Custom made quilt prices

I often get asked "How much would you charge to make me a quilt"?  I answer, well, it depends on what you want made.  "Oh just something simple and they show me a design."  I give them an answer of what I would charge to make the quilt from start to finish.  The next thing I hear is "It costs HOW MUCH?  I can't afford that!  But thank you for your time." 

Very often what the customer sees as "simple" is not really that simple.  The prettiest quilts are usually the most complicated and difficult to make.  What the customer believes is... "It's a homemade quilt so it shouldn't cost that much."   

So how much would you (the reader) charge to make this quilt if the customer bought all the fabric?  Simple design and not very big so it wouldn't cost too much.  Am I right?  Don't actually tell me a price, just put a figure in your head.  Keep in mind that the price includes the quilting too.

Ok, what about this quilt.  Same price as that one?  It's still a simple design and about twice the size of the previous one.  Larger means more piecing time and quilting time too.

Ok, how about this quilt?  Same price as the first one?   It's the same size as the second one but all the blocks look like this. 

How about this quilt?  A little larger than the second one with a whole lot more quilting to finish it.  Same price as the first one?  (that's micro stippling in the background)

Ok, one more.  This one is actually smaller and an original designed, one of a kind, appliqued, art quilt.  Would it be the same price as the first quilt? 

You see what I'm getting at?  The price of a quilt depends on the work involved.  A non-quilt maker has no idea of the complexity of piecing quilts.  Non-quilters think of quilts as "homemade" but in reality quilts are only homemade when you make them yourself.  Paying someone else to make a quilt is actually "custom" made.  It's sort of like the difference between making yourself an outfit and paying a custom taylor to make it. 

Back in 2007 I wrote a blog post about my custom made quilts catalog.  A catalog of quilt designs and how much I would charge to custom make them.  I always quote high.  The reason is because it's much easier to tell a customer the cost is less, than it is to tell a customer the price is higher because of unexpected work.  I wrote about my catalog here.  My prices have changed since then.

More than half the time, the customer decides not to pay to have a custom quilt made.  It hurts a little to loose the work but then I realize not everyone can afford what they want.  Sometimes I can't afford things I want either.  I don't take it personally when a person isn't able to pay my price for a custom made quilt.  Their budget is none of my business.  Quilting is my business.  Creating quilts is how I earn my paycheck.  If I don't earn enough to pay my bills I wouldn't be in business very long. 

Most people (not all) remember quilts being made by their grandmothers and mothers at home.  Their thinking is that Grandma and Mama never complained about the cost of a quilt so the quilts must not have cost much.  That's where the difference is.... made at home VS bought or commissioned. 

What I'm always willing to do is help the person learn to make quilts for them self.  If the person learns then they get the homemade quilt they expect and can afford.  They also learn just how difficult it really is to make those pointy star quilts with lots and lots of pieces or the t-shirt quilts that match up perfectly in a collage quilt or the most popular quilt of all, the double wedding ring quilt with all it's curves. 

So.... if you are thinking about making custom quilts maybe you should create a catalog too.  Choose some designs that are simple and some that are more complex.  Decide how long it will take you to create the quilts.  Decide how much you need to earn per hour and add a little more to get your price.  The extra is wiggle room just in case there are difficulties you hadn't anticipated.  If the quilt is created without difficulty then lower the price when you present the finished quilt to the customer  They will be most appreciative.

If you are a person shopping around to have a custom quilt made then trust that the maker is only charging according to difficulty and time involved.  More often than not a quilter underestimates the value of their time.  I know (with the quilts I make) my earnings are about five dollars an hour.  Would you want to work for less than those wages?  If I charge $600 for a custom made quilt it represents at least 120 hours of work for me to create that quilt from start to finish.  The work involves design, cutting fabric, piecing it together, pressing, quilting the layers, and binding.  Along with all the work in between too.

How to practice saying NO.... a lot.

In the early days of starting my quilting business, (1981 through 1990) I struggled and complained about not having enough customers. I wasn't earning the money I needed to pay the bills. There were times when I had to ask my brother for a loan until I got paid for the next quilt. One day my brother says..... Anita, why don't you stop playing with your hobby and get a real job? Huh? This is my real job! He didn't see

what I was doing as a real business. He thought it was just an income producing hobby.

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Then there are the neighbors, or the kids school teachers, or whoever, that believe because I worked at home that I could just drop everything and do stuff for them. A cab run for a neighbor, a batch of cupcakes for the school fundraiser, and so forth. None of these people understood.... if my machine isn't moving, I'm not earning any money.

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Oh and I can't forget about the phone calls throughout the day and the requests to leave home for fun things. A friend just wanting to chat for an hour or two. A relative wanting to go for lunch and shopping for the afternoon. A neighbor wanting me to drive her around town to pay her bills in person. Hey! Just because I work at home doesn't mean I don't have to earn the money. I can't earn my living if I'm not at home to run the business. What business would survive if the owner is never there to do the work?

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Can you imagine what it would be like if a grocery store manager simply locked the door to go have lunch and shopping with a friend every day or two? What if the doctor office was closed every time you called for an appointment because the doctor was off someplace chauffeuring a neighbor to pay their bills? Ooo... what about a fabric store that's always closed because the owner is constantly gone? How long would it stay in business?
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It got so bad... the constant requests for me to do things.... that I gave away my car. Yes, just gave it away to a friend that really needed transportation so he could get a job. No car meant that I couldn't be the chauffeur anymore. I did try to make people understand that I had work to do. For example one neighbor would ask me to take her to pay her water bill. I tell her I can't because I have a quilt to finish. She calls me an hour later to say.... are you finished yet? She calls again an hour later. I'm frustrated so I take her to pay the water bill. We are home only about 30 minutes when she calls to ask if I can take her to pay the electric bill. Geeze! Why didn't you do that while we were out? The constant requests and my weakness had me away from home so much I couldn't complete a quilt a week. That's why I gave away my car. No car, no requests for cab runs.
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You would think these request have stopped after all these years. Nope, nada, the neighbors know my daughter is living here and she has a car. She's been here only a short time and already the people are saying.... since your daughter is here maybe you can use her car to take me..... will it ever end? An occasional trip away from home, even to help a neighbor, I can handle. It's when I had constant back to back requests that it got out of hand. I would no sooner get in the door when the phone would ring. Another neighbor asking a favor. I find it a lot easier to say no these days because in all the years I've been without a car, not one of the neighbors have offered to pick anything up for me while they are out. My customers offer all the time, but not my neighbors.
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So how do we get people to understand.... if our machine is not moving, we aren't earning our money? Say NO a lot! Let me repeat..... Say NO a lot! You will get some upset people but it's the only way to gain respect for your work time. People don't like being told no. You are not saying no because you don't like the person or because you don't think it will be fun. It's only because you have to run your business first... have fun later.
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Set your business hours and days. Mine were Monday through Friday, 8 to 4. During those hours I worked. Weekends and nights were for everything else. Be sure your family and friends understand you work those hours. Get forceful if you have to. Not mean, just insistent. Think of it this way; if you had an outside job in an office or a factory, wouldn't you be expected to be there in order to get paid? Wouldn't your friends and family respect that you had to be at work? That's the attitude you need to take.... insist that you must get the work finished or you won't get paid.
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The best gadget I ever bought for my quilting business was a phone with an answering machine. During work hours I let it pick up for me. I can hear the message as it's recording. If it was a customer I could answer. Anyone else I let it record. Then the neighbors started knocking on the door so I closed the curtains and didn't answer the door. It was rude, I know, but it worked. After awhile they started understanding I was NOT going to give up my work hours.
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I also got volunteered a lot. Someone would sign me up for activities at school without asking me. "Oh but I knew you wouldn't mind." Ya think? I got forceful with that too. I would say, NO, I can't and leave it up to them to fix. After a couple of times just not showing up, they stopped depending on me so much. One time I was volunteered to help with a play my daughter's class was doing. I was volunteered to help with costumes because I knew how to use a sewing machine. I told the coordinator no but she didn't think I was serious. Only after not showing up did she get the idea that my no really meant no.
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People will forget and fall back into the "it's not a job, it's a hobby" thinking over and over again. Even your closest family members. The kids or the spouse. You must constantly remind them... if your machine is not moving, you are not earning a living. The business must be run as a business. With regular hours and days. An occasional day off for fun or sickness is ok but in the long run you must be on the job or risk loosing that job. Understand?
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Maybe you prefer to work late at night. That's ok too. Lots of people have night time jobs. So long as you are consistent with your work hours and let everyone know what those hours are you can be successful.
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Now that I've retired and my daughter has a car, I expect more family and neighbors to start asking favors again. I must continue to be insistent that I'm earning a living. I'm not running my quilting machine as before. I'm branching into the world of art quilts. Hopefully, quilts that can be sold to earn a living. I can't sell what I don't have. Before I can present my work to a gallery jury I must have some finished work to show. I may not get juried in but I won't know until I try. I'm scared I won't be good enough. I'm scared I will put in all the time and money to create and not sell anything at all. But you know what? It won't matter because I will have tried. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It will be especially hard to convince neighbors I'm still working when they know I retired from quilting for others.
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Maybe I need to practice my "NO" technique a bit more. Grin slightly, put the tongue to the roof of the mouth, start an nnnn sound in the throat, then pucker for a kiss while changing the nnn to ooo. Nnnnnooooo. Hey, it still works! Nnnnnoooo Nnnnnoooo Nnnnnoooo (practice, practice, practice) The practice is easier when there is a spouse to practice with. Just be careful, with too much practice, you might find yourself changing the no, no, no to yes, yes, yes. (smile)

Customer special requests

Today I called the office of the doctor who treated me in the hospital. He wanted to see me in 7 days after leaving the hospital. I believed he had made my appointment but failed to tell me what day and time. Gosh, it seems he hadn't so I needed to get signed up for one myself.

The conversation with his appointment secretary went something like this:

Secretary - I can give you an appointment on March 31st at 3 pm.

Me - But the doctor wanted to see me in 7 days. I also have blisters in my mouth from the breathing treatments. I need to get something for it right away.

Secretary - I'm sorry but that's the soonest I can get you in.

Me - But what about his instructions?

Secretary - That's the best we can give you. Do you want the appointment or not?

Me - Ok, I'll take that one.

So how does this relate to the profession of machine quilting? Well think about it. Would the appointment secretary have penciled me in for an appointment despite the doctor already being booked? In front of all the others who have appointments simply because I had a special request?

No, she wouldn't. So why is it that machine quilters feel the need to grant all our customer's special requests despite knowing we are already booked? Because we care. Because we don't want to damage our reputation. Because we don't like loosing customers. There are any number of reasons why we give up our life in favor of our special request customers.

I wish someone had been around in my early professional days to point this out to me. Machine quilters are the only professionals that will spend 24 / 7 thinking of the customers first. All other professionals will stick to a schedule.

In defense of our customers... it can't hurt to try, right? They might just get lucky and not have to wait in line. I know I really wanted to see my doctor for a follow up. My mouth is very sore and I was hoping to get some advice on treating it. I tried to get ahead of the others but the appointment secretary was firm enough to say it's an appointment in March or nothing. I don't hate her for it nor would I complain because I really want to see the doctor for a follow up visit.

So the next time a customer asks for a special spot (in front of all your customers who follow the rules) ask yourself if you are a professional? Have confidence in yourself. Stick to your schedule and your waiting list. The customers who really like your work will be willing to wait.... those that aren't willing to wait are welcome to go someplace else.

This post and the last one might sound like I'm angry or something. I never know how it reads from another's point of view. That's not it at all. I'm simply pointing out that other professionals make sure they leave room in their schedules for what's important to them. In order to be treated as a professional you must act like a professional. Learn to say no in a tactful professional manner and your customers will respect you for it.

Feeling guilty and why

Over the years I've collected thousands of quilting designs to use on customer quilts. Some I drew myself, some were purchased. If I had to choose only one person who influenced my professional machine quilting the most it would have to be Diana Phillips.

I do have many personal favorites but for practical purposes Diana's are the easiest to put on customer tops. The designs are very forgiving. They can be done either as pantograph or as freehand designs. Yes, both. Now some of her designs are also digitized for those who have computerized machines.

Why do I mention Diana? Well, it's like this.... I'm feeling guilty. Diana and I used to keep in touch pretty often. I was one of the people who tested her Flower Power designs before it was published. I considered her a really good friend. So what makes me feel guilty? It's because I haven't emailed her in over a year. I vaguely remember her last email to me right before one of my hospital stays. I didn't answer her because I felt just so awful and sick. I told myself I would get back to her when I felt better.... only feeling better has taken a year. Right now all I can do is hope she still considers me a friend.

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Another person I lost touch with is Mindy Casperson.... Oh heck.... there are many professional machine quilters I used to talk with regularly. 25 plus years of internet connections to others means many friendships. Marcia Stevens is another one. Jurgen Nittner, a really good male quilter, is another. So many friendships have come and gone in my life. It makes me sad to think that I let "keeping ahead of customer demands" cause me to draw away from those friendships.

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If you are thinking of becoming (or already) a machine quilter; don't let the demands of keeping on schedule rule your life. I made that mistake. It's too late for me but I can warn you of this possibility. Always find time for family and friends and never let "the waiting list" control your life.

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It's all too easy to tell a friend or family member "I can't because I have customer quilts to do." We expect family and friends to understand when we say no to their requests. Yes, yes, we do have to earn a living and that means completing customer quilts; but, it's all the extra customer requests that interfere with friendships and family connections.

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Hmm... how to explain it better? I mean the customers who schedule one top but bring you 4. The customer who doesn't show up for her appointment (or call to cancel) but calls you 3 months later to say she finally finished the top.... can she bring it today and have it back next week? The customer who hasn't called you in over a year but suddenly wants one quilted in time for xmas.... and today is the 20th and you still have 4 to do already. The customer who just put together a top to comfort a dieing person and wants you to have the honor of quilting it before that person dies. You see what I'm getting at?

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If you have a waiting list it means you have carefully planned your work time. The waiting list is filled enough that you know you are going to earn a decent wage but leaves time for a life. If all goes according to the schedule then you are fine. You go to work each day and end it knowing it's a job well done. The rest of the day and the up coming weekend is for friends and family.

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Then along comes a special request. Ok, you tell yourself you can give up one activity in order to help this one customer this one time. You don't go to the ball game with your grandson. You stay home to do the extra quilting work. It was not too bad giving up one activity. All of a sudden you have request after request for special circumstances. Did the word get around that you are a softie? So... one by one.... you cancel time with family and friends in order to help a customer. Before you know it you've grown a chain connected between your ankle and the quilting machine. The days are slipping by while you struggle to handle all the extra work plus stay on schedule too. Next comes burnout but that's another post.

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What can you do to prevent this over booking from happening? It's simple:

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THE CUSTOMER'S FAILURE TO PLAN IS NOT YOUR CRISIS!

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Remember that the next time someone not on your schedule asks a special favor from you.