted items, haha) I dont neccesarily mean right away. And by the way, quilting and crocheting is looked down upon by most of the other students, and selling things on school grounds can result in in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension. Wouldn't want that. What I meant was maybe in the future, maybe even years. It would be nice right away but in my own head, I see it as more of a long term goal to bring in extra cashflow, to make it all worth while if you know what I mean. I apologize for not making this clear right away. See, I was talking to my parents and they said that if I got good, I could sell them because some of the nicer ones can bring in upwards of $300. I didnt expect this right away, but I thought if the nice ones can sell for $300, then maybe one that is not as nice could sell for $75-$100. I would have to sell a lot of little quilted things because they will probably only go for like $5. Thanks, everyone. Oh an by the way, GrannieAnnie, your signature is hilarious.

Have you looked at ETSY.com for ideas? You could get pricing ideas and just look at other people's handiwork. Also Youtube has loads of tutorials on quiliting and sewing. You can always start out handsewing and go from there. Nancy Zieman is fantastic (she is on PBS and has been for 30 years) I have learned so much from her over the years. Start small to see if you even like sewing. If you find you want a sewing machine, you can get a simple first machine (Brother or Janome are good) and then upgrade later. It is nice to hear a young person thinking about their future.