Garden of Quilts

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After yesterday's entry about Lego Art, I received an email from emiko oye! I love the Internet.

Hi Stefani,

Thanks so much for posting my Cartier Blanc lego necklace on your blog! And for putting me on the same page as Nathan Sawaya....Looked at your etsy site and really like your paper pins--you should consider charging more for your work for all the time and energy that goes into them. I still think people would buy them at $10 a pop. if we all raise the bar for each other, we'll all earn a better wage, and the perceived value of our work will be higher. think about it.

best,
emiko oye
www.rewarestyle.com
blog.rewarestyle.com

Here's my response:

Hi Emiko -

It's so nice to hear from you, thanks for taking the time to write! I usually try to email people I feature in my blog but ran out of time yesterday. Your work is outstanding - I'm glad you are happy with my entry.

I appreciate your kind words and especially your suggestions about pricing. I actually feel quite strongly about what you've said, raising the bar and all. When I see "hobbyists" on etsy, I think the same thing, it drags down the value for all of us. I especially hate it when people say outright, "I'm not really in it to make money, I just want to cover my costs."

I have been raising my prices on some of my work over time, trying to figure out what the market will bear. I will definitely give your thoughts strong consideration, I promise. I truly understand and appreciate all you've said.

Have a great day - thanks again!
Stefani

Pricing is something we all struggle with, I know, trying to find the right balance. I use a handy dandy spreadsheet that Steve built for me to figure my costs. It's way more sophisticated than I could have come up with; he is Mr. Spreadsheet. It has a cell where I enter my hourly rate and the quantity, showing how producing in mass quantities, so to speak, lowers the cost per item. (It's weird figuring out how much thread or glue I use per item but I do include every little thing.)

I've never forgotten the words of a woman who owned a business where I was employed years ago, "There's no shame in making a profit."

I'm confident I'm making a profit on my work, but it definitely varies per type of item, depending on what I think the market will bear. I know I have bunches of fellow vendors who read my blog. I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject.

I'm so glad I took today off to finish up stuff for the show. I'm feeling good about things, very much looking forward to it - so I'm off the get busy!

Friday, June 5, 5:00-8:00

Saturday, June 6, 10:00-8:00

Sunday, June 7, 10:00-5:00

Genesee Valley Quilt Club's Garden of Quilts

RIT Gordon Field House

One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603