Twinsies

Lately I've had a ton of intrigue on the topic of selling quilts. I've made a massive number of quilts this year and last year and people have been asking why I don't sell them. I never know quite how to answer this question. It is a difficult topic to conceptualize and explain, and I am always worried about offending someone. I have people weekly asking for quilts, for prices, or simply why I hand away all of my work for free. The simple answer is... you couldn't afford me.

 Although I rarely blog about the quilts I make because I simply lack the time between diapers, dinners, naps, nighttime, homework and tantrums, I seem to always be busy also quilting. There are numerous websites devoted to the question of why quilting isn't a lucritive business but first let me do my best to bore your pants off.

It all started 250 years ago during the industrial revolution. Somewhere between 1760 and 1840 the United States began to revolutionize the textile industry with new manufacturing processes. It understood that human power was the most expensive type of power and that in order to save time and money they came up with a "better" more efficient way. Although there still exists people that crave "handcrafted" items, those willing to pay that increasing price gap haven't been able to keep up with the times.

Realistically speaking my most common size quilt is a crib quilt for a child/baby. At around 45inches x 60inches, it is both the smallest and easiest quilt I make.

First you need fabric. I am a reasonable/thrifty person so let's assume for arguments sake I can find you fabric for $7 a yard. I typically spend between $5-$10 per yard.

Front Fabric (4 yards 4*$7=$28)                 $28.00
Back Fabric (2 yards 2*$7=$14)                  $14.00
Binding Fabric (1/2 yard 1/2*$7=$3.50)       $3.50
Batting (2 yards 2*$10-$20)                        $20.00
Thread                                                            $5.00
Total Materials                                             $70.50

I always tell people I spend about 30 hours on a crib quilt, it could be less, it could be more but 30 seems about right when all is said and done. This includes planning, cutting, ironing, sewing, basting, quilting, and binding. Let us assume I make little more than minimum wage at $10/hour. Your quilt now costs roughly $370.50. To top that off, I consider myself a skilled professional and considering the number of quilts I have made, and the wage skilled tradesmen earn (i.e. plumbers, electricians, block layers etc), I am likely worth somewhere more than $20/hour. As a side note, I make more than this at my accounting job. On average, the typical crib quilt won't sell for more than $150-$250, and I'm just not sure that justifies the week I spent making it minus the cost of materials.

In the past, I have offered to make people quilts for the cost of materials plus $100. To date, I have had not one person accept that proposal. I had a friend recently ask me to look over her business proposal for quilting and I had a hard time making the numbers work. In a world where we view Pottery Barn as better than handmade and Walmart can sell my product for a 5th or 10th of my price, I'm just not sure quilting has a place if you can make a living doing almost anything else.

Needless to say, I still make quilts, I still love the look on someone's face when they open my masterpiece and I treasure that every day that person has a little bit of love made from me. I give them away for showers and special occassions but typically only to those who request them.

I recently made a set of twin quilts (pictures are peppered throughout this post) for a cousin whose best friend is having twins. We decided she would pay me for the cost of materials. Since it wasn't directly for her, my time is my gift to her. The quilts turned out beautifully and I hope she and her friend love them as much as I do.

Here are some links I found interesting. I'm not saying making a profit is impossible, I'm just saying you might make MORE money doing LESS.

Links:
Moore Approved
Little Blue Bell
So Sew Easy

How Many Times

I seriously do not know how many times I will take a break from this blog. It seems that every time I commit to working hard and keeping up my posts, life throws me something, I get busy and this gets dropped. So I will NOT commit to continuous posts, but I will commit to try.

 A lack of posts does not equate to a lack of quilting, we have had lots and lots of quilting, crafting, sewing, gardening and life happening.

 It has all been beautiful and fun and so busy!

 I just love making these amazing creations.

 I cannot wait to share the details with everyone!

Over the last few years we have had no shortage of events.

 My son Liam and daughter Madelyn recently welcomed the final addition to our family Landon Jon.

 I swear she was happy about it, you just cannot tell from the picture.

 We had girls days!

 And I had my first go at a garden... it was an absolute success!

I dabbled in pillow making...

 And my precious girl turned ONE!

 Friends and family members got married, had babies and I tried to keep up with everyone.

I transitioned to a stay-at-home-mom role and still dropped into work on occassion to have some adult conversations. It has been fun, exhausting and taught me so much more about the world. Being able to stay at home has encouraged me to be more open and has taught me a profound respect for other parents. Being a Mom is HARD work!

...and I would be wise to remember that!

To Chenille or not to Chenille... that is the Question?

There is no type of quilt I adore more than one made out of flannel for a baby. They are so soft, cuddly, cozy and always the most used. For this quilt I used a chenille technique and was so happy I did because it makes the perfect texture for little ones to play with.

I was actually able to use a completely random placement of the various blocks (a first for me)! This quilt was for the baby's Grandmother to use at her house when the baby came to visit. It's always nice to have things at all of the various places that are familiar to children.

Some of the back fabric says "I love Grandma" HOW ADORABLE!

There are little turtles and hippo's on the other side.

The blocks were 6.5" x 6.5" and consisted of two flannel fabric pieces sandwiched around a piece of 6" x 6" batting. I quilted two lines diagonally across the block then sewed the blocks together with all of the seams on one side of the quilt so the baby had at least one non-chenilled side to lay on.

Once the quilt was assembled I took the next few hours making snips in all of the seams. I sewed a line around the outside of the quilt and chenilled the outside as well. Lastly, I popped it in the washer and dryer gave it a quick cuddle (perhaps Liam loved it a little too) then I presented it to the baby's Grandma with love!

Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts!

"The most important things in life aren't things." -Anthony J. D'Angelo

Last summer, I was asked by a very good friend and co-worker for a quilt request she could barely put into words. I was relatively unfamiliar with the details of her situation but after speaking with her it was a double quilt request I wouldn't think to refuse. 

When my friend was younger, much younger, her boyfriend and her had been involved in a fatal car accident. Her boyfriend did not make it and she was left to carry the emotional scars of that day for the rest of her life. As she picked up the pieces, she saved a few (particularly his clothing) as a final reminder of his life and the relationship that had once been so real and tangible. 

Old clothing holds special value. Clothing has been worn, it holds memories. Clothing has captured smells, it contains reminiscing scents. Clothing has a style, it can tell a story as vague as a stain to the passerby or as deep as a relationship to the well-trained eye.

I always cringe when asked to create quilts from old clothing. As some are aware, clothing stretches and shrinks, warps and moves, it bleeds, puckers and never matches up. It is textured, silky, slippery, holey, stained and used. Old clothing is worn and in being so is the most beautiful, precious and sensitive fabric on the face of this planet and this situation was no different. 

My friend had kept a box of his old clothing tucked away for safe keeping, awaiting a time when opening it would once again flood the mind with memories and flood the senses with a slightly bitter pleasure of past love and loss. 

You see, the man that once wore those clothes had a sister, and she was now pregnant. She was pregnant with not one but two beautiful babies and her baby shower was fast approaching. The task at hand was to create two quilts from his clothing in a months time for the showering of well-wishes on the expectant mother.

Stipulations included:

1. The quilts need to be classy, pretty, baby-like without being overly so.

2. The quilts should match but one was for a boy and the other a girl. This needed to be done without using classic baby fabrics of pink and blue.

3. The quilts should not be glaringly obvious of containing clothing, the use of clothing should be subtle enough to be tasteful but obvious enough to provide meaning. 

As I dug amongst the array of old worn T-shirts, jeans and flannels I was completely overwhelmed. How do you capture all of those feelings in a quilt? How do you pick and choose, which ones should I use? What shirt meant the most or pair of slacks held those sleepless nights. As I started to plan out my design I began to see the symbolism forming throughout the quilt.

I started with the center. I used a well worn and loved navy t-shirt to sew into the center of every block on both quilts reminding them that love will always be there, in the middle of everything, to give you peace.

I wrapped all the center blocks with new fabric, fresh fabric, fabric representing new life, opportunities and birth.

 

Although the pictures make this hard to see, I next used a white t-shirt to attach the blocks to one another. All of the vertical strips on both quilts were made from the same white t-shirt. The vertical strips surround the new fabric linking them to each other and bonding them for life.

 

On the back of both quilts I used strips of his old jeans, laid horizontally to be the foundation for them to grow on, love on, live from. And on the front, in adjacent corners, I put his initials, a tribute from my friend to hers.

These quilts were made with love, tears, patience, determination and in haste but they were made! I love them both and I am so thankful to have been chosen to be a part of such a beautiful gift. 

 

I will leave you with a quote from Pericles...

 

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

 

Be that which leaves you feeling satisfied with the marks you leave on this world and those around you. Spend not one day living in regret, and be constantly thankful for all of life's blessings because they are sometimes so quick to disappear.

 

Check out Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts!

My Baby Boy and his Mommy

Wordless Wednesday!
Photos by Meredith Austin of Elm Circle Photography.

Seriously Kimberly, the holidays are over!

I know, I know, the holidays are over and I need to get back to this blogging business. It is safe to say I took a small quilting / blogging hiatus; and it felt GREAT! I completely overloaded and overwhelmed myself this holiday season! Like usual, my crafting list was far larger than necessary and completely took over every ounce of free time I had. I spent many a night up until 3:00 am just trying to finish one of the many projects occupying my work space. I finished 4 bags (like those shown below), two purses (a lot like this one), a pillow (first talked about here), 10 potholders (with this fabric), and a Puppy (quilt) for Mr. Matthew.

(Liam is getting big! The little man celebrated 6 months on December 22nd!)

I managed to get some sort of photo before everything was shipped off, but it was always rushed and the lighting wasn't the best. I will try and post about each of these projects a little over the next week or two. In addition, this lucky girl won the giveaway on Lauren's blog (mentioned here) and received a new sewing machine from Santa (aka my Dad and Stepmother). I now need to get it out of the box and make sure it actually works and wasn't damaged in shipping. Come on Kimberly, get your butt in gear.

(This is officially Liam's favorite Christmas gift from Santa, a singing rocking horse! Although his Johnny Jump Up comes in a close second!)

Speaking of butts, I'm hoping to be shrinking mine this year! ;) I know, I know, not a weight loss New Year's Resolution... I'm sorry to tell you, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. This year I feel as though I'm not completely setting myself up for failure. My mother and I are tackling it together, we're taking it day by day, and I just posted about it on my blog so there's no turning back now!!! I will keep you updated as the mood strikes.

Now back to quilting!

This first bag is one I made one of my very good friend's daughter, Leah! I made her this quilt for her Mommy's baby shower way back when before she was born and now this little darling has gone and turned ONE on us (December 8th)! I used this tutorial for the bags and it was so simple, I ended up making four of them for the Christmas season.

Here is the little Peanut... she is getting so big!!! I love you Leah!

So as noted, pretty in pink:

Isn't it just adorable? I love this honeycomb pattern!

And this next bag I made for one of my Aunt's Granddaughters for Christmas. There is nothing more fun than pink fabric!

If you're looking for a fun easy pattern that takes just minutes to make, I would highly recommend this one! The pattern is flawless and the finished product, adorable!

Thank you for visiting everyone, I hope your holidays were fabulous and fun too!