Aside from warm, cozy, love, there are a few others, but I don't think I should mention them here.
I am fairly new with quilts and quilting. I made my very first quilt start to finish in May of 2020. Since then, I have made over 50 quilts of various sizes, most falling into the bed size, you know a twin, queen or king. Those king size quilts are HUGE!!!
The quilt I am featuring here is a Lone Star quilt which i modified to make queen - ish size. It's final size, 96'"96".
So, what is really in a quilt? Let me give you a little idea of what it took to make this quilt. Lets start with the materials.... all the fabric...
(listing at suggested retail prices)
1 Jelly Roll (40 2 1/2' strips) - $ 39.00 (approx. 3 yards of fabric)
5 yards Background fabric (Kona Cotton Solid) @ $7.95 per yard = $39.75
1.5 Yards Border fabric @14.95 = $22.42
3 Yards Backing Fabric (108" wide) @ $20.00 per yard = $60.00
1 Yards for Binding @ $14.95 = $14.95
Batting 100% Cotton - King size - $ 60.00
Cost (just the materials )= $236.00
Alright, that is the material cost of this one quilt. What about the time to make it?
I spent about 18 hours cutting, sewing and piecing the star together and another 4 hours cutting and piecing the background and borders. That's 22 hours. So let's just say I would like to make $25/hour (That is not even a living wage around here). That is $550.00...just to piece the top.
Next, I had to draw out the design and that took almost 4 hours = $100.00
Now, let's put it together and quilt it.
It took an hour to layout and piece the back, an hour to load it in the machine, and hour to layout the batting and top to baste. 3 more hours.
My machine keeps track of how many hours it is stitching and on this quilt it was right at 8 hours. But that's just the time to stitch it out, that does not include the time it takes to move it forward or back to select areas to stitch out, to smooth everything out. That was another 5 hours.
That's and additional 16 hours = 400.00
Then I have to take it off the machine, trim it, make the binding and sew the binding on. 5 hours = $125.00
$236.00
$550.00
$100.00
$400.00
$125.00
_______
$1411.00
Here is a question that has been asked. Why is it so much? I can get a "quilt" from Restoration Hardware for $400. Actually, no you can't. You can purchase a quilt like product that has been mass produced in another country for $400. It is not one of a kind. It is not made by one person. It is not made with the care and handling that an individual who loves to create beautiful pieces of bed art from the finest cottons available to them, a one of a kind piece that no one else will ever have. You are not getting that. You are not getting a piece of bed art that is designed to last 100 years plus if cared for. You are not getting that.
Next time you see a quilt, try to find out a little more about the quilt, the person who created that quilt. Save your money and instead of supporting the large chain stores, support a local artisan, a quilter. They are everywhere - seriously everywhere!
Remember, you really do get what you pay for...sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.
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