They have no idea about quilting
11-24-2020, 02:18 PM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 840
I actually really want to make a t-shirt quilt and was thinking somebody might have some advice on the best interfacing to back the shirts. I have a ton of science themed shirts that seem to have "shrunk in the wash" during Covid. (eats another cookie). I would like to have them as a cozy to watch TV with during the cold months.
11-24-2020, 02:36 PM
#32
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Vermont
Posts: 7,000
I just got an email from the guy I made the T-shirt quilt tops for, asking about how many he would need for another one. Not sure if he was wanting me to make it but I shut that right down, saying I am only sewing masks, and haven't quilted in months, and suggesting another local business that might know someone who can do it.
11-24-2020, 02:52 PM
#33
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 282
It was a lady that called a radio station saying there was no reason for any animal to be killed because we could get meat from the grocery store. The radio guy asked her where the grocery store got the meat and she couldn't answer the question. Perhaps it finally dawned on her where the meat came from?
11-24-2020, 05:58 PM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,444
My husband walked into a business for a meeting and was chatting with the receptionist while he waited. The topic du jour was the swine flu. She said she wasn't worried about getting it because she doesn't eat pork. 🤦
11-25-2020, 04:26 AM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Gainesville, Missouri
Posts: 520
No, they really don't have a clue about quilting, I had that kind of discussion when I was talking to my best friend when she wanted me to do a completely custom quilt and after I finished designing it and I started quoting her how much everything was, she flipped out and we are talking the ugly kind.
After I calmed her down, I went through step-by-step why it is handmade quilts are so expensive and why hers was getting up in price so quickly. She wanted hand-dyed, throughout the entire quilt (back included)- that expense alone put her into sticker shock. I asked her how much she actually thought fabric cost and had she ever been in a fabric store before, the last time she bought fabric was over ten years ago and it was only a yard....at $1.99.
Then we got into the price for the thread, I only use Aurifil and she asked why it would be so expensive when I could get thread at $1.00 at Walmart. I told her I wasn't going to make her a Walmart quilt that might last two or three years, I was making her a quilt to last the rest of her lifetime and beyond. Then, she hit me with the one question that I'm sure every quilter on this board has heard....
"Well, if it's so expensive to make, why can I go to Walmart and buy one for a couple hundred?"
Maybe because they buy their fabric in bulk, maybe because they don't use quality, 100% cotton fabric, maybe they don't use quality thread. I again told her 'I'm not making you a Walmart quilt, you wanted a custom quilt, you won't be able to go to another quilter with the same ideas and demands and get it any cheaper and you certainly can't go to a Walmart and ask for a custom quilt.'
So after a complete re-design so I could drop the yardage amount down to something more reasonable for her, she was again excited she had a custom quilt coming, with no where near the amount of hand-dyed fabrics, but there's still some in it. She also has a new appreciation for what I go through to design and make a quilt. She'll be absorbing 100% of the cost, the only thing I'm getting in return is a fresh Muslin bolt because I told her it would be cheaper to buy it by the bolt versus yardage and the Muslin was my commission fee.
After I calmed her down, I went through step-by-step why it is handmade quilts are so expensive and why hers was getting up in price so quickly. She wanted hand-dyed, throughout the entire quilt (back included)- that expense alone put her into sticker shock. I asked her how much she actually thought fabric cost and had she ever been in a fabric store before, the last time she bought fabric was over ten years ago and it was only a yard....at $1.99.
Then we got into the price for the thread, I only use Aurifil and she asked why it would be so expensive when I could get thread at $1.00 at Walmart. I told her I wasn't going to make her a Walmart quilt that might last two or three years, I was making her a quilt to last the rest of her lifetime and beyond. Then, she hit me with the one question that I'm sure every quilter on this board has heard....
"Well, if it's so expensive to make, why can I go to Walmart and buy one for a couple hundred?"
Maybe because they buy their fabric in bulk, maybe because they don't use quality, 100% cotton fabric, maybe they don't use quality thread. I again told her 'I'm not making you a Walmart quilt, you wanted a custom quilt, you won't be able to go to another quilter with the same ideas and demands and get it any cheaper and you certainly can't go to a Walmart and ask for a custom quilt.'
So after a complete re-design so I could drop the yardage amount down to something more reasonable for her, she was again excited she had a custom quilt coming, with no where near the amount of hand-dyed fabrics, but there's still some in it. She also has a new appreciation for what I go through to design and make a quilt. She'll be absorbing 100% of the cost, the only thing I'm getting in return is a fresh Muslin bolt because I told her it would be cheaper to buy it by the bolt versus yardage and the Muslin was my commission fee.
11-25-2020, 04:35 AM
#37
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 282
No, they really don't have a clue about quilting, I had that kind of discussion when I was talking to my best friend when she wanted me to do a completely custom quilt and after I finished designing it and I started quoting her how much everything was, she flipped out and we are talking the ugly kind.
After I calmed her down, I went through step-by-step why it is handmade quilts are so expensive and why hers was getting up in price so quickly. She wanted hand-dyed, throughout the entire quilt (back included)- that expense alone put her into sticker shock. I asked her how much she actually thought fabric cost and had she ever been in a fabric store before, the last time she bought fabric was over ten years ago and it was only a yard....at $1.99.
Then we got into the price for the thread, I only use Aurifil and she asked why it would be so expensive when I could get thread at $1.00 at Walmart. I told her I wasn't going to make her a Walmart quilt that might last two or three years, I was making her a quilt to last the rest of her lifetime and beyond. Then, she hit me with the one question that I'm sure every quilter on this board has heard....
"Well, if it's so expensive to make, why can I go to Walmart and buy one for a couple hundred?"
Maybe because they buy their fabric in bulk, maybe because they don't use quality, 100% cotton fabric, maybe they don't use quality thread. I again told her 'I'm not making you a Walmart quilt, you wanted a custom quilt, you won't be able to go to another quilter with the same ideas and demands and get it any cheaper and you certainly can't go to a Walmart and ask for a custom quilt.'
So after a complete re-design so I could drop the yardage amount down to something more reasonable for her, she was again excited she had a custom quilt coming, with no where near the amount of hand-dyed fabrics, but there's still some in it. She also has a new appreciation for what I go through to design and make a quilt. She'll be absorbing 100% of the cost, the only thing I'm getting in return is a fresh Muslin bolt because I told her it would be cheaper to buy it by the bolt versus yardage and the Muslin was my commission fee.
After I calmed her down, I went through step-by-step why it is handmade quilts are so expensive and why hers was getting up in price so quickly. She wanted hand-dyed, throughout the entire quilt (back included)- that expense alone put her into sticker shock. I asked her how much she actually thought fabric cost and had she ever been in a fabric store before, the last time she bought fabric was over ten years ago and it was only a yard....at $1.99.
Then we got into the price for the thread, I only use Aurifil and she asked why it would be so expensive when I could get thread at $1.00 at Walmart. I told her I wasn't going to make her a Walmart quilt that might last two or three years, I was making her a quilt to last the rest of her lifetime and beyond. Then, she hit me with the one question that I'm sure every quilter on this board has heard....
"Well, if it's so expensive to make, why can I go to Walmart and buy one for a couple hundred?"
Maybe because they buy their fabric in bulk, maybe because they don't use quality, 100% cotton fabric, maybe they don't use quality thread. I again told her 'I'm not making you a Walmart quilt, you wanted a custom quilt, you won't be able to go to another quilter with the same ideas and demands and get it any cheaper and you certainly can't go to a Walmart and ask for a custom quilt.'
So after a complete re-design so I could drop the yardage amount down to something more reasonable for her, she was again excited she had a custom quilt coming, with no where near the amount of hand-dyed fabrics, but there's still some in it. She also has a new appreciation for what I go through to design and make a quilt. She'll be absorbing 100% of the cost, the only thing I'm getting in return is a fresh Muslin bolt because I told her it would be cheaper to buy it by the bolt versus yardage and the Muslin was my commission fee.
Glad your friend now understands more.
11-25-2020, 04:42 AM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Gainesville, Missouri
Posts: 520
It wasn't easy to get her there, but when I shot her website links and physically showed her prices and she couldn't argue the point any further, then I was able to reel her in and help her understand more. You are right that the cost of sewing is expensive, I used to make candles and thought that would be my most expensive hobby, but quilting definitely put it to shame. I just wish there were others out there that were like my best friend, that would finally understand the situation but I know it's a fool's gambit. One of these days, I'm going to find someone that just won't get it. Which is why I will honestly only quilt for family and very, very close friends.
11-25-2020, 10:18 AM
#39
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,444
My mom taught me to sew, crochet, embroider, and love the fiber arts when I was a girl, so after she retired I started teaching her to quilt. We went to a fabric store and my dad oh-so-generously gave her a $5 bill and told her to have fun. He was not joking. He seriously thought she could buy a couple of yards with that five dollars. I told him she might be able to buy a needle with that, but not much else. We kind of got into an argument about it, which I couldn't understand because her other hobby is gardening, and he is happy to drop a hundred bucks or more when they go to the nursery.
11-25-2020, 08:23 PM
#40
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 280
The sad fact of life is China. And not just quilting. We (in the USA) have become used to cheap clothes, home goods, etc. My most recent sewing experience is from sewing clothes and this is big topic in that world. I'm not trying to be po!itical. The sad fact is, we have lost our appreciation for the sewing arts because so much of our consumption has been relegated to cheap labor. That includes, not only clothes but quilting. What used to be a necessity of life (warmth via a quilt from scraps, for instance) is now a "hobby". why ? Because We have (speaking generically, of course) lost our appreciation for the EFFORT and time it takes to make quilts (clothes, home goods, etc.). For the "crafter" its a weird dichotomy.
