When you sell a quilt....

I have been asked to make a quilt for someone and they said they will pay me for it. Obviously i will charge them for my material, weather or not I use all of that material remains to be seen though, my question is how do i figure for my labor? Yeah i know making a quilt is a labor( addiction ) of love but.... just wondering what everyone does? What is a fair price for a king size quilt? Keep in mind that i have never bought a quilt of any kind... even at WM.... so I have no clue as to what is expensive and what is not even in just materials... I don't want to get ripped off but don't want to rip off someone too..

please let me know
kellie

Hi Kellie,
A few things to consider first...have you ever made a king size? How is it going to be quilted? If not doing a quilt as you go I would have them pay to get it LA quilted if you don't have a long arm. Between the top, batting and backing your looking at $200 in materials. Whats the pattern? A really good friend of mine asked me the same thing I said no because I have never made a king size and my machine is not capable of quilting a king. I did however offer to help her make it and teach her how to quilt. I spent a day looking at Moda bake shop with her and she found a pattern she liked. I made sure it was simple and I showed her the fabric and what she needed and I explained it's an investment. I'm not charging her because she's going to sew it. it's the simple flag quilt pattern on Modabakeshop. I use a friends long arm and for me it's practice and she knows that for the quilting. That being said she's a really good friend so for me it's fun and not work or a chore.
For everything on a king I would say $600. That's the low end. It's why I always say no because a non quilter usually does not get it. Half up front and make sure you love it in case it falls thru. Not trying to be negative just truthful I would do a commission baby quilt before a king. If you decide to do it make sure you measure her actual bed and find out how much of a drop she wants. Have fun and good luck!!!

For ideas on pricing, I suggest you look at the king size quilts for sale on Etsy...

http://www.etsy.com/category/quilts/bed/king

I struggled with pricing too. I decided to look online for images of the same pattern and size. I found the range of what everyone was charging and landed somewhere in that price range that I felt was right. I think I tended to sell low, put the person I sold it to went high, so I was thankful for that. : )

WOW! Quite a variation in price on Ebay! I just wonder how many of those quilts that are going for $400/$500 are actually being sold. You might also check Etsy! I haven't looked there lately but that will also be a good way to judge price. I guess you could track one similar to the one you want to make and see if it sells. Etsy might be a better place to do that.

I would choose one of the most time easy patterns using pre-cut fabric, estimate how long it will take and charge an hourly rate plus the fabric, thread, needles etc. then add the batting and backing fabric.

Then I would add an hourly rate for quilting (again whatever is the most time easy method for you) or she can send it off.

I would give her the price for that pattern, break it down so she can see where its going and if its more then she wants to pay you can reduce the labour cost in return for something else say babysitting, gardening etc.

Does this person understand the difference between a quilt and a blanket? They can get a blanket or cheap quilt made overseas at Walmart for $39.99

How will they react when you tell them the cost of fabric will come to about $200? Most non-quilters don't know this.

Even if you charged for the fabric only (incl. backing and batting), most will think it's too much and you haven't factored in your labour or quilting cost (whether by hand or machine).

Before you dedicate yourself to making this quilt, lay out the costs first to them as you may end up with a quilt you may not want to keep for yourself.

well i did warn her before hand and she said to go ahead... i think i will shoot her an email telling her cost SO FAR,,,,as i was doing this i was thinking that i was being unreasonable about price but now not so much.... like i've said before I try to learn something with every quilt i do and know that I can always ask the awesome people here questions.

kellie

I have made a couple of King size quilts. They are time consuming. What I would do is have them buy the materials and then charge them an hourly rate plus the quilting price if you have someone else quilt it for you. That way you are not spending a lot of your money but you will get paid for your time to make the quilt and the customer gets what she wants color wise instead of you guessing which shade of this or that does she want. You can go with her and help her pick out colors but you will also make sure that she gets the amounts of fabric that is needed to do the project as well. I normally charge $20.00 and hour.

Good luck.

Lynne

UPDATE; I messaged her and gave price so far along with an progress report and she is sending me a check for the material so far. Woohoo... like i said live and learn. All of your suggestions have been wonderful and will be useful in the future. I really hope to do more of this type thing in the future. kellie

If I am thinking of selling a quilt on E bay I always look at the completed items to get a more accurate idea of what sold and how much was actually paid for it. Personally anything in the range of $350-$600 is reasonable for a hand made king quilt. As davids girl said, alot depends on the pattern and how much time it takes you to piece it. The more difficult the pattern the higher the cost. Can't see it costing $200 in fabric unless you used only pre cuts. But I also agree you should get half up front which should cover cost of materials.

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Originally Posted by rebeccas-sewing

WOW! Quite a variation in price on Ebay! I just wonder how many of those quilts that are going for $400/$500 are actually being sold. You might also check Etsy! I haven't looked there lately but that will also be a good way to judge price. I guess you could track one similar to the one you want to make and see if it sells. Etsy might be a better place to do that.

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I was glad to see this discussion. I have been asked several times to make bed quilts for friends, relatives, etc. and when I quote them a price they get upset because, like you said, non-quilters do not understand the time and expense involved. So I eventually just started telling people "no". I would rather give the quilt as a gift for their enjoyment than have to go through the hassle of haggling over price and then getting stiffed (yes, that actually happened). A friend asked me to make a baby quilt for a shower gift; she gave a brief idea of what she wanted and I quoted her a price. When I delivered the finished product she said it wasn't what she wanted and didn't pay for it. Never again!!!

OMG boy have I not been chargin people enough lol I can't imagine anyone buying my quilts for that much I normally charge for material and depending how many hours a few hundred especially if it is a simple pattern, good luck.

I'm with Tslave57.....I told DH when I started quilting that I won't do custom quilts, if I make one and someone wants to buy it - I might sell it to them. I just finished up one tonight for a little girl and it will be a gift to her. Besides that I have a full time job and I don't want my hobby to turn into a job because, then for me, it won't be fun anymore.

I have sold a few baby quilts, and one king to my niece. Not my priority right now. Havin to much fun makin quilts for the hospital.

Pricing is really difficult. I think folks are so used to getting readymade items so cheaply that it's not understood how much time and effort goes into a one-of-a-kind handmade quilt. Also, I'm sure folks are willing to pay more for quilts in an Amish Quilt shop in Pennsylvania than the exact same quilt of the same quality made by an individual. It becomes more attractive because of it's location and who made it. There is definitely psychology involved when it comes to how much someone is willing to pay.

By the way, is there an easy way to see what price someone paid for an item on Etsy once the sale is made? How does one know if an item actually sold and sold for the price listed?

Don't know about etsy, but on ebay you can search completed items to see what sold and for how much.

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Originally Posted by rebeccas-sewing

By the way, is there an easy way to see what price someone paid for an item on Etsy once the sale is made? How does one know if an item actually sold and sold for the price listed?

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When I first started quilting, my sister-in-laws begged for a quilt, and I made them one. There were five inlaws and then I have two sisters. Except for one sister who used her quilt until it was threadbeare, they did not appreciate them. The one I gave my mother in law was either thrown away or given away when she died, because I forgot to ask for it back! I did not charge anyone for them. If EVER anyone asks me to make a quilt for them, I think I would tell them it costs $1,000 for a lap quilt! Like Rebecca says, no one, absolutely no one, understands the costs and the hours needed to make a quilt. Get the idea of how I feel about this??? P.S. I did make my wonderful sister a replacement quilt for free. I know SHE appreciated it.

I sew agree with you madampolo.....nonquilters do not realize the cost let alone the work involved in making a quilt. Each quilt I make has a piece of me in it too. I put my heart into each one I make. To see any of them mistreated or unappreciated comes back on me. It hurts when you put your all into something only to see it thrown to the side.
When I make a quilt for sale I do not customize it. I will make one in the colour range someone may want or to suit what they may want to use it for but that's it. And yes, a hand made quilt is in itself priceless. Charging $600 for a kind size quilt is to me an average or even slightly low price.

My girlfriend just sold a baby quilt for $200. King size - minimum would be about $600 - more intricate pattern and/or more quilting = more money.

Hugs,

Hi there. My mom and I made and sold numerous quilts , probably 75+ at least and pricing was always an issue. We refused to do kings because we couldn't fit them into our frames (yes, we hand quilted!!) We would about double the cost of the supplies, so at the time it would come out to $325 for doubles, $350-400 for queens, depending on the complexity of the pattern. We also tried really hard NOT to do comissioned work. Once we know it was sold the excitement was gone and the job was tedious.
All the advise your fellow quilters gave you was bang on. Make sure she knows the costs in advance and pays some up front.
PS. We figured we made about 15 cents an hour for teh hand quilting....crazy, in retrospect!

I thought of exactly the same thing lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rebeccas-sewing

WOW! Quite a variation in price on Ebay! I just wonder how many of those quilts that are going for $400/$500 are actually being sold. You might also check Etsy! I haven't looked there lately but that will also be a good way to judge price. I guess you could track one similar to the one you want to make and see if it sells. Etsy might be a better place to do that.

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