toogie

If someone ask you to make a quilt say, 60x80, would you be able to quote a price right off the top of your head? This would include designing pattern, getting fabrics for top and backing, batting, piecing blocks, and quilting. In other words everything to make a quilt this size. Give me your estimate high & low. Thanks

cashs_mom

Yes, I would. There isn't a price. I don't feel enough people appreciate the value of handwork to pay me enough to make it worth while to deal with them.

SusieQOH

I don't make quilts for any amount of money. All mine are either here or with my family.

Macybaby

No. I make quilts for my own enjoyment, and usually pick most of the fabric from my own stash so don't even know what it might cost at current retail.

toogie

I should say I was approached to do this for a school fundraiser, but not a school any of my family attended. Otherwise, I too just make for family or charities I’m already involved with.
While I really don’t mind making it and like the challenge of designing I’m not opposed to being paid for my work on this.

cashs_mom

I don't blame you. People are very fast to ask you to donate your time. Most of the time they have no idea how much effort making even a simple quilt takes. The last time I was asked to make a quilt for a charity, I asked the woman if she would be willing to come over to my house and help me decide on the pattern, pick fabric, help pay for the fabric, prep the fabric, cut it and keep track of the blocks as I sewed them and put the top together.. I said "it will only take 10 or 12 hours'. I heard no more about that. lol

sewbizgirl

Maybe $300-400? That’s not enough for a really involved quilt, but for a simple one it should cover your expenses and labor.

Macybaby

I was recently asked about providing a quilt for a raffle that would be done via mail. Since I have lots of dealing with the organization, I told them that it would be minimum $200 to cover materials, and they'd have to select a floppy I already had done. Not heard back. The may reason I told them they'd have to pick from one already done (I have about 20 on hand) is that they wanted it pretty quickly too.

It was going to be third prize, with 1st being $2,000 and 2nd being $500. So I intended to only bring in floppies that I hadn't put much effort into.

bearisgray

If a person does not do any sewing or crafting - and only goes by the prices they have seen at stores for quilts - it should not be a surprise if they do not know/realize how much it costs to make one "at home".

Or how much time and effort is involved. Even when it goes well.

Peckish

Quote a price off the top of my head, no.

I get all information about what the customer wants and write up a detailed estimate, such as time spent designing quilt at $$ per hour, time spent shopping for fabrics at $$ per hour, time spent cutting quilt at $$ per hour, time spent piecing quilt at $$ per hour, time spent quilting quilt at $$ per hour, time spent binding quilt at $$ per hour. I also test all fabrics for bleeding and if there is one, I add in time and costs for soaking/fixing the bleeders. Then I add in all the actual costs of the fabric, backing, batting, and thread.

Most people do not realize how much time is spent on a quilt until they see my estimate. If they want to proceed, I have them sign the estimate and a scope of work with 50% down. The scope of work details exactly what I am making, and what happens to the quilt and their down payment if they don't pay the other 50%.

I've only made and sold one quilt in your size range, and I sold it for $2500.00.