I knew it was a lot but not the true price. The gifts I have given are/were worth a LOT more than I was thinking.
D

just wanted to add into your chart.. needles, changing them often adds to the cost...and OMG, when that rotary blade gets dull.it's time to change that also.......

Those two will add to your total........you can retire after one quilt

that is, if you can find someone to pay you the going rate......

This sure does give me some self worth. I don't quilt for a business but do it for friends and family as a gift. I do tell them the approximate value of each quilt I make and say. This is to let you know the value for insurance purposes. They are usually shacked till I tell them just the cost of fabric, and then I tell them how long it took me to make the quilt and the cost of sending it out to be quilted on a long arm. I can no longer hand quilt. By the time I am finished, they know how valuable a gift they are receiving. Jan

True, but I can't think of any "handcraft" that actually pays $20/hour for something actually detailed. Counted cross stitch takes hours and hours and people sell them on ebay or yard sales for a pittance.

Maybe painters/sketchers who do portraits at county fairs will clear $20/hour easily. But knitting/crocheting, tatting, lace making, cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, quilting, etc. ?

[quote=justflyinginTrue, but I can't think of any "handcraft" that actually pays $20/hour for something actually detailed. Counted cross stitch takes hours and hours and people sell them on ebay or yard sales for a pittance.
quote]

There are the woodworkers and hand carvers who get at least that much an hour, and for typical skilled labor in any area the bidding usually starts at 20 per hour.

I attended a home business seminar a few years ago and one of the points they brought home was how little people who are in the "home" businesses usually charge people for their labor. If we were going to hire someone to hand quilt a quilt for us we'd be willing to pay 20/hr for an heirloom quality piece.

That's one of the reasons I stopped sewing for others for profit. Course if we add up all the hours we put into refurbishing vintage sewing machines we'd be getting about that.

Where is the backing material listed? I didn't see it in the list of here is the cost.

I noticed these two comments here:

1. "... I could never charge that much for my time since I enjoy quilting,...."

2. "... I can't think of any "handcraft" that actually pays $20/hour for something actually detailed. Counted cross stitch takes hours and hours and people sell them on ebay or yard sales for a pittance. Maybe painters/sketchers who do portraits at county fairs will clear $20/hour easily. But knitting/crocheting, tatting, lace making, cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, quilting, etc.?"

To the first, I question...does that mean you can't/aren't/ shouldn't be paid equal wage for a job that you enjoy? I mean, my niece is a nurse, my DD is a 5th grade teacher and they both adore their jobs. Should they not be paid the same as someone who does not enjoy it? I'm sure this isn't what you really meant, but, as a group, as home quilters, as artists, we all too often undervalue what we do simply because we enjoy it, or are self-taught, or don't get to do it every day, or compare ourselves unfavorably with what we perceive as 'the competition", or whatever reason.

To the second question I note.....The quilters who are making a living at this art do not accept pittance pay for their valued labor/designs/creations. They get better pay because they expect better pay and appreciation. I really do believe we get what we expect.

If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll keep getting what we've always gotten.

I challenge each of those being asked to, or thinking of making, quilts for pay to add 10% more this year to any price they quote. And next year make it 15% more! If we did this all over the country, maybe, just maybe, we'd slowly begin to influence the public, and our families, and incresase our stash fund just a bit.:-D

Jan in VA.

I do not think you can do anything but a simple design in 12 hours! I know most of the Amish quilts take at lest 30-40 hours....and they are VERY experienced!

What about insurance on them?

Wow Rita, that is wonderful that you got that money, what size of quilt were they?

Wow Rita, that is wonderful that you got that money, what size of quilt were they?


( Sorry for the doulbe post)

I enjoy quilting and yes it does cost some money. But, it gives me pleasure and keeps me busy. I give all of them away for gifts. Maybe one for me here and there not very often. I would never pay that much money even thou I know how much is put into a quilt, some more than others. Just my opinion :-D

A quilter says she won't pay the true cost of a quilt, how are we suppose to get the public to respect our work. If I liked a quilt and it went with my decor I would buy it. Sure I could check it out, find the pattern, hopefully same fabric and make it myself but it wouldn't be the same. I would buy the quilt because I loved it just as I would any other piece of art, clothing, home decor, whatever.

Pete:
Very interesting figures. Would you e-mail me off line. I want to explore an idea I have.

Thanks,

Sandy

[email protected]

Nice estimate, but you forgot all the cutting, time to travel& gas, also time to pick out fabrics, have them cut & paid for.I'm sure someone could think of even more.

it can be difficult to figure out a good price to charge for your work. when i was making clothing (i had a boutique children's clothing business), my prices were more than one can buy clothing at walmart but my clothing was also better made, better materials, nicer looking and woth every cent i charged. but my clothing was also tailored to the child's needs so many parents were willing to pay my prices.

i remember making a daisy kingdom dress for my niece and a neighbor saw it and wanted one for her daughter. i had put over $80.00 in materials alone in that dress not including labor. the mother wanted the dress for her daughter and paid for it.

i will be charging for quilts soon so will do my best to keep track of costs and price accordingly. i have seen quilts at art fairs that sell for well over $2,000. folks are buying them though.

It's true. What is the price to charge if you actually do want to sell them?

Some get "truer" prices, while I was at a Harvest Festival recently and the vendor was selling what they claimed were handmade quilts for $29 for a lap to $350 for a queen size. However, the work and fabrics looked so-so and most of the quilting was very basic.

you forgot to add in the cost of electricity to run your machine and light your work area!!

You left out the cost of pain and suffering, lol. I am only half joking. I went on facebook (THAT *%!#%&#!!* PLACE) today to see if a few friends and relatives had been on, and all the changes drove me straight to my sewing machine. I dragged out my red fabric and muslin patterns, and I started working on my Christmas outfit for Taffy, my chocolate doxie.

It is all done, except for the buttons and button holes, because I have to change threads again, and I fitted it on Mindy, to see if the same size vest would work (it will). But it made my stubborn old shoulder scream in agony just from those few hours of sewing. I can just imagine what hours and hours of quilting must do. So I think you need to add a reasonable surcharge for Pain and Suffering, lol.

All of you have made such beautiful quilts. They are worth what any artist of quality workmanship, and your individual talent is worth. They are priceless. I wanted to learn to quilt, because of my memories as a young girl sleeping cozy under my grandmothers warm, heavy, tied, quilts that I cherished. Hers were made out of necessity, but they still bring warm thoughts to my heart today.

It's funny I ran across this today since I had just finished my son's quilt and already started a Christmas quilt. Hubby says he's going to have to build a room onto our house for my finished quilts. Both of my Grandmas taught me to quilt several years ago and until just recently everything was quilted by hand. Hubby asked me why I didn't sell some of them and I told him because no one would want to pay what they're worth. Then when I learned to FMQ he suggested trying to sell them on Ebay. After seeing this I might try it and see how it goes. Maybe I'd at least get enough money out of them to cover expenses, and able to buy more fabric, and wouldn't be too worried about labor since I love to do it. Quilting is better than any drug on the market for stress!! Another member commented on this thread and asked what about pain and suffering which when I read it had to laugh because there is plenty of blood, sweat and tears put into making a quilt. I mean that literally too. LOL!!! I don't know if I could actually part with one though. Hmmmmmm...decisions, decisions, decisions.