Saturday, November 22, 2008

Sew for Profit?

Sewing for profit has its benefit. Yes, cash is the answer. you get some. Getting some of this right now is not overrated. You need it. But how do you charge the customer. Any of you who sew and come from a background like I did of being just down right cheap, or wanting the nicer things but always wait for a 75% off sale in order to get it know what I mean. The silk blouse at Macy's now $10, the lined skirt to match $15 and the shoes, $7 at the outlet. (of course on sale)
back to sewing for profit... The rates are outrageous! I would never pay $100 just for the sewing of a dress.
the gal who has hired me suggested I charge by the hour. OK, I'll charge $15 an hour. She agreed to it! I keep reminding myself, she did agree to it!!

 (yikes, can I do that)It's been a long time since I've worked by the hour. When I started my working life the minimum wage was upped to ta da... a whopping $3.65 an hour. yes, you heard it here. Oops am I dating myself? I'm pretty sure my dad worked for a dime and hour in his day. So I'm not that old. Anyway, I've already worked four hours and I haven't set in sleeves or sewn a side seam yet. I'm excited for my cash... but, it's not too much...is it?
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2 comments:

  1. susan m hinckleyNovember 23, 2008 at 6:17 PM

    Melanie -- I'm going to send you an email as well, but I wanted to comment here to give you a pep talk about "selling your sewing for money" -- it's the hardest thing in the world for me to do so I totally understand, but we're worth it! And I would gladly pay $15.00 per hour for someone to MAKE me something wonderful. On the other hand, if I got $15.00 per hour for my pieces, they'd probably cost more than they do . . . you can't think of art in terms of "salary", but you can think of sewing a dress that way, I think, especially if there's no design work involved. That would be harder to quantify. Anyway, take money for your skills gladly and be happy that you found someone to pay you for doing what you love to do and are gifted at! It's the best life in the world! (but I agree it's not easy . . . this pep talk was for myself also.) You sew, girl!

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  2. susan m hinckleyNovember 23, 2008 at 6:22 PM

    Me again -- there isn't a link to your email, so I'll just say it here! Nancy Pratt is one of my favorite people in the world. She was in our ward until she (sadly) just left us to return to life "behind the Zion curtain" . . . 2 reasons I love to sit by Nancy in Relief Society -- the ubiquitous m&m's and the ubiquitous snide remarks. She's also incredibly smart and just an all around beautiful person. So I'm happy to make your acquaintance! Please thank your husband. And please get that teenager of yours to help you post some pictures -- my last tech support person flew the coop this year and I am woefully inadequate to do most everything . . . my blog just limps along. I look forward to seeing your work!

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