Does Grandma have a favorite family recipe? If so, you could trade her the quilt, for a lesson in cooking, probably with some family history thrown in.

It would make her feel special, and appreciated, and would give her a chance to pass on what she knows to a whole new generation. Two smiles for the price of one!

Since they know he is losing his job soon it could be her way of helping out. Ask her what she feels is a fair price after you tell her how much it has cost you to make it.

That would be a great way to handle it. Good thinking Henry.

This is something I hadn't thought about with my first reply :roll: If its a gift for someone else than I agree with Henry , tell her how much you have in it just for the fabric, thread, and other items. Then ask her what she thinks is fair ?

I'd say give the quilt as a gift. If she insists on charging, or if you need the money, then charge her the amount for just the supplies. If she's like my grandma, she'll pay you that price, plus whatever extra she wants to throw in.

I feel uncomfortable charging money to family for most things. In our family, we are constantly helping out one another. I could charge my brother for the baptism dress I just made his daughter, but then how much would he charge me for a day of labor moving all my boxes when we came from CA? What price can you put on the time, energy, and love that family puts into each of our lives?

No one has answered the actual "relationship" between the maker and her grandmother-in-law.

Just because someone happens to have a blood tie to one, doesn't make that person near and dear.

I think it is fair to charge for materials/out of pocket expenses -

I paid my son for remodeling work - not as much as he would have gotten from others - but roughly I paid him about two hours of my salary for one hour of his work at the time. Plus the cost of materials. And he was learning at the time.

I too sale many of my handmade items at craft/fair/art shows. I always follow the basic rule of materials x3 and have many return customers because of the fair price on quality merchandise.
Then for my family members they have all received things that I have made for them as gifts, never asking for payment. In our family it is understood that it comes back with time to the one that original made it. As in many families, we all give to each other when the needs arise.
But I will add this in, one of my quilts was priced as I mentioned at materials x3 and the customer was so taken with it that she actually paid me twice the amount that I was asking and told me I don't charge enough for all I do with my quilts. That alone was payment enough for me. It's so special when quality is recognized. So ladies & gentlemen if you take pride in your work and it shows there are those out there that do appreciate it.
I say the "borrow" arrangement is the way to go with grandma's quilt. Be sure to label it properly, so in time it will be returned to you.

This is a BEAUTIFUL quilt already and add to this your hand quilting! It is going to be a work of art. I would have a hard time giving this one away, yet Grandma would probably not be able to pay what it will truly be worth. I like the idea of 'lending' it to her. I gave my MIL a quilt with the hand prints of everyone in her immediate family and asked that one day when she's enjoyed it for many years, that it come back to my husband. She agreed and brings it out at each family reunion. She tells everyone it's "David's Quilt", so no one gets any ideas. :-)

there's no formula here. you have to decide how/what/if you want to charge her. do you want to give it as a gift? does she really think you'll charge her anything, or is she expecting you to offer it? what kind of relationship do you have with her? if you want to give it but can't afford to right now and you have a good relationship with her, ask her if she can cover the cost of the materials used. if she's a good person, she'll at least do that.

personally, i think that what you charge an outsider depends more on the hours of labor than the cost of materials. if you do a whole-cloth quilt, would you charge for cost of materials? you'd be cheating yourself. you made an intricate, time-consuming quilt that will now be handquilted and the worth of your hours of labor will far exceed your costs for materials, unless you're working for $1 an hour. what does a salesgirl make an hour in your area? are you willing to earn less for what you do? and she gets benefits.

and yes. it's worth $600.00.

fair :thumbup: