mountainmanda Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Today, while at my other job-'cause owning my fabric shop and beginning my endeavor as a long arm quilter isn't quite enough-I spoke with one of our countys more prominent quilters about getting my Millie. She asked all the usual questions of when will i begin taking customers quilts and what do i plan to charge. I explained that i refuse to take any quilts until i know for certain that I am up to the quality and standard I would expect from anyone else doing the same job-she understood that completely. When I told her that my beginning price would be 1 to 1.5 cent per square inch for simple quilting and that custom freehand items would be at a price determined later her eyes almost fell out her head. She thought i was being too high. Where did i go wrong? I thought that i was being fair and from i have read and heard through this site and other long armers they agree. Any other points of view? This woman is a wonderful lady and fantastic quilter who i really respect. How can be respectful and yet not seem like a money grubber? ARGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 my prices start at .01 per square inch and I think I am under priced in my area...not sure. But I would not do it for less than that. Your time has to be worth something. Thing of your expenses, such as your machine, supplies, classes (to learn to quilt), etc. How could you charge less?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerekes Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 My prices start at 1.5 cents per square inch and go up from there--but I live in central New Jersey, so take that into account. The thing is, you can't give away your work! Do the math--a typical wallhanging is say 60 inches by 60 inches, 3600 square inches for the math challenged! At 1.5 cents per square inch, that is $54. That includes all your overhead, your time, blah, blah, blah! Remember to include the time it takes for intake, giving back the quilt, etc. I know for me, those are big time suckers! Also, you need to be on top of your game. You should always be spending time, money, and effort developing your skills. That 3600 square inch wallhanging may be full of beautiful feathers(like one I'm giving back today!). Those suckers don't land on the quilt themselves and usually don't happen on your first try! I always give first time customers a 10%discount, and this was helpful when starting out. Realize that when you start out, you'll probably not be doing well per hour anyway, because you are new. It's better for you to just work your butt off in the beginning and deliver a really good piece than it is to underprice yourself. In a year, if you work hard and spend lots of time practicing, you'll probably be pretty decent to tackle most anything. You will hate yourself if you are underpriced because you'll probably be delivering a really good service for pennies! You may get lots of business because you'll be cheap, but provide excellent quilting. You will end up working really, really hard for less money than you would make flipping burgers--this is something that you don't want. People will come to you if you do good work. The "quality" quilt toppers will recognize good work and be willing to pay for it. You do not want the Wal-Mart customers anyway(no offense to Wal-Mart, I shop there all the time, but not for my quilt stuff!). If I were you, I'd hang my work in my shop, dazzling work at that! You will get customers! Again, underpricing your work is a very, very bad business move. That's not to say that you should not offer some basic services if you want, pantographs, allover meanders, etc. at your lowest price, but you will probably discover that it won't take really long for your skill set to be beyond that, and you should be compensated FAIRLY! You may be surprised at how much some people are willing to pay for fabulous quilting! Best of luck!!!! Jill Kerekes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crafty Unicorn Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 A pricing range of .01 to .015 can be a big range. That little 1/2 a penny really adds up quickly. That's why I charge by the square yard. I know I am in the minority, but my customers have a better grasp of a square yard (we buy fabric by the yard right?) At .01 you are charging $12.96 per square yard (Queen size for 107.52) ...about my basic panto price. At .015 that price jumps to almost $20.00 per yard (Same queen size $161.28). In my neck of the woods (rural Maine) That is fairly fancy quilting. A spread of over $50 is pretty wide. Just my 2 cents (or $25.92 per square yard) worth Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Tell her you had no idea she was having financial difficulties, lol! I started at .01, now I don't touch anything for less than .015 for a LOOSE design or panto. Stick by your guns, she is just bargain hunting............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplydivine Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I agree with the above responses. Do NOT give your quilting away. If you do, you'll end up feeling like you are not getting paid adequately for the job and time you put into the quilting. Then you'll rush thru it just to get it done - and it won't be a joy, just a job! What does this other woman charge? Did she share that with you? Maybe you can ask her in a nice way, what she charges for this and that, does she have a price sheet, etc... You can send folks her way if she want to charge half a cent for feathers and the like. Maybe she only does "all-overs" big meanders with a couple loops or stars? who knows. she may have felt a little "invaded" that another quilter is in the area and just over reacted. Don't let her comments dictate your business plan and pricing! Your quilting quality will win out. I also give 10% to new customers and have a referal program. I am not the lowest in town. If someone is just shopping price, I always say that I can quilt according to their budget. If I don't get those customers, I don't mind. I would rather quilt for someone who appreciates the results of a quality job and that takes time. I am truely blessed to have steady business. It'll happen for you too! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmanda Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 The lady is retired, but her opinion very valued throughout our community-quilting and otherwise. I met her last year and she has been SUPER supportive of my endeavor in this community. Have any of you heard of a discount for Senior Citizens? I live in an extremely small town and a great deal of my business is through tourism. I purchased my millie-now named Precious-to help supplement the shop income throughout winter. I thank you all for your support and information. On the other hand, a lady visiting from Denver for a wedding was completely content with the pricing. I believe that location is a huge variable in all of this. Currently, I intend on developing my skills as a quilter and business woman and worrying about the rest as i get there. One Day at a Time is my life motto at this moment and it has worked thus far! Happy Quilting to All! Manda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TishMarshall Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I sit here and read everyones comments and put my head down.......lol. I see that I must be charging too little. The last gal, who was new, made the comment that she expected the quilting to be at least $100.00 or more, I only charged here $71 and some change. WOW!!! Guess I'll correct my pricing and quick. And for all who participated, thanks for such stimulating "chat"...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmaus Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Leslie, you said you charge by the square yard. What is your price range when you charge by the square yard? I bought my Millennium just for my own pleasure. That was my husband's decision. I work full time and he knew if I thought I had to earn money from my LA I would have an extremely difficult time. But I have a friend who wants me to quilt all her quilts. Lucky for me she is just beginning to quilt. She's almost done with her first one and she wants to give it to me next week. She asked what I charge and I have no idea what to tell her. So I'm really interested in everybodies replies. So anyway, Leslie if you could let us know what you charge by the yard I would appreciate it. thank you Tamara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I am a new quilter like you and have only been quilitng for others since the end of Feburary. I have to agree with the others that if you underprice yourself you are going to be quilting for pennies. Do not let this lady dictate your prices. I tell people that have an interest in my quilting what my style is and if they choose me to quilt for them so be it. If they do not like my style then I can send them to someone else that would do something more to their liking. I love freeform things and am starting to have more and more people in my guild aproach me with questions and slowly I am getting their quilts as well. We have two sisters in the guild that have a longarm and undercut all the other longarmers in our area. The thing is that they only do quick and easy pantogarphs and likely only get pennies. Now now everyone wants the same few pantographs on their quilt and those customers that do not want to pay me enough to pay for my time I do not really want anyway. I think that you might do what I do right now. I have set prices that are competitive with other longarmers and then tell my customers I am offereing 20% discount as my startup sale. Well that discount will start getting smaller as I get busier. It is easier for people to get used to a price and know that they got a sale price on that than for the price to just jump. Now as for the "nice" lady. She has her opion and you would not be asking us if you agreed with her. Not taking her advice is in no way being rude. You can tell her with a smile that you decided that you wanted to set your prices different. It is your business not hers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdacey Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Like Leslie, I charge by the square yard. My starting price is 20 per sq yard with a 3 sq yard miniumum charge for set up ($60) which is equal to .015 per inch...The national average, from what I have seen. That is for simple quilting or pantos. Heavy quilting and custom go up from there. Hope this helps. Nobody should charge less than what they are worth or less than the going rate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 if she wants a discount...give her a 10% discount if she refers other customers to you...Make up some 10% off referral cards and give to your customers to fill their name in. Then they can give it to a friend. The friend calls you and brings in a quilt, along with the card. Your little lady comes back and poof - she gets 10% off - now she is gettng her senior citizens discout;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 It always seems to be the customer with quilt shop fabrics and expensive backers who gasp when you quote a price. Remember---- "I am not in business to subsidize someone's hobby." Do good work and forge ahead with a price plan you are comfortable with. Giving an initial discount is a great idea. Good luck! Linda Rech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfairy Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I went around or called some of our local LA quilters to see what they were charging when I started to offer mine eons ago..haha..So now we all keep in touch as not to under price each other...we all stay the same. No one in my area does what my girls call fancy so I am able to set these prices at whatever I want...isn't it nice to be your own boss sometimes?? I do know some areas charge more and some less depends on where you live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtraquilts Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I have charged the same for pantographs for the last 8 years-that is .015 per square inch. My custom work starts at .03 and goes up from there. When a quilter first starts out, it is common to offer a lower price, discount coupons, or a month long sale (recruits new customers if advertised)- the quality is not usually as good and neither is the selection of designs. After the first year, stop offering discounts unless business is slow. My custom pricing, on the other hand, has steadily increased. My customers seldom want pantographs so I keep the price low (.015) to offer an inexpensive alternative to custom work. Sue Tennill The Quilting Room McKinney, TX (Dallas area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GERRY Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Hi Manda: Not sure what the lady was upset at, you say she is a well respected quilter, does she handquilt or has she paid other LAer's in the past? Does she have a LA of her own, to figure out why she was upset over the price, you need more info on this "well repected quilter". Anyway, at the point where she asked you how much, it may have been wise to ask her what she thought was a good price, or what she charges, insead of giving her an answer, that way you get info. from her, & you wouldn't run the risk upsetting her. works for me. I think that area that where you live has a great deal to do with pricing, I went by what the other LAer in my guild was charging, (for now) she only does panto's (that I know of) she started out at .01 per inch, then went up to .01.5 per after she had herself established, she charges a flate fee across the board, if you pick out a panto from her binder. So I plan to start the same way. But I'm going to offer coustom as soon as I get good enough, & my panto's tend to have much heavier quilting than her's. I get a feeling that some member's want something more than simple quilting, the trick is to not scare them with the pricing at first, there's a big jump from panto's to custom/hairloom. Most of our guild members are senior's so a discount isn't practical, but it's a good idea for other coustomer's that come my way. I also will be doing a quilt a month for our "chairity/baby quilts" program, charging back for thread cost only, (the other LAer does the same thing). I figure that if I do things pretty much as she did the first 6months to a year, I wouldn't ruffle any feathers, after that I will be changing things (slowly). Since my personalaty is, well just say intence, (loud) witch I think some people find intimidateing, I try to keep low-key until people get use to me. I really like the idea fo giving out referal cards, people love cupon's. I was also thinking of haveing a card (for guild member's only) that I could stamp, so after maybe 10 quilts they get one discounted or maybe free, not sure about that yet gotta think it through. Anyway Manda, that's my 2 cents: good luck smoothing your lady's feathers, I know what it feels like to upset someone like that, it's usually the last person to want to upset........EVER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giftedhands Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I don't really talk "price per square inch". I do the math on the measurement of the quilt and give them the low-mid range choice (unless it looks like the customer is talking custom or heirloom). I tell them, here are some choices. Something like this would be "x" and this would be "xx". What do you think? I don't make them feel like "this is the cheapest" because that implies they are cheap... When I was sending my quilts out, I had to watch my pennies. So I always give a few options to allow the customer to choose. When a customer says "I want cross hatching 1/2 " apart and double feathers...." I dont' let them talk "cheap". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmanda Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 This lady has others do the quilting for her. She is retired and was more shocked about the cost for her own personal information. She does not do long arm quilting, that i know of. She does wonderful piecework and hand quilting, though. i agree with all of you, i cannot underprice myself. i WILL NOT underprice myself. However, i haven't even gotten my machine loaded for the first time yet and i am not planning on taking any customers until i feel completely ready for the high blood pressure. Take Care and Thank you Manda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crafty Unicorn Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I somehow missed the part in the original post about the customer thinking the pricing was too high. My prices are low compared to the national average. I know it, but at this point I am still trying to educate the local quilters that there is more to life than the "Tied quilt with an old army blanket in the middle". The serious quilters and folks "from away" who quilt know they are getting a deal, are taking advatage of the low prices because they know the prices will go up. They are regular business and I get to try out new things on their quilts that the penny pinchers would never go for. I am a relatively new quilter (only taking customer quilts for about 8 months) as I learn new patterns and techniques, those all go in my higher price categories. I start at $12.00 per sq yard for pantos Freehand all-over is $15.00 and Block-work/ custom is $18, Extreme custom (feathers, cross-hatch etc) starts at $20. I do have a set-up charge to cover the small quilt problem and charge for thread (extra for fancy stuff). My only real local competion only does pantos and has a set price for each quilt size. I am starting to pick-up some business from her and also from some ladies who are tired of sending tops to other states. I agonized for months about prices and then just decided what I needed to make ends meet. I tried working out a price based on what I needed to make per hour, but that didn't work. I have been pleased with my rate-per-hour average on some quilts, horrified with my average hourly rate on others (not even minimum wage:() but every quilt I get faster or learn something new... And hey... I get to do something I love and people give me money to do it... doesn't get any better than that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam C Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I would like to know what price you all are starting custom work at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 What determines "custom" work? I saw someone write in once that they had done $600 worth of quilting. I charge $.015 per square inch, the standard in my area, and I can't see earning that kind of money on a quilt. Thanks, Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crafty Unicorn Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 To me, custom is anything that is based on the piecing in the top... Whether that is a continuous curve in a 9-patch or a stenciled/marked feather wreath in an empty block with cross-hatched background. I try to group techniques with similar complexity together in a price range. Cont. Curve, wavy crosshatch etc in the lower end, Stencils and hartley stuff in the middle and once my McTavishing is ready for customer quilts (still a ways to go) that will be in the "extreme custom" level. It's not much of a system, but for now it's the only one I have. Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishquiltr Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Hi Mountainmanda & fellow quilters: The average pricing in our area, starts at 1.5 cents psi for stippling, and as high as 3 cents psi, for custom quilting. Your thread is included in with the pricing unless the customer wants a specific color and type, that you may not have, then have them buy the thread. Remember, you can't build a business in one day, it takes time and practice. Ask yourself, how much would you be willing to pay for quilting? If you were the customer, what would you deem a fair price to be? How many other long arms are in your area? How many people use them and why? If your prices are too high, the customer will either go to someone else, or mail their quilts to another state. Good luck. Keep smiling, Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Custom versus E2E (Edge to Edge) Leslie was right on, when you pay attention to how the quilt is pieced and quilt it accordingly, that is custom. Like this- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I also offer what I call semi-custom, which is 2.5 cents. It may outline some stars in the quilt, or do a few feathered wreaths, but then there is a good amount of allover designs to fill it in. Then also there is the E2E with borders. I may do a meandering allover in the center, and I will charge .015 for the whole quilt, and then add $5 to $10 for the separate borders, depending on size and complexity. For this I will remount the quilt to get them nice with out alot of starts and stops. I describe these on my website, and have a claculator for quilters to "estimate" their price. BTW, the last time I sensed someone was surprised at the pricing, I probed. I asked "Does that price surprise you?" and she said "Yes, I thought it would have been more!" But she had never sent anything out, so I think it was inexperience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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