what is a fair price to charge for maching piecing?

I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth

I would just charge an hourly rate, Judy. You could look around, in
adverts and such, to see if you can find what a sensible rate was for
skilled work. Here I think it would be about $25? but your cost of
living varies so much across the country - Texas might be a lot more?
As it is a friend, you might well want to reduce the rate - 'mates
rates' we call that here.
You could do a trial block, see how long that takes you; multiply that
by the number of blocks; that would enable you to give your friend a
figure ahead of time. You might want to add a little margin for
electricity use.
..
In message , judy in fort worth
writes
I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth



--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Judy:
While I do not have an answer for this interesting
question, I do have a site you may enjoy. This is Judy
Martin's site. It includes a section where Judy sells
some of her quilts and tops. Several lap size tops are
priced about $450. FYI, but remember, I have NAYY!
http://www.judymartin.com/products.cfm?catID=3
PAT in VA/USA

judy in fort worth wrote:

I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth

"judy in fort worth" wrote in message
...
I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote
a fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth

Sewing for "friends" is a really tricky thing to do. I have a GOOD friend
I'd sew for and she cleaned my house and did my laundry while I sewed on her
projects. That worked out well for both of us. Most of my friends paid my
going rate without batting an eye. I've also had *friends* that balked at
even a more than fair quote, they were then put in the category of
"acquaintance" and it was take it or leave it. Federal minimum wage is
$5.85/hour and that's for unskilled and/or under appreciated labor. You'll
be charging for time, labor, skill and talent. I sewed for either
love/friendship OR money, I didn't blur those borders. Frankly, I don't have
that much goodness in my heart to sew cheap or free for many *friends*. I am
now in a position to sew strictly in the "because I wanna" category so I'm a
little jaded after sewing for years to make ends meet. I also no longer fix,
alter or mend ANYTHING of any kind for anyone. Well, except for a recent,
just before bedtime emergency surgical repair on a fuzzy, yellow elephant
owned by the little fella, with big brown eyes, who lives down the
hall.....I got a sloppy kiss and big hug for that 30 minute project, more
than a fair price in my book Sometimes it's just impossible to uphold
your high, chiseled in stone, standards with somebody in jammies who stands
(in his darling little bare feet) under 3 feet in height *sigh*

Are you going to have to also cut the pieces as well as sew/piece them? Is
it a really futzy pattern? Maybe you could tell her that you'll either
charge her by the hour or 1-2 dollars per piece (if it has lots of little
pieces and curves and such I'd make it $2 a piece) or keep track of both and
charge her whichever comes out the most or least, you choose which way you
want to go after you look at the pattern and before you give her the quote.

You might also call some quilt shops and ask what somebody might charge for
this service to get an idea what a going rate is in your area.

JMPO, YMMV,
Val

Judy Martin is right proud of her tops. Sheesh. Most could be made in a
full-charge speed piecing weekend. While all of them are very nice, none of
them were any great masterpiece. I *know* you are paying for her
name....... but still. VBG I guess I'm too darn cheap to ever buy a quilt
or top. And that's why I started making my own quilts......

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
...
Judy:
While I do not have an answer for this interesting question, I do have a
site you may enjoy. This is Judy Martin's site. It includes a section
where Judy sells some of her quilts and tops. Several lap size tops are
priced about $450. FYI, but remember, I have NAYY!
http://www.judymartin.com/products.cfm?catID=3
PAT in VA/USA

judy in fort worth wrote:

I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do
not do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone
have any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that
people generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do
not expect to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not
want to quote a fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a
suggestion?

judy in fort worth

Hi Judy - all depends on the complexicity of the design, size of
finished, sashings, borders, template or rotary cutting, etc. etc. I
usually have a fixed rate in my head for any project - the number of
hours doesn't factor into it for me because I don't want to be tied
down to a deadline - with health problems, I just don't know when I
will want to sew or even think about it. It did take me 5yrs to
complete the church quilt because I just wasn't up to thinking about
the details for some very long periods - normally this size of quilt
would have only taken me a matter of months once I had the fabrics
selected, etc. Talk with your friend first and ask her what she
considers a 'fair' price for the work - then discuss the options with
her if you really do feel insulted by her estimate .... I would also
get estimates from various long-arm quilters for the size and detail
of the quilting that she expects to have done so that she can decide
whether or not to go ahead with the project. There are so many
factors involved that only you know how to fairly price your work and
that is only after the design of the quilt has been decided on.
jennellh )


On Aug 12, 2:52 pm, "judy in fort worth" wrote:
I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth

This is just another example of the saying "The
exception to prove the rule." This little guy sounds
like a very worth while exception. Grins,
PAT in VA/USA

Val wrote:

Sewing for "friends" is a really tricky thing to do. .....cut... I sewed for either
love/friendship OR money, I didn't blur those borders. Frankly, I don't have
that much goodness in my heart to sew cheap or free for many *friends*. I am
now in a position to sew strictly in the "because I wanna" category so I'm a
little jaded after sewing for years to make ends meet. I also no longer fix,
alter or mend ANYTHING of any kind for anyone. Well, except for a recent,
just before bedtime emergency surgical repair on a fuzzy, yellow elephant
owned by the little fella, with big brown eyes, who lives down the
hall.....I got a sloppy kiss and big hug for that 30 minute project, more
than a fair price in my book Sometimes it's just impossible to uphold
your high, chiseled in stone, standards with somebody in jammies who stands
(in his darling little bare feet) under 3 feet in height *sigh*
.........cut...

In article ,
Patti wrote:

I would just charge an hourly rate, Judy. You could look around, in
adverts and such, to see if you can find what a sensible rate was for
skilled work. Here I think it would be about $25? but your cost of
living varies so much across the country - Texas might be a lot more?
As it is a friend, you might well want to reduce the rate - 'mates
rates' we call that here.
You could do a trial block, see how long that takes you; multiply that
by the number of blocks; that would enable you to give your friend a
figure ahead of time. You might want to add a little margin for
electricity use.

I agree with Pat -- an hourly rate is probably best. You can keep track
of how many hours it takes you to make the quilt, and total them up for
your friend. BTW, if your friend is providing the fabric, is she also
providing the thread? If not, you'll need to add a bit for that, too!

.
In message , judy in fort worth
writes
I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth






--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sfoster 1 (at) earthlink (dot) net (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

Is she going to buy the fabric or will you have to shop for it? How hard
is the pattern? Are the colors she wants something you enjoy working
with? Is it a project you are going to enjoy doing?

Julia in MN

judy in fort worth wrote:
I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth




--
This message has been scanned for viruses by Norton Anti-Virus

http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/

In article , Pat in Virginia
wrote:

Judy:
While I do not have an answer for this interesting
question, I do have a site you may enjoy. This is Judy
Martin's site. It includes a section where Judy sells
some of her quilts and tops. Several lap size tops are
priced about $450. FYI, but remember, I have NAYY!
http://www.judymartin.com/products.cfm?catID=3
PAT in VA/USA

*eyes goggling!!*

Wow!! They don't look THAT intricate or hard to do ... perhaps I'm
seeing'em with a jaundiced eye? I mean, $2500 for an UNQUILTED top???
Wow. But maybe it's packaged with hundred dollar bills as cushioning??


Don't get me wrong - I do love her quilts, but they're still on the
simple (but time-consuming) end of the spectrum. So yep, I guess you're
paying for the name. :/

judy in fort worth wrote:

I have been asked to machine piece a quilt top for a friend. She will
supply all of the fabric and also have the top machine quilted. (I do not
do that part of the process on anything larger than a throw.) Anyone have
any suggestions on what I should charge for this work? I know that people
generally do not understand the amount of work involved so I do not expect
to become a millionaire in this process (LOL). But I do not want to quote
a
fee that is entirely too low, either. Anyone have a suggestion?

judy in fort worth



--
Happy quilting & quilty hugs!!
Connie

I've started a FREE eZine ... and I've posted *LOTS* of free applique patterns!
Check it out!
http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com/ ----- It's BACK!! AND they APOLOGIZED!
LOL!