I enjoy doing custom quilts and am happy to take an order based
on a specific design concept and/or color palette. I do not do
quilting full time (at least not yet) and have between 5 and
15 hours per week of 'spare' time for this, so I am not generally
able to take 'rush' orders. You can place an order for a ready-to
use quilt (Option A below) or an unquilted, pieced top (Option
B).
Price is based on 115% of cost of materials (if I provide them),
verified by photocopy of purchase receipt, plus my time at $10
per hour. Time required to complete an item depends on size and
complexity: I will provide a detailed time estimate that you
approve before I start work - the agreed-upon price is final,
even if it takes me substantially longer to finish than stated
in the estimate.
Option A: Custom quilt, completed
item
Sample costs:
Double bed quilt, simple
piecing, straight line quilting $350
Baby quilt, simple
piecing, some curved quilting $125
Option B: Custom quilt top
Sample Costs:
Double bed quilt top, simple piecing $160
Baby quilt
top, simple piecing $60
Options for finishing your custom
quilt top:
Have your own 'quilting bee' with
family or friends to produce a perfectly serviceable
'tied quilt.' If you can sew on a button, you have the
skills needed. Detailed instructions on how to tie a
quilt are available at no extra charge upon request.
Send the quilt top to a business that specializes
in finishing quilts but not making tops (there are
a variety of both machine and hand quilting sources).
Back the pieced top with fabric and no batting
layer, and use the piece as a designer bed cover rather
than a quilt.
THE TRADE-OFF: If you purchase
only a pieced top and not a completed quilt, I will not
provide a quilter's identification label for the item,
since I only sign my name to completed quilts that are
consistent with my quality standards. This reduces the
quilt's value as a collectors item.
Definition of 'simple' or 'complex',
and time estimates for phases of
quilt-making:
Simple piecing
- straight line sewing, pieces no smaller than
6 inches square on average, single fabric strip border
Moderate
piecing - might include some curved piecing or applique,
smaller pieces, or a pieced quilt border (but not all of the
above)
Complex piecing - very small pieces or pictoral quilt
such as landscape scene, extensive applique, or combination
of techniques noted above.
Total time to complete a ready-to-use quilt can range from
7 hours on the low end (e.g. simple baby quilt) to 120 hours
or more on the high end (complex design, hand work, extensive
quilting). Here is a list of the steps involved and average time
it takes for me to make a quality quilt:
Choose and adapt design,
calculate fabric requirements - 30 min. to 10 hours, depending
on complexity and uniqueness of design;
Select and gather
fabrics - 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on number of fabrics
used in design;
Prepare and cut fabrics - 1 to 7 hours (or
more) depending on number of pieces to be used, marking and
cutting curved shapes, et cetera;
Piece quilt top - 2 to
50 hours depending on size, complexity and whether hand applique
or embroidery is included in design;
Prepare and iron backing,
stretch and baste layers together to prepare for quilting
- 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on quilt size;
Machine quilt
all layers - 2 to 40 hours depending on complexity (NOTE:
I do excellent hand quilting, but you know those nice hand-quilted
full-size beauties? It takes 100 to 500 hours to hand-quilt
a full size spread, depending on how small the stitches are
and detail of the design!);
Prepare and sew matching binding
for the quilt - 1 to 4 hours.
