Virtual Retreat Aug thru Dec 2015 Info on first post

[loise98]

Lois,
To leave a comment on a blog, you sometimes have to scroll way down and click the tiny word 'comment'. I know it's sometimes hard to see, as I have the same issue on other people's blogs myself. I wish it was more visible For everyone's sake. Oh, maybe I'll figure it out and find out "I" could have fixed it years ago. That would be something to get a laugh from,,, :whistle:
Thanks for dropping by the blog,
Luann

[idaho]

Thanks, Rosemary ! Always a special day !

[idaho]

Luann, lovely work!!

I've just begun calculating what I would need to charge, should people want me to make quilts for them. I've had people ask, and have always answered "ummm, I've never done it, so I've no idea...." I'd like to figure that out (and think I've come up with an answer that works for me, whether I ever get a customer or not....).

I finally took pictures *and* sent them over to my computer, so here's what else I"ve been up to....
My practice pieces from the class I took at Houston...



Mine are the white background (top L is #1, top R is #2, bottom L is #3; the black one bottom R is one of the class demos which the teacher game me )

My Halloween Table Runner (before I put the binding on, but after I quilted it)...



Close-up of the quilting (again, before binding). One side had the straight line quilting done with the walking foot, the other with the free motion foot (the spider webs between the star points were with the walking foot); you can tell if you look closely, but not too bad!



Now I'm working on a very simple quilt (but detailed quilting) for my MIL for Christmas. Pics of that to come later....

[idaho]

Heather - well done! I like the bottom left quilted drawings of the fish and zebra.
Who taught the class?

Kathy

[rehak]

Wonderful, Heather! Your quilting is improving by leaps and bounds!!

[rehak]

Heather, great work!

When it comes to pricing your making a quilt for someone, don't sell yourself low! I was asked recently about making baby quilts for some new grand babies due after the first of the year. It was a general question, but I decided to take the time to set some perameters. I quoted cost of fabric by the yard at 'quilt store' prices. I gave them some ideas of sizes and yardage for everything from a very simple crib size to a twin with 4 inch blocks. No hexies or HSTs, just some disappearing nine patch yardage needs. I also explained that there's a pieced top, a backing of perhaps two pieces, and a batting. Then it needs to be quilted, trimmed and binding added. Now I was only quoting cost of goods, not anything for the actual work. This grandma could well afford it if she chose. At the end of my email I made a simple comment about depending on how involved in fabric choices and purchasing of them she would want to be could have a significant impact on the final cost. I figured that if I had to go shopping with someone, or worse, try to find the fabric they saw ten years ago, I was going to be compensated. And I'm sure you've guessed the results,, no further communication about wanting this done! I think she figured that because I have a stash, a quilting machine, and I love to make things, she was going to get a hand made quilt at a 'bed in a bag' price. If I'm going to do that, I don't want to try to accommodate a nonquilter, as most of them don't have a clue as to the time we put into our work.
So, that's why I'm saying, don't sell yourself short! Your time is very valuable and so is the work you do.

[loise98]

As for what LuAnn said regarding pricing our work, I say, Amen!

When you are itemizing, it wouldn't hurt to also say, I have been sewing for more that 20, 30, or 50+ years. I would not have been capable of the quality of work I do now without those years of experience or the classes I've taken.

[lorra]

Heather, I agree with Luann. For a queen size quilt, just the fabric, batting and backing would be close to $200. That does not include thread and all the work involved. If you are just doing the quilting for someone you have to take into consideration what type of quilting you are doing: machine vs hand, pantograph or custom, etc. and are you doing the binding also; are you supplying the batting, thread, backing? It is all a lot of work and we need to charge accordingly.
Yes, what was the name of your class and the teacher? Your work is great and looks like fun to do!

[lorra]

Kathy & Cathy -- The class was at Houston Quilt Festival, and was called Liberation from the Ditch, taught by Helen Godden.

She is a multiple award winner at Houston, and is the Ambassador from Australie for the sit-down HQ Sweet 16, which is what we used in class. She was hilarious and talented and had us breezing along in no time!

We started with stipples -- draw an S. Repeat. turn it any which way you need to, but it is still basically an S.

Then we did wavy lines she calls zebra flames (they look like zebra stripes), which were by far the easiest for me. Then assorted teardrop shapes, loops, write our name, things like that. She did a fun thing with the zebra stripe pattern, if you space them well, they look like pairs of legs, and if you connect/move from one to the next with a straight line up at the top, you get a row of legs that have arms connected. If you cross back over with a straight line, but with a loop/circle above each pair of legs -- little men! Very cool. I managed to do that a few times, which was fun.

Then she taught varying spirals (regular, flattened, leaves, hearts, etc.), and then some other doodles I can't remember, and then we had a drawing of a zebra to trace onto Golden Threads paper and sew that onto our practice sandwich. So we sewed the outline of the zebra, then removed the paper and then did whatever fill-in we wanted -- so the grass around his feet, the stripes, the little twig in his mouth, and the tree shading him, those are what I did on my own.

Then the fish was the final "challenge" (no winner, no prize, just to practice), and we drew our own, sewed it, filled in. Oh, one of the things was "build a bridge" which was sort of a half circle thing where you go in a curve from point A to point be, then a straight line up, then back down the curve, etc.

We got a multi-page handout with all the things we did, and she of course had DVDs for sale, etc. I bought a just-released coloring/doodle book of hers and then a DVD on 50 quilting ideas (she goes through how to do them).

the demo from class were the things she showed in the last 10 to 15 mins, we were done, it wasn't 5 yet, so anyone who wanted to stay, she let us look at her quilts (she had brought several for show & tell) and ask her to demo whatever we wanted. So she demoed the puzzle pieces, and some daisies, and some other stuff. Gears....a sort of cathedral window thing...stuff like that. Spider webs...

She (and others) were surprised I have done quarter-spider webs and cathedral windows quilting with my walking foot. (on small enough projects). But it was very fun, and truly the highlight of the whole weekend for me. I could ramble a bunch on this (ha! like I haven't already!), as it was just amazing. I have tried FMQing a tiny bit on my own, but having the whole day to just really get the feel of how fast to have the needle, how slow or fast to have my hands moving the quilt, just to get the rhythm sorted out....that was fantastic and just what I needed. It was a class from 9 to 5, with a 2 hr break for lunch. I didn't worry too much about getting it "right", just about getting the feel of the rhythm.

Other than the zebra and the fish outlines, nothing else was marked or traced at all, it was just completely free (she did once or twice have us draw a sort of border to stay within, and keep the design in that space, to practice that aspect). I went all.over. my practice sandwiches, with no regard to going "properly" along, because I just wanted to practice as many things as possible. That's why the first 2 are so full/busy. Then I was running out of space faster than running out of time, so purposely kept the last one orderly to make sure I had enough space left.

[lorra]

re: pricing my work, thank you all! I have had a few people ask, so have sat down and figured out what fabric costs, what my time is worth, etc. I rather doubt anyone, once hearing the price, will actually decide they want me to do this (especially as I have not been quilting even 10 years, not even 5 I don't think...!, yet...) and yet I would want to be realistic and not give away my time, either. Any quilt I do for someone else takes me away from my (very long) list of projects I want to do for me! LOL!

But, for ex, an in-law wants a quilt....my sister in law has asked for me to make her a patchwork (a 4-patch or 9-patch type thing) for her guest bed; queen sized. As we were beginning to discuss it, her husband piped up that it could be her Christmas gift. She said, "Oh! yes, that would be okay, you wouldn't have to get me a present...." I said nothing, but spoke to my husband in private later (it's his sister) and let him know he had to clear this up with her....she would need to buy the fabric, etc, *at a minimum*. We normally swap $30 gift cards with this sister/in law, she is not getting a several-hundred-dollar quilt as a gift! yikes!!

She never brought it up again (even before DH spoke to her, which he never has, he said he would next time she brings it up; she's not mentioned it, so it's fallen through the cracks), but I am quite curious if she'll remember this Christmas and ask again. At which point, I will need to be ready with an answer explaining the fabric costs, thread, batting, etc. (one site I saw even suggested including a small amount for needles, rotary cutting blades, etc), let alone time.

But, any time I post a photo of a quilt on Facebook, one or two people ask me if I sell them, how much, etc. So....now I've figured out a fair hourly rate and can give a reasonable answer (and logging the hours on this one I'm doing, I can have an estimate of how many hours it takes me for a very simple quilt....).

I promise not to under charge, if I ever begin actually doing this.

And THANK YOU!!! all for the kind words My quilting is not at all flawless or perfect, but I enjoy it and have fun, and I am definitely learning a lot and growing/improving, which is fun You all are such fabulous encouragers!

[lorra]

Thanks Heather. I sounds like great fun. I love classes from great teachers.

[lorra]

Wow Heather - "Liberation from the Ditch" sounds like a fabulous class!
Barb

[lorra]

and what I've done since the halloween table runner --- this is Layer Cake Lemonade (a free Fat Quarter Shop pattern), in purple batiks, for my MIL. She asked a while back for a 'couch throw, in purple, if it isn't too much..." (as a gift, not to pay me, which is totally fine, she does so.very.much. for us; I delight in being able to give people quilts...). Since my FMQ class, I decided a simple layout so I can practice FMQing on a quilt for a person who won't notice mistakes or care about them anyway

It's 70" wide by.....not sure how long. Maybe only 60" wide..? I don't remember....anyway, bigger than "throw sized" but smaller than twin sized.

I have so far done letters in those 5 prints that stick out in the rows, to spell her name (but they don't really show up.....), and did one row. I realized after I completed it, maybe starting in a purple row would have been better, but I knew what I wanted to do in the green rows, so started there (and they are more in the middle). Hopefully the very imperfectness of it will just look cute and more natural, ha!

Used one full bobbin, plus a smidge, and took 45 mins......is it normal to use a whole bobbin?? One 70" x 5" row......

The quilt-- (draped over my table)



Close up of the row --



Off to run youngest to class, grocery shop, etc, and let my arms rest!

[rehak]

It looks great, Heather! I'm really glad that you are confident enough to use the contrasting thread. I think it looks great! And I believe that it's easier to quilt in contrasting thread since you can see what you're doing and you also get better quicker with contrasting thread because you can, again, see what you're doing and you can correct yourself as you go along. Your MIL will be thrilled!

The more quilting you do, the more bobbins you go through. And some machines don't fill the bobbins as full. With my older Berninas, I could hold the sensor in place and fill the bobbin fuller than the machine would on its own, but you can also run into more problems if you fill the bobbin too full so you have to be careful with that. I generally use the time between bobbins to clean and oil the machine, so it's good for me to have my bobbins less full.

[rehak]

Heather,
great job