What’s My Quilt Worth?

What is my quilt worth?

Well, there’s a mine field if there ever was one.  If you’re thinking about a quilt you’re making, you’ll come up with one figure.  If you’re thinking about a quilt you inherited, that’s an entirely different amount.  And if you’re talking about a quilt you either have purchased or want to purchase, well…that’s yet another sum of money.  But before we go any further into this topic, I need to tell you two things.  First, I’m not a certified quilt appraiser.  I can tell you the basics (which I will in this blog), I can even perhaps give you a ballpark figure I would be comfortable with if it was my quilt   But to get a certified appraisal for sale or insurance, you need a person who has gone through  certified appraiser classes (either textiles, antiques, or quilts), passed them, and received certification from a nationally recognized organization such as The American Quilters Society or the Professional Association of Appraisers – Quilted Textiles. 

Second – and this may be the most difficult – you must remove the sentimental value from the quilts.  Yes, we can recognize the fact the quilt may mean a great deal to you because your great-grandmother twice removed stitched the quilt by hand while traveling in a covered wagon to California.  We can appreciate it.  However, if the quilt is in poor condition, that will play into the actual dollar value of the quilt.  Likewise, if it’s a quilt we made, we know the time, the concentration, the costs, and the emotions tied up in that quilt (I don’t care what anyone says, I firmly do believe we are emotionally attached to what we make).  However, very few of those facts actually add to the bottom line of quilt’s value. 

At this point, you may be looking at a quilt you made or an antique quilt you own and be wondering if it’s worth all the time and trouble to get it appraised.  If sentimentality  adds nothing to the bottom line, should we even get any of our quilts appraised?  The answer to the question is yes, but probably not all of them.  Let’s talk about antique quilts first.

Antique Quilts

For a quilt to be considered antique, it must be 100 years old or more.  And that’s just a rule of thumb.  As an avid collector of quilts made in the 1930’s, I’ve had a few of those appraised – for both insurance and fair market value.  In the event they got lost in a move, a trip to a guild presentation, or — heaven forbid – a fire, I would need a replacement value.  And in many ways, placing a dollar value on these antique quilts is similar to the way we calculate a replacement figure for a quilt we make.  Below are the general guidelines for valuing an antique quilt (from mariathequilter.com)

• Condition.  This is almost everything.  A “younger” antique quilt in good condition is worth more than an “older” antique quilt in poor condition.
• The rarer the pattern, the higher the dollar value.  For instance, as mentioned, my favorite quilt era are the “Depression” Quilts, which run from 1930 until roughly 1960.  Quilt patterns hit their heyday during this time (especially in the Thirties and Forties).  Grandmother’s Flower Gardens, Sunbonnet Sues, Dresden Plates, Trips Around the World, and Double Wedding Rings were hugely popular patterns in this era.  Hence, while they are adorable and gorgeous quilts, those which have survived to current times aren’t worth a great deal because there are simply so many of them.  But those made of more obscure patterns, such as “Breeches,” “Hummingbird,” or those from Marie Webster patterns or kits are worth more because they are fewer in number. 
• The more intricate the fabric and workmanship, the higher the value.  Quite often it’s the earlier quilts which show a higher quality workmanship.  As patterns are developed, the applique may not be as intricate, or the pattern simplified to accommodate quilters with less experience.  For an antique quilt, the earlier the pattern, the better the workmanship.  Both of these place a higher value on the quilt.
• Signatures or other historical information can add value to a quilt, but not as much as the first three bullet points.   However, I think any type of historical context is important.  Whether you’re purchasing an antique quilt or inheriting one, if the quilt has an accurate, written province, it adds to the quilt’s interest more than its value.  Unfortunately, written provinces can be hard to come by.  If I purchase a quilt from an antique store, I always ask about the quilt’s history, but seldom is any available.  I know the oral history behind my great-grandmother’s quilt, but she would have never thought to write it down.  It’s a utility quilt.  She most likely would be surprised it wasn’t “used up” and thrown away long before now.  It never hurts to ask about wills, household inventories, etc., but don’t be surprised when the quilt holds no written records.

New(er) Quilts

In my mind, three different scenarios may prompt you to get a new quilt appraised – especially if you made it.  And the first reason is the same one given for appraising antique quilts – replacement value.  Maybe it’s just me, but most folks (except quilters) tend to pass off new quilts as items which have lesser value than antique textiles and can be easily replaced.  And I’m speaking from personal experience here.  I was in the middle of making an intricately pieced and appliqued quilt when I discovered I would be a newly minted grandmother.  I decided my grand darling would have this quilt.  I pushed to finish the quilt (At Piece with My Past) before Evan’s birth, taking the time to journal it and retain my working sketches (something I normally do not do).  After it was quilted and bound, I wanted to have it appraised – for two reasons:  Replacement value and a need to see what it was worth, because I really spent a great deal of time on the quilt.  It was hand appliqued and professionally long armed.  Since there are no certified quilt appraisers in Jamestown, that meant a road trip to the nearest one, which happened to be in Asheville, which also happens to be a few hours away. At this point, the hubs was not impressed.  A weekend road trip to get a quilt appraised was not on his agenda.  It was simply a quilt I could make again if needed.  After much hemming and hawing and waiting on the paperwork, the quilt he thought had little actual monetary value was appraised for several thousand dollars.  He was a bit taken aback, to say the least.  What he had always deemed a “nice hobby for my wife” was suddenly transformed into an artform with value. Go me.

Yes, I wanted this appraisal for my own satisfaction, but I also wanted the paperwork for Evan.  With this in hand, she would know how much the quilt was bottom-line-actually worth for her knowledge.  She would know how to insure it or, if hit with financially difficult times, how much to sell it for (I know this is a difficult thought, but when you give a quilt, you release it for the owner to do with what they like). 

Since we are talking about new(er) quilts, we also can flip the script a bit on what it would be worth without an appraisal.  If something happened to a quilt and you wanted a quilter to replace the quilt with an identical one, how much would the replacement quilt be worth?  How much would a quilter know to charge for a replacement quilt?  And if someone asks you to make them a quilt, how much would you know to charge them?

I get asked this quite a bit.  I’ve quilted a long time and I pretty good at what I do.  I recently displayed this quilt at a local fiber arts fair:

I’m not sure if it was because of the bright colors or the subject matter, but I received a lot of compliments.  I also received two offers for the quilt.  The highest offer was $500.00. 

Carefully hiding my epic eyeroll, I murmured the quilt was not for sale, it had been promised to a family member.  Then I was asked what I would charge to remake the quilt.

“My starting price for a custom quilt is $1,000,” was my reply.  After giving me their 1,000-yard stare, the would-be customer ambled off to the next display.  I have a reason for this answer:  I really don’t like quilting for other people for money.  If I like you, I’d much rather just make you a quilt and give it to you.  However, if a would-be customer doesn’t blink at the $1,000 price tag, maybe we can come to some agreement. 

But how do you know if an offer for one of your quilt is a legitimately good one?  Or if you’re interested in selling your quilts, how do you develop a fair price?  If you’re thinking about offering to sell a quilt, the first piece of advice I would offer is to keep notes and receipts. You’ll need both to develop an equitable price.  What I’ve learned through the years is most non-quilters honestly have no idea what a quilt costs to make.  Nearly all of them are used to purchasing bedding in a bag from a big box store for less than a couple hundred dollars.  The notes and receipts go a long way in not only justifying your price but also educating the customer.  With that in mind, here are a few steps to go through before estimating a final price for a quilt.

• Consider the pattern.  How difficult is it?  Does it require a pattern at all?  Do you have to purchase a new pattern, or do you have it in your stash?  Is the pattern consumable (such a paper pieced pattern where the pieces can’t be reused)?  Let’s say we have the pattern in our stash, we’ve made it before, and it’s not too hard — $12.00
• Consider the fabric.  This factor is a bit more complicated.  Cost of fabric depends on what kind you use, where it’s from, and what part of the world you live in.  If you use batiks, the cost is higher than quality quilting cottons.  In North Carolina, the average cost of a yard of batik fabric is $12.50, and the average cost of a yard of quilting cotton fabric is around $11 per yard.  Let’s say the pattern calls for 6 ½-yards of fabric for the top, 4-yards for the backing and binding, and one yard for the border.  That’s a total of 11 ½-yards of fabric. If we use quilting cottons, we multiply 11 ½-yards x $11, and that equals $126.50.  By the way, you can Google the average cost of any fabric in your area to verify your estimates.
• Consider the thread.  This covers piecing thread only.  Specialty thread for such techniques as raw-edge applique, “hand applique” by machine, and quilting should be a separate charge.  For most quilts, a single spool should do fine.  Cost of thread can vary, depending on if it’s long or short staple, cotton, or a cotton/poly mix.  Long staple, cotton quilting thread in my area runs from $7.99 to $12.95, so the average cost is $10.47.  I would have $10.47 listed as a thread charge on the invoice. 
• Consider the batting.  This can also be complicated, because you must think about two things.  First, what type of batting will be used and second, are you quilting the quilt or are you subcontracting this to a long armer?  If you’re subcontracting the quilting out, you’ll need to work with your long armer for her estimate.  The long armer will fill in the blanks for batting/quilting/quilting thread/bobbin costs.  If you’re quilting the quilt, you’ll also have a per yard charge for batting.  Polyester batting is less expensive than cotton and cotton blends.  Silk, wool, and bamboo are the most expensive of all.  Let’s say our customer is happy with 80/20 cotton-poly blend batting and we need three yards.  If this batting is $10 per yard, we would charge $30 for batting. 
• Consider the quilting.  Again, if you’re subcontracting to a long armer, he or she will price this and you’ll just add this cost to your invoice.*  If you’re the one doing the quilting, the charge would depend on the type of design.  An edge-to-edge (all over design) is less expensive than custom work.  Currently, the average price for edge-to-edge quilting in my area is $0.02 per square inch. So, let’s say the quilt we’re working with is 80-inches x 80-inches. We multiply 80 x 80 to get the area of the quilt – 6,400 inches –then multiply the area by $0.02.  The answer is $128.  If the edge-to-edge is complex or custom work is involved, the price goes up.  Custom quilting can roughly cost between $0.25 and $0.38 cents per square inch. 
• Consider your labor.  I’m gonna repeat this one again for emphasis Consider your labor.  Your labor, along with your quilting consumables (thread, needles, etc.,) must figure into the quilting equation.  And for some quilting customers, this line item is hard to stomach.  Many folks think that just because you enjoy sewing and quilting, they shouldn’t have to pay for your labor – after all they’re giving you an excuse to do what you like.

Nope.  A baker may really enjoy baking, but you’re going to pay for their labor and their talent behind designing that oh-so-perfect wedding cake.  Same thing goes for a quilter. 

And don’t sell yourself short.  Don’t charge minimum wage.  If you’re quilting for payment, chances are you’ve spent serious time behind the needle learning your craft.  Minimum wage at this date in North Carolina is $7.75 per hour. I figure my skill is worth $20 per hour.  If I work on a quilt 40 hours, charging $20 per hour, that’s $800.  Most quilts – from the first cut of the fabric to the final stitch in the label – take more than 40 hours.  This is why if someone offers to pay me to make a quilt for them, my starting point is $1,000.00.  That’s just for my labor.  I do make exceptions.  If I’m making a memory quilt for a grieving family, most of the time that quilt leaves my house with no money exchanged.  Somehow I just can’t charge for making a quilt that might ease a huge hole left in their heart.  But on the flip side, if the customer chooses a pattern which is intricate, requires handwork, the redesign of some blocks, etc., I will charge extra.

So let’s make a hypothetical quilt and its hypothetical invoice.

Let’s say we’re making a queen-sized quilt, which is usually 90-inches x 108-inches (this can vary a bit).  This means the area of our quilt is 9,720 square inches (90 x 108 = 9,720).

Now let’s estimate fabric.  We’ll go with 6 total yards for the center, 2 yards for borders and binding, and 4 yards for the backing.  That’s 12 yards total.  Multiply this by the average cost of quilting cottons — $11 – and you get $132.

          The pattern is of average difficulty, so add in $12.

          We’ll probably use one spool of thread in the piecing — $10.47

We will need 4 yards of batting, and the customer is happy with 80/20 batting.  This batting is roughly $10 per yard, so the batting will cost $40.

Now for the quilting.  Our customer wants an edge-to-edge quilting over the top.  We multiply the area of the quilt (9,720) x $0.02 for $194.40

Finally we will tackle labor.  This is a queen-sized quilt.  You’ve cut out the fabric, pieced it, added borders, pieced the back, pressed both the top and the back, cut the batting, quilted the quilt, trimmed it, and sewn on the binding.  This is about three weeks of work.  Assuming you’re working a 40-hour week, that’s 120 hours.  Multiply that by $20 per hour and you have $800.

Totaling all the costs together and your quilt has a price tag of $1,188.87.

Let this amount sink in – for two reasons.  First, if you do decide to quilt for payment, know how to price it so it’s worth your time and materials. Second, if you want to have a quilt insured, you know what its replacement value is, and it prevents any confusion on the part of an insurance company. 

Finally, if a person has been nice enough to make you a quilt, value it.  Yes, that quilt is probably imbued with lots of love and thoughts and prayers…but it’s also a tangible, monetary investment.  Treat the quilt (and the quilter) with love and care.

I hope this blog helps you if you have an antique quilt or a current quilt you want appraised.  If you know a little about how a textile is valued, it helps you make wise decisions about resale or insuring it.  I’ve had to educate a couple of insurance companies about my quilts, and on both occasions what most would consider a “hobby” quickly turned into “art” before the policy ink was dry.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

*If you are subcontracting the long arming, feel free to mark the long armer’s fee up 10% to cover your costs of contacting the long armer, transporting the quilt to and from her studio, etc.