After seeing and hearing quilters complain about binding, I'm thinking of offering a binding service locally. But, how to figure out the charge?

Per running foot of bound quilt seems like a good place to start. What would you think of 15 cents per running foot? That would be $30 for a 50" by 50" baby quilt. Hmm, seems like too much. Maybe a dime per running foot, which would be $20 for that dimension baby quilt.

Is there any other quilt binding service that anyone knows of?

Thanks for helping me think!

Would you be makig binding and adding it start to finish or just turning under and doing the handstitching part?

My LA charges $10 for machine stitched binding.. any size..

A friend paid me $100 to bind a quilt. Knowing it was way too much, I gave her a bunch of quilting equipment for the beginning quilting class we were taking together!

I have no idea what to charge or how, obviously (well, she was the one who offered the price :shock: )....

I am having a longarm quilter do the quilting part as well as half the binding for $50 (she will do the binding on the top by machine and I will handstitch it on the back) for her to do it all it would be done by hand she charges $120.

It would really depend on whether or not you were doing hand-stitching or only machine-binding, I'd think.

Interesting idea. I'm perfectly capable of doing the binding myself, so I think $20.00 would be fair but to someone who can't or doesn't have time to it could very well be worth a lot more.

Great idea - binding can be frustruating...

I must be weird, 'cos I LOVE the hand stitching part.

I love the hand part also!

If you're thinking of starting this as a business, then you need to start thinking as a business person.

Thinking that 15 cents a foot seems to high and a dime is better is not business. Consider how long it takes you to do the job? How many inches can you do in an hour? etc.

The hand quilter I use charges a flat fee.
The LAQs in this area all charge per inch.
And these are with the binding ready provided as ready to go by the owner of the quilt.
If they make the binding or do any extra work, such as trimming, pressing, it's totally by the hour.


I had my first quilts bound for me as I was excited and wanted to get them home and onto my bed!! I soon decided for the $$ I could do the job myself, and I now have no qualms in doing binding.

not one penny-------------sort of fun for me. Knowing I've finally finished something.

However, I'd be glad to bind a small baby quilt for $30.

It's not a matter of loving to do it or not (from a business perspective) but how long it takes to do one vs. the other. It will ALWAYS take longer to hand-bind a quilt vs machine-bind a quilt of the same size, thus it makes sense to charge more for that service.

Personally I would prefer to bind my own quilts!

Here's what I'm thinking:

Customer would supply the binding fabric, either pre-washed or not, as customer chooses. I would give guidance on the yardage needed for the size of quilt. I would cut the 2.5" strips on the straight grain, do diagonal seams.

Machine stich to front, hand stich to back.

After Googling prices, I think my dime per foot is low.

Any other thoughts?

Mention my name if she has another quilt to bind! tee hee

I found one store in Omaha that charges a quarter per INCH for machine sewing to front and hand sewing to back!

Ditto. I enjoy doing the binding as I know that soon the quilt will be finished. I usually machine sew the front and hand sew the back. It doesn't seem to take me very long. BrendaK

The first thing you need to invest in is a math lesson. 50"x 4 sides is 200" divided by 12" per foot is 16 2/3 feet, and rounding that off to 17 feet multiplied by .15 per running foot is ----------------$2.55. The thread and the pot of coffee cost more than that. Don't forget the 3 cents for peroxide to take blood out of that one place you stuck yourself.

Ooops, you are right! Too funny.

I just found 35 cents per inch for full binding service at a place in AZ.

Ooops, you are right! Too funny.

I just found 35 cents per inch for full binding service at a place in AZ.

Sorry, I hit send too soon.

Sorry, You need a math lesson, too. You'd be doing that 50" square baby quilt for $1.70. No spare money for peroxide and you'll have to do with leftover morning coffee. tee hee

I think you may have figured incorrectly. A 50" x 50" quilt would have a perimeter of 200" which equals 16.7 running feet. At $.15 per running foot you would only make $2.49!! (16.7 x .15).

I charge by the linear inch. If I'm making binding, machine attach to front, hand stitch to back, I charge $.25 per inch. So in the above example I would charge $50. Maybe I'm slow, but it will take me at least a couple of hours, and I won't work for less than minimum wage.

A business needs to consider that the amount the business takes in (the $50) is NOT the amount the 'employee' (you) makes. You need to subtract out overhead like advertising, supplies, self-employment taxes, etc. General rule of thumb is 1/3 to taxes, 1/3 to overhead, 1/3 to yourself.

I think depending what she hands you. Will the quilt be ready for binding, squared off; is the binding cut and seamed, ironed; has the other fabric been washed, if so the binding should be washed and ironed; they furnish fabric, thread etc. For a business I don't think $.15 - .25 a foot (CORRECTION PER INCH) is too much. Businesses don't ask customers what to charge, you know what you will need. It would be harder to charge more once you started, maybe you could have a couple of specials for the first month, get your name out there while you're trying to get established.

I would love to love the hand stitching part but, alas, I was not gifted with the skill of nice handsewing. Add to that tendonitis in my elbows & arthritis in my fingers. Well, let's just say that handsewing is now just wishful thinking. Thank goodness I've gotten pretty good with a method using the sewing machine. I would maybe consider paying for someone to do handsewn binding, if a particular quilt would best be done that way.

Ladies---------------please read your posts. Most of you are saying charge by the foot. I'm pretty sure you mean by the inch. If not-------------please drag out your calculators.

At your rate, you'd be binding a super king for a bit less than $10. And I'm relatively sure you don't mean that.

You can do a big quilt-----by hand--- in two hours? Guess I stop too many times for coffee, the potty, and changing TV channels.

...and browsing QB :mrgreen:

If you can do a good blanket stitch or whatever on a machine---------it ought to be good for a really nice quilt, too.

My hands kill me------------but I can still do a couple hours of hand sewing before squalling. Don't know how long that's going to last.

Binding this the best part because when you're done, you're done....lol!

Hey, I'd do full binding at .30 per inch! as long as my pain pills last.

My computer is in my junk room---------so QB just puts an end to doing anything. I'm supposed to be making a dress now, anyway.

At the rate I hand sew - I would earn about $0.50 an hour if I only charged $0.25 per foot

I think the better question to ask YOURSELF is: (and others have said basically the same thing)

What do YOU need to charge to make it worth the effort?

If someone wants it done badly enough, they'll come up with the money.

Sort of like going to a doctor or a lawyer or mechanic or plumber-

One can shop around and get references - but the bottom line is -

One pays what they charge!

Or one goes without.

Oh, no, not for a big one!! That was for the size she stated, about 50 x 50. A queen would take me at least 4 hours for the handstitching alone, another 30 - 60 to make, press, attach and trim the quilt - and that's without breaks. By the time you add those in, it's probably 2 or 3 days!! :-)

Thank heavens! I was thinking I was the slowest person on earth. Yep, a simple baby quilt will get done in one evening.

BTW, I always machine sew the binding to the back and do the hand stitching on the front. Most of you do the opposite.

But I'm not doing the fantastic quilts most of you are.

it costs $5-$10 to have the binding done here.

GrannieAnnie, this is a VERY close friend, I think I gave her a cutting mat, a new rotary cutter, a 6 x 24 inch ruler and a few other necessary notions to get her started quilting, I think I probably came out about $30, which is more what it was worth. Plus whenever i find a good deal on quilting supplies, I pick up extra and cut her in on the deal :lol: :lol:

I love the binding as well. It's my sit down and rejoice time...it's almost finished!!! But I am interested, with the problems I've been having w/right wrist, doing it myself may no longer be an option before much longer.

20 cents an inch with machine stitch on top and hand stitched on the bottom
that is with making the binding too