I would want to know where he is going to sell the quilts and for how much. Sounds like he might have his head in the clouds. How many of us, when showing a hand made item to someone, have heard "Oh, you are so talented, you should open a store."
It's not that simple. Selling quilts is tough. Does he have a retail outlet already or is he going to sell them to stores. I think I would say, "you can pay me X for my time, then you have the quilt to do with as you wish."

Good luck - find out how much he is talking about selling them for and what size he is interesting in you making , etc.

FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS WILL PROFITABLE ADVENTURE FOR BOTH OF YOU.

Start out by giving him 1 or 2 quilts- take photos of each one you give him - remember slow and easy wins the race

do it, you have nothing to lose and you will get to enjoy your hobby, just be prepared to stop if you don't get joy from it

Agree! And he may think he can sell a lot of your quilts for $50....because he has simply no idea about the hours of work and the materials costs. He may have a very rude awakening ahead of him:>

What do you have to lose?

Do you know this man? Make sure you check him out throughly. Be careful if he says he will reimburse you for the fabric. You could purchase the fabric then be out the $$ if he changes his mind.

Sounds good to me.

So, he's going to buy the fabric and you're going to do the work.
He's going to pay himself back for the fabric and then split the proceeds? Is he going to pay you for the work before splitting the proceeds?
Did he say 50/50? Or did he just say "split".

Get all the details in writing and make sure you understand how everything will be split. Good luck and congratulations.

references on this guy wouldnt hurt......... has he worked this deal before with anyone else?
It sounds good, just keep your eyes open

Do you really want to gamble with someone you don't know...you could end up loosing on this deal and you are already in a pinch for money.

Will he let you have creative liscense? And how much will he sell them for?

yes ma'am. I sure would. But before I began I would hammer out the details.

The first word I noticed you used was "HOBBY". Do you want to turn your "hobby" into a business?

I have always lived with the advice of my grandmother, " If it sounds to good to be true, it isn't true."

BEWARE and maybe do a few quilts, (few being up to 3) as a trial. Do not make any long term committments. Make sure it is your business and he is a silent partner. :thumbdown:

I'm taking teh 'low' road on this one. I see your predicament needing money and needing the work.
On the other hand, I doubt he has any idea how much time, work, and money went into the quilt you made.
I agree, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
Also, I like the numbers crunch someone did.
Highly unlikely anyone will pay those prices unless they have money to burn.
And once the quilt is made, he has the finished product, and if it does not sell, where and how will it be stored until sold?
Too open-ended a deal.
I would run the opposite direction. You don't loose your shirt (so to speak) and you can still enjoy your hobby and make the quilts you want.

I would give it a try. If he's buying the materials that allow you to do the work, you won't be out anything but your time if it doesn't work. You spend that time anyway making quilts-we all do. If you don't take a chance, you won't have the possibility of success. Make a couple and see what happens. You can renegotiate later if you need after all, he can't do it without you.

Definitely.

Absolutely! He buys the materials, you make.... which is the fun part, he sells, you split 50/50 go for it. What a deal.

That was going to be my exact comment. Make up a contract. And find a witness. Several years ago people told me I should make custom wedding gowns. It was a fine idea, but ended up being just that, an idea, because no one wanted to pay more than a couple hundred dollars for a "gown made in someone's home". Most people have absolutely NO idea what goes into making a quilt and the time it takes. We are never properly compensated for what we do, unless you consider the compliments and gratitude compensation. That is fine but it doesn't buy fabric. Good Luck with what ever you decide.

Does he know how long it takes for you to make a quilt. Have a business contract in writing and have it notarized.

Go for it..Sounds like a good deal to me!!!!

My guess is the quilt at the baby shower would be for a baby's use in a crib which you could quickly do some. If he wants a larger quilt, that's going to go that fast. I'd do one at a time, add up your investment of materials including thread, then add time. 50/50 cut is not a fair exchange. You do it all and he reaps the reward so to speak. Find out what your quilting what they think time spend is worth.

I agree that your quilt shown is amazing......just keep talking to this person till you feel how "solid" this offer is.....everyone's very best wishes for you

If it's someone you can trust then what are you waiting for DO IT.

This could be a great opportunity for you. Excellent advice already given so I'll just wish you the best of luck!

Sew away! After you take all the advice and precautions posted here... Many (like me) would envy such an opportunity!

BEST OF LUCK I HOPE IT WORKS OUT FOR YOU

Oh yes!!! Definitely! You GO, girl!!! :thumbup:

NO....first off...his buying materials means what...you can't buy materials until you know what you are going to make!
Are you planning to do more quilts like your sons? Then you need to copyright your designs...if they are copyrightable! If you have never done consignment or piece work you need to find someone who has and talk to them about what to expect. Sadly you will find that we will be working your butt off and will have little to show for it in the end. Especially if you are splitting the end monies with someone!

AND just whom is he planning to market your quilts too?
Is he able to target an audience that will shell out $200 for a baby quilt? Remember, even if the cost of materials is covered by him, he expects to double that for a profit...so that means you do all the labor, at say $10 an hour, and then you have to double that for a profit.

Yes, I would but I agree go slowely.

Good advice....he may have unrealistic expectations of how much quilt would bring in.

You make some great points. But $10 an hour is MacDonalds pay. I charge $25 an hour for alterations and am told by my friends at Joanns that that is not enough. My DDIL has some fantasy that she can sell my quilts for at least $200. I don't think it is going to happen. I think this man was trying to make points with all the other people at the baby shower, he sounds like a politician to me. Everything needs to be hashed and rehashed and put in writing.

Make sure you figure out how much money you will make per hour when you figure out how much the quilts should sell for.....otherwise you will be working for perhaps 75 cents per hour. You have to think very hard to see if it will actually pay for you to do this.

Why not? You get to do something you love without risking any $$$. However, DO GET YOUR AGREEMENT IN WRITING because I'd hate to have you make all those lovely quilts, he sells them and keeps the $$$! It needs to be laid out very clearly how the sale price of the quilts is documented, how and when you get paid. You are entering into a business with this man and you need legal protections. I know it is tempting to take someone's word, but I would really hate to see you taken advantage of. I know you are on a fixed income, but you might want to invest in an hour with an attorney to make sure you are protected and will get paid a proper amount for the time and knowledge you are bringing to this project. Personally, I would prefer to have him pay me when he gets the quilt ($25/hour for your work is reasonable), then he can sell it for whatever and that $$$ is all his. Once the quilt is out of your possession, it may be difficult to get paid for it.

Also, I would agree that he can pay for the material, but you need to be with him to pick out the materials so you get quality materials and the right colors to make the quilt you want to make. I would make 1 or 2, see how they sell and then go on.

The pressure of doing this might be more than when you are making something out of love for a family member.. Calculate the monetary return vs what it's costing you mentally. I would commit to doing 1 or 2 and see how it fits into your lifestyle. Best wishes. It really feels good to be recognized doesn't it?

I would do it..I sell mine..because we now live on my DH Vets Pension..I would have something in writing..keep absolute control of your designs and 51% of all.. after supplies are met !!

You have rec'd some good advise from many people, but if I were you I would figure out what you should have for your time and make him pay that and then you would have your money. I was taken a few years back by a man that was buying baby quilts from me and then one day he brought his niece over to pick out a quilt. She couldn't decide between two of them, he said no problem take both. When they left he said he would stop back the next time he passed buy and that never happened. Being he had bought baby quilts from me for almost two years and always paid cash and he would usually sit and talk for awhile we trusted him. Took him to small claims court and he never showed up and to this day have never seen him again and was out over $200.00.I called him numerous times and he always said I'll be there soon, but never showed up. So be very cautious and I would definetly get my money before those quilts leave your house.

The problem is....in this ecconomy people ARE cutting back, and $200 for a baby quilt, even for the wealthy, is a lot. I am also a wooden bird carver........sometimes it takes me a month to do a carving. People see them and want to buy them. No one realizes the labor that goes into hand made goods. People really don't want to pay more than $60 for anything hand made. That doesn't even begin to cover your supplies, and labor!
The gal who said she gets $25 for alterations is right. You will never get that for quilting.......no one appreciates the labor!

I hate to rain on your parade but I agree with Jaciqltznok. It seems to me you have the most to lose if this arrangement doesn't work out. You will have spent your time and creative abilities and he probably keeps the quilt(s) since he paid for the material.
If you are really wanting to create quilts to sell, talk to quilt shop owners and get some additional information about the selling aspect. The quilts you sell would have to be your own design, commercial patterns are "for your personal use" and not to be made to sell. Does this man know anything about the quilt market?
You will have to pay income tax on your earnings. What effect will that have on your return?
Take your time, get answers to all your questions, then make your decision.

I should have said...NO ONE BUT ANOTHER QUILTER appreciates the amount of labor that goes into the project!

All good advise. Proceed slowly, thoughtfully and with legal advise.