Congratulations, you finally broke me

[AkaiKitsune]

Don't give up on something you love. I fully understand the struggle as I also am an artist. The amount of times I've had someone who has no idea say it's only worth xxx or expand my vocabulary into a whole new rainbow of words is ridiculous. Or the whole "you enjoy it so surely you can lower your prices" bit is equally annoying.

First of all they would probably end up sewing their fingers together if they even attempted to stitch anything. So unless they're a professional seamstress, quilter, tailor or whatnot they can't comment on what something is worth as they have no idea what goes into making that something so they have no reference to measure anything by.

Second. You get what you pay for. If you are buying quality that lasts a lifetime then you're going to pay more then you would for a walmart quilt that falls apart after a year of washing. That's a given. Don't lower your standards because people are assholes.

Thirdly. After costs of materials and the time invested, not to mention the time required just to master your craft, you're probably paying yourself less then minimum wage to make quilts anyway and not making the profit people think you are. I just spent $100CAN on fabric and that wasn't even including the backing or the thread or the batting or really much other then the pieces used to make the (simple) pattern itself. That wasn't even high quality stuff, just midrange.

Shit like this is exactly why when I go to craft fairs I stop by and say something nice to every vendor because ppl are assholes. If something is out of price range for a buyer a simple remorseful I can't afford this unfortunately is all that's necessary. There's no reason for ppl to be a bitch about it. Don't want to pay the set price, then don't buy. Simple as that. I personally always try to give crafters a bit extra then what they're asking for as I know anyone who lives off what they make have a tough time of it. And I don't mean financially either.

Forth, do you have any quilts you're still looking to sell? I'm still looking for Christmas gifts.

[RealUnimportant]

Forth, do you have any quilts you're still looking to sell? I'm still looking for Christmas gifts.

Check the website, there's some lovely ones on there. If my government hadn't tanked our economy to where trying to ship one would bankrupt me, I'd be very tempted by "A is for Astronaut".

[jedimaster91]

As somebody who once made custom grad and bridal gowns I know all too well where you're coming from. I gave it up after too many clients deciding that they were going to fight me on the cost of my work. Even now I only sew when it's something I want or if I'm making a gift for somebody. I know how much work goes into even a basic quilt and $50 doesn't even come close to covering the cost of fabric, let alone your time!

$50 might cover the cost of the backing if you had a coupon or hit a good sale. Fabric prices are ridiculous just like everything else. Why yes, I did spend $20/yard for fabric for my kid's Halloween costume this year, how did you know?

Geeze. How hard is it to say--preferably to oneself, "That's out of my budget/price range" and just admire and move on?

[Kanalah]

So since March at my in-person events I've brought my 2019 and older quilts and sold them for around or less then the cost of fabric. Most people will say what a great deal it is, and I'm getting rid of older stuff, so it's win-win.

At Really Big Craft Show this year, I had my only negative comment. There's a quilt importer in my building, and they buy 7 booths, so it's an entire aisle of just their booth. They had a big sign that queen size quilts are $40 and king size is $50. No wonder some rednecks were mad at me for selling lap quilts for $50.

Some good news - Mom lost her booth at Really Big Craft Show. I don't know what happened - either her booth fell on one of the neighbors booths, or they got upset that she was subleasing her booth with 3 other people. She actually got co-workers to make quilts and potholders to sell to take business away from me.

[Edwina]

If i could afford the shipping + taxes then you would have a customer on the other side of the pond.
Your target shoudnt be the ones trying to get something at the price of a big box store, your target should be the customer that values your skill, knowledge of materials and sence of design/art.
Stop listening to all the things that represent the stuff your mom and her flying monkeys said to drag you down. You are good at your skill and her actions proves that you are better then you think you are.

[workerbee222]

You should not be renting a table at a "craft" show where people are importing quilts made overseas and selling them for $30.

[Pixelated]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It reminds me of something I saw/heard at a boutique in a small but artsy town on Lake Huron. The owner was telling me a woman had brought in an absolutely gorgeous piece of embroidery and asked if he could sell it. He said he would try but she shouldn't set her heart on a sale. He priced it in such a way that he would make absolutely nothing on the sale (and it was still less than $100). It didn't sell.

People no longer appreciate the time and effort it takes to make something by hand. A former coworker posted a photo some time ago of a full-sized quilt she'd made (double bed or larger, IIRC) with a silver dragon on it. It was beyond stunning. I can't imagine what it would be worth if it were appropriately priced.