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Do you do your own quilting? I have always done by hand, and sometimes by machine but thought I would look into having three large tops I have quilted due to the time it takes. . They would cost $200 each. And that is for an edge to edge standard design. I was shocked. I have people in my guild who have stuff quilted all the time.
How do you you deal with finishing projects?
My quilting machine cost over $18,000 (includes a computerized program to run it). Each quilt takes a minimum of 5+ solid hours of work. Do you want batting, thread, patterns, training, anything else included?
I got it last year because I had over 80 large quilts to get done and wanted to also do some for a couple of charities. I cannot do hand sewing due to issues with both thumb joints. Also cannot maneuver the fabric of a quilt under the needle of a small domestic sewing machine. So it is pay someone or get a machine myself. Takes up a huge amount of space and is expensive to repair (I baby it). I don't rent it out as some people do and I do not want to deal with customers. I had the inheritance from my parents to pay for it.
You don’t have to be nasty to me. I was just wondering what people did. No way am I spending $18,000+ on a machine so I need to figure out an alternative. As I age I cannot manipulate the quilt under the machine as well as I used to be able to. Adding $200 to the price of a quilt will make this hobby out of my reach as I am not going to have quilts that with material, quilting will cost $350 plus many hours of my time I guess I’ll make one a year and hand quilt.
I was responding to the "I was shocked" comment. I get it that comment and a lot much nastier from way too many people that expect the quilting (finishing) or even making quilts to cost the same as a Walmart quilt. Doesn't matter if family or friends, so many expect a low price from something that costs a lot.
Maybe you could trade something for the quilting?
There are award winning quilters, like Sue Nickels, who do all their quilting on their regular sewing machines. It take some figuring out how but they have done it. We do have some quilters, of all ages, who only hand piece and hand quilt. It will always be valued for the hand work.
A guild might have a new or newer machine quilter who will do it for 1 cent a square inch or have a lower price to get started in the business.
I was shocked that some of my guild sisters have several quilts per month quilted, and that is way above what I would budget for this hobby.
I really do understand as a lifelong quilter and potter. Last show, I got the blue ribbon in my guild show for a queen sized sampler quilt with over 4,000 pieces. It hung at Daytona AQS show as well. There were many directional and fussy cut fabrics, which takes a very long time. Some of the 6” blocks had over 40pieces plus a complicated setting. I did machine quilt it myself. Several people asked me if I would sell it, but between the many hundreds of hours to piece, and over 100 hours to machine quilt and the price of the fabric I told them that even two thousand dollars would not even give me minimum wage.
I am working on a Dear Jane quilt, which at over 5,000 unique pieces is not a fast project. It is made from Kaffe Fasset fabric which does not have a lot of fussy cutting so actually not quite as bad as my last sampler. I had made a few tops to replace my household everyday quilts and those were what I considered sending out.
it has done me a great great deal of good to discuss this with you because it puts things in perspective. If I went the good longarm Route , besides a massive learning curve I would probably come in over $20,000. Threads, pantograph and all really add up. So it has made me think, what does this hobby mean to me? I think to compete in shows if I want to machine quilt I really have to kick it up a notch. Maybe master ruler quilting, But then that makes very stiff quilts not as good for comfy snuggling.
So I actually have a quilt on the hand quilting frame and I guess my goal will be one nice quilt a year. Like you I do a lot of charity quilts and maybe that devalues public perception of the price of a quilt, as if we can give stuff away, why would we charge a high price for an acquaintance.
anyway, thanks for your input. It is really a good thing to put things in perspective.