I have a question regarding making quilt samples for a new local fabric shop in my area. Long story short, I got to talking to the store owner of this new store, and she asked me to bring in some samples of my FMQ samples. She loved my work. She was very impressed with my FMQ skills, and further impressed that I had only been doing it for right at a year now. She LOVED my Hearts and Feathers wholecloth that we all did together and said, not everyone can micro-stipple like that.....thanks,
LEAH DAY;) Anyway she wants me to make a couple of small wall hangings. She says she does it a couple of ways. One: I pick the fabric, and design, she gives me the materials, I make it, it gets displayed in the store for a set amount of time, then I get it back. Or 2, She picks out the fabric and design, buys the materials, and keeps the project, and pays me money for it. I picked option 1, because I guess I like to have creative control. In retrospect, I think I should have picked option 2. Once I picked option 1, she said she wanted me to make a whole cloth similar to the Hearts and Feathers quilt and include the micro stippling. (I told her I didn't want to make the exact same design, since it wasn't mine. )She suggested I use a fabric that reads solids and led me to the batiks. She also steered me to the thread she wanted me to use.(I'm scared of the thread, It's not as thin as I'm used to) She wants the thread to really show off the quilting. Ok, now I feel like she is picking out the design as she stated in option 2:/ Creative Control is very important to me. I don't mind a few guidelines
to go by. It can even help with the creative juices to have a starting
point, but ultimately, it won't be fun to me if my creativity is stifled. Option 1 was clear in the beginning. You pick the materials, you pick the design. Once I chose option one, I was led to the materials, and encouraged to do micro-stippling. Hmmmmm, things quickly change. She had said a good size of a wall hanging would be 12x18. It's for a small piece of wall between 2 doorways that measures 12.75 wide. Now that I am home, drawing up quilting designs, the design I keep coming up with needs to be square. I wonder if 12x12 will be ok? Again, I feel the creativity being stifled.
She also loved my Friendship Blog Hop Quilt that I haven't yet revealed on my blog. She wants me to make one of those for my second project. She also mentions coming up with a pattern for that quilt to be sold exclusively in her store. She said I would be published! Now, this all sounds exciting! But I have reservations. What are the ramifications of having a pattern sold exclusively at her shop?What should I ask for up front and what should I expect? Keep in mind, I have no idea how to create a pattern on my own. I would need her help with that.And, I probably would not have otherwise created a pattern for this, but who knows.
I wish I would have stepped back and thought about it more. Now I am committed to at least making the whole cloth since I already took home the materials. It's not a big size she wants. (12x18) so not so bad, but it will slow me down on my UFO's. And since I picked option 1, now I am making a project that I had not even thought about. My thinking is what am I gaining? I get free materials for a project that I didn't need. I mean, I wouldn't have picked that fabric to purchase, since I had no intentions of doing a whole
cloth in the first place. I don't need advertisement for my services, because I do not intend to quilt for money at this point. I like creative control, and I have a 40hr a week job. So my sewing time is for me. For what I like to do. Not to be paid for what someone else wants. My thoughts for quilting for money is " you can't afford me, baby" because people don't want to pay you for ALL of the hours you put in a project. It's a bit like slave labor.
I am gaining SOMETHING out of all of this. VALIDATION. At least now I know that my work is desirable, appreciated. I'm sure all of her intentions are GOOD. I'm just stepping into a world I know nothing about. The business end:/ It's a little exciting and a little scary.I want to make sure it is worth my while. Wow, what a whirlwind of a day full of mixed emotions!
NOW, I'm off to work on my first UFO.....cleaning the sewing room......yah, I haven't done that yet :)
