What's It Worth ?

What's it worth? 

I stumbled upon a blog post by Sam Hunter sometime after her initial posting in 2013. https://huntersdesignstudio.com/whats-it-worth/  According to Sam "  How much do you think your hourly rate should be? $10? $20? $30? You are certainly worth more than minimum wage. You are a skilled craftsperson. In my case, I’ve been quilting for 25 years and sewing for 43. This is not an insignificant statement. If you hire that depth of skill to lay tile in your house or make cabinets for your kitchen, it will cost you more than $20 an hour. My years of skill ensure the quilt is well constructed, made of quality materials (chosen with a discerning eye and years of practice), and executed with knowledge and a passion for the artistry and craft. This is WORTH a lot. So I’m going to go with $20 an hour for my simple quilt (I would go up for something more complex, and add even more if it was a commission for a pain-in-the-patootie client). Thus – $300 for my labor, and I’m rounding up to $100 for my materials (high-quality cotton batting, threads from Aurifil and Isacord, etc). So my lovely little lap quilt is $400".

Now in 2022 low wages are in question and I  know my time is worth more than $20 an hour, I started this sewing adventure 40 years ago, I will stick to$20 since this is a quilt I have already finished.  I am good at what I do so it takes me far less time than someone with less experience. This quilt design rates as a complicated quilt so my fabric is estimated at 12 yards for the front and back. If I replaced it with the same quality fabric I would be paying $15 a yard. $180 for fabric. Then add in the thread, batting, equipment such as rotary cutting blades, rulers, and sewing machine maintenance and add another $25. Then there is how much time to cut up fabric, sew it into the design then quilt it and bind it. For Sam's small quilt she said 15 hours. Mine is bigger and not simple so 20 hours so $400. $605. I will let you know if I get my asking price.