The Sewing Place

Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.

Missie

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #15 on: May 19, 2020, 14:06:32 PM »
I don't generally do alterations for people and if I do, it means I like you an awful lot and you are probably inner sanctum in my hierarchy of friends!  I altered a (designer) dress last year for a friend, including shortening the bodice (she is short between shoulder and bust), which mean altering the sleeves and neckline, taking the back in (where the zip was) and shortening the skirt.  It was probably just over a day's work (couture techniques and lots of handsewing inc) and I timidly charged her £75 and felt that was a lot, but she felt I hadn't charged enough!  Still, it gave me the money for an evening out (so win-win) and it was quite therapeutic doing the hand-sewing (once I'd got over the fear of hacking into a designer dress!)

Tamnymore

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #16 on: May 19, 2020, 14:20:27 PM »
I was going to suggest double that amount @annieeg for labour costs . As @Goth Gardiner suggest 3 hrs at min wage plus materials sounds fair. Maybe her awareness of your current employment situation has prompted her to be a bit more generous of late.
'One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.' Oscar Wilde

annieeg

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #17 on: May 19, 2020, 14:40:20 PM »
Not sure if I  mentioned this before, but an old friend asked me to take up a very flared dress by about 5" last year made of polyester jersey (horrible fabric :x).
I had to measure all the way round the very circular hem, cut it and then hem it on the overlocker.  Proabably a good 2.5 hours work.
When I took it back, she asked me how much - I said £8.00 (which was cheap bearing in mind the time/work) - she then said she had thought to pay me £6!!!!
I told her if she thought it was only worth £6, then that was fine.
She thought about it a bit more and then agreed £8.
I won't do any alterations for her in future....

KayK

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #18 on: May 19, 2020, 17:51:26 PM »
I won't do it anymore.  I have been asked to shorten enormous curtains that were seriously poor quality from Dunelm - she said she would give me a tenner - and got quite a strop on when I said no.  The worst job I ever did ( I used to mend horse rugs) was by a horsey lady who had a very old bomber jacket (fit for the bin) which she wanted the zip replacing. However, she wanted me to use a zip that she had found - it was 3" too short - I explained the difficulty, but she still wanted it done.  It took me about 90 mins to unpick the zip, then ages to try and put a too short zip in.  I didnt make too bad a job of it, but she refused to pay me £12 that I charged her as 'the jacket wasn't worth it'.  That was the last time I sewed for money, and packed the horse rug repair in as well!  People just dont want to pay - nowadays i say 'well, perhaps you could try to do it?".  Grrr
I have learnt by my mistakes: Sewing machines now are Bernina 720, Bernina 1008, Bernina 801 from 1981, Brother overlocker, ancient but works well

Kwaaked

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #19 on: May 19, 2020, 19:48:13 PM »
Compare to what I charge: $12-20 for a dress hem up to 25" and $25-35 over that (depending on if machine, machine blind hemmed, cover stitched or hand and zippers are $35-50 and I provide the zipper.  I am also not even the most expensive one in my area.

Suits are a lot like bridal gowns...lots of precision work and special requirements.  Not surprised it was three figures.


snoozi soozi

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #20 on: May 19, 2020, 21:00:59 PM »
@KayK you've reminded me of the time a couple of years ago the NDN asked if I could make curtains. Her eldest daughter and husband had just moved into their own house and were struggling to find any they liked.

"Well, they did see some but they were £90 and that's more than they want to pay. "

I politely pointed out that I probably wouldn't be able to make them any cheaper. Inside I was screaming  :facepalm:
Let it sew, let it sew, let it sew

jintie

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2020, 06:10:59 AM »
Everyone, you need to value yourselves and your time more.
Come on @Manuela , tell us what you told the woman who wanted you to make her a dress...
« Last Edit: May 20, 2020, 08:12:14 AM by Iminei »
Rottweiler with scissors

Lachica

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #22 on: May 20, 2020, 06:56:21 AM »
A friend's daughter asked me if I could replace the zip in her husband's trousers.  I referred her to the dry cleaner. 'they want £15' I suggested it would be more cost effective to buy a new pair. 'well they're good quality, expensive trousers'. So £15 is cheap then. I don't expect to be asked again.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

Sewgorgeous

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #23 on: June 13, 2020, 22:43:07 PM »

  Sets mah teef on edge.

love this  :D

Sandra

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #24 on: June 14, 2020, 09:29:21 AM »
Years ago, I used to work for a Dry Cleaners in town.

An elderly man used to drive between the local branches, dropping work off/collecting work etc. One day he came over to me and handed me a dress to shorten for a lady who worked at a different branch and asked if I'd shorten it for her.
I didn't know her. She could have left it at her own branch to go through the system ( and would have received a staff discount) but she especially wanted me to alter it for her because she knew my work was nicely done.

It was a jersey dress, so I didn't dare sew it on the industrial machine at work. It was a vile machine which I never got to grips with, so I took the dress home. I wasn't working from home at this time, and I hadn't got any ballpoint machine needles so I had to buy some. They cost me 95p  0_0.

Altered it. Took it back to work and it got back to the lady.
Next time the old chap came to the shop he smiled and said how pleased she was with the dress and handed me a £1 coin from her.  ><

On another occasion, he got me to alter some trousers for him and I got a couple of packets of sweeties for doing that.

The final straw was when he started talking about some old red velvet curtains  :S which needed shortening? or narrowing down or something. He asked if he could drop them off for me to do and I said I would, but I jumped in first and told him how much I'd be charging for it, which wasn't much, but I couldn't allow him to pay me a couple of quid, or literally, peanuts.
He looked offended.
I didn't, and still don't care.  :P He never mentioned them again.
Fine by me.  :)

He, his wife and sister-in-law all worked for this company. They knew exactly how much alterations cost.

Sandra.
xxx

Surest1tch

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #25 on: June 14, 2020, 19:10:41 PM »
The trouble is when you do anything from home for other people they still have the mindset you do it for "pinmoney". That's why I won't do it for anyone now, not even family.

wrenkins

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #26 on: June 14, 2020, 20:32:40 PM »
We seem to have developed a weird barter system here. If you fix my trousers I'll tidy your garage. It works very well. The last swap before lockdown was fix my fence and I'll help your mum plant up her herbaceous border.  0_0
There's a lot of 'I'll take that tree down if I can have the bits'. That's the most popular. :)
Harbouring resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die!

Morgan

Re: Mates Rates for sewing for someone else.
« Reply #27 on: June 15, 2020, 10:27:18 AM »
Annieg,
my general approach to life is care, share and be kind whenever you can so this is my take on the situation. 
It's your sister who has asked and perhaps you could explain you don't know what to charge so ask her what she'd be prepared to pay for something of similar quality if she bought it ready made.  That was you can enjoy making something for her and neither feels that anyone has taken advantage.