Questions about charging and rag quilts
 

Hi,
I have been asked to do 5 rag quilts for a lady for Christmas. She will provide all fabric and batting for the quilts. They are twin sized. Has anyone made them? How long do they take? What do most of you, who quilt for others, charge per hour for the piecing of quilts?

Tip: From the comments I've seen on this board, give the finished quilts to the customer and let HER run them through her washer to rag them. lol

the quilts do go together fairly fast- but the clipping is quite time consuming (and hard on the hands) then the laundering, shaking, laundering, shaking... you should decide (with her) a price per quilt- agree mutually and get a 50% deposit before starting them- with the balance due when you deliver the quilts- when I do commission quilt I let the purchaser know the deposit is non-refundable; and payment has to be paid in full before they get the quilts. if you want to price them by the hour you need to decide what your time is worth- I charge $20 an hour for sewing- but when it comes to quilts I always decide on a price for the quilt- unless you've made a few and know how long it will take you it is difficult to estimate- you may think you can make one in 8 hours- then find it takes you 20...is she going to acceptable to paying so much? maybe you should make yourself a raggy quilt, see what it takes, how long it takes, and whether or not you really want to make 5 of them- that would also give you the chance to decide what a fair price would be.

Don't even think about snipping five rag quilts without these:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/12461345?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=2222222222700017452 7&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=14043910870&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl 6=34959558310&veh=sem

Trust me, they are the best and you will never regret having them.

DITTO WHAT ckcowl said. Make one first and see if you want to do 5 for some one else. What size does she want? you might want to throw up after a couple. LOL! Also is she going to pre-wash the material or do you have to?

If I were making 5 of them I would look into the price of one of the AccuQuilt cutters with the rag quilt die. It would save a ton of time and would probably pay for itself.

These are great and wickedly sharp!!

Tip: ( I admit it's in the DUH category) hold it so the hook/latch is on the bottom. I was getting so frustrated with the snips hooking/ latching themselves when the safety hook was on top,

You might also need to agree on what the finished dimensions will be.
If you decide to do them.
This person might be expecting WalMart closeout prices for your work.

I agree with dunster. the accuquilt is the way to go. You can find some good prices online.

If you want to have an idea, check the prices on Etsy for twin size rag quilts.
Your customer might change her mind very quickly when she knows how much it will cost.
In case you go ahead and she wants you to do the washing, take them to the laudrymat.