Crazy Quilt Potholders

[jbsewsinwv]

I've been approached to see if I would be interested in making some crazy quilted potholders, at least 50. I would be buying all the supplies and at this point, my choice of design. But I guess with a crazy quilt design, anything goes for a design. Has anyone made that many potholders? Any words of wisdom on cost. I have a Bernina 730 so I was thinking that I would use it rather than my Freedom. I have a year to complete the project.

[Neher-in-law5]

Wow, be sure to really figure in your time, those could be some very pricy potholders.

[cherylannie]

I made some christmas stocking with eleanor burns methods which would work perfect.  You just stack about 5 or different prints in a stack and slice then sideways onece like a  crazy quilt.  Rotate the top print on one stack to the bottom and then sew the two stacks together one set at a time (the prints will all be with a different print).  Then slice the stack again the other directions (a little wonky) rotate the top on to the bottom and sew the stack together again.  You do this for the number of prints that you have 5 or 6.  At the end you have a set  of crazy blocks.  They are a little off square by now so you have to square them up.  I used the decorative stitches on my machine and quilted on the seam lines.  It was fun to use the different stitches that I rarely used.  They turned out really cute!  There are also some crazy quilt block  paper templates on the web and even a set of plastic templates you can buy to cut them. 

[dbz98236]

My thought was, you could make a crazy patch quilt only with smaller pieces, do your decorative stitches, put it on the machine, quilt it and then cut it into potholder size and bind them.

It would still take a bit of time but it wouldn't be each individual potholder at a time.

[ffq-lar]

I got a shiver when you wrote that you would be buying all the supplies.   Please assure me that you mean "your choice" of supplies and not that you'll be using your own resources for this project. They need to make all purchases including thread and please ask for a hefty deposit on the labor before you start. Or if you've decided on a per-piece price with you factoring in the cost of supplies into the final price--you'll want 50% up front before you start. Sign a contract so both sides are protected. Sorry to be a Grinch--but at least I'm a smart Grinch about the business!

 

A hint about potholders--so you don't have to bind them the usual way, oversize the backer and fold to the front, mitering the corners and fastening with a decorative stitch on the front. You'll want square corners instead of rounded corners for this to work. My guild made over 100 placemats for the local meals-program clients and this worked really well with them.

[RitaR]

I say go for it, BUT,  As Linda said,  get a large down payment to at least cover the supplies if not the quilting also.  Surely if

they want that many, they can understand the cash outlay and time involved by you as money needed and earned.

I'm interested in how  long it takes for  you to make one.  It might be handy for you to know also, so they can be told.

 

I shudder to think of the fancy stitching...   

 

A tip, when I was making a lady the small one potato MW baking bags last year.  I thought I could do it better and quicker on

the dsm.. the quiltiing part that is, and I was dead wrong.  It worked much better on the long arm.

 

Good luck..

 

Rita

[jbsewsinwv]

Thanks for the information. I'm still debating to myself whether to make each individually, or to create as one piece and then cut apart. Although if I made one large top on the LA I would still have to piece a large top area. So to me it would seem that making them individual on the DSM would make better use of time.  I like the idea of  stacking several fabrics like Cheryannie used, and using the over-sized backing as binding like Linda suggested.  I will be paid for all supplies that I used, I'm not donating anything.

[Neher-in-law5]

Would you be able to make the 50 individual "tops" and then quilt them all on the longarm with backing space to cut apart and bind?  have fun with the idea.