Originally Posted by
fixfido
I recently had listed some quilts of mine for sale on Craigslist. They were all lap sized quilts that I pieced and machine quilted (in quite a lot of detail, if I do say so myself). One person e-mailed me to say she was interested in the quilts and asked for the price, I told her $85. She said that was "way more than she expected". I really wondered what on Earth she did expect to pay for a handmade lap quilt.....$20? People who don't quilt really have absolutely no clue how much the materials alone cost, nevermind the time and effort involved.
I made a baby quilt for a gal to give to her new granddaughter a few years back. I wasn't used to sewing for other people and was surprised myself at what I was out just for fabric and batting! I charged her $75, which was for materials and quilting. I didn't even charge her for the time I put in making the quilt. I had told her she could probably go out and buy one cheaper than I could make one, but she insisted I do it. She was shocked at the $75 and made a disparaging remark. Now I give an up-front estimate before I do a job. I'm still pretty cheap, but I at least make something out of it! And I don't do many for other people....I try to stick with my family...and that keeps me pretty busy.