Businesses

I read your post a couple hours ago and I've been thinking about your question. I sew for others, but right now it is mostly mending. In the past I've sewn custom clothes and other things-----for home, or cell phone covers. When I figure my cost I figure cost of a trip to the store for each item---even if I bought ALL the items on my way home from getting groceries last week. And I figure that cost even if I am using a scrap from my stash-----The scrap is left over from a $7 a yard cloth I bought for a home item, so I probably spent $3 for the amount in the scrap, plus the cost of the 1 left over button ( maybe 50c or $1 but not 25c or 75c). It doesn't matter if I've had the scrap for a year and have not used it before now. That being said, if I have less than $5 in the materials, I would probably charge a set price for most all the phone covers ( maybe $10 - 15) unless it is a very special fabric and more for a larger regular cover for a kindle ( unless maybe the person wants a fabric with a sword on it and you have to search to find the cloth.) So, I would set a price for a phone cover and a larger price for a larger item AND a larger price for custom cloth. Barbara in SC

Recently I posted about a youtube video about making a cell phone cover

I then made a cover for my phone that is slightly smaller and a cover for my kindle that is slightly bigger than the pattern in the video.

A while after that, I was paying for a midnight munchie run down to Denny's, and put my kindle case on the counter to get out my credit card, and the cashier said something like "that is a nice case for your e- reader," or something like that.

I then said something like thank you very much, but I can't remember if I added that I made it.

This however, got me to thinking about something.

If I were going to make such a case for one of my siblings or my sweetie or whoever as a gift, I would not charge any thing of course.

If a member of my sword class or something like that noticed mine and asked me to make one for them, I would charge what the item cost, which I can't imagine being more than 2 to 3 dollars (depending on how fancy a button you get, the fabric you get, etc.).

If I were to start making these covers, called something like "Brian's Custom Cell Phone Covers," I would charge 10 to 20 dollars, depending on the size of the case needed (though I don't think that really changes the price that much).

I know there are some professional quilters/seamstresses on this list, and I was wondering what is a reasonable charge for this item.

More than my proposed price of 10 to 20 dollars, closer to the actual cost of the item (2 to 3 dollars), or is the price of 10 to 20 dollars about right.

I know that most of the people on this list can, or at least should be able to make one of these cases themselves, but my target market would be people who either so not have the sewing skill or the time or desire to make one.

Brian Christiansen

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The 2 to 3 dollars is my estimate of how much it costs, but if I started doing this as a business I would have receipts, etc., that I could use to put a better esimate on the actual cost.

I suppose I would have other costs as well, such a possibly having some sort of advertising, a web presence, and other expenses that I would not have if I were just making a few gifts or whatever, but I would have receipts for those expenses.

I also would have other expenses, such as gas or wear and tear on my car that are a little harder to pin down the exact amount, but are nonetheless real expenses. I at least hope that my price of 10 to 20 dollars would put enough "padding" on to the price to account for these expenses.

I also got to wondering how long it would take me to make one of these.

On the ones I made for myself, I cut out all the pieces of fabric, then went over to my computer, and watched some videos on YouTube, the went back to my seving machine and quilted the pieces that needed it.

Then I decided to finish assembling it the next night, but am not absolutely certain that I got too it that soon.

The actual elapsed time to make these was 2 (perhaps more) days, with the actual time spent cutting/sewing/actually working being unknown as I did not do any real timing on it.

Was the actual time spent making the case an hour? more? less? I really don't know.

In the video, she takes almost 20 minutes to put the thing together, but most of the video is not her sewing or cutting the pieces, but showing the various stages of construction and explaining what she will/has done.

If it were just a film of her putting the precut pieces together without any exposition, it would probably take a much shorter time.

If it were a video of her doing everything, such as cutting the pieces, quilting the pieces that need it, etc., I kind of expect it to take longer than the 20 minutes, even for someone that is some what practiced at it.

I also got to wondering, if I started such a business, and it grew to a point where I had to find a 2nd person to help me with the sewing, which would be a better way to pay that person.

Would it be better to take about $5 or whatever they actually end up costing for each case, then letting her keep the "profits" from each piece that she makes or would it be better to take a smaller amount ($1 or $2) for common expenses such as maintaining a website, etc., but let her worry about buying the materials for the cases that he or she makes. In the first case, I would be the one responsible for buying all the supplies for the cases.

Brian Christiansen