# How Much to Charge for Longarm Quilting: Lessons from Linda Thielfoldt

Linda Thielfoldt shares her real-world method for setting longarm quilting prices, handling custom jobs, and building a sustainable business.

Quilting Business Success, Episode 61. Guest: Linda Thielfoldt. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI

## How Much to Charge for Longarm Quilting: Linda’s Straightforward Formula

For quilters wondering how much to charge for longarm quilting, Linda Thielfoldt’s answer is refreshingly clear: know your worth, calculate your costs, and set a non-negotiable hourly rate. "My hourly target right now is $45" she states, emphasizing that she refuses to work for less (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2488s). She’s seen too many quilters underprice their work, spending “30 hours on a custom quilt and charge somebody, you know, $350,” which, as she bluntly puts it, “go work at McDonald's, you'll make more money” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2421s).

Linda urges quilters to treat their business like any other skilled trade: “When you call your plumber... he tells you it's $125 to show up and it's $35 or $55 or whatever the rate is an hour to fix it. They don't feel bad about, you know. It's not your job to make somebody's hobby more affordable. It's your job to make a living or to supplement your income, whatever your financial situation is” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2451s).

## Communicating Pricing: Budget, Use, and Customer Expectations

Linda’s intake process is direct and detailed. She always asks, “What's the limit? I come right out and ask them what's the limit? And if they tell me, well, 150, then we're not talking custom right off the bat, I'm not gonna waste my time” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=398s). She’s never had a customer offended by the budget question—most people have a sense of what they want to spend, and if not, she’ll ask how much they spent on fabric to help them think it through (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=451s).

Equally important is understanding the quilt’s purpose: “What's the use of the quilt? Because if you want to make a really snuggly baby quilt, then that's going to determine what kind of batting I'm going to recommend” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=530s). This approach not only clarifies pricing but also builds trust and ensures the customer gets what they want.

## Custom Versus Edge-to-Edge: Shifting Demand and Workflow

Linda has seen a notable shift in customer demand over the years. Once known for “very intense show quilting,” she now receives more requests for mid-range and edge-to-edge work: “I used to see every quilt from customers, something that was high end custom. And now I'm seeing more mid range and edge to edge, which is kind of good. Because, you know, if you're doing a high end custom, it's in that machine for a long time. And I'm not super fast. You know, I love to mix both hand guided and computer assisted” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=238s).

This shift has been a relief, allowing her to balance her workload and avoid burnout: “I would just pray someone, please bring me an edge to edge” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=283s). For quilters starting out, Linda suggests building a portfolio with a range of samples to help customers visualize their options and understand the value of different quilting styles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=363s).

## Factoring in Costs: The Hidden Expenses of Quilting

Linda is adamant that quilters must account for all business costs—not just materials and thread, but also overhead: “When you think about the cost of the machine, cost of insurance, cost of my website, the cost of my phone, you know, electricity, heat, whatever. When you really do the math and I call those soft costs, a lot of a lot of quilters don't really think about that” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2495s).

She stresses the importance of business insurance: “If you don't have an insurance policy on your business, you are at a huge risk because if your homeowner's insurance company finds out that you're running a business from your home and you don't have a business rider or a separate business policy and someone slips in your driveway... She didn't get sued by the person that fell. She got sued by their insurance company” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2521s).

## Balancing Work, Life, and Fulfillment

After a health scare and years in a high-stress advertising career, Linda chose quilting for its flexibility and fulfillment: “The cool thing about machine quilting as a business is you get to decide. You get to decide how many quilts you want to do in a week. You get to decide if you want to take a week off. You get to decide if you want to quilt till two in the morning” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1172s).

Now, she intentionally works three-quarter time, prioritizing health and personal projects: “I'm taking more time for me. I'm taking more time for my health. I think that's at my age super important. I work out five days a week at a gym” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1792s). She also dedicates significant time to charity quilts, noting, “I've been so incredibly blessed by this quilting industry that I felt it was incumbent upon me to put some of that out there” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1977s).

## Marketing and Finding Customers: Old School and New Tools

Linda’s marketing has evolved from “flyers” and creative tactics like “little bookmarks... in the pages of the quilt books” at the library (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=957s), to a robust email list, social media, and in-person guild presentations: “If I quilt a quilt and I have permission, I never post anything without permission. I will post that as well. I... do a lot of email. I have, you know, a very robust list that spans all those years. And I get a lot of, because I travel and do guild presentations, I do get customers that way too” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=994s).

She encourages new quilters to use show and tell at guilds to build a local reputation: “Show and tell at your local guilds is super important. Because quilters are visual for the most part. And they see something, they go, wow, that's really good. That's what I want in my quilt” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1012s).

## Continuous Learning and Practice: The Key to Skill and Confidence

Linda is a strong advocate for daily practice and ongoing education. She advises, “If you want to learn something new, you need to do it often. You need to do it every day” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=3026s). She recommends using the extra fabric and batting from customer quilts to practice new techniques: “I would take a little strip of batting and a little piece of fabric and pin that onto that overage... and I would practice whatever technique it was, whether I was manipulating a Statler design or I was doing something freehand” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=3040s).

She also values hands-on workshops and tutorials, noting that “there is nothing like hands on... if you're having trouble understanding something and the person's right there showing you and then you do it. That just for a lot of people really click” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=3140s).

## Advice for New Quilting Businesses: Start Small, Schedule Yourself

For those starting a quilting business, Linda’s advice is practical: “You need to make some quilts and you need to, you know, have quilts ready. So when you get your machine, if you're brand new, you have quilts to work on. I don't care if they're charity quilts, I don't care what they are. Get your feet wet. Get your skill set up” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2772s).

She warns against jumping straight into big or important projects before you’re ready, sharing a story of her own early mistake: “I wasn't ready for this giant quilt, OK? I should have practiced on something smaller to learn the feathers... I just took it right out and throw it in the trash” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2862s).

Linda also stresses the importance of scheduling time for your own quilts, not just customer work: “I did not schedule my own time. I did not schedule my own quilts. And it wasn't until I started competing nationally that I actually started scheduling” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2711s).

## Key numbers

Every article reports the same metrics. 'unclear' means the guest did not give it.

- Edge-to-edge rate: unclear [unclear]
- Custom rate: unclear [unclear]
- Queen-size price, edge-to-edge: unclear [unclear]
- Queen-size price, custom: unclear [unclear]
- Average price per quilt: unclear [unclear]
- T-shirt quilt price: unclear [unclear]
- Thread and batting charges: Discusses recommending different battings (e.g., 80/20 or 50/50 for baby quilts, cotton with scrim for wall quilts), but does not state how thread or batting are charged to customers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=799s)
- Quilts per year: 25 quilts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1962s)
- Backlog / waiting list: unclear [unclear]
- Turnaround time: unclear [unclear]
- Time per quilt, edge-to-edge: unclear [unclear]
- Time per quilt, custom: unclear [unclear]
- Edge-to-edge share of work: unclear [unclear]
- Mail-in share: unclear [unclear]
- Quilting hours per week: unclear [unclear]
- Hourly rate (stated): $45/hr (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2488s)
- Annual revenue (stated): unclear [unclear]
- Worst year revenue: unclear [unclear]
- Lifetime revenue per machine: unclear [unclear]
- Annual earnings (est.): unclear [unclear]
- Effective hourly rate (est.): unclear [unclear]
- Machine (model, throat, table): Gammill Statler (current); previously hand-guided Gammill; 30-inch machine mentioned for current setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1750s)
- Machine cost: unclear [unclear]
- Machine payback (stated): unclear [unclear]
- Machine payback (est.): unclear [unclear]
- Number of machines: 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=139s)
- Studio size: unclear [unclear]
- Years in business: 24 years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=42s)
- Years quilting: 50 years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1728s)
- Customers: unclear [unclear]

### What the numbers say

The business currently quilts about 25 customer quilts per year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1962s), using a single Gammill Statler machine with a 30-inch throat [[t=1750], [t=139]]. This gives a basic sense of annual throughput and capacity, but without information on turnaround time, backlog, or hours worked per week, it is not possible to estimate how much additional work could be taken on.

Pricing is largely unclear. While the owner targets an hourly rate of $45/hr (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2488s), there are no stated prices for edge-to-edge or custom quilting, nor for typical quilt sizes or types. Similarly, while thread and batting options are discussed, there is no information on how these are charged to customers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=799s). As a result, average revenue per quilt and annual earnings cannot be estimated from the available data.

Because both machine cost and annual earnings are missing, machine payback cannot be calculated. Overall, the figures provided only allow for a rough sense of current throughput and the owner's target for hourly compensation, but leave most questions about pricing, revenue, and business capacity unanswered.

## Quotes

> My hourly target right now is $45.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2488s

> It's not your job to make somebody's hobby more affordable. It's your job to make a living or to supplement your income...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=2467s

> I come right out and ask them what's the limit? And if they tell me, well, 150, then we're not talking custom right off the bat...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=403s

> I've been so incredibly blessed by this quilting industry that I felt it was incumbent upon me to put some of that out there.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1968s

> The cool thing about machine quilting as a business is you get to decide. You get to decide how many quilts you want to do in a week.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=1165s

> If you want to learn something new, you need to do it often. You need to do it every day.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Zll-xyzqI&t=3021s