Just wondering if there is a market for handquilting? i am trying to find ways to make some extra money for my long arm....so many people around here know i quilt but they dont want to pay the money so therefore i wont make quilts for people here...so i thought maybe i could offer handquilting for others...is there a market? i quilt 8-10 stitches per inch but very consistent stitch length...or is this not good enough to quilt for others? i love the look of a handquilted quilt.
blessings

Tisha, I think your stitch length is great- I don't know if there's a market but I bet there is. Hand quilting is so beautiful!!
Hope others can tell you more :)

thanks Susan...68 people have read my topic but only one replied so i guess maybe there isnt a market lol

What about in your town????

8-10 stitches per inch is VERY respectable! Most only achieve 6...

I don't know what the market would be here on the board, what would you charge for the service?

Try contacting some quilt designers?

what do you mean?

no people here want stuff for nothing so i wouldnt even offer it here

good luck too you with this. I have been hand quilting for peolpe for years. I can not get much work. but maybe in your area you will have better luck. Just so you know I'm not a bad quilter I'm quilting 12 to 14 stitch preinch. and have won prizes for the quilting i have done.

I would think there would be. Maybe you could contact some quilt shops, or even guilds, and ask around?

wow....thats awesome...ok i guess i will just give up on the idea bc doesnt really seem to be a market for it.

It's early in the day Tisha, and you just posted this...give it time, someone might be interested!

My Mom made a beautiful hand appliqued quilt top and spent three years trying to find someone to hand quilt it. She gave up and had it machine done. So is there a market? .. yes ! But getting the word out will be your key to having a good customer base. This is a good place to start.

oh i know it just seems that handquilting is dying out...sweetpea was saying that she doesnt get much work and quilts much smaller then i do and has award winning quilts...

I know the Amish ladies do it around here, but I am in Wisconsin.

You could put an add on craigslist to get a wider group of people in your area. Or check with your LQS to see if they know of any work. Some people may not have time to do their own quilting. The most important thing is to be clear and up front with your prices if not you may find yourself working for next to nothing.

I think there's a market for it, but it won't beat a path to your door - you have to advertise that you do it, and reach beyond your local area. Most people when they think hand quilting, think about the Amish. They have websites offering their services. You might google Amish hand quilting and see what they charge.

You can probably get work, but I don't know if you can make a living doing it. And by the way, 8-10 inches is just fine.

Janet

there is around here (OK)...most take them to the SR center and pay them to do. THe ladies there use the money to buy more thread and fabrics to make quilts. It is a win-win for everyone.

I would think there is if you can figure out how to reach the right market. I FMQ all my own and wanted one handquilted. Local price here was $400 to hand quilt the entire top.

I would love to have one of my quilts handquilted with some perl cotton! I have not learned to do it myself and when I start will be doing smaller projects .... so... how can I know what your rate will be? Should I give you teh quilt size?

yikes that is a bit steep for me - i didn't know it would be that much more then machine quilting...

Is there a market? Welllllll....

Here's another craft, and this may help you to know: I am making a sweater for my sister, knit with various wools. By the time it's all said and done, just the cost of the yarns will be about $200, because many of them are hand painted and hand dyed. I knitted about one inch at the beginning of the pattern, and it took me about 10 hours. It's kinda a sweeping, flowy sweater so the "length" was about 600 knitting stitches x that one inch. I made a mistake, tried to salvage it, and ultimately started over from the beginning. Now I'm back to where I was before I ripped everything out, so lets say 20 hours total, not including the time I was trying to salvage the mistake. If I paid myself $10 per hour, we'd already be at $200 labor + $200 in supplies, and I'm only one inch in. Even if we just count actual knitting time, it's still $100.

I'd never knit this sweater for a paying customer. I don't think I'd ever reach someone that could afford it.

So, could you make some money handquilting to put away for a longarm....YES! But, it may take you a long, long while to do so, working very cheaply when you break it out into the hours that it would take to complete a project. I know you get paid in joy for part of it (as am I, as the sweater grows) but joy won't buy a longarm, kwim? :D

I do handquilting but not nearly as good as yours. Maybe if you could advertise on facebook, go to fabric shops and leave a small sample of your work...some people may have never seen hand quilting. You could contact shops that advertise on QB and send them a small sample also. Just keep working on it, maybe even something else will turn up...you never know what is just around the bend....good luck....

My mom (80) hand quilts and keeps as busy as she wants to be.I long arm quilt but once in awhile I get a quilt that screams to be hand quilted.I go find her.Most of the hand quilting around here is done by church groups or org.,Mainly because you can't charge enough for all the time that goes into hand quilting.Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

I would be in the market, especially since I'm just next door in West Ga. ! However, my issue is bottom line cost; I'm retired on a limited income, live alone and am just learning to quilt...I have 3 tops ready to go, just can't afford to have them quilted. Been reading about hand quilting and will try that as soon as I get the nerve.

Hang in there. I've seen ads in quilt magazines that advertise quilting and the prices seem reasonable.

I think MY biggest issue is I'm not sure I want someone familiar with quilting to see what I've done......I would rather send mine to someone I don't know (such as you) to quilt for me.

i would think hand quilting would be more expensive than hand quilting---if they won't pay for machine quilting would they pay for hand quilting? i think you need to check around the local shops- guild, sewing groups and see if there would be more of a demand.
around here the hand-quilter's charge 3 1/2 cents a square inch for quilting- which is a bit more expensive than most of the long-arm quilters in the area...that being said- here there is a market for it- the hand quilters i know stay busy- of course it takes a lot longer to hand quilt a quilt than to machine quilt it.

Is there a market, yes. It takes effort to reach a market that appreciates hand quilting and is willing to pay for the time to create. That being said, realize that it will be difficult to make a living wage because of the time investment per item. Also evaluate your personal work tendencies (can you hit deadlines, how long to quilt an item?)

Suggestions are to do your research, set your prices and network locally. Building a base will get referrals. Also stick to your guns as there will be those who want box store prices. (yes I have been offered $20 to hand quilt a queen sized top, and I turned it down in a heartbeat.) I win some quotes, and I lose some. I realize that many walk away with sticker shock. BUT I am going to invest 6 weeks or more into this creation and that deserves to be rewarded.

Why do I hand quilt? I love the look, rhythmic progression of loading needles with fabric, the joy of a challenge, being pushing to add beauty to another's work, handing a relative a remembrance of a loved one.

Best wishes as you look into this.

Google "hand quilting services" and you will find pages from people who do hand quilting for others.

You can even look at the cost info to find out what the going rate is.

I agree that handquilting is gorgeous. Since you are saving for a longarm I have questions. Have you ever used one? How much have you saved? Are you going to open a business with the longarm?Maybe you should take what you have saved get a loan from the bank and get started. Lots of quilt shops have longarms for you to use. I think you need to think outside the box. In Indiana people have Christmas open houses in their own home. Maybe this is something you can do. I know in Bloomington there are lots of artists and some places will take work on a consignment deal. I know if you are a quilter you have lots of ideas if you think about it. BE CREATIVE :lol: :lol: :lol:

I prefer handquilting and plan to handquilt all my own quilts at this time. I would rather take my time to handquilt and enjoy the process while using my money for more fabric.

If we don't continue to handquilt, it will become yet another lost art, a casualty of our "gotta have it now society".

Many longarmers offer basting services for people who hand quilt. You have the advantage of putting all three layers together smoothly, setting your machine with the channel lock and long stitch length and basting the layers together. This is a service that many quilters would appreciate as it keeps them from having to crawl on the floor and pin or baste their quilts. I think you can do a 4" grid which should work for most quilters.
You could check other longarmers' websites for pricing for this service.
Debbie

I always heard that the smaller the stitches the better But it's consistent lenght is what really matters.
If you quilt 8-10 stitches per inch consistent you should be able to find quilting to do. The thing is getting the word out and it sounds like the QB has gave some very good advise on getting the word out. Good Luck


:thumbup:

I love hand quilting,but my fingers don't.Several things come to mind.Will ppl pay postage both ways,then wait how long for their quilt to be done? Postage wouldn't matter,if you can afford a hand quilter.Having the quilt gone for months might be.

You'll need a list of prices, what is included & time it takes.Maybe some pics of quilts you've done.Will you also offer LA service? Is your home pet & smoke free? Just things to think about. You might also make a business of offering smaller quilted things,such as runners,purses etc.Good luck.

While it's true there is less of a market for hand quilting now due to machine quilting, it seems to me that you just have to find your market.

Last time I checked here in Sarasota one of our local fabric/quilt stores was charging $1.00 a yard for hand quilting. Small church groups in Pa. are doing the same thing for .35 - .50 a yard.

If you buy anything from Keepsake Quilting they have a membership plan that includes running an ad online on their website. That may be a possibility.

Where else could you place an ad online? Craigslist?

Best wishes, Sarah

The average price for hand quilting in our area is $500 - it is a lot more labour intensive than doing it on a machine.

Well if there is a market let me know. People want hand made quilts and the hand quilting but they want you to give it to them. When you tell them a price, they just shake their heads and say oh that is too much.....

How about teaching others to hand quilt? You could market your skills in many ways.

- Harry B.

how much do you charge for hand quilting?

Several church groups around here still do hand quilting and I know of two ladies that hand quilt for others. I think you just have to put out the word and maybe there will be someone you can quilt for, then they will tell others. Word of mouth gets out. I know one gets quilts from all over the U.S.A. Maybe put a listing in the for sale area here? or in quilting magazines? Just a thought.

just for a try, make an ad and post it in the quilt shops near where you live; you may be surprised... there is a big call for it here in No. MO. Very few do it anymore, but we do have one Amish lady who does it - does beautiful work.