that if you put the word "amish" in your quilt description online it goes for more money? Shall we all put on caps and take a picture to get a better price? Are amish quilts so superior to ours that they deserve more money?

Sorry, I've been searching the internet all day and I'm mad. lol

i'm not sure but i think it has a lot to do with the fact that the quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted.

there quilting designs are supposed to be very elaborate since the fabric selections are always solid colors.

when i have to hand piece a quilt my price goes thru the roof and the only time i hand quilt is to tie a quilt otherwise its machine quilted.

i would charge at least $450 for a small wall hanging that i had to hand piece.

How long does it take you to hand piece a wall hanging?

I don't think they're superior in quality or design. All these posts about what to charge for quilts got me looking more closely. This log cabin is from Amish Loft.

http://www.amishloft.com/amishloft/p...s.asp?pf_id=Q9

These are pictures of my log cabin. Not to be immodest but, my hand quilting is as good. Mine isn't hand pieced but still... would I be able to sell mine for $720?? I'm really starting to wonder as my employer, who I have been with for 15 years, is having a very hard time in the financial and insurance business and there have been 2 rounds of layoffs. Who knows what is next.

well - if i machine pieced and hand quilting your log cabin (it looks to be a twin size) i would charge $1200 and my clients would pay it.

i guess this really does come down to where you live and what the people in your area are willing to pay for art.

the amount of hours you've put into that log cabin would warrant that price or more.

I live in Indiana and northern Indiana has a large Amish population, every year they have a big quilt auction and some of them bring thousands of dollars. This may not be a popular opinion but it is mine :-)
I think some people have more money than they know what to do with and they like to have possesions that other people recognise as "top notch" superior ect. Over the years the Amish quilts have aquired that reputation. I have talked to people that would like to buy quilts and they don't quilt or sew themselves. These people seem to be more interested in the fact that a quilt is hand quilted than if it is pieced by hand or sewn on a machine. But they feel if they pay big money for a quilt like that other people will say well you could have had an Amish quilt for that price. I think some people are just to involved in the status of something rather than pleasing themselves. Sorry to run on about this and don't mean to offend anyone. I think Amish quilts can be beautiful, but do I think they warrent the money some of them bring?....no. Just my 2 cents

[quote=kluedesigns]well - if i machine pieced and hand quilting your log cabin (it looks to be a twin size) i would charge $1200 and my clients would pay it.quote]

It's queen size. This is a picture of before the 6" blue border was on and it's a queen size bed.

It's lovely Pam! I can picture a vintage dresser with a basin and ewer on top of it right beside the bed.

well then thats $3000. an original work, queen size, hand quilted - that would be my minimum price.

i've sold a 3 feet x 3 feet wall hanging for $750.

i think the big problem with trying to sell this type of quilt is its not an original work of art. its an existing pattern that many people have and that decreases its value.

you'd have to price yourself according to all the other quilters in your area that work off patterns.

you're really talented - i've seen the pics of your work - you need to up your price for your art and your time.

Thank you. I wouldn't have to go far to up my price as I've never sold one. :lol:

I shudder to think what the last finished top, Starred and Feathered, would sell for then. It's an original design but using traditional block patterns.

you'd be able to sell your work without any problems. if you've built up a stash of quilts that you'd be willing to let go you should get a booth at an art fair.

fyi - i consider starred and feathered an original art quilt.

you can use traditional blocks and combine them in a new and unique way and consider it an original work.

you could copy write that pattern, publish it, and sell it for $15 per pattern and people will pay you.

some people can sew and follow a pattern but they just can't deal with design and math to develop there own.

when i went to the PA quilt show i was chatting with a lady in the shop that has to follow a quilt book to the letter. if the book has 2 quilts she can make with the exact same fabric she'll buy it.

she lacked the ability to choose different fabrics or alter a quilt design.

you could totally sell that pattern to the public - its just stunning.

People are under the assumption that "Amish" means "Better Quality". I live about an 45 min from a huge Amish community. One of my favorite quilt stores is there. I've looked at their quilts and found more imperfections than I would let pass in one of mine. I've also seen them using a machine. The store I go to sells the quilts for at least $1200. No special patterns or fabrics and many of them are there on consignment. I sometimes wonder if just putting a store in Amish Country means instant sales.

They are in no way superior and not worth anymore than one of ours.

Lynette

I've noticed that too. People are using it as a catch phrase. The Amish quilt are wonderful and some people are latching on to that.

This is true the word "Amish" is what sells.....I too live near Amish towns and sell my things there....I too have seen the ladies use sewing machines.....and when they quilt it is like a quilting bee....they have seems like ten people surrounding the strechers and all are sewing...hence the different size in stitches.....:-)....They are pretty but the same designs over and over.....but they make there money from doing other peoples quilts .....when you get that many setting around a quilt it would go fast.....maybe we need to bring the bee back into our homes....just food for thought ...:-).....any way my stuff goes to the basement where no one goes because it is done on the machine.....ahhh life isn't fair.....Oh they also claim ...if it is hand quilted it is Amish when I did it and I'm not Amish....what a kick.....:-).....Life is such a Beautuful thing.....:-)

OK.. now for my 2 cents.. I too have lived near Amish communities.. there must be varying degrees of faithfullness to the old ways as the Amish in the area of my hometown do not use sewing machines.. all of their work is by hand.. needle and thread. An Amish quilt there indicates all cotton, generally black and bright or sometimes pastel colors.. no prints. Also different regions will use or not use varying colors.. some don't use green. Designs are usually fairly simple and geometric. There are also Mennonites who do use machines and might use some patterned fabric. As far as putting on a cap and having a picture taken.. I hate to tell you, but true Amish, fundamentalist, if you will, do not allow pictures to be taken, that would be a graven image and against their faith. Does this mean that all Amish quilts are superior.. heck no.. I've seen some I wouldn't want to claim either. However most of the ones I've seen for sale were of excellent quality.
I've sold a few things. I had a 36"x45" wall hanging all stitched by hand (needle and thread) and I charged $250. That was in the 80's. If I was to piece and quilt a full sized quilt to sell of a "common" pattern I wouldn't consider it for less than $1,000. I work full time and my free time does not come cheap.

In 1998 we were in Shipshewana Indiana and my husband took me quilt shopping to buy me an Amish quilt! Much to our shagrin as we drove out of the touristy area we hit the country roads, where I wanted to go to see the real Amish and to our dismay we saw the darling horse-n- buggy parked next to their Caddy'd. I am not kidding! House after house that was the case. I was so crushed.

We did drive a found several places selling their handy crafts. My husband bought me a very pretty quilt there. It is machine pieced and hand quilted. Not at all solid fabrics. This is floral. It is a log cabin. I don't remember what he paid but I love that we shared this memory together. He knows I was totally facinated by their ways of life, and was there to see my disappointment.

I have by choice never sold a quilt. I choose to give them out of love. Only a fellow quilter knows what goes into our works of love. I did hwever have a business of Stained Glass years ago and did very well. Somehow giving is different. In my heart at least.

Our quilts are just as precious as the next persons, no noubt in my mind or heart.

I have never sold a quilt either, I've allowed some that ordered special fabric to contribute their own choice of cotton fabric but the labor and love was all mine to give. I so agree with you Alaskasunshine! I wouldn't know where to begin to put a price on my handwork, machine piecing, quilting, or any of the rest. I've got to have a love of someone to be able to do the work for them.

That's not to say that I won't sell some in the future, when I have time to do nothing but sit at the sewing machine. But for now, my late hours after Roy goes to bed and my weekends are the best I have of time!

Living in Pennsylvania, it's commonplace to see Amish just about every day you go shopping. I used to work at Joann Fabric and the ladies were always in there getting fabric. Yes, they were getting prints. And yes, they were wearing prints. Same thing in Walmart and grocery stores.

Most drive plain black trucks or vans. Of course you still run into some buggies every now and then. As for them not wanting to get their picture taken, they must have forgotten to tell all the ones around here because I see them in the newspaper and on tv all the time. (right now they are seling fireplaces that they made. Very nice, actually)

But it's not just quilts. It's the same thing with the hand made furniture. You see it at craft shows. There will be duplicate things, one made by amish, one not. Guess which ones sell firsst at a higher price?

this quilt i made totally on the machine. i did not do the quilting, i had it done but i figure i've got about $500 in the quilt and i would have a hard time letting it go for even $2,000. i think there's a difference in what part of the country we live in as to how much we could get for our quilts.

stunning quilt dojo and worth every penny you'd ask for it.

i'm with you - its all related to your local community and the value that it places on artisans.

i'm a new york girl, and i know sleepy hollow. that location can demand much higher prices than a place that isn't in a well-known, new york suburb.

i understand what you're saying and i have made that same point many times - location, location, location - but it's not fair to say that that can be the going price all over.

obviously, you can't charge more than the traffic will bear. charging $1200.00 and having no buyers is kind of self-defeating. you have to locate an outlet for your work, either a gift shop in a vacation area or a downtown in an upper-class area, where there are people who can afford to spend that much money. in a tight economy, handmade quilts are not a necessity. only those who can really afford 'extras' will buy them.

the quilter is the only person who can decide what her time and effort is worth. if she can't get that amount, should she still do it and earn almost nothing for her skill?

they not only work factory-style, they also farm them out to other amish ladies. someone may make the blocks, another sash them together, another batt and back them ready for stitching and someone else stitch, either by hand or machine. the operative word is 'amish'. that doesn't mean good quality (or bad quality). it just means amish. in the ohio area, it also means florals and other prints. you'd have a hard time differentiating them from mine.

i agree that location is critical when pricing. art is viewed differently in various locations and worth is not equally distributed around the country.

i do live in a wealthy area of our country that happens to put a highly value on art and artisans.

i do believe others here do exceptional work and with the internet they too can have access to people willing to purchase their work.

their is a lady on ebay that has made a reputation on ebay selling quilt tops for 200-350 and they are the size of a throw.

it just takes time to build up a name and a business. the first few might sell for less than you like but after you have a reputation the price goes up.

I live in Central Pa and along side the Amish. I bought my Janome at a quilt store that sells to the Amish all of the time. He is able to rig the Janome's up to treadle devices. The Amish are using the same machines as you and I . I go regularly to Amish homes where they sell their quilts. Some have them stacked 50 high to go through. They make quilts with pattern fabrics for "The English" to buy. They are not any better quality then ours. They are generally machine peiced and hand quilted. Dragonomine I would like the add to your comment about seeing Amish in the stores wearing pattern fabrics and driving cars. I beleive what you are seeing are Monnonite ladies. It is an offshoot of Amish, but not Amish. True Amish ony wear solids and drive buggies. They will "cross the line" for some things but generally not on those two points.