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How to make a quilted postcard

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There are lots of pictures of quilted postcards on the internet, just search for quilted postcards.

This blog is showing you I made a couple of quilted postcards, the second was much better than the first one!

These are to go with my new Quilted Postcards template and the new 3″ Kiwi template which is the ideal size for postcards..

The key is to find something to give a bit of strength to the postcard, I chose some Trophee Board 210 gm thickness.  I had some of this already.

First make your quilt sandwich.

I use pieces of leftover batting, I don’t even join them together, just lay them flat.

I also make these 3 pieces just a little bit larger than the 4″ * 6″, I roughly cut the pieces out.

And I just use a piece of calico as the backing.

 

 

 

 

 

Next I quilt them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I roughly cut out a bit of board and the printed Post Card label. Using glue stick I glue the board to the paper and the board to the back of the quilted sandwich.

It is also advisable to write on the Postcard before you start putting it all together, in case you make a mistake, but don’t put the stamp on until the Postcard is all completed.
I then layer them together as shown and using the 4″ by 6″ postcard template, cut them all together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stitch around the edge, twice around.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then created a much better second postcard, as I was having so much fun!

Then I sent both of them through the mail, where they got franked and arrived okay.  On reflection I would do an extra layer of stitching around the edges.

A nifty tool to save ironing when piercing

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This is a little tool I made which saves you getting up all the time to iron pierced blocks together.  Which means that you can pierce blocks together more quickly.

I know that some quilters have an iron right next to their sewing machine but my ironing board is on the other side of my sewing room, which means that I would pierce several pieces, then get up and iron them, them pierce some more etc.  With this little tool I remove that extra step which makes building quilting blocks a whole lot quicker.  Might not make me as fit perhaps, but that’s another story.

In the video I mention that I use doweling which you can buy from a hardware store, the minimum length of doweling that you can buy will make several of these tools, so you can make some for your quilting friends as well.  The circumference of the doweling doesn’t matter, that’s a personal choice.  You might find that you have some spare pieces floating around, I use doweling to hang quilts and I always seem to have a piece left over.

Free Batik Quilt Pattern – Easy Squares

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My Free Batik Quilt Pattern is another simple pattern with colourful batiks and easy squares.  Though this quilt top is done in batiks, it is easily created with scraps for with a defined pattern.  The finished top size with the black border is 41 1/2″ by 49″ or 106cm by 125 cm.

Free Batik Quilt Pattern Example with multiple colours 6 by 5 blocks

Materials

It has 30 squares, cut to 8″ before stitching. It is easy expanded by adding more squares.
I worked with approx 12 different colour batiks. All the pieces were chosen at random from my stash.
Each block is 8″ square before stitching together.
The centre of each block is 4 * 2 1/2″ squares. The outer square is 2 * (2 1/2″ * 4 1/2″) and 2 * (2 1/2″ * 8 1/4″).  It is easier to cut the outer pieces in 2 strips, 2 1/2″ * 13″ then cut to 2 * 4 1/2″ and 2 * 8 1/4″.

Cutting:

I started by cutting 2 1/2″ strips of all colours and any scraps I found I also cut into 2 1/2″ squares.
As you can see by the picture, how easy it is to measure and cut 2 1/2″ strips into the correct lengths with my 2 1/2 * 12 1/2″ ruler.

Putting the Quilt Together

As I was cutting out the centre squares and strips, I laid them out in my tray as shown by my picture.  At this stage I was only making 20 blocks. Later on I found I had some pieces left over and I extended the size of the quilt.  (And I was having fun and didn’t want to stop!)
I then sat at my table and mixed and matched each centre square into 20 nicely mixed centre blocks.  I stitched up those blocks and pressed them.
Then I mixed and matched the 20 centre squares with precut outer strips.  I always tried to ensure that a colour from the centre block was not in the outer square.

Finishing

Once I had the finished blocks, I re-cut them down to 8″ square.  I used my 9 1/2″ square ruler and aligned the centre 4 blocks up on the ruler. This gave me a good base for ensuring that each block was cut correctly.
I laid out all the blocks, played around trying to ensure that the colours were evenly spread. I use my Colour Value Test tool for this. It makes it simple to move the colours around so the brights are evenly across the quilt.

Then stitched all together, and added a 2 1/2″ border.

How to quickly and easily make scrappy quilts

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Do you have lots of fat quarters that you just don’t know what to do with?
Do you have fabric which you wondered why you bought it?
And have you got boxes of scraps?
And does all of the above stop you buying more delicious fabric and make you feel just a bit guilty?

This is why I invented my scrappy quilts set of templates. 

{Scroll down for videos showing you how use them}

I spent a lot of time figuring out which sizes gave me the most pattern choices, and this is how I came up with the scrappy quilt set. The complete 4 1/2″ set is here or add to cart below

Later on I created the same concept, but with larger sizes based on a 6 1/2″ square. The complete 6 1/2″ set is here or add to cart below.

I also sell each template separately, just in case you already have one of the sizes in your toolset, this way you can only buy the piece you need, or the whole set.
This is money well spent, especially when you look at the price of fabric today, and these quilts are fun to make!
I have been running classes on this over the past 3 years, but now I just don’t have time, so I made a couple of videos so all of you can “get liberated”!  (This is the most common response to my classes)

The first video shows you how to take a bag of scraps and easily and quickly cut them up.

This was actually fun to make, getting all my props in place and trying to remember my lines.  I am definitely not looking as glamourous as I would like to be, but I believe it tells the story which is the most important thing.

The second video is a show and tell, where I show you some of many quilts I have made using these scraps.  They are great for community or quilts to give away.

How to put your quilt top together – the quick and easy way

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You have finished your quilt blocks,  have them all spread out either on the floor or on your design wall, and now you have to figure out how to put your quilt top together.

I always like to do things as quickly and as simply as possible, so here is my latest tip.

I use green 3M masking tape for labeling each quilt block.  I have tried 3Ms other colors and other manufacturers, but this brand and color works best.  I use the same labeling system as used in Excel for numbering cells, as in A1, A2, A3, C1 etc.  If I just have to label the column its just 1,2 etc but if I want to label each block I use the Excel option.

I write on the masking tape the relevant number, tear it off and place it on the top left hand corner of the block.  Always use the same placement on the block so if it is important that the block is in the exact place, this tells you.  Place the label about an inch out from the sides so you don’t accidentally sew it in the seam.  (yes I have done that as well).

I then pin the columns together, with just one pin initially, then I remove them from the floor or wall and can start sewing the columns together.  The tape wont pull off, unless you want it to.

But, don’t iron on the tape, this just makes it more difficult to remove it.  I usually remove the labels when I have finished putting the top together.

I have been known to leave the tape on for up to 3 years, that says a bit about how long my UFOs can sit there :-).

This will make the whole process of putting your quilt top together a lot quicker and easier.  And a lot less times you will need to crawl around the floor on your knees.

Some free Half Hexagon Quilt Patterns

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I have been playing with my half hexagon set over the holidays, and, as usual, using up my scraps.  (When will my pile of scraps ever reduce in size?)

The first of the free half hexagon quilt patterns is just totally scraps.

Hexagon half set sample made with scraps with copyright

 

The key to this pattern is to use plain or homespun as the triangle pieces, and put the black end piece on first when you start sewing the pieces together.  This means that you always know the beginning of a row.

Start one row with a light half hexagon piece and the next row with a dark half hexagon piece.  This means that your rows will end up having a nice light and dark pattern throughout.  When you have finished a row, press the seams towards the half hexagon piece.  Don’t try to get the triangle colours exactly spread out, as you can see, sometimes I had the same colours matching, and it doesn’t matter.

Everytime I look at this top I see so many different patterns which could come out of this if you really wanted to play.

The second of the free half hexagon quilt patterns is still using scraps but this time I decided to get away from matching seams, so I added a strip of homespun between the rows.

 

Hexagon half set sample with blue sashing with copyright

And as you can see I actually did some colour matching with this one.  To join the rows accurately cut the middle sashings to all the same size and pin the half hexagon rows to the sashing.  The sashing was cut to 1 1/2″ wide.

This half hexagon pattern is a lot easier, have you noticed?, because you don’t have to match the hexagons!  The sashing is also unpatterned homespun, which worked really well.

Both these patterns were very quick to make, so have some fun with these, and the template set.  Click here to purchase.

 

A Village of Patchwork Houses – Block Three – A large Patchwork House

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This is the third block in the patchwork village: a large patchwork house. Carols Quilts Patchwork Houses and a patchwork village

Refer to the original blog post for guidelines for these blocks and for notes on how to put them together.

Carols Quilts the Patchwork Village Large Two Story patchwork house This is the two storied house.

These are the tools used for the construction of the house, the Squares to triangle strip, the 2 1/2″ by 12 1/2″ ruler and the 7 1/2″ square.  Though any square from 6″ upwards will work.

Carols Quilts tools used to create Patchwork Houses

The house is put together in the following sequence:

The roof is a square of 6″ red fabric and a 6″ square of calico.  Create two triangles using the Squares to Triangle tool.

Then add the body of the house, one piece 8″ by 10 1/2″.  Cut the block to 12 1/2″ in height.

The front door is 2″ by 3 1/2″, the 5 windows are 1 3/4″ square, and there is a triangle under the roof.  Stitch the doors and windows over the body fabric.

Add two pieces of calico 2″ by 12 1/2″ to the side of the house.

Add the door knob and the chimney by using a small piece of fusible web.  (I always keep small left over pieces just for this)

A Village of Patchwork Houses – Block Two – Patchwork house with garage

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This patchwork house with garage in the second block in the series of the Patchwork Village.  Please refer to the first blog for more background guidelines before starting.

Carols Quilts Patchwork Houses and a patchwork village

This block uses the following tools:

Carols Quilts tools used to create Patchwork Houses

Although any square can be used from 6″ upwards.

Make the block in the following sequence.

Carols Quilts the Patchwork Village Long House The roofs are made up as follows:

Of the red fabric, cut one 4″ square and one piece 3 1/2″ by 5 1/2″. Cut one piece of calico 4″ square. For the garage roof, use  3 1/2″ squares.

Using the squares to triangle strip, create 2 triangle blocks of the 4″ squares and the same for 3 1/2″ squares.

Join all pieces together as shown for both roofs.

Create the chimney strip, the brown is 1 1/2″ by 2″ and 2 pieces of calico, 5″ by 2″.  Join to the top of the house roof.  Add one more strip of calico 3 1/2″ by 11 1/2″.

For the garage roof, add a piece of calico 6″ by 5″.

For the house body: one piece of fabric 5 1/2″ by 11 1/2″.  The door is 2″ by 3″, and the windows are 2″ square.  Stitch the doors and windows on top of the house fabric.

For the garage body: 6″ wide by 4 1/2″ high.  The roller door is 4 1/2″ by 3 1/2″, note the stripes!

Add a strip to the left of the garage 2″ wide, approx 11″ high.

Add the green striped fabric 7″ by 2 1/2″ to the bottom of the garage.

Join the garage to the house.

Add the door knob and garage opener by using a small piece of fusible web.

Re-cut the block to 12 1/2″ in height.  Straighten side seams.

A Village of Patchwork Houses – First block – Patchwork Trees

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This is our first block for the Patchwork Village.  I started with trees because I use this technique in the houses which follow.  And it is has the most pieces.

Please read the instructions right through first before starting as the pictures will show you how the block is built up.  You can also refer to my video of how to use the Squares to Triangle set if you haven’t used them before.

The trees use my Squares to triangle Set and please refer back to my first blog of the Patchwork village where I give the overall guidelines and concepts for the village.

Carols Quilts Patchwork Trees We are going to create these 2 different sizes of patchwork tree blocks as shown in the picture.  Each block finished cut is 12 1/2″ in height.

First, for the smaller tree blocks.  Cut the following squares from calico and your green fabric.

2″, 2 1/2″, 3″,  and 3 1/2″.

Cut  the following pieces in calico: for the top small block, one piece 2 1/2″ by 5 1/2″, then 2 (4 1/2″ by 7″).  Then for the other three triangle blocks, 2 (2″ by 4″), 2 (3″ by 2 1/2″), 2 (3″ by 3 1/2″).  These pieces will be stitched to each side of the finished triangle blocks.  These pieces will be too wide and too long in most cases, but it is easier to trim than redo!

Carols Quilts The Patchwork Village Picture one for Trees Add the following pieces to the squares and lay them out as shown.  Note that in the picture I am doing 2 blocks together, a dark green tree and the patterned tree.

Carols Quilts the Patchwork Village Picture Two for Trees You can see that I have used the Square to Triangle tool to draw the lines across ready to create the triangle blocks.

Carols Quilts The Patchwork Village Picture Three for trees Now I have cut the triangle blocks in half, have pressed them, and now just need to snip the ends.

Carols Quilts the Patchwork Village Picture Four for Trees I have joined the triangle blocks and have laid them out next to their side strips.

Join each triangle block together, then join the side pieces.  Creating a row for each triangle.  Trim the row horizontally.  Don’t worry about that each row is a different length.

For the top small triangle, join the triangle, add the 2 1/2″ by 5″ strip to the top (as shown in the bottom of the picture, than join the 4 1/2″ by 7″ pieces to the sides.

The tree trunk is one piece of brown fabric 1 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ and 2 (2 1/2″ by 5″).  Join the calico sides to the brown strip.

Now join each row together, pinning from the centre triangle.  Join the tree trunk to the bottom.

Carols Quilts the Patchwork Village Picture Five for Trees Press the seams as shown, trim the sides so the block is 8″ wide and 12 1/2″ high.

For the larger tree block, start with 3″, 3 1/2″, 4″ and 4 1/2″ squares.

There is no need to add a piece of calico to the top as this block is already 12 1/2″ high.  In fact you will have to trim some off.

The side pieces of calico are as follows: 2 ( 2 1/2″ by 4″), 2 (3″ by 4″), 2 (3 1/2″ by 3″) and (4″ by 2 1/2″)

Now that you have completed a few tree blocks, you can play further, and create your own new tree blocks.

A Village of Patchwork Houses – The beginning

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I have often been asked by customers to do some house templates, which has posed some difficulty because patchwork houses are generally simple shapes, made of squares and triangles.

So this holiday period I started playing with the concept of a patchwork village, consisting of houses and trees, and allowing a lot of freedom for quilters to do their own thing.  And I decided not to create a special template set for this, but to use several of my existing tools, which I am sure many of you have.

Here is what I have come up with so far:

Carols Quilts Patchwork Houses and a patchwork village  I am calling this project the patchwork village.

Already I have created 3 separate blocks; Trees, the Long House and Garage and the Large Two story house.

You can see that I have used my scraps (again), and I have used calico as the background.  I did try other colours at first, but a light colour did work best.

I do intend to add more blocks as I get inspired and to build up the quilt month by month.  So follow my blog and watch this Village grow.

Before we start, here are my guidelines.

Carols Quilts tools used to create Patchwork Houses First here are my tools I used.  The squares to Triangle strips, I used the small size, my 2 1/2″ by 12 1/2″ ruler , and my 7 1/2″ square.  The square could be any size from 6″ to 9 1/2″, but no smaller.

I know that many of you will already have these tools because they are so handy.

I always make my blocks larger at first and then square up and cut to size when finished.

The windows and doors are layered on top of the house and I did some straight stitching around the edges of the doors and windows, just don’t stitch close to the edge as that will fray the edges.  If you wish, you can do a blanket or satin stitch around the edge, I was going for speed.

I used small left over pieces of fusible web for door handles, and the chimney of the large two storied house.

Each block is cut to 12 1/2″ in height when completed.  The quilt top will be made up of rows with some brown sashing between rows when I finally put the quilt top together.

It is easy to put the rows together, I am adding vertical strips between blocks to make each row the required width.

Although I won’t start putting the rows together yet, as I intend to make some more different blocks, building on the concept of the village.

 

Brisbane Quilt and Craft Fair October 2015

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Photo 7-10-15 11 35 29 amI recently attended the October Brisbane Quilt and Craft Fair. (you might notice the new quilt behind me, its the new pattern for the Botanicals and Flower Templates, I have just re-released these as a set.)

I took a small selection of our products and we made heaps of new customers, and met lots of lovely quilters.

We made time to look around the Fair, and the most impressive were the quilts in the exhibition, lots of inspiration.  The most interesting ones were when they were grouped by a theme.  Its always interesting when you give a group a quilters a concept or theme, amazing how everyone can do something quite different.  This is always good to do as a group.

We looked for what’s new, this was my first visit to a show outside New Zealand, I think my first impression was how many quilt shops were represented, from all over Australia.  The other big thing, worldwide it seems, are the adult colouring-in books.  A friend bought me one, with pencils, to do on the plane, I tried it, but decided it’s not for me.  Give me a needle and thread anyday.

There were several merchants who also come over for the New Zealand shows, I thoroughly recommend Dianne at Tinkering Tools.  Her scissors are so useful, and she will be at Festival of Quilts.  I can’t resist her range of tools, they are excellent quality as well.

If you are thinking of going across the Tasman to a show, I would recommend allowing 2 – 3 days to do everything, I wish I had more time to really study the exhibition, and attend some of the classes.

And some tips for attending a large Quilt and Craft Fair:
– Wear good walking shoes and take a small bottle of water with you, plus a muesli bar for sustenance.
– First, walk up and down all the aisles first to check all the merchants out, make notes of the products you are interested in, the name of the merchant and the stall number so you know you can find them again.
– Bring a wheelie bag for your new purchases.  This is heaps easier than carrying a large bag over your shoulder.
– Have lunch early, at 11:30, before everyone else thinks of it!
– And if you just want to look at the exhibition quilts, I have found that Sundays are always the quietest days.
– But if you want to purchase something new, the early days of the shows are the best, as the merchants quite often sell out of their popular products.
– And the quietest times for shopping: while everyone is at lunch, between 12 and 1, and an hour before closing, and of course Sunday.
– Finally, if you are a serious shopper who likes to plan: when you first enter the show, head out to the far corner first then work your way back to the entry.  Because that’s the opposite of what everybody else does!

 

 

More Scrappy Quilts, using orphan blocks and larger squares

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Carols quilts scrappy quilt with orphan block  I recently ran one of my popular “Scraps and Uglies” class.  I was sorting out my scraps getting ready for the class, and then started playing with my larger set of templates.   With the result that I created this very different kind of scrap quilt to show the class.

To start, I found an orphan block floating around my sewing room and I used that in the centre.

I then used my 6 1/2″ squares ($18), 3 1/2″ squares ($10) and 3 1/2″ by 6 1/2″ ($12) rectangle for the blocks.  The scraps were put together very randomly, and the fabrics were also randomly chosen from my scrap basket.

The sashing was 1 1/2″ wide when cut, and the finished size of the quilt top is 38″ square.

I was surprised how quickly this came together, it was all very rewarding.  I just love making scrappy quilts, and the grandchildren love them as well.

Several ladies at my class made similar quilt tops, several using one colour theme with various orphan blocks.

So everyone;  purchase some of my squares, retrieve those orphan blocks which are sitting in the back of your sewing stash, get  your scraps out from their bags, and put a quilt top together in a few hours.

 

How to build a fabric stash for quilting

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How to build a fabric stash for quiltingDoes your fabric stash look like this?  (yes this is mine!)

And do you sometimes wonder why you have a fabric stash at all?

Or do you have fabrics in your stash that you wonder why you purchased them?

Read on and learn how to build a fabric stash for quilting.

Note that in writing this article I gathered ideas from my Tuesday night quilting group, who, as always, are a great help for support and inspiration.

Why do we have a fabric stash?

Because we love fabric and cannot resist buying more!  Lets accept it, we love visiting fabric stores, hunting out bargains and looking for just this one special piece of fabric.

This is the emotional reason, but better reasons could be as follows:

– Inspiration, when you start a new quilt you can play with your fabrics to help build your picture of your new quilt.

– Saving money, buying fabric on special can often give you significant savings.  Plus its fun hunting out bargains.

The mistakes we all made in building up our fabric stashes

– We sometimes wonder why we purchased that fabric, then we have to figure out what to do with it.

– Purchasing picture or novelty fabrics which have a limited use.

– Purchasing too many fat quarters, unfortunately there are limitations with what you can do with this size of fabric. (But they are just so tempting to purchase.)

Our ideas on how to build a fabric stash for quilting?

– When learning to quilt, we recommend having a minimum fabric stash, just purchase the fabric required for your project.  Everyone  has their own quilting style, it takes time to build up what quilts you enjoy making and the colours, textures and patterns which inspire you.

– Purchase tone on tone or textured fabrics, cream, black and lighter colours.  Always look for these on special.

– Purchase these tone on tone fabrics in minimum of half meter lengths.

– Have a system for organising your stash, I use baskets, as shown in the picture.  I try and keep each basket by colour, batiks, spots, stripes, black and white and a different basket for each project. (though you could try and be a lot tidier than mine!)

– A fabric stash can be cost effective way to build up fabrics for a project.  Label a new basket for that project, and slowly add fabric to it as you find the right pieces, hopefully on special.

Thanks for reading, I hope we have given you some new ideas for your quilting journey.  And as always, I am interested in your comments.

How to sell quilts : Your special ones!

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How to sell Quilts – Some ideas and helpful hints.

In this article I talk about how to sell quilts which are special, the quilts you have spent a lot of time over, ones which are a unique design, and most importantly quilts that you don’t want to sell cheaply i.e. you want your work to be recognised.

Setting the price.

There are several ways you can work out the price of your special quilt.

1.  Assuming you have kept a record of your materials and time, you set yourself an hourly rate, add your materials costs, then add it all up and set your selling price from there.

2. Or, review your records for all your quilts, and set a price based on a square foot, or square 30cm.  This way once you have this base set, you will not have to keep records for each quilt.

3. Research the competition.  Etsy does have a lot of US shops though there are very few Quilts for sale made in NZ or Australia.  (Note you can refine your search by selecting Location.)  In New Zealand there is felt, trademe and in Australia, The Hand Crafted Shop and  Gumtree.  Though neither of these are really set up for offering quality handmade quilts.  There are also several smaller online options as well.

Where and How to sell Quilts – The difficult part.

The market for high priced handmade quilts is actually quite small, the buyer must have an appreciation for the design and the beauty of hand made quilts and be prepared to pay accordingly.

1. Via an Art Gallery.  This is often used for Art quilts and Wall hangings.  Typically a gallery will take a 40% commission.

2. Via your local Quilt Show.  This can be a viable option, as those attending these shows already have an appreciation of your work.  There is usually little or no commission, though you probably need to be a member of the group putting on the show.

3. Online via the sites mentioned above.

4.  Online via your own website.  The challenge with this, is how do you get people to find your site.  This works best if you are a well known designer, teacher and have a high profile, so you can drive visitors to your site.

Conclusion.

It is very difficult to sell your quilts as a business, apart from small Cot quilts, and even then you will earn less than the minimum wage.

I personally believe it is best to just enjoy your quilting, accept that this is a fantastic hobby and take pleasure in giving away your quilts. 

How to make money from your quilting hobby – Chapter Three

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How to price your Quilt for Sale in a Craft Market

In this third chapter from our series, we are going to discuss how you set the price on your quilt you are selling.  In this situation we are assuming that you are selling in an environment similar to a craft market or at a sales table at a quilt show.

I started out selling my quilts in a local craft market, every Saturday for about 2 years!  It was an excellent learning experience, in running a small business and I also made some wonderful friends.

I will work this out on a cot quilt as an example.  I found from experience that these quilts were the easiest to sell to the general public.

Note that all these figures are in NZ$  and the NZ minimum wage is $14.75 before tax.

Cost of Materials.

These will include the fabric, batting and an allowance for threads.  Example: 2m of fabric @$27 pm, polyester batting $5, and a thread allowance of $1.  Total approx. costs $60

The best way to do this in practice, is when you buy fabric, pin a note to the piece saying how much you paid for it.  And also run a diary for each quilt you make, so you have a good record.  This is even more useful if a quilt takes a few months.

Cost of Quilting.

If you pay someone to quilt for you, this is an easy figure to find.

If you quilt yourself, keep track of how long it took you to quilt it.  Don’t try and hide the time here (that’s normal!), but you want a realistic figure.  Lets assume 2 hours to do some simple quilting on your domestic machine, at minimum wage: 2 * $14.75 = $29.50.  Remember you should include the pinning time, setting up your sewing machine etc.  Make a note of when you start and finish.

Cost of your time.

Use the diary mentioned above, to keep track of your time.  This time will include the piercing and finishing the quilt.  If you are starting with a panel, then adding a border, this would only take 1 hour to pierce, then another hour to add the binding after quilting, then a couple of hours to hand stitch the binding.  4 * $14.75 = $59.

How realistic is this?

Your cot quilt is going to cost you $60+$29.50+$59 = $148.50 to make in real terms.

But in real life, if you sell in a Craft market situation, you would only be able to see a cot quilt like this for approx. $80!  Remember that your customer is generally comparing your cot quilt to an imported one in a shop for $45 to $60.

So, you still want to continue with this idea?

You need to do several things to get your costs down to a maximum of $40.

The first is to reduce the cost of your materials.  By following the sales, looking for ends of rolls etc, you should be able to reduce your costs to 1/3rd, i.e. down to $20.

The second is to reduce your hourly rate, and accept that you are doing this for fun, NOT to make a living!  And don’t include your time for hand stitching the binding, do this in front of TV.  We are now down to 4 hours @ $5 per hour!

Or you have two other options:

Give your quilts away and do this just for love (which is now where I am at)

Or – make absolutely beautiful, totally unique, quilts and sell them for what they are really worth!  However, that’s in my next blog …….