CARLA’S ‘QUILTS’ – THE SPECS – PART THREE

carla-tied-back-quilt-0609

Here’s what the back of one of Carla’s completed, hand-tied afghan quilts looks like. This is exactly the same technique used by ‘conventional’ quilters to make hand-tied quilts. The quilt is always a ’sandwich’ consisting of the pieced (in this case crocheted squares joined together) design, the middle layer of batting (fleece, fiberfill, an old blanket, toweling, or just another piece of fabric), and the backing which is either quilted in a decorative style or tied like this one. A crocheted ‘quilt’ is has much more stretch than a quilt made from woven fabric, thus the wrinkles in the back of carla’s quilt will disappear when the quilt is in use. There must be excess fabric on the back to allow the flexibility of the crocheted front.

For the most part, Carla uses a 2.5 mm hook with DK weight yarn to make squares that measure from 5X5 cm to 10 X 10 cm. Using these sizes of squares, Carla is a talented artist who creates these lovely, unique afghans. Each blanket is almost 7 feet square and weighs about 5 kilograms – a whopping 11 pounds! That should keep anyone warm – from his toes to the crown of his head. I have a son at home who’d love to receive an afghan this large AND with this much weight AND with no holes. A dream come true for my 25 year old son. Maybe I should ship him to Amstelveen near Amsterdam, Netherlands where Carla resides…..

Some of Carla’s intricate designs are made using an embroidery graph as a guide. This is the case for the wonderful orangutan afghan picture in Part One of this series. Carla likes the work of Elizabeth Bradley in the UK for these graphs. http://www.elizabethbradley.com/

Finished back of Carla’s completed afghan ‘quilt’.

Here’s a picture of the back of one of Carla’s completed afghans, before she has added the backing. Anyone like loose ends??? Here’s Carla’s DEEP DARK SECRET: one of the reasons Carla applies the backing to her quilts is so she won’t have to weave in all these loose ends. Smart lady!

This prolific artist also has a nature blog – and her photos there provide a lot of the inspiration for her crochet. She’s as good at photography as she is at crochet. Check it out!

http://www.carladebruijn.nl/#

Although the text is in Dutch, we can ALL enjoy photographs no matter what language the photographer speaks.

To view more of Carla’s work, please visit her website:

http://www.carladebruijn.nl/

I’m so happy she offered to share her artistry with the rest of us! Thanks, Carla.

Dear Crafty Readers,
“I run my sewing business from home. I don’t have a shopfront. I don’t clock in and out. I just sew in my own space, around my own schedule.
And because of that, people assume I’m endlessly flexible.
When someone needs something urgently, they’ll ask if I can ‘just squeeze it in.’ They’ll message late at night. They’ll explain how important the deadline is to them.
I started charging a rush fee.
And that’s when the pushback began.
‘But you’re already home.’
‘It shouldn’t cost more if you’re not travelling anywhere.’
‘Can’t you just do it this once?’
A few people have acted genuinely offended — like I’m being greedy or unreasonable.
Now I’m second-guessing myself.
Am I the asshole for charging extra for rush orders, even though I work from home?
— Anonymous

If you’ve ever felt awkward adding a rush fee — or tempted to waive it just to avoid tension — you’re not alone.

This question cuts right to the heart of how creative, home-based work is still misunderstood.

Why “Working From Home” Changes How People Treat You

There’s a strange assumption that if you work from home, your time is somehow more flexible — or less valuable.

People often think:

You’re already there
You can just reshuffle things
You’re not “really” inconvenienced

What they don’t see is that home-based work still has:

Schedules
Commitments
Limits
Personal time

Being at home doesn’t mean being on call.

What a Rush Order Actually Costs You

A rush order isn’t just about sewing faster.

It often means:

Dropping other work
Rearranging personal plans
Sewing late into the evening
Working under pressure
Carrying someone else’s urgency

That urgency has a cost — even if it doesn’t show up on a receipt.

“But It’s Just One Item…”

This phrase is another familiar one.

A rush order is rarely just one item. It’s the mental load that comes with:

Watching the clock
Worrying about deadlines
Rushing decisions
Feeling responsible for someone else’s timing mistake

That pressure deserves compensation — not guilt.

Why Rush Fees Feel Uncomfortable to Charge

Many sewists hesitate to add rush fees because:

They don’t want to seem difficult
They fear losing the sale
They worry about appearing greedy

But a rush fee isn’t a punishment. It’s a boundary.

It tells customers: This is possible, but it costs more because it costs me more.

The Double Standard Around Creative Work

Interestingly, rush fees are widely accepted in other industries.

People expect to pay more for:

Express shipping
Same-day services
Last-minute bookings

But when it comes to handmade or creative work, that logic often disappears — especially when the work happens at home.

That double standard puts unnecessary pressure on makers.

When Waiving Rush Fees Backfires

Many sellers learn this the hard way.

When you don’t charge extra for urgency:

Rush orders become expected
Boundaries blur quickly
Stress increases
Resentment builds

What starts as flexibility can quietly turn into burnout.

Is Charging Extra Unfair — or Honest?

This is where opinions really split.

Some readers will say:

“A rush fee is completely reasonable.”

Others might argue:

“If you can do it, why charge more?”

And a few will admit:

“I never thought about the impact of urgency.”

All of those perspectives exist — and they’re worth hearing.

So… Are They the Asshole?

There’s no universal answer here.

But there is an important question underneath it all:

Should working from home mean giving up control over your time?

For many sewists, the answer is a firm no.

Over to You, Crafty Readers

Now it’s your turn — and this one tends to spark strong opinions.

Do you charge rush fees?
Have you ever felt guilty enforcing them?
As a buyer, would you expect to pay more for urgency?
Or do you think rush fees are unnecessary?

Scroll down and join the discussion.
This is one of those topics where lived experience really matters.

(And if you’ve got a sewing dilemma of your own, you can submit it anonymously to Sewing.CraftGossip — sometimes the hardest part is asking the question.)

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