WWQP Bulletin Board

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Need quilting advice

A friend emailed and said that her mother had 22 quilt blocks she pieced some time ago and all the fabric. etc to finish piecing a queen size quilt so that all I would have to do is quilt it. She wanted to know how much I would charge. Never having done that before I have no idea. Could anyone please give me a ball park figure what is reasonable to charge to finish piecing the top, sandwich the quilt and hand quilt it?

TIA
Linda

posted by Linda in AZ @ 2:20 PM  

6 Comments:

  • At February 17, 2011 at 7:07 PM , Blogger Judy in Ohio said...

    IMHO, that project could be a real can of worms. Ask to see photos before you even think about committing to anything.

    For one thing those 22 blocks would be laid out how? Four x five = twenty blocks. Five x five = twenty five blocks. And you would have 22? What was her mother's original idea for this quilt? How were the blocks stored all this time? In a moldy basement? In a hot attic?

    Do not be afraid to say "No way" to this friend because a project like this sounds like taking on a lot of grief unless she is a dear friend, like a sister, and you are willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. :-)

     

  • At February 18, 2011 at 10:58 AM , Blogger Kathi in Idaho said...

    Not to mention that the sizes of the blocks could be a nightmare... variances of (possibly) 1/2" or more per block. That would mean a lot of "unsewing" and trying to make them even.

    Kathi

     

  • At February 19, 2011 at 12:40 PM , Blogger Jane in NC said...

    I agree with Judy and Kathi. I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole. In my opinion anyone who hasn't ever done any quilting has no clue about what your work is worth. I had a friend who emailed me prior to visiting saying that she'd like to buy a "hand made" quilt. I told her that a nice bed sized quilt would involve possibly several hundred dollars woth of fabric alone. The if the quilt were to be hand quilted it would take hours upon hours so if the quilter is to be adequately compensated she was looking at serious money. She nearly fainted and I think ordered one from LLBean.

     

  • At February 21, 2011 at 1:39 AM , Blogger judy in ar said...

    All of the above comments are valid and should be considered. You at least want to see the blocks first. But it's not impossible. If the blocks are not equally sized, you add sashing to make them even. and borders to fill out the size.

    I charge a very reasonable $12 an hour for any quilt/sewing projects. I just finished restoring a hand made by grandmother quilt that had been mauled by a dog. The client didn't bat an eye at her bill of $120 and she cried because she had her mimi's quilt back and the damage was almost undetectable.

    So I say set a fee and stick by it adding for difficulty or handwork. Does she expect it to be machine or hand quilted--big difference in price. The block quality may not warrant hand quilting. Your friend may not know the difference.

    So you have options. But ask to see if first. Throw out your thoughts and see how the friend responds.

    Good luck!

     

  • At February 21, 2011 at 10:38 AM , Blogger Joleen in MN said...

    I did a similar project a couple years ago. Applique blocks had been made by a friend's grandmother and she wanted two lap top quilts made - one for her and one for her sister. Seems like we agreed on $10.00/hour and I kept track of my time. I put the tops together and machine quilted them. I was surprized at how long it actually took to hand sew the binding on two quilts. They didn't bat an eye at the final cost. This isn't the type of project you do to "make money." You would want to discuss the limitations (time frame, condition of blocks, etc.) and the expectations of the finished project. For me it would depend on how good of a friend the person was - I'd probably do it. Who doesn't want to take on one more quilt project? :) Joleen in MN

     

  • At March 11, 2011 at 4:17 PM , Blogger NancyH said...

    Our quilt group did a job similar to what you've been asked to do. It was a queen-size. We charged $800 to put the blocks together with sashing, add borders, baste, and hand-quilt. We had the charges broken down for each step, and I don't have that with me at the moment. The person who wanted the quilt didn't bat an eye because it was a heirloom to her.

     

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home