I tell you how much I sold my quilts for, show 4 new quilts, and talk about upcoming projects. Instagram: / mostlyquiltsbynora E-mail (serious business inquiries only please): noramostlyquilts@gmail.com
People have asked me for years why don't I sell my quilts. Its my hobby and I love to create, and people do notreally want to even pay the amount for the fabric it cost and that would take all the fun out. So I never sell, occasionally I give away to family members on special occasions.
I did a quilt wall hanging for a local politician who was retiring. It was her woman’s group that requested it. The initial advance was $500 which was spent on materials. I spent hours and hours as it was a tribute to their life and career, lots of tiny lettering, photos and embroidery. I billed them $300 ( very low) for my time as it was denied. I was told they only approved the initial amount. I will never do that again. My inexperienced self did not think of doing a formal contract , verbal agreements don’t work. I was hurt and felt used and very undervalued. I only gift or donate today.
I donated a quilt to an church auction for their building fund and it sold for $650. I was shocked but very happy. And the person that bought it was so glad to have won the bid. Made all the hard work worth it.
Making a large quilt is ridiculously expensive. Depending upon fabric quality $12 a yard, on up. I made a specialty quilt for a friend. Turned out to be a queen size. I had it quilted by a service. The quilt probably was a final $300. I was sooo proud of it. She barely thanked me for it, plus a few months later, she sent a picture of her huge dog scrunched up in it. 😳 It was a huge lesson of letting go, and I'll never do that again.
That’s such a discouraging moment for you. Most people have no clue what goes into hand making a gift like that. Time , money, thought, effort. Even a small quilt can take many days of work, queen size is an enormous investment. Sometimes, dog lovers have zero boundaries with their pets! Lol. However, that must have been a very big shock to see.
Quilting is a labor of love. A quilt should be sold for good money or gifted only to people who really appreciate you as a person; only like that they will treasure the quilt. I made quilts for my grandchildren. I let them see how I worked on them, emphasize how time consuming is to make them and how hard is to make them “perfect” in term of following the patern. Seeing with their eyes the creating process, the progress, got them enthusiastic and made them to appreciate my work and be proud of receiving the quilts.
I made several kids quilts for my church’s fall craft event. The quilts were about 3’x4’. A couple were smaller. They priced each one at $25! I was shocked. My husband went there and bought them all so I could sell them for a decent price.
I donated a baby Quilt(40 x 60) minky backing. I understood they were going to auction off, or sell tickets. Well I went by their & they had it mixed up with receiving blankets for $25, I was shocked, & upset, least to say I'll never donate a quilt again to that place!
Many people don't know how long making a quilt takes, nor how much the fabric costs. Please don't get down-hearted. Your quilts are beautiful, stunning! ❤👍from Somerset UK
Wish I could see your placemats. I don’t have Instagram and don’t plan on joining but I am certain I am not the only one who would like to see your placemats. I love your flannel quilts. Live in FL so they would be much to warm for there…but I love the “feel good feeling” that flannel gives. May God bless you, sweet lady.
The last time someone approached me about making a queen size quilt, I added up the cost of the materials, having it quilted by a long arm and minimum wage for my time and estimated I could manage $800. I didn't even consider design time or shopping time, just my time actually sewing. The woman wanted the quilt to be a special gift for her daughter's graduation but when I gave her the price, which I considered to be actually quite reasonable, she said she thought it was going to be much cheaper. I've been making quilts for over 20 years. Even at $800, I'd barely be making minimum wage, let alone what an artisan should be paid.
My son went thru divorce and took nothing from the home, i was able to gift him a quilt and he was thrilled. When i saw video of his place it was nice. To see the quilt on his new bed..
I just came across your channel and subscribed! I am happy to learn from you and your retail experiences! I’ve been quilting for 25 years, for the last two years I’ve been making children’s quilts for the Woman’s and Children’s shelter in my area. It’s been very satisfying! The clients are generally escaping a difficult situation so it’s very heartwarming to sew for them.
Your birds are lovely and I say they are sitting at the birdfeeders!! I 'm glad you kept your beautiful quilt for yourself. I've been quilting about 7 years and finally made one for my bed. It makes me happy every time I curl up under it at night. Thanks for sharing your quilting journey with us. I always enjoy your videos and tutorials!!
I love the quilts you made, my favorite is the one that you now have on your bed. Love the flannel ones too. It sounds like you are going to be busy. Happy quilting……………….
That checkerboard idea is pure genius. I will have to remember that. Beautiful quilts .So far I am making for family & made 8 one year , all twin size to send to a girls rescue home in Thailand. Where they save girls from being sold into sex slavery , @ 2 yrs old & up.
I think that your prices are reasonable. The problem is that MOST people are just out for the day. They are just there for the burnt up popcorn and funnel cakes. They have no concept of the time and effort that is put into that quilt. I had the same problem with my Necktie rugs. I dont know how much time I have in them but I figure that I'm making 1/4 of a penny an hour. I just liked the fact that I was recycling. The other problem that NOBODY wants to talk about is THE ECONOMY. If people are having problems feeding their families then NO, they cant afford a thousand dollar quilt. Im not sure why they are there considering that, but you see where I'm going. One other thing......DON'T EVER SELL YOURSELF SHORT !!!!!! You are a wonderful talented Quilter. Have your Email on your about page and say on your channel that you are thinking about getting rid of this or that one. Love your energy. I have subscribed. ✌🏻♥️
I always say, a hand made quit is made with love. The cost is OMG! However, if you are gifted a quilt jus know that person loved you to spend the money and time.
First of all, lovely video of your journey. It’s very interesting to hear it from someone who’s actually trying to sell quilts of what’s going into it. Secondly, just wanted to mention that I’m using 2 inch gridded fusible interfacing to make a huge quilt of nothing but squares, to look like embroidery. It’s working so well!
Love the fish quilt❣️ So lovely❣️ I went to a Quilt Show mainly to visit the Vendors 😍 One Vendor was selling a few completed quilts as well as patterns…it was the last day of the show and she had marked down one of her quilts to where I could justify buying her work. She wasn’t local and was a long arm quilter and as I was buying it and a lovely panel and the pattern she’d designed for it, there were a few ladies sitting there. I was so excited for my purchase I blurted out “oh my! I can’t get a quilt this size long armed for this price let alone the cost of the fabric and time spent piecing it! It is so beautiful, I love it!” I later ended up contacting this person (who lived in another state) and bought my fabric for the panel and pattern from her. ❤ I like to back my quilts with flannel.🥰
I love all your quilts, your artistic talents are evident and special . I think coasters are kind of from the past when all our furniture was real wood. I enjoy your videos Nora, thank you for sharing. ❤️😁🌹
I decided to hand sew a queen sized memory/photo/story quilt for my granddaughter. I had never sewn anything before. My children’s school uniforms I taped with hospital tape (I am a nurse.) all I had in my house was a $2 scissors. My husband decided I needed good tools. By the time I added the printing machine, all the printable fabric, ink, it was already $750. I put on 50 photos, 2 on a sheet. Then I found that 20 were too big so had to reprint them. As for all the fabric! Frozen, Cinderella, nursery rhymes etc. My tools were easy $300 RU-vid was my teacher and I spent hours on my iPad. I bought every needle and thread recommended because I was so inexperienced. I sewed a fairy village with a river and my husband put her photo in a bathtub on the river. Took me 2 years during the pandemic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had nowhere to go so I sewed and sewed. Finally delivered it to South Africa in 2022. I lost count of the money I spent because I enjoyed it so much. I estimate that I spent about Aus $1300. I am now busy with my second quilt, also hand sewn, using my youngest son’s old gangster hoodies. Fortunately I can use all the tools I have. I am busy 13 months now and I will take it to Europe to deliver it. People don’t know the amount of work that goes into a quilt. I didn’t know either. Several people have asked me to make small hand sewn quilts. I had no problem with saying no. After all, I have two more to make and I have allocated one year for each. I am 67 and I hope my health lasts.
Your prices are so reasonable….I would pay your prices! I would have paid $1000 for the featured quilt. I’m also a quilter …fairly new at it….and that price was still a steal!
I have always been afraid of selling my quilts and crafts at a fair. Thank you for all your insight and advice. Your work is beautiful and only you know how really hard you worked on it. BTW I think Natalie from MSQC is genius as well! Keep up the good work.
I am so glad to see you again. Your work is so great and your spirit is even better! Congrats on everything coming up for you. Looking forward to your next video…
in Canada good quality designer fabrics (not walmart ones) are $20-$25+ CND per meter (0.95yrd) so here quilting can be so expensive. Especially if you don't live in a large city with large fabric stores that offer discounts. Ordering fabric online you pay shipping and depending where you live here, it can cost as much as the total fabric order. I personally would not sell a quilt in throw size for less than $800. I see quilters adding their labour cost to the price at $10/hr! Where on earth do you get minimum wage at that number?! In Canada minimum wage is between $12-$16/hr depending on province, but I would not set my labour at a minimum wage. So as an income source, quilting is not feasible unless you are a very well known designer.
Welcome back Nora! You were missed! It may be that many folks are still in “recovery” mode from all the shenanigans experienced over the past several years and even now🙏🏻 Your quilts are stunning and I’m sure they’re just waiting for their perfect owner to claim them🧡🧵
I love all of your work! For the bird quilt, if you appliquéd a small black half circle on the edge of rectangles facing the bird, could it make it look like the bird is going into a bird box/house?? Just a thought. Glad your posting again! 🪡🧵
Your work is lovely! I love the birds and think you could applique a little circle or oval on the rectangles and then the birds look like they are entering their birdhouse. Thanks for the content today!
Love your quilts and their stories! Your videos are always so artistically inspiring. Especially love the bird quilt and the one you kept for your bed. Very different, but both beautiful. Hope to see more of your videos! Thanks so much.
Your quilts are beautiul! Your first quilt in particulor is my favorite. I haven't made a lot of quilts yet but that one would be my goal to accomplish. I think it's the prettiest and most clever I have even seen. Thanks so much for sharing these with us. First time viewer here.
I’m a quilter too. Had people ask me to make them a blanket. Blankets are sold at Walmart! One layer!! Quilts are 3 layers and dozens of hours to make. Then when you tell them the price they say. “That much??” So I always say “sure, but the price will be 400$. “. They are very quick to say no way. Win win for me!!!!
Really pretty quilts. Love the checks and stripes. The only thing about checks is its hard to get them straight. I did some line quilting years ago. Love that it's back. The bird quilt IS cute like it is and is perfect for a boy. Love the Cherbourg quilt. Keep up the good work.😊
About your bird quilt. I think it looks great. Just a thought, what if you added a rick-rack like it was a piece of wood and some type of 'portal'. Then the dark blue pieces would be bird houses?
I knew I couldn't afford to buy a quilt so I made one learning along the way how 'not' to do it. It's batting is a fluffy bedspread from Walmart and tied the layers with needle point thread. I love it for winter. Since then have made 2 more for my bed, 1 being reversible and all are tied. Have made 6 others that were service quilted that I gave to family. 1 turned out as king sized. Now working on 2 more that will be service quilted as 1 is for me, the other will be for sale if I find a buyer.
I made a quilt years ago and donated to my daughter for her library. They sold tickets and made $1800. Tickets were $5. Each. All funds go to to support library.
I keep my quilts to lap size/throw size, and my quilt prices below $300. Sold out of all my placemats but now I wonder were they too cheap at $40/set of 4? This is how you learn... I like to switch up patterns and make things out of my head. I also like to make smaller "arty" wall hangings. Sometimes the fabric inspires me too. I try to make my coasters high contrast and novelty. I can't imagine paying $450 fee for selling at an "art festival" show - that is just too steep! I am not "making a living", but there is something wonderfully rewarding about being able to sell the product you enjoy making!
Nora, I really enjoy your videos, so inspiring to me. I love the birdie quilt for the baby. If you continue your light color stitching into those dark areas, it will greatly soften the look of the color, I think. You could even quilt a bird motif, would be cute. Keep on inspiring. You are one very talented lady!
Your quilts are gorgeous. The attention to detail and color combinations attract attention. I would love to see the placemats you mention. Do you have videos from when you made them or finished pictures to share? Do they have matching or complementing napkins? They sound lovely. I think your art quilt would win a prize and is a work of art belonging on a wall for all to see and admire.
I know making quilts takes a lot of time and money but even if you have to reduce the price it does get your art out there in the world and hopefully next show you will sell more. The birds quilt is cute and I never really thought they looked like they were flying into a building but you could either do large stitch flowers in colors threads on the buildings/ feeders or perhaps even applique flowers or something to take away that look.
Do you have an idea on when the Triple Play Video from Missouri Star was? I love the fish quilt you made and LOVE the border. :) BEAUTIFUL work on all of your quilts.
I love your quilts! So beautiful! I also make quilts and I usually have to put my quilts on a bed to take pictures. I was wandering where did you get the stand to display your quilts?
I used to sell a lot of bed size quilts in my Etsy shop, but for the last couple of years my sales on Etsy have dropped drastically. This has forced me to switch to quilted table runners and small quilts. I have so many large quilts on Etsy and they are priced lower than they should be and still no one is buying. Very discouraging.
Where i live people's spending habits are changing and the luxury items are not being bought. A clothing store noted that their sales were much lower because people weren't buying that second winter coat. I have been shopping my stash to make my quilts. I was in a fabric shop once last year and my purchase was a new bottle of oil. I saw lovely fabric at $26 a meter, Canadian, sorry out of my price range
UFO’s are unfinished quilts that have actually been started and you hate it and just don’t want to work on it anymore. That’s my understanding on them. I’ve heard the term WIP’s for ones that you intend to work on again but haven’t gotten back to. Your work is always top notch and I love seeing. It’s great that you get excited when someone recognizes you. I despise it when I see RU-vidrs act like jerks when someone recognizes them.
My sisters like the quilts I made them but others I’m not sure. After hearing horror stories about gifted quilts, I have selfishly decided to make myself a few quilts I like then quit quilting. It’s getting too expensive and my free motion quilting can’t compete with the perfection of a long arm so that’s discouraging too.
Consider the other ways to finish a quilt. Use your machine to mimic old-fashioned hand sewn stitches, tie your quilts. Or do quilt as you go, there are many variations of this but never consider what you do to a computer controlled machine to what you do for the love of it..
Don't worry about how many UFOs that you have until the number goes past 25. Because of the pandemic and deaths my UFO numbers are significantly greater than 25
I shudder to think of how many UFOs I have! Since I took up quilting (in addition to knitting and sewing), the number has increased exponentially. BUT last year, I finally finished a color work sweater I had put in time out about 30 years prior! Thankfully it was the 80s, so the sloppy style then fits my larger body now, even though I hate the yarn and the color now. 😂
I have a quilt that my grandmother made me each square is sewed by hand and each square is made of clothes she made for me growing up. It means so much to me, but I'm old and I need the money. How do I go about selling something like this and where do I put it up for sale. LCK
People do not realise or appreciate the work and planning which is often hard work altho' enjoyable for those with the passion for quilting. Many times I have done similar things making something for a friend or family but do not even get a "thank you." People are no longer appreciative of these acts of kindness. So I decided to stop doing most of these kindly acts. It is so disheartening.
Love the fish and the birds quilts. The black and white is very interesting. I think it might sell very well. Thanks again sorry didn’t make a lot of money at the festival❤