What is a Quilt Worth?

I have seen a few posts in the last couple of weeks that discuss how much a quilter should charge for  quilts.  Some bloggers are disappointed in quilters who sell their work for just the cost of materials or who only charge a few dollars an hour for their services.  They argue that people who charge very low prices cause buyers to expect low prices for all quilts. These low prices make it very difficult for quilters who want to have a business making quilts to support themselves.  

I  think that it is unrealistic for most people to be able to earn enough to live on by quilting,  just as it is unrealistic for most people to be able to earn  a living wage painting, sculpting or scrap booking.  Art is subjective and time-consuming, not lucrative.

In my opinion, a quilter should be able to charge whatever she chooses for her work, without being judged for it.  While I don't sell my quilts, I think it is perfectly acceptable for any quilter to set her own prices. If I sewed for money,  I might charge a stranger $800 for a quilt I would gladly give to a friend.  A stranger might not be willing to pay $800 for my quilt. Then it would be up to me to decide if I want to sell it for less, and if all I can get is $80, I might decide  to sell it because $80 is better than nothing.  I might then take that $80 and use it to buy fabric to make another quilt.

As a stay-at-home mom, I have more time than money.

 A quilt might have an insurance value of $500, but that doesn't mean someone will pay $500 for it.  I don't have $500 to buy someone else's quilt, but I do have the time and skills to create a similar quilt worth $500.

There are people that I would quilt for for free and not feel like I am being taken advantage of.  There are also people I don't know or like, so the price I would charge them for a quilt would be quite high.  If I were to make a quilt for someone I don't know  well, I think I would have them go to the quilt shop with me to pick out the fabric, thread and other notions for the quilt.  They would pay for the materials up front.  I would charge them to make the top, then I would give them the top to take to the longarmer.  They could pay the longarmer whatever she charges to quilt and bind the quilt. 

To me, that would be a fair way make sure I wasn't being taken advantage of.  And it would also weed out those people who are looking for a special quilt but who want to pay Walmart prices for it.

It would be hard to put a per hour price on something I enjoy doing and would be doing anyway if no one paid me.  I value my quilting, and I know that the people I quilt for value my work too.  I have not fallen into the trap of feeling obligated to make a quilt for every one I know or even every family member.  I expect I will get around to making all my brothers and sisters a quilt, but there are seven of them, and I am not going to rush it.  They all want one of my quilts, but they know that my quilts take  a lot of time and money  to make, and they have to wait.  Each quilt would be less special if I cranked them out like an assembly line.