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From: MaryW
Date: 06-07-2004, 07:29 PM (1 of 8)
Please respond here if you can help.  I have been making baby quilts for our local fire department when the fire fighter has a new addition to their family for several years. They enjoy these quilts! Now, several of my friends are telling me to sell these quilts at our local community market that is held every Saturday. I do not know where to begin. How do you charge for something like this? I know you should get what the fabric cost, expenses, etc. but what about my labor? I really enjoy making theses for the firemen but if I sold them, then I could buy more fabric to make other quilts!!! But I just don't know where to begin. Do you have any suggestions? Also, how would you put lettering on a quilt like to words, "Go Bulldogs"? Thank you for your time. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
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From: Linda in Colorado
Date: 06-12-2004, 03:42 PM (2 of 8)
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The "rule of thumb" used to be the amount of your supplies times three or times four. That would result in your asking price. You will have to adjust that for whatever the market will bear in your area. But I think you should sell some at weekend craft shows, etc. If your price is too high, no one will buy. If it is too low, everyone will buy but you will not feel good about it! As for lettering, you could embroider it on, or do it in applique or maybe paint it on with fabric paint. Or even do cross stitch. As you can see, I don't have much experience with lettering on quilts or much of anything else! |
User: Linda in Colorado
Member since: 03-27-2000 Total posts: 102 |
From: paroper
Date: 06-13-2004, 10:34 AM (3 of 8)
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Oklahoma City has a major arts and crafts show each October called "An Affair of the Heart". Many of my friends make up lots of items, quilts, whatever throughout the year and once a year rent a booth at this big affair and make an entire year's profit. This is the only show they ever do. Many of them go home with nothing. If you have any major shows in your area, you might find it worth your while to do the same type of thing even if you have to travel a few hours and rent a hotel room (all deductable) to do that.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: MartySews
Date: 06-14-2004, 05:37 PM (4 of 8)
If you are interested in launching a baby quilt business, check with some of the maternity stores in your area and see if they will let you offer some on consignment. It's one way to determine if there is a market for your product. I would charge a minimum of $20 per hour plus supplies in making a quilt or one could charge by the quilt block and add extra for embellishments. Check out the book Marketing Your Sewing Business or Sew to Success. Both of these have some good tips on those starting a home sewing business or wanting to sell a product. You should be able to find them in your local library. Happy Stitching! Marty
It takes one moment to change a life.
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User: MartySews
Member since: 02-23-2003 Total posts: 504 
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From: weB2cats
Date: 07-03-2004, 11:05 AM (5 of 8)
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Letting done in embroidering would probably last longer and that would be my personal choice. The public markets, like Saturday Market here and those that are in town once a year seem daunting to me. I do not want to be bound to a booth for a day or to worry about theft potential. I like the idea of selling an item through a boutique, if you will be paid fairly. After you sell a few, you will want to consider a raise in prices. These are custom-made, afterall. Get some business cards with your phone number or email address. I'm sure a nursery would need a custom-color quilt. That would be a good selling strategy, too. You may decide to sell your items on eBay. Of course, you will want a "reserve" price (the minimum price acceptable). The limitations for you will be that you are one person doing it all. If you can get help and give up a 5% profit, you may be able to rope the younger kids in the family (or extended family) to help. Simply go to the owners of the shops you're interested in safeguarding your quilts and work out a deal. Don't accept too little, though. You will have a relationship with the store owner and it must be honest. Good luck. Let us know what happens. |
User: weB2cats
Member since: 11-07-2002 Total posts: 232 |
From: paroper
Date: 07-03-2004, 03:47 PM (6 of 8)
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I had items displayed in a crafters; mall for a while. They required that I work X hours a week, depending on how big my space was...I think I had to work 2 hours a week. Actually, that was a good thing, I was able to check out other booths and their pricing and watch to see what was in demand over a period of time. They also let me rent special tags for my items that set off alarms in the store if my merchandise left. I don't recall ever loosing any merchandise while I was there. The security rental was minimal and I only paid for it once for the length of time I item was in the store. I just allocated for the booth price and my security prices in the cost of my overhead. I was also allowed to decorate my booth as I saw fit which made some of the booths quite attractive.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: weB2cats
Date: 07-03-2004, 09:23 PM (7 of 8)
| Your market sounds good. Are you still selling by this method? |
User: weB2cats
Member since: 11-07-2002 Total posts: 232 |
From: paroper
Date: 07-03-2004, 11:08 PM (8 of 8)
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No, when my mother became ill, I stopped sewing for people and the crafts I made were also sewn. There were a lot of different types of crafts there though. One of the crafters specialized in wedding accessories..veils, pillows, etc. Some did different types of quilts, embroidery, sewing projects (like me), paintings, one of my friends had a small space for hair bows and accessories. There were some really good t-shirt booths. I would occasionally add a knitted afghan for winter. Each crafter set their own prices. There were all kinds of crafts in the mall where I was. In our area these usually go into strip malls with a fairly large vacant department store. The owner will divide the store space into square footage, installing dividers one direction across the store and then sub dividing the space with short walls. The space is rented by square footage. The owners operate the store a set number of hours/days a week. They operate the cash register and collect sales taxes, keeping a log of all items sold. Then at the end of the month, they extract the crafter's rent from their proceeds and issue a check along with a detailed accounting of all things sold from the booth space. Any credit card or check processing charges are also deducted from the crafter's bill. When the crafters are work, they wait on customers and help them find merchandise and watch for shop lifters like any sales clerk would do. The crafters do not man the registers.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
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