Hi, all!
If people know you quilt, it's likely that you've heard that question: "How much would you charge me to make a quilt?"
And you've probably either drawn a blank, or quoted a price right off the top of your head without thinking.
We've all been there! Let me tell you about my experience...
Several years ago, a friend at church asked me about making a very large t-shirt quilt for her, and wanted to know how much I would charge. I started to tell her $100, but then I remembered an article I read by Sam Hunter of Hunter's Design Studio about how to price your handiwork. Instead I told her that I would work up a price for her and let her know in a couple of days.
Using some of the tips in Sam's article, I came up with a price of $450 for a queen size t-shirt quilt. Wow! I couldn't believe my initial impulse was so far off from the actual cost. I did some research on the internet to see if my price was in line with those online, and found that mine was, if anything, a little low. So I wrote up my itemized estimate and went back to my friend with the information.
We had a good conversation about her quilt and what she wanted, and I pointed out some places where she could save money (like making her quilt smaller). Ultimately she decided against having me make the quilt - but she is one of the few people who have changed their mind after asking me for a price quote.
Since then, I've had lots of folks ask me how much they should charge someone to make a quilt. I'll share my estimate form with you here, but I would also suggest that you read Sam's article, and especially read the comments. There's a world of information there, and a great conversation between quilters about the topic. It will really make you think!
Quilt Estimate
T-Shirt Quilt
Memory Quilt made using 16 t-shirt panels, arranged 4 x 4 with sashing and cornerstones
12” blocks, finished size approximately 68” square
Cotton backing and batting
Straight line, triple cross-hatch quilting across the squares of the quilt.
MATERIALS:
Interfacing - woven fusible $12.00
Sashing and border - Kona Pink - 2.5 yards @ $6.15/yard 15.38
Cornerstones and Binding - Kona Honey Dew - 1 yard @ $6.98/yard 6.98
Backing - Kona Iron - 4 yards @ $6.89/yard 27.56
Batting - 5184 sq. in. @ $.00179 per square inch 9.28
Thread 4.00
TOTAL MATERIALS: $75.20
LABOR:
Deconstruct 18 t-shirts; 15 minutes each;
4.5 hours @ $12/hour $54.00
Cut and interface 18 blocks, 2 hours @ $12/hour 24.00
Arrange and piece the quilt top; 3 hours @ $12/hour 36.00
Piece and press the quilt back; 1 hour @ $12/hour 12.00
TOTAL LABOR: $126.00
QUILTING:
Straight line quilting, diagonal cross-hatch through the squares;
6 hours @ $12/hour $72.00
BINDING:
Machine sewn to front and back of quilt $20.00
TOTAL ESTIMATE: $ 293.20
The above is a sample of my t-shirt quilt estimate. The first part is a description of what I am making.
Then comes materials. List everything here, being as specific as possible so there aren't any questions. If you will be charged for shipping or sales tax, add it in to the cost. And see the last entry - Thread? That covers a lot of things - thread, basting spray, sewing machine needles, all the little things that it takes to run your studio. You may find that you want to add other items or increase that last entry - do what you need to make it your own estimate.
Labor comes next. I find that breaking this down so that your customer sees how long the quilt will take to make allows them to understand why quilts cost so much. And this is where your hourly rate comes in. Rest assured I think my time is worth more than $12 an hour, but I had to start somewhere - which was originally $10 an hour. I increased my rates about a year ago and I'm finding that it isn't slowing things down any, so they may go up again after the first of the year!
Finally, quilting and binding. If I am straight line quilting, as in this particular quilt, I charge by the hour. That time includes not only the actual time to quilt it on my domestic machine, but the time it takes to spray baste the quilt. If I quilt on my long arm, I charge by the square inch. I charge $.015 per square inch for simple meandering, $.02 p.s.i. for small meandering or simple designs, and anything custom is negotiated with the customer based on how long I think it will take. Binding is a more personal call for me - this is way under the going rate for binding, but I find binding to be pretty simple and just couldn't charge the rates I found on-line.
When I review this with my customer, they can see exactly how I came up with the price, and I don't (usually) get a shocked face! If I do, I sit down with them and discuss ways that she could save money. These may include using fewer t-shirts in a quilt, making a smaller quilt, using less expensive fabrics, a simpler pattern, or having the customer put in a little sweat equity. Right now, I have a customer deconstructing clothing for several memory quilts. She had the time to do it, and it will save her some money and allow me to get her projects done in time for Christmas!
I can honestly say that I have only had two customers decide not to have a quilt made after reviewing their estimate. I have worked out ways to reduce costs for several, and I'm pleased to say they were happy with the end results!
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Now, a few tips.
Don't take on a quilt that you won't enjoy making. If you hate what you're making, there isn't enough money in the world!
Don't take on a quilt that's beyond your skill level. If a customer picks a pattern that you don't feel comfortable making, try to find some other options that are similar, but within your skill set.
Don't allow the customer to pick out fabric without some direction from you. I say this from the standpoint of watching a friend deal with a customer who brought her fabric - upholstery fabric, eyelet, embroidered pieces, stretch knits, and quilting cotton - and saw her pain as she tried to create what the customer envisioned.
Get a deposit before you start making a quilt for someone. I usually ask for at least the cost of materials up front, with the balance due on delivery.
Don't overcommit! I keep a list on my calendar whiteboard of all the commission jobs I have going, and any that I've been contacted about but that haven't been finalized yet. And I set a cut-off date when I won't take any more commission jobs before Christmas, and also before graduation. I don't ever want to be in the position of telling someone that I can't finish their job in time.
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And now for a few final thoughts. Why is it important to charge a fair price for your work? Because when you charge a fair price, you allow others to charge a fair price too. If you don't believe that, imagine a craft fair where you have your beautiful baby quilts priced at $175 each (a fair price), but the lady at the table next to you has similar quilts priced at $40 each. You know she can't even buy the materials for one of those quilts for $40, but she tells you she just loves making them and doesn't care how much she gets for them. That's unfortunate - because she just made yours look overpriced.
It's also important to charge a fair price because, darn it, you're worth it! Your work is art, and don't you forget it.
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So that's just a short (ok, maybe not so short) post about how I price my commission quilts. Now it's your turn to throw in your two cents - leave a comment with your own thoughts, suggestions, or questions. If you leave a question, PLEASE leave your email address too - I hate being unable to respond because of the "no-reply" blogger syndrome.
PS: If you want to save this article for future reference, you can print out your own copy easily. First of all, look right under my sign-off and see if there's a green label there that says "Print PDF". If it's not there, go up and click on the title of this blogpost and it will open the post alone and it will appear at the bottom. Now click on that green box and it will take you to a site that will create a PDF that you can print out.
Hugs!
Sarah
