What should I charge?

Posted by Sandy Bell on July 4, 2009, 9:36 pm

I have been asked by a friend to finish a piece of counted cross
stitch her mother started but can't finish because of her eyes. It is
Teresa Wentzler's Peacock Tapestry done on linen. I only have to
finish the border and was willing to do it for nothing (the work that
has been done already is just stunning - the peacock have blending
filiment in it and makes it stand out) but my friend insists on paying
me something. So what should I charge? How do you charge, by the
hour or by the inch?
Sandy :)

Posted by Gillian Murray on July 4, 2009, 9:50 pm

Sandy Bell wrote:
show/hide quoted text

I have heard all sorts of prices, going from "x" cent per stitch up.

If you really want to do it s a labor of love, suggest to your friend
that she makes a donation of whatever she thinks is right to a charity,
maybe one that her mother is involved with. The amount never need to be
known, and you would both feel happy.

Just my 2 cents

Gillian

Posted by Susan Hartman on July 4, 2009, 9:57 pm

Sandy Bell wrote:
show/hide quoted text

If you were willing to do it for free and she's a friend, why not use it
as a barter rather than flat-out payment? She can take you to dinner or
cook dinner for your family one night or provide some service for you.

(We've ofen talked about being paid, and it's so difficult to find a
price to have it valued appropriately.)

sue

--
Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen
The Magazine of Folk and World Music
www.dirtylinen.com

Posted by F.James Cripwell on July 5, 2009, 10:46 am

Sandy Bell (friedgreen67@hotmail.com) writes:
show/hide quoted text

I am doing just this at the moment. Do the work, and when it is finished,
let your friend pay you whatever she thinks is the right amount. Jim.

Posted by MargW on July 13, 2009, 3:59 pm

Sandy Bell wrote:
show/hide quoted text

Tell her to buy you something nice. There is no way she can pay you
what it will be worth. She probably has no idea of just how long it
will take you.

I've stitched things for friends as gifts, or in exchange for something
they have made such as weaving or quilting. The couple of things that
I've made and been paid for worked out at less than $1 hr. I've also
stitched models for shop credit, but even that worked out at about
$1/hr. I'm stitching a model right now that has at least 200 hours in
it and will probably take another 100 hours. I get credit on patterns.

MargW