I've been making a few trips to Hobby Lobby in the last few months to visit the framing department. I've embroidered blocks, had them framed and then given them as gifts. As they're filling out the paperwork, the most awkward question comes up. "What is the price of your work?" They need to fill this out for insurance, just in case. I felt so put on the spot the first time they asked me. I haven't sold anything before, what do I tell them? I was really just using scrap floss that I already had lying around... The block is no longer part of a set... The first time I went Dustin went to and told me to really drive the price up. He's pretty proud of my work. My wedding gift was a quilt I had made and donated to an event for auction. He bought it back.
I'm getting more used to the question and am coming a little more prepared with an answer. I've even thought about making things to sell like on Etsy or as people want things. I've also had a dream since I started quilting at the age of 17 to quilt for people. They would bring me quilt tops they have done themselves or found and I would quilt and bind it. I've had that dream come true this summer when one of my ladies brought me a quilt someone on her husband's side had made, but never finished. I love old hand-stitched scrap quilts. It's where I got my start. This quilt is absolutely stunning and it's still a little weird to put a price on it to charge her for my work. Before I set a price, I researched a little and found that some Amish women charge $1.50 per yard of quilting thread. It's just something nobody really does anymore and I based my price off of this finding.
It's still just weird even thinking about pricing some of my things to sell. Quilts to me are of so much more worth than their monetary value.
One of my most prized possessions is the 9 patch I finished for my Grandpa Goudy. I remember the day he died. All I wanted was to wrap that quilt around me. The only problem was that it was at the Iowa State Fair. And then when I was up there as an usher, I went into the 4-H building practically everyday just to look at it. It has been out on my bed and now our guest bed ever since I brought it home. I had this put together to hang in my sewing room as soon as it's painted. Just a little reminder as to how I got my start as a quilter.
Then I have the jean quilt Grammy made me for a graduation gift. Grandpa joked that it was so heavy I would have to call them from UNI saying I was trapped under it! It kept me warm all those winter nights on the windy campus and kept me warm in my freezing little apartment. I also hauled it to camp and Lu, Alison, and I laid on it many times in the middle of the Lodge lawn spending precious moments reading our Bibles and journaling.
I could keep going telling stories about all the quilts I've made or helped work on, but I'll save that for another blog! :) As long as I keep having friends to give my quilts to, a husband to brag about my work and cats to cuddle on them, I'll keep making quilts as long as the Lord will let me! :)
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