You’re probably thinking, “Yep, so do I.” But, believe it or not, what we do isn’t ordinary. It’s a TALENT.

Fifty years ago it was rare to find a woman who didn’t sew, but today, we are less common. One of the things that inhibits our ability to earn our worth is the old fashioned idea that everyone sews, and thus it isn’t special. But it is.

Let me tell you a story:

A couple of weeks ago, I went to camp for a long weekend. Camp like when we were kids. Except when I was a kid in England, so we didn’t do that kind of summer camp. But here I was, 53 year old me, going to camp for the first time! It was up in the Catskills in NY, and it was a delightful gig run by Jonathan and Stephanie Fields of Good Life Project. It was part fun, part entrepreneurial business stuff, and 100% soul, with meaningful twenty-second hugs all day long. In many, many ways, it was a life changing experience.

Coming into this, we were told there would be a Talent Show. My talent is sewing. Really. I sew just about every day, and I’m good at it. But how do you show a talent of sewing in three minutes on stage? Without a machine?

Hold that thought…

About three weeks before camp started, Jonathan sent out a message, challenging the campers to find something to do that would fill three buckets in our lives – ones he proposes are necessary to a Good Life – those of Connection, Vitality, and Contribution.

What brings me Vitality is my art. I need to make art like I need air. And I mostly make art with a sewing machine. So I decided to create a signature quilt for Jonathan and Stephanie. Design was easy… I have a great alphabet at my fingertips! Colors were easy too… Jonathan likes ORANGE (kindred spirit!) and gray was great for the signature area. Jonathan often signs his missives “with gratitude…” so I poached his words for the text. I hustled the quilt together and, in true quilter fashion, squeaked out the binding the night before I departed.

When I arrived at camp, as my friends were discussing their Talent Show plans, I was still thinking “How the heck do I show people my sewing talent?” when the lightbulb went on: give them the quilt at the Talent Show.

So with the help of many campers, we got a lot of signatures done before the show without letting the cat out of the bag (the rest were done at breakfast the next day). I’ve made signature quilts before, but somehow this one was very different. Just about EVERYONE that signed it hugged me and thanked me for making it possible for them to participate in something that expressed our gratitude. The depth of their thanks, and so many powerful hugs, made me weepy to the point of giving up on mascara on the second day.

I just didn’t see that coming… Connection, Vitality, and Contribution – all wrapped up in fabric. Let me tell you… fabric is a magical thing. I thought I was “just” making a quilt. Ha!

And then back to the Talent Show. I sew. It’s my talent. So I showed it:

Sewing IS a special talent. It’s incredibly special to make a beautiful thing, one that creates community, one that begets a couple hundred hugs, one that expresses thanks from so many, one that will last a few years and hug its owners tight with love and gratitude. What ever the reason, and however you do it, you are manifesting your talent.

It’s REALLY important that we are seen using our sewing talents, and it’s really important that we OWN that these talents are, indeed, very special.

So say it with me: “I sew. It’s my talent.”

The post I Sew appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

My preference for binding is to make BIAS binding, no matter if the quilt is straight edged or not. When I first started quilting, my amazing teacher, Marilyn George (Hi Marilyn!) taught me bias from the get-go.

Here are the reasons for bias over straight binding that matter to me:

• It lasts better before it starts splitting with age. This about the fact that there is one thread along the folded edge of straight binding. When that edge wears out, the result us usually a split running the entire length of the binding. With bias, at the fold, the threads are crossing in a pattern of XXXXXX, so if one thread gives out, it usually doesn’t take its neighbors with it!
• It goes onto the quilt with less chance of puckers. The little bit of stretch that happens with the bias just sits right down when you roll over to finish to the back.
• The joining of the two ends is a bit more forgiving. Again, the little bit of stretch makes it possible to not join up perfectly, yet still have it all come together.
• Making bias binding uses barely a couple inches more of fabric than straight strips. And with the way I cut it, there is no waste at the seams.

So how to calculate the amount of fabric you need:

• Measure the Width:  W = __________________
• Measure the Length:  L = __________________
• Add W + W + L + L to find the Perimeter of the quilt: P = ____________________
• Add 20 for fudge factor: P + 20 = PF (P with Fudge!) _________________________
• Multiply PF times the width of binding you want – for most of us, that’s 2 1/2” – to find the Area (yes, this is actually the area of the fabric needed, but no swooning just because you saw an algebra word!) PF x 2.5 = A ________________
• Divide A by W, the Width of the fabric you have… if it’s wider than 40”, just use 40 so that you have a bit more give in your fudge factor. NOTE: if you’re using an oddly sized scrap, just use the width here and it will work: A / W = __________________
• And that’s how much fabric you need! And I always round this up to the nearest inch PLUS ONE (or one inch more if it’s right on the line) again for a bit more give in my fudge factor. I’ll tell you what to do with the leftovers at the end

So if I had a quilt that was 45” x 60”, it would look like this:

• 45 + 45 + 60 + 60 + 20 = PF of 230
• PF 230 x 2.5 = 575
• 575 / Width of fabric of 40 = 14.375 – so I will cut 16” of fabric.

Now to show you how!

First cut that width of fabric, and remove the selvedges:

Lay the fabric in a single layer with the longest edge (the 40” if it’s full width) running horizontally:

Position the 45 degree line of your ruler along the bottom of the fabric (this image is correct for right-handers – reverse it if you’re a leftie)….

… And the top corner at the upper left point. Use two rulers to do this if you have to. My second ruler is a 2 1/2” x 36 1/2” yardstick by Creative Grids, and it’s the perfect ruler for the job, especially if you’re cutting anything wider than about 15” (which you will be if you’re making binding for anything other than a lap quilt).

Make the first cut at 45 degrees into that top left corner:

Then cut the rest of the large piece in 2 1/2” strips (we’ll come back to that corner piece):

Cut until you make a big triangle at the end. You might need to trim the last cut to make it clean:

Cut both the beginning and ending triangles until they are down to around 6” or 8” (that’s why I add the fudge factor):

And add those last triangles to the scrap basket:

To the machine!

Place the strips, right sides together on the diagonal seams and sew. If you’re using solids or a batik, PAY ATTENTION to which is your “right” side! Overlap the strips with a dog-ear hanging out such that the V between them is at 1/4”. You can mark the first few to get the hang of it if you like. Chain piece them together:

Clip the chains apart, and press the seams open:

And press in half, wrong sides together, along the length of the binding:

And DONE!

Once you’ve added the binding to your project, you can keep the leftovers to piece together into fun scrappy bindings. I keep a box of scrap binding just for this:

Dont miss the rest of the gang on the Blog Hop:

• Sept 1: Peta Minerof-Bartos of PetaQuilts – So, Does that Diagonal Method for a Pieced Backing Really Work
• Sept 2: Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com – The Quilter’s Knot
• Sept 3: Teresa Coates of Crinkle Dreams – The Importance of Pressing
• Sept 4: Cath Hall of Wombat Quilts – Color Coding for Paper-piecing
• Sept 5: Sam Hunter of Hunter’s Design Studio – How to Calculate and Cut Bias Binding
• Sept 6: Melanie McNeil of Catbird Quilt Studio – Credit where Credit is Due
• Sept 7: Mandy Leins of Mandalei Quilts – How to Keep a Perfect 1/4” Seam Between Different Machines
• Sept 8: Rose Hughes of Rose Hughes – Fast Pieced Applique
• Sept 9: Megan Dougherty of The Bitchy Stitcher – The Care and Feeding of the Domestic Sewing Machine
• Sept 10: Lynn Krawczyk of Smudged Design Studio – Make a Mobile Art Kit
• Sept 11: Susan Beal of West Coast Crafty – Log Cabin 101
• Sept 12: Sarah Lawson of Sew Sweetness – Zipper Tips
• Sept 13: Jane Victoria of Jolly and Delilah – Matching Seams
• Sept 14: Jemelia Hilfiger of JemJam– Garment Making Tips and Tricks
• Sept 15: Ebony Love of LoveBug Studios – Curved Piecing Without Pins
• Sept 16: Misty Cole of Daily Design Wall – Types of Basting
• Sept 17: Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams – Setting your Seams
• Sept 18: Christina Cameli of A Few Scraps – Joining Quilted Pieces by Machine
• Sept 19: Bill Volckening of WonkyWorld – The Importance of Labels
• Sept 20: Jessica Darling of Jessica Darling – How to Make a Quilt Back
• Sept 21: Debbie Kleve Birkebile of Mountain Trail Quilt Treasures – Perfectly Sized No-Wave Quilt Borders
• Sept 22: Heather Kinion of Heather K is a Quilter – Baby Quilts for Baby Steps
• Sept 23: Michelle Freedman of Design Camp PDX – TNT: Thread, Needle, Tension
• Sept 24: Kathy Mathews of Chicago Now Quilting Sewing Creation – Button Holes
• Sept 25: Jane Shallala Davidson of Quilt Jane – Corner Triangle Methods
• Sept 27: Cristy Fincher of Purple Daisies Quilting – The Power of Glue Basting
• Sept 28: Catherine Redford of Catherine Redford – Change the Needle!
• Sept 29: Amalia Teresa Parra Morusiewicz of Fun From A to Z – French Knots, – ooh la la!
• Sept 30: Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts – How to Align Your Fabrics for Dog Ears
• October 1: Tracy Mooney of 3LittleBrds – Teaching Kiddos to Sew on a Sewing Machine
• October 2: Trish Frankland, guest posting on Persimon Dreams – The Straight Stitch Throat Plate
• October 3: Flaun Cline of I Plead Quilty – Lining Strips Up

The post Back to School Blog Hop – Making Bias Binding! appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

We need each other.

Every person, in every role in the quilting industry, whether it’s on the buying side or the selling side, from the CEO to the fledgling sewist, is necessary.

Absolutely necessary.

Every role is important, and without each of them, we ALL fall down. Consider each of us to be legs of a table.

Take out any one leg, and the table falls over:

• The Designers: without the designers to generate all the wonderful ideas that inspire us, there would be little to sell, or buy. No new patterns, no new books, no new fabric designs.
• The Shop Owners and Sellers: without the sellers, we have no place to buy the products we want. There would be no carefully curated stores and charming onlline shops to inspire the customers. No place to go to get help and a half yard of the perfect fabric.
• The Companies and Distributors: without the companies to manufacture and distribute our products, there would be no products for the shops, and thus none for the customers. We need the manufacturers to make our fabric and develop our notions. We need the book and magazine publishers to distribute our books and ideas.
• Customers: without the customers, none of what we make will find a home, or get turned into something beautiful.

Seldom a week goes by that I don’t hear a story of how poorly we take care of each other, or experience it first hand. So I’d like to ask each and every one of you, of us, to step up your game:

• Designers:
  • Make the best thing you can possibly make.
  • Be original (no more deer heads, ok?)
  • Don’t sign contracts that abuse you as it teaches the people who offer them that we are OK with being abused.
  • Go the extra mile to make sure it’s right, and fix it fast when it isn’t.
  • And get back to the people who write to you.
• Shop Owners and Sellers:
  • If you are not in business to delight your customers, it’s perhaps time to re-think your gig.
  • Treat EVERY person as if they are special, because they are.
  • Be proud that you’re on the front line of promoting the love of sewing.
  • If you run your store like an impenetrable clique of those girls from high school, you will alienate the next generation of sewists – and we will ALL suffer for it.
  • Invest in your staff.
  • Help people, and help them get excited about sewing.
• Companies and Distributors:
  • Figure out how to make what you make in a way that supports your people, the industry, and the planet.
  • Offer contracts that are win-win, in clear language. And then stick to them.
  • And for the love of all that is holy, pay on time. A small business such as mine gets very stressed by your loose interpretation of Net 30 being “we’ll process it the week after it’s due but somehow miss getting it in the mail for another week after that.”
• Customers:
  • Treat your stores and their staff kindly, doubly so if you are asking them to calculate yardage or help you choose fabric.
  • Buy their stuff on non-sale days too.
  • Don’t window shop their products only to buy them on Amazon. If you don’t support them, they won’t be there when you need them.
  • Stop expecting the store to give it to you for free – quilting is a luxury pastime so you should expect to part with money to do it.
  • Don’t copy patterns or books – it’s stealing, and you’re hurting the people that bring you inspiration.

Imagine how great this industry could be if we all stepped up on these points, even just a little. Can you see it in your mind? Good.

Now let’s make it happen.

* Image found here.

The post WASWI – Legs of the same table appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

So I’ve decided to start putting a few of them into fabric, and as I do, I’ll be blogging the pattern notes for them here… consider them free/bonus additions to my book, Quilt Talk®, just for you. Just to be clear, you’ll still need the book to access the letters, but I’ll have done a lot of the setting math for you

I started plotting the letters of this one while I was in the writing phase of the book two years ago (TWO YEARS! ARGH!), but life got busy, and it ended up in the UFO pile. I paper-pieced the letters sometime last year, and again, it stalled. A couple of weekends back, I got real, and got to setting the letters. And from there, the finish was an easy one!

I used the Barcelona line from Brigitte Heitland/Zen Chic – not only is she a talented designer, but she’s a lovely human as well! I used her highly successful Comma line for the Rackafrax quilt in the book.

This finished size for “Do No Harm” is 20” x 40” and this is how to do it:

• The construction is similar to “She Just Ignored People…” in the book (p 101)
• Copy the letters for do no, but, and no at 120% (“o” is 3”)
• Copy the letters for harm, take, and shit at 150% (“a” is 3.75”)
• Just to note, if you’re not keen on having a cuss word on your quilt, you can either play with the spelling by substituting an asterisk or exclamation mark for the “i”, or just change the word to a sentiment that suits you better.
• The K space for the letters is 1/2” finished. The Word space between do and not is 2” finished.
• The A&D strip for the 120% letters is 1.5” finished, and for the 150% letters is 2.375” (2 3/8”) finished
• The Leading is 1.5” finished, except under do not and no, where is is 1” finished.
• The top and bottom are 3” finished.
• The width is 20”. So to calculate the size of the strip on either side of the word, measure the word, subtract 0.5 to get the finished word size, then subtract that from 20, then divide the result in half (one for each side) then add 0.5 to each piece for seam allowance. As an example:
  • 8.5” word
  • minus 0.5 for seam allowance = 8
  • Subtract 8 from 20 = 12
  • Divide 12 in half = 6
  • Add 0.5 to each for seam allowance = 6.5” – so cut 2 pieces 6.5” x height of the word, and sew to either side of the word.

Quilting ideas:

• I find that a simple cross hatch, or straight lines works well with this kind of lettering, preferably done in a thread that doesn’t scream against any one fabric. I used medium gray Aurifil 2605 in this instance, with the cross hatch about 1” apart.
• You could also densely quilt down the background with pattern or stipple to allow the letters to stand up.

I hope you have fun making this one!

The post Quilt Talk® Bonus Pattern – Do No Harm! appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

Tipping. The cash kind, not the cow kind!

How do you feel about it? And should it be part of the quilting economy? I would really welcome your thoughts and discussion in the comments.

I ask YOU this question as I was approached at my local guild’s sew-day by another member, who asked me if I thought we should be tipping our long-arm artists.

I had to pause for a moment… my first reactions was one of slight panic. I hoped I hadn’t committed some dreadful faux-pas by not tipping for my most recent long-arm collaboration. But then I thought about it, and my answer is no, I don’t think tipping should be part of this transaction.

My thoughts on tipping, IN GENERAL, are these:

• I would prefer that businesses price their offerings at the true cost, and that’s the cost I see and pay (I feel the same way about sales tax, too)
• Yes, I do tip servers and bartenders. I do this because it’s the custom in the United States. I would rather go with the European model, which is pay the workers well, charge the actual, sustainable price for the meal, and tip only for exceptional service (with the understanding that the basic quality of the service is not predicated on a tip.) The wages for such service positions are ridiculously low here, because the businesses count on us tipping their workers up to a decent wage. There is inherent abuse embedded in this model, and I don’t like it at all. Read here for some hard data about how tipping negatively affects workers.
• Yes, I tip my hairdresser and my pedicurist. Same issue though – I do it because it’s the custom. I would rather have a set price for these services… if I don’t like what they deliver, I just won’t go back (and let’s face it, it’s sometimes hard to tell if you have a good haircut until you wash and dry it yourself!)
• Yes, I have tipped for all my tattoos. Same issue… it’s the custom. Same issue as above… I would rather pay the actual rate and avoid the tip. Because honestly, once the ink is in your skin, a tip isn’t going to change the quality of the work. And if you don’t like the work, you won’t go back.

And my thoughts on tipping, IN THE QUILTING INDUSTRY, are these:

• On my last long-arm project, I asked for a bid on the work, received a quote, and was invoiced according to the quote. And during the work, there was no discussion of needing to change the number due to unforeseen issues. So I paid the bill as originally estimated. I see it as a business arrangement, not a service arrangement.
• Although I suppose you could argue that it’s a service… but then I suppose I could argue that I deliver a service of some sort also. Delivering good patterns is a service, yes? But then should I get tips from my distributors? Should there be a tipping box on Paypal when you buy one of my patterns? Do you tip the quilt-shop worker for cutting your fabric straight? Or should we all agree that you should get a straight cut from a quilt store as a basic tenet of good business? The semantics of this could be argued heavily.
• We, in this industry, are far more likely to be underpaid than overpaid. Many of us don’t claim our worth, nor bill it. I would hate for this industry to start following food service in a system where the wages are artificially low, and need to be brought up by a tip to be considered decent.
• Here’s that link about the abuses in tipping again, in case you avoided it above (although you might not want to watch the Reservoir dogs clip at work!)
• Again, and again, and again, I advocate for pricing the work at its true cost. This is how we educate people as to the value of what we do. And I advocate showing that full cost on an invoice, even when a discount is given.

So in closing… no. I haven’t tipped my long-arm artist, and I doubt I will. But being as she’s a friend, there’s a good chance I’ll take her some chocolate soon

The post WASWI – Should you tip in the quilting industry? appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

Enjoy!

This tutorial is done with the 6” block.

(And apologies for the state of my hands in the pix… I had an allergic reaction that made my skin peel, and go figure, my hands were taking the brunt of it as I was photographing this!)

Print out the paper pattern(s), and separate the 4 block quadrants, leaving a generous 1/2” of paper all around. Ignore the numbers on the patterns in some of the pix – I was working with an earlier version

Start with piece 1/A. Put a swipe of glue stick in the seam allowance…

… align the fabric and stick it down. I don’t usually use glue, but with small pieces like this it really keeps slippage to a minimum.

Fold the paper and fabric back to make a crease along the outer edge of Triangle 2:

Make the crease sharp enough so you can see it on the fabric side:

Stick a pin up from the paper side to mark the point of the triangle:

Put a swipe of glue stick into the seam allowance:

And place the Prairie Point, aligning it to the pin and crease, with the raw edge parallel to the seam, and stick it to the glue:

Pull out the pin, and place 2/B on top, aligning the edges for the seam:

Pin here if you like. Sew it down, overshooting each line by a 1/4”. I find I get less slippage on all these layers using the walking foot – you’re going over 6 layers of fabric when you get to the triangle:

Fold the paper back…

… and trim the seam allowance to 1/4” – you can do this with any ruler, or the Add-A-Quarter Ruler if you have one:

You’ll trim very little of the prairie point on the 15” and 6” blocks, but trim a decent amount on the 4” blocks. Turn the block over, and press, or finger-press:

Flip the block paper-side up, and using your ruler, fold the paper up at the NEXT seam:

Crease the paper back to expose the edge of piece 2/B:

And using your ruler, trim this with a 1/4” seam allowance. This sets up the next edge perfectly for aligning:

I don’t usually do the above step when I paper-piece, but in this application it makes the rest of the block so much easier to get aligned.

With the paper-side down, fold back the paper and fabric to crease the outer edge of Triangle 4:

And align the second Prairie Point, with the help of a swipe of glue in the seam allowance. I find that I don’t need to use the pin for any of the points after the first as I can see where it should go in relation to the seam before it – which is good, because that whole pin thing is rather awkward!

And keep going until you get to the last piece – don’t forget piece D! But not Prairie Point 13:

Trim the block, adding a 1/4” seam allowance:

And with a swipe of glue stick in the seam allowance, glue the last Prairie Point in place (or sew baste it). It will get sewn in when you put the 4 quadrants together:

Piece the remaining quadrants, and don’t take off the paper yet:

Sew them together in pairs first, pressing away from the point of Prairie Point 13:

Then sew the halves together:

Flip the block over, and unpick the seam allowances in the center of the block – just the allowances, not the seams! Fan them out so they “spin” in the center. This allows you to press all four quadrant seams in the right direction to allow the prairie points to lay flat, while taking bulk out of the center.

Give the block a final press from the front! Peel the paper out, and perhaps press it one more time.

Turn your block into a thing!

The post Tutorial: Turning Points appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

I belong to the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, and we get extra door prize tickets if we have a hand-made name badge. So my friend Monica said she was going to Quilt Talk® hers.

Now I’ve seen some small Quilt Talk® letters (check out Paula Fleischer’s “Crazy” in the gallery section of the book). I’ve MADE small Quilt Talk® letters. I was skeptical about seeing them come out at any size that wouldn’t look a bit like a billboard hanging around someone’s neck. Or worse, a bib!

This was her first snap-shot to me:

And all I can say is WOW. They be tiny, but they be elegant! And legible! And she wasn’t cussing at me when she was done!

And then she surprised me with an offer to make me one! I’m no fool, and immediately proffered fabric – and bound it in Sam I Am fabric when it arrived:

And then she started copying tiny letters and sharing them with our mini-group pals:

I’m utterly tickled by all the tiny wordplay!

So if you want to make one for yourself (or any other tiny worded thing), here’s the recipe, from Monica:

“On a copier, first reduce the letters to 25%, and then reduce that size to 75%.  If you have a shorter name, the first round of shrinking might be plenty.”

And just to give you a sense of scale:

Thank you, Monica!

The post Quilt Talk® Goes Tiny appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

Well, last week, I finally finished the one I had been working on just for me!

I used an embroidery pattern by Shiny Happy World, and made a row of cute robots for each side of the bag:

For those who like to keep score on crazy, this is my 18th one

One thing about making so many of them is that I had time to ponder exactly how I wanted mine to function. So I decided to add a couple of modifications, using some pretty fold-over elastic, like this one from Babyville.

These get sewn in between steps 3 and 4 of the original Sew Together Bag pattern, after you make the markings for step 4, but before you sew those marks. No I’m not sharing the pattern because you should buy your own copy!

On the far outer side of one pocket, I positioned the elastic about a 1/4” up from the markings for step 4, and sewed horizontally down the center line of the fold-over elastic. I then played with some groupings of Clover Wonder Clips to map out where I could sew a few vertical lines for stability. Yes, I have a lot of ORANGE clips because kind friends have traded me for their favorite colors!

On the far opposite side, I ran the elastic along the middle of the pocket horizontally, and sewed it vertically at intervals intended to hold small threads and tubes of Tulip Needles (love these needles!)

Both of these modifications have allowed me to keep more pockets free for other things, and it made the clips easier to grasp, as opposed to digging them out of a pocket.

And a last tip, designed by my friend Monica… always designate one pocket for all the metal items you carry, and color code the zipper to help you remember. In her bags, metal things go in the gray pocket. I have enjoyed making all the zippers different to help with sorting, but gray=metal is genius!

The post Sew Together Bag – Elastic Modifications appeared first on Hunter's Design Studio.

It’s exciting to see the topic of selling handcrafted items for decent money rise up in the consciousness of our industry. I believe that the more we talk about it, the better it will be for all.

I was sent a recent post from Kate Chiconi, from which I pulled this quote (emphasis mine) regarding getting paid well for a quilt:

But I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no point counting the hours I spend in my enjoyment and expecting a return on investment. All that would achieve is a deep sense of despondency at how poorly I’m rewarded, whereas in fact the reward lies in the process and the pleasure my handwork gives, not the monetary reward. Fortunately, I’m not dependent on my sewing to support myself, unlike some of my forebears!

While I’m glad Kate understands the “despondency” of being low-balled for her work, and I’m thrilled she enjoys her process, I think she is missing the fact that her contemporary peers try to make livings with a needle, too.

For many of us, it’s REALLY tough to place a price on what we do. It engages all sorts of discomfort in our esteem, and often leaves us open to criticism and ridicule for daring to challenge the notion that it’s OK for artists to starve. Our love for what we do is called into question when we monetize it. And for we ladies, there’s an added layer of judgment about being uppity and “not nice” when you try to be business-like.

So we don’t do it. We shrink back when asking for a fair price. We do funky math and discount the cost of the materials because we already owned them (unwilling to point out that to replace them will cost good money.) We weakly defend the idea that you can love something AND make money at it (and why the hell is this only a conversation in the arts? I don’t see bankers struggling with this at all.) And the most corrosive lie we can tell is “I don’t need the money.”

It’s a great one to hide behind… not only does it make you sound fortunate, it colors you as generous and altruistic. You’re doing the would-be buyers a favor by leaving some cash in their wallets.

But while it might help you, and maybe get you a modest sale, it actually hurts all your sew-sisters and -brothers. YOU might not need the money, but I certainly do, and I’m not the only one. If you don’t educate buyers as to a fair price, then the knowledge of what that is will not permeate our art-buying culture. And we all suffer for it.

Even if you don’t need the money, PLEASE charge it. Donate the cash to children’s arts programs or your favorite charity if you need to get it out of your account. If you still don’t want to do that, please AT LEAST give the buyers a detailed invoice showing the depth of the discount they receive. Education is the easiest thing we can do to change this.

Kate ends with this:

We create because we can and because we must. Monetary reward is just a very pleasant fringe benefit…

Pleasure in my process is certainly important. But no one quilts for cash without enjoying their process – it’s just too damned hard. However, we can’t pay the rent in satisfaction, nor should we be expected to. Money isn’t a fringe benefit in the arts, it’s what feeds the family. Just like in other careers.

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Like many people, I navigate the transition from December to January by taking stock, and one of the things I take stock of is how much work I do in my studio. Counting quilts isn’t too hard as they’re pretty big, but my post-meno memory still manages to lose track of a few – mostly test versions of a pattern in development, or things done for charity. I finished 28 quilts in 2014 – yes, a good number! And don’t hate me… remember this is my living! But when I look at that divided by 52 weeks, it made me wonder where my time went.

So here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• 28 Quilts finished
• 21 Bee blocks or donation/charity blocks
• 4 Quilt tops
• 17 Quilt Talk buckets
• 11 Chunky Wee Bags
• 27 Miscellaneous containers (small buckets, zip pouches, etc.)
• 2 Cross Stitch pieces
• 10 Other stuff (scarves, pattern tests for other people, sets of napkins for the house, etc.)

A whopping 111 items. Whew. Now *that* number makes me feel like I didn’t spend the entire year fiddling with social media!

So how do I track it? With this worksheet (download it here).

While I point to other more detailed documents for tracking project time and materials, the one I use most is this one, with just enough space for the time used on common steps like piecing or binding. And this easily lets me see where my time went on all the other stuff!

Also – data is power. I can see that I made a lot of bee blocks, and this year I decided not to join in anymore bees or swaps for a bit to reclaim that time for other things I’d rather be doing. I can also track some broad numbers that I can use for more detailed bidding for projects, should the need arise.

I already have a good start for 2015 going (names of projects blurred to avoid spoiling a couple of surprises!):

OK – back to the studio. Time to get something else ON the list!

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