toverly

Don't do it or price the price so high they won't want you to do it. At least that is my advice. I love quilting and it is a wonderful hobby. Having to make something for someone else when they are paying for it is a joy stealer. Candace and Jingle have the right idea, do it for joy.

mdall

I have done one commissioned quilt and all my others are for fun and shows. I went with the going rate around my area. Most of us have set prices on quilting and binding with it starting at $50.00 for binding anything smaller than a twin, the cost goes up from there. Quilting one depends on L/A or FMQ. I charge no less than $50.00 for basic meander and the price goes up for more difficult things. I do FMQ. The L/A people here charged a base of $100.00 then on up. These prices also do not include the fabrics and such its just labor fees listed. The one I did on commission ended up being $460.00, that was $260.00 for the fabric, I hit a great sale, and $200.00 for my time since it was a really simple piecing for the top. Dont undersell yourself. I do like the idea of having them purchase the fabrics and making the quilt at a discounted price for the practice. I sure wish some people here would do that, maybe I should mention it next time I am asked about making one. Of course, when I say discount I mean more than $20.00.

mighty

I so agree. Most people do not have a clue what is involved.

mdall

Jingle, yes it is fun to make these and a great pleasure once you see the creation. The problem is not everyone else seeing the effort put forth. I have five kids, a house, all the chores, a farm, and a life to keep up with as well. Of course my time is of value. I dont feel that expecting someone to pay me for compensation for my time is thinking I am worth more than I am. I go well under what most of these women here go for and that is only because I am newer to the game and want to get my name out there. Once that is done I will still try to stay fair and competitive with my prices but I am sure not gonna go broke just to please a potential customer. After all that is why they call it business. It is also why I tell friends up front when they ask about having me make one that it costs alot more than they think and most of them agree once I show it to them in black and white. I am glad that you enjoy making and giving them away but not all of us can afford to do that. One or two a year maybe but not all of them. So, please when you want to comment about how some of us think we are better than what we are actually worth, try to do it in a nicer way. The fact is that we are worth it, after all you cant get a Rembrandt for free either.

KwiltyKahy

Well said and I can only say AMEN.

CarolynMT

I generally tell people what it costs, regardless what I am going to "charge" them. I start with supplies, then I talk about time. Someone who makes a quilt for sale is what I would call skilled labor. It is labor that requires a skill. When you think of it that way, you dont feel so bad saying that you charge $10-$20/hr. When someone looks at me funny when I quote a $20/hr price, I tell them....."If you can find a plumber, carpenter, mechanic, electrician, etc for less than $20/hr PLEASE let me know cause I want to hire them."

The biggest problem with charging only for supplies cause it is your hobby or not actually telling people what/why you charge that is that the general public continues to believe that quilts are something cheap they can pick up anywhere. Whether someone commissions a quilt from me or not, I always am happy to educate them on the skill/time/effort involved. The more WE value our work, the more everyone else will too. How many of us would look at a plumber and say "you want $20/hr for labor? why? you enjoy doing this, that is priced way out of my range, you should charge like $5/hr for the work" I would hope none of us would do that. We are paying them for their SKILL. As such, we should get paid for our SKILL. Doesnt matter if it is a hobby or not. I have to put MY stuff aside to do a commission, therefore it is not a hobby piece it is work.

Now I generally will quote a price to get the work done, then say "since you are my ****, and I want a little more practice with XXX skill, I will just charge you supplies"
That way they understand you value your work and skill, and they are getting a deal win-win.

snipforfun

I figure out the present day price of fabric and triple it. Then I add in actual cost of batting, embellishments and long arm quilting if I hire it out, which I always do and anything else I had to buy, The reason I charge present day price of fabric is because if I want to replace it for my stash I would have to pay present day price. Never had a problem with pricing this way. Helps weed out the customers who want cheap job.

cathyvv

I used to feel that my quilts had too many imperfections, too. But I never wanted to make a single quilt and SELL it, so that has never been an issue for me. I just wanted to have fun and be creative.

I realized that 'perfect' doesn't happen when I looked at a quilt I liked in a magazine. It had a very obvious set of unmatched points. I am nearsighted and have double vision, so if I could see the unmatched points on it without minutely inspecting it, it was BAD.

But it was still beautiful.

That was an 'aha' moment. It was also the moment that I truly started to enjoy the entire creative process of making a quilt.

Most of the quilts I make are given away to family or to children in the foster care system.

I admit that a few of them need to find the "right beholder" to see the beauty in them. But they will all find a home eventually, and that home will always be with the "right beholder", a person who can appreciate the quilts for what they are - a gift of love.

Scissor Queen

Why do you say that? It takes skill to make a quilt. Skilled labor is paid a much higher rate than unskilled labor. Millions of people get joy and satisfaction from their jobs and hobbies. That doesn't mean they have no value and should be free.

Just because you don't value your own work definitely does not mean other people think their work is worth more than it really is. It means you don't put a high enough value on your own work.

Scissor Queen

Exactly. The last time I hired a plumber it was $120 and took less than an hour. The last time I had work done on my car the hourly rate was almost $100 bucks an hour.

Ten bucks an hour to make a quilt is pretty low wages for skilled labor.