I've not sold a quilt. I believe I would take my advice from people who have taken multiple commissions for quilts. It's not the same as making quilts and selling them on Etsy. This is custom work and you have to please the client.

I found this interesting:
http://katiesquiltingcorner.com/2013/08/sell-quilts.html

JMHO

bkay

I've never sold a quilt and haven't a clue what the "going" charge for time would be. All I know is that people are always telling me that I should make them to sell and then I look at them and say "well as many hours as it takes I would have to charge at least a thousand dollars for it. Why would anyone want to pay that much when they can go to Walmart and buy one made in China for $25?? " I mean the materials alone can run as much as several hundred dollars if you are using nice stuff, not counting the batting and thread. I just don't personally know people that can afford to pay what it costs me to make it in time and materials. So I make them because I like doing it and if I think of someone that I feel like giving one to I do.

I also have a friend who just asked to hire me to make a quilt from some of his partner's shirts. I told him I would do it, but I won't charge him. They have been good friends for many years and it will be a labor of love and remembrance. If he insists on paying me I'll let him pay for materials, and maybe take me out to dinner. :)

Donna

Good advice from the others. My neighbor fills requests for quilts. She takes the person with her when picking out fabric and the person pays for it. Any leftover fabric is returned to the buyer or the buyer may want some smaller thing created from the leftover fabric. Main thing is to them know, up front, the cost and the time to make it. Some people ask for half the total cost before they even start the quilt.

I just typed in an answer but forgot to hit submit. Duh!

A friend asked if I would make a quilt for her soon-to -be greatgrand. She bought the top fabric and I bought the backing. It was an easy quilt so didn't take too long. When I brought her the finished quilt, she asked how much she owed me. I answered that the fabric cost $xxx. As soon as I said that, she reached into her purse and handed me that amount. I didn't get a chance to say that there was also batting, thread and time. But as a friend, I let it pass.

I also made a flannel floor quilt for her to give to the mother as my gift, even though I did not know her or the dad. What was so strange about the whole episode was that I never heard word one from young mother, never a thank you. I may sound petty but good manners never go out of style.

Family quilts, as in Lois' case, are a different story.

Would I do it again, probably not, unless there were guidelines right up front.

Theresa

$25 an hour for labor.

Thanks for all the valuable input! After mulling it over, I threw out a number at her...$350. In truth, probably a little on the high side, but if she had jumped at it, I would've made the quilt for that. As I suspected, she was thinking around $50 to maybe $75 total. I said that would barely cover the cost of the materials. She's decided to 'settle' for something store-bought. I'm happy with the outcome, and honesty glad I can cross that off my list. :)

It takes time to make a quilt........any kind of quilt......time that is spent not only at the sewing machine but standing at a table measuring, pinning, spraying and pressing, Plus a number of other time consuming things. I'm pretty sure people don't realize that even at minimum wage (and our skills are worth way more than that!), it can get a bit pricey. When I did commissions, it was on my terms. I had 2 approx sizes for them to choose from, I asked for their color choices and told them they'd get it when I finished it. Since these were all friends or family, I kept track of supplies used and charged a bit more. I didn't use expensive fabric since these were utility quilts and that kept the price down. If someone wanted something special, they purchased the fabric as I didn't want to be that responsible. lol

My first and only commission took 153 hours. My friend paid for the material - $282.00 in 2008. I gave her the good friend rate of $300 and she added another $100. The only reason I kept track of how long it took was for my friend's information. Now if someone asks me to make a quilt I show 'em my time sheet. They're not interested at minimum wage let alone skilled labor wage.

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