craft profits

Many times it is difficult to determine the actual costs involved in making craft or sewing items. For example, if you’re using your scraps to make aprons, beach bags, purses or toys, how would you figure the cost of the item, and therefore how much to charge for the completed item.

An easy way to “estimate” the cost of fabric used would be to determine how much total fabric is used for the project. If you’re using left over print fabric, scraps of solid colors of fabric, and add larger pieces of muslin or interfacing material, a general rule would be to perhaps figure you’ve used a total of 1/2 a yard or 1 yard combined of all the pieces – whatever you figure you have used. Then for a cost of the fabrics I’d use an average of what most of the fabrics would have cost me at the fabric store — perhaps $4.75 per yard, give or take, depending on what types of fabric you’re using. You can get a good estimate of costs per project, but don’t forget your time that’s been spent because that is also part of the total cost.

Some good hints that I’ve seen on insuring that your sewing items or craft projects will be the type that people will want to buy are as follows:

** Use good materials. Never use those “end pieces” that perhaps have little snags or holes in them and try to hide the imperfections in the seams.

** Wash your hands frequently to keep your products fresh and clean.

** Learn to make your products easily, quickly AND skillfully. If you can get skillful enough to make an item in half an hour instead of taking an hour that it previously took, you can readily see that you can double your production and therefore double up on the profits.

** Your products must be practical as well as attractive.

** Your product must bear the stamp of your personality to be distinctive. Don’t depend on someone else’s ideas – use your own initiative.

** Be professional — on the phone, at the craft shows and in your own home if customers come into your home for service and purchases.

If you have additional ways that you use to figure your cost of sewing or craft items, please pass them along to us and we’ll get them posted for our readers. How to price sewing and craft items is always one of the biggest questions we hear, so anything you can pass along to help our readers would be appreciated.

If you’re wanting to find additional craft items to make, check out the many craft patterns at SewWithSarah.com.

From time to time those of us who are in the sewing, alteration, crafting, embroidery or other sewing related business like to check around to see what’s out there that we can make a little extra money from. After all, who couldn’t use an extra couple hundred dollars a month or even a few hundred bucks this fall for Christmas spending, or in the spring for that vacation we’d like to take.

I would like to suggest another alternative to checking around to see what’s “out there” – instead look around your own sewing studio and see what’s “in there” that can be turned into cash.

Ebay selling can be turned into a “cash cow” as they say – you can either put a few items on an auction or do as many do – set up your own eBay store. By having your own ebay store, you can put in clothing items such as t-shirts, children’s clothing or make up those jean purses and promote them in your store. You can use up scraps and make things like baby bibs or scrap tote bags and add them to the store.

Awhile back I talked to Patti at Patti’s Originals about “yard sales” being held on eBay. I’d never heard of that before, so questioned her a little, so I could pass along the information to you. Here’s what she told me about the yard sales —- “I belong to several design groups on eBay and periodically they will host these “garage sales”, “sample sales”, “cleaning out our stash” sale, etc. There is not one person to contact because each group does its own thing. Summer is a very slow selling season on eBay so generally this is the time they will be hosted. There are several groups that are for buyers and sellers and I would recommend highly that anyone who buys or sells handmade clothing on eBay join one of these groups. Each group features a new design daily, there are usually links to auctions starting at 99 cents, designers talk about their newest creations, ask for ideas and you find out about all upcoming promotions. Here is a link to the home page of one of my groups. Anyone wanting an invite just needs to ask.

http://groups.ebay.com/forum/Upscale-Boutique-Designers/Home/1500007397 “

She also went on to say that she makes “samples” of items that she will be promoting, and then makes the “real deal” up in the sizes that the customer needs. Later, after picture taking and logging in the sample, it then just takes up room in the sewing studio, so these are the types of things that will go on those eBay yard sales.

I’m sure you’ve heard eBay’s slogan: “Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay.” The opposite is also true – “whatever you have to sell, you can sell it on eBay”.

Let us know if you already have an eBay store or are already selling on eBay, and I’m particularly interested in those eBay “garage” sales. Pass along any tips you may have for any of these selling methods.

Adding Profit To Your Sewing And Crafts

Add Additional Income To Your Sewing Business – Sell On eBay