Free quilting?...

[Stagecl]

A quilt shop in our area is requesting that every LA'er that wants to be on the LA list to quilt one quilt per year free. The quilt would hang for 6 months space allowing. There are no guarantees that it would produce business...it is just a sample to the clerks can point to it and say so and so quilted this.

What are your feelings about this subject?

Cheryl

[Bonnie]

Well my first thought was no....but on second thought how bad do you want the job.

I hate when people try to dictate what I will or won\'t do, but that is me. Now if I wanted to give them 1 free quilt a year that would be my choice, but to be told I would...would ruffle my feathers.

So I guess it is one of those things that falls into the catagory of....how do you feel about it. Is that something you feel okay with? Do they guarantee you quilts (no) or does this just give you the right to leave your cards there for others to pickup as they choose...Sounds like its how they decided that they will get their own quilts quilted for free. hummmmmmmmmm

[Quilting Heidi]

I\'ll ditto Bonnie! If I was counting on getting a lot of business from the shop then I\'d probably do it but to be told I have to do it....I would probably get a little ruffled. I did have my local shop tell me that "I could practice on some of their samples" but I declined because I didn\'t want my "practice pieces" being displayed and referred. Now that I\'ve gotten used to my machine I might say that I would barter some fabric for a free sample!

Heidi

[bsktsn3cats]

I\'ve read that if you want to build business that you should volunteer to do X quilts for free for the LQS. One woman does 4 per year. I read that these should be some of your best work since it will be seen by lots of folks and will bring business.

There are 3 shops near me but there\'s only 1 that I would even consider quilting for. It will of course be the one that has valued ME as a customer. One of the shops wants to only discuss hand quilting. The 2nd shop is fairly new but very unfriendly. The 3rd is bright, cheerful, friendly and very helpful. I will probably make an offer to quilt for her a few times per year.

I\'m told though that once you commit, you can\'t really back off when you get busy, so you should only volunteer a few each year.

Like Bonnie, I wouldn\'t like being told that I have to do it though. I\'m pretty stubborn and probably would NOT do it just because I was told that I have to.

[ramona-quilter]

I have heard of some shops that do that. Since we only have one quilt shop in our area, I would be willing to show off my work by quilting a free quilt but our LQS doesn\'t have that policy.

I have quilted several quilts for our LQS. It is usually a shop sample for a class or for a new collection of fabric. I charge her a reduced price and when I get one from her, it always goes to the front of the line. She wants it displayed ASAP so she can sell the class or fabric. And when people show interest, sometimes I get a referral. Pay your nickel, take your chance.

[jkerekes]

Hi Cheryl,

I don\'t know your area, but I got my foot in the door at a couple of shops by doing just that. The first quilt for the shop was free. In this area, the shops really generate a lot of business for me. Also, you may only get one or two customers from a shop, but the ripple effect from those customers could really build your business.

How bad could it be? If it is a shop sample, it probably won\'t be a king or even a queen sized quilt. Even a highly customized lap sized quilt won\'t take an outrageous amount of time if you\'re smart about it. By having an example of your work there, it takes the weight off of their shoulders by giving people evidence of your capabilities. Your sample will be your advertisement. Does that make sense? I know that if I were looking for a quilter, seeing a sample of work hanging in a quilt shop would make that quilter appear credible in my eyes. After all, would a quilt shop have bad quilters work on their quilts? I would hope not!

If I were you and was looking to drum up business, I\'d go for it. That quilt shop sounds like it is trying to help you all out in a fair way.

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

Jill Kerekes

[quiltmonkey]

Sure, I would do it. It\'s free advertising, and you never know the good things that will come from it if you don\'t give it a try. Other things branch into more things that you never imagined could happen. Think positive. Relationships are everything. Build those professional relationships! Don\'t get put off by being told what you have to do in order to get the benefit. It really is give and take with business. Rise above that, look at the bigger picture and take opportunities that come to you and make the best of it. Good luck!

Happy quilting!

[Stagecl]

First, this is a change in store policy. I have been quilting for 4 years and most of my customer basis is not with this store. As for a good relationship with the store owner...she has burned me in two other areas not related to quilting, but to teaching. I always quilt for a huge discount for the shops and make sure their quilts are turned around asap. As for wanting more business...I usually have a backlog of 30 quilts so it is not as if I need a quilt hanging...but I wouldn\'t want not to have a quilt there. A catcher 22 problem...oh well...

I have 2 quilts hanging in the store already. It does not generate business in part because there is a gal in our area who quilts for most of the quilters. This gal quilts 150 quilts a month using 4 statlers and is a gammill rep. Plus this store has 8 longarmers with fliers there all seeking business. Competition, definitely a yes here and it is only going to get worse.

My purpose for asking was to see how others feel about being told that this is how it will be and wondering if other shops do the same. I do appreciate everyones thoughts because seeing a point of view in another light is always a good thing.

Clherlyl

[Neher-in-law5]

I\'m not a business quilter, but my two cents worth comes as questions.

Did the shop say they need to be their quilt done free? or can it be a quilt that you want to have, made from their fabrics?

Since it is only one per year and I assume it would be a smaller size, you could schedule the time you have to quilt it.

[Jeanette]

Nope Nope Nope, not for me. Especially since you have a customer base and you have been burned by her already.

You have probably heard "Burn me once, shame on you, Burn me twice, shame on me."

Run your business card in the local and nearby quild newsletters instead. JMHO

[CucumberQuilting]

Sounds more like blackmail to me.

Our LQS will happily pay a quilter to quilt a shop sample. It sells their patterns and fabrics and someone will eventually end up with a lovely quilt to take home when they swap out to something new.

Does your LQS give you any supplies at wholesale or a discount? We charge the shop people for quilting, they charge us to take stuff out of the store. They are our customers and we are theirs. It keeps things simple and straightforward all around.

[Drakes]

In my humble opinion, if I was going to get someone to quilt something for me (which I am looking at in the future) I would rather see what the person can do rather than be told a name and "she\'s really good".

For someone like me a little sample would make a difference.

[Merryjo2003]

I\'ve quilted for free and for a reduced fee for the LQS. If it\'s for a class that I\'m not teaching, I charge. I did a custom quilt that will hang in the shop to advertise the fabrics and pattern and also my quilting for free. I really went all out on this one including some "longarm embroidery." I\'ll explain better when I can post pics again (photo program is down and I can\'t size pics). I met Libby Lehman and asked if anyone had every tried her technique (she uses a Bernina) on a longarm. She didn\'t think so and said, "Go for it!" I did, and it turned out neat! I did 4 6 in. squares, but it would be so dramatic in a larger space!

Anyway, I guess it would depend on the purpose and your relationship with the LQS whether you charge or not. Mine even offered to let customers drop off and pick up quilts at her shop for no charge. I hope this will increase the fabric sales for her business as well as business for me. She also wants me to teach once a week at her store (I get paid). This should also be good for both of us! I\'m really lucky to have such a great lady (and quilter herself) who wants it to benefit both of us.

[jkerekes]

OK--with more information, I\'m going to change my answer!

In my neck of the woods, it would make sense. In your neck of the woods, I guess you\'d have to go with your gut. HOWEVER, you have to ask yourself if you want to get tangled in with somebody that has burned you before.

Jill Kerekes

[dixieqwv]

Merry

Here\'s an online photo resize that I\'ve read about

http://www.resize2mail.com/

Cheryl if you really don\'t want or need the advertising then I wouldn\'t bother. On the other hand like someone else said ... a small quilt wouldn\'t take too long. I don\'t quilt for others but I do love looking at long armers work when I\'m at the quilt shops.

[michaelalan]

Mom\'s right, Nope, nope, nope....By doing this the quilt shop owner is actually drawing in business for her shop using your quilting. If they can\'t hang your quilt for free then don\'t do it. One of our local sewing shops had 5 of my quilts hanging in 2 of her shops and the shop owner gave me a nice selection of Ricky Tim\'s thread and assorted quilting fabrics. I did get several long arm teaching jobs from

this shop owner as well as teaching digitizing in her shop. She paid me, I didn\'t pay her....I think your local shop owner is greedy and I would not let one of my quilts near her shop.... Small business owners should stick together, it sounds like she wants to take advantage of her local LAs,

I wouldn\'t do this, I\'d also boycot her shop because of her outright unwillingness to support her local LAs.

[sewingupastorm]

If I really had a good repoir with the shop I would be happy to do a quilt for display at no charge and I would pull out all the stops as well. Now to be told I HAVE to do one would make me feel like I was being used. Sounds like this shop owner has an attitude.

I would pass if you do not need the business. If you have 30 quilts in your que most of the time you have plenty of work already.

[ffq-lar]

Interesting give-and-take going on here! I guess you have to decide if what you give is worth what you may get back. You will quilt one of their tops (is that right?) for no charge for the privilege of having your work (perhaps) displayed at the LQS for (maybe) six months. Will your name and contact info be prominently displayed on the quilt? Or will that info be on the back and need to be asked for by the customer?

What are the other LAers saying about this new policy? The owner sounds like a savvy person who knows how to apply pressure where it counts the most--a small business always looking for customers. I think I would be so resentful of the "demand" to do something free that I would need to be very customer-needy to get in on a deal like this. But, we never know--maybe this owner will start a trend and the pressure will be on all of us!

I quilt for the LQS on occasion--and for a small discount. I turned in a quilt last week and spent most of what I earned on fabric at the same time! It works for me!!

[AnnHenry]

I\'m so new at this that I don\'t even have my machine yet (but it\'s on order!), so I\'ll only give my 1 cents worth.

1. Ditto all the above "I don\'t want to be told what to do". That\'s one reason we are working for ourselves, isn\'t it?

2. She disrespected you in the past. That would be enough for me right there.

3. But the kicker is your 30-quilt backlog. Some quilters would die for that! You don\'t need her.

Women are always giving their work (and themselves!) away for free. Men don\'t do this ! ! ! Carpenters, cabinet makers, clock makers, bricklayers, etc., etc., do not work for free so their work can be displayed somewhere.

Please, LA\'ers, don\'t let this become a trend!

[RitaR]

Very Interesting thread chat here.. I\'m wondering what this "list" is. Is it something her shop is compliling for the LAers in the area, or is it started/supported by a guild, or SBA, or??? If It\'s a guild, or SBA, I\'d kick up a Royal hissy with one leg in the air. If it is just her and her shop, I really think I\'d walk away.

Agreeing with much of what was said by others.. I didn\'t feel good about it before you said she had burned you before.

Another question I had is how many LAers are there in your area, how many would have quilts on display at a time, and how long would the quilt be up with your Name and Number in large print notice on the front??

If you have 11 LAers and you all do this, they display one from each all year, great.. one from half for 6 months, not too bad, but One quilt per month NOT good.. Too many loose ends not tucked in for me.

Good luck.. RitaR

[mrsbishwit]

I have quilted up to 4 free quilts per year for my local quilt shop (it was my idea not the owners but she really appreciated it) and it built up my customer base big time because the owner and her employees had some of my work to point out to the customers that were inquireing about needing a long armer. Like someone else said earlier...you will get more customers if they can see your work instead of having just a business card to go from.

I have never regretted doing pro bono work for my LQS and the LQS owner never abused my offer...in fact when she knew I was really busy she wouldn\'t send me a quilt to do.

[gable428]

Absolutely NOT! Like others here, I don\'t like being told what to do and this shop owner sounds like a you-know-what. Sounds like you have a good customer base already and are quite busy so you don\'t need to do this, especially if there is no guarantee that you will get additional business.

[pigletaz]

I went to several LQS\'s in my area and volunteered to do a shop sample for free. I also brought in a sample of my work. They all liked my work and said they would call me when my "turn " came up. It has been 3 months and no calls. They told me that several LAers do their shop samples and they don\'t need anymore help right now. I would love to have just one quilt hanging in a shop, but so far no takers. One shop even wanted me to do a block, turn it in to the owner, then maybe quilt something, then it was we\'ll see. I understand that I am new and have to get in line behind other more experienced LAers, so it sounds like I will be building my customer base from other methods. However, I would not like having to do X number of tops, etc. as dictated by the LQS. Just my feelings on this matter.

[chickenscratch]

If my name and contact information was going to be on the quilt, so people would know I did it, then yes, I would do it. It would be advertising for me, and new customers to that shop would instantly be familiar with my work.

[Stagecl]

Thanks for all the input. I emailed some questions to the shop owner after her initial email to the LA\'ers. She replied even if you don\'t quilt a shop sample you do get to pick up and drop off, your name goes on the quilt (she is good at doing that) and you still will be able to leave fliers, cards and book. The only place your name won\'t go is on a list that she hands out to the potential customer and won\'t be on her website. The size of the quilt would be lap size and a pantograph.

I still don\'t like the idea of quilting for free. She feels that the shop employees still send far more time answering questions about what the LA\'er needs to quilt a quilt.

Whether I do it or not...I haven\'t decided because I am considering reducing the number of shops I pick up and deliver quilts at and hers would be one of the shops. All I do is quilt. I want more time for me and my projects.

Cheryl