Need Advice Please!

[Teri L.]

I posted this as a blog and it was suggested that I put it here too! Good idea!

The mother of a co-worker has asked if I would take on the project of finishing some quilt tops that her late mother (grandmother?) had made. I told my co-worker I would take them home and look at them before committing to the project. I'm leaning towards taking this on but have no earthly idea what to charge. I warned them it wouldn't be cheap! There are six pieced tops. They are machine pieced and I'm going to assume most of the fabric is a cotton/poly blend. There are some pretty significant stains on some of them and a couple need minor repairs where the seams have come apart. The sizes range from 62in x 50in to 90in x 75in. Mark (my co-worker) said they would buy whatever supplies I need-batting, backing, etc, so I won't have to worry about that. I thought I would do basic outline quilting-most of the tops are simple 4-patch designs.

So...I need all the advice I can get! There are six tops so it'll take a chunk of time, but that's okay. Anyone out there done this kind of thing and how did you price it??

Thanx much y'all!

[Eileen K.]

You're going to have to decide how much you want to make per hour. I realize this is a co-worker but you don't want to give it away either.
The going rate in my area is about $20/hour.
eileenkny

[Mary H.]

Another way to look at it is like the long arm quilters do
Although the rates vary, for something like this, they charge by the square inch ( $0.015 - $0.03 per square inch) , then plus a per linear inch charge to put the binding on (one of the sites I checked charged $0.22/linear inch of binding to prepare, stitch binding on and then hand stitch the binding to the back) , and then an overall fee if the quilt is not ready for the long arm machine (squaring up backing and batting around $15 - $20 per quilt)

I would lay out a simple table

Quilt 1 Dimensions X x Y
Total Area Z square Inches
Quilting Fee ( $0.qqq/sq In X Z sq.in.) $ xx.xx
Binding Fee ( 2 X (X + Y) * $0.22) $ mm.mm
Repair & Sandwiching Fee $ kk.kk

Total Quilt 1 ___________
$ss.ss

This way even for yourself, you will get a clear picture of what you will charge for each quilt and you can clearly communicate it to your coworker. Also I would put in WRITING, that they will provide the batting and backing, thread and binding, or agree provide you with funds up front to purchase these items. If they are not quilters it might be easier for you to do it.
I would prepare a quote again, provide them with an invoice for materials, then purchase the materials.
I know this sounds "business-y" but you don't want any confusion about what your are doing and charging for.
Hope this helps Mary in MA

[Mary H.]

Thanx for the advice y'all! I've decided to charge by the square inch for the basting and quilting and by the linear inch for the binding. I've written up a work order thing with all the details. I'll let y'all know how it all works out!

Sherry

[Mary H.]

It is so important to get this all out and in writing. I hand quilted two different quilts with the word of the person saying that they would pay me. Low and behold when the quilt is finished I barely got a thank you. One woman even forgot that I had already given her the quilt.
I know you are going about this all in the right way and you will have more positive results.

[Mary H.]

Interesting this should come up now.. I just watched Sharon Schamber's video on time management for longarm quilter. Part of it was getting paid what your worth. In a nut shell she said figure out $60.00 an hour, take a 60x60 sandwitched muslin and make 10" grid. then time yourself with different densities of quilting. using the 60 an hr. figure out how much you should get paid. This is a good formula regardless if you are or aren't in business, longarm, or domestic. you should really know what your time is worth and it gives you an upfront idea on how long it should take you to complete a project. I imagine you could also use this for repair work. Her video was really interesting with different catagories of quilting.

[Mary H.]

Interesting this should come up now.. I just watched Sharon Schamber's video on time management for longarm quilter. Part of it was getting paid what your worth. In a nut shell she said figure out $60.00 an hour, take a 60x60 sandwitched muslin and make 10" grid. then time yourself with different densities of quilting. using the 60 an hr. figure out how much you should get paid. This is a good formula regardless if you are or aren't in business, longarm, or domestic. you should really know what your time is worth. I imagine you could also use this for repair work. Her video was really interesting with different catagories of quilting.