Why Handmade seems so expensive.... by Dino Dust

My good friend, Vicki from Dino Dust, shared her latest blog post with me just a few moments ago. It's a fantastic read and I really think it is well worth the time.

Before my handmade hobby came into being I remember looking at the prices of some of the handmade items out there and almost having a heart attack at the prices.  In my mind there was no way the items were worth the $$$ they were asking for.  As I’ve been sewing for 20+ years, I knew that I’d be able to make those clothes for less.  I did, and I enjoyed it, and I saved a lot of money!  When the requests by family and friends started coming thick and thin, along with offers of payment, I had to sit down and think about what to charge.  THIS was the eye opener for me.  So let me try and explain why a $4 T-shirt from Best n Less, all of a sudden costs $24-30 once an appliqué has been added to it!

First off, you obviously have to pay for the T-Shirt.  You then also have to factor in the cost of a Fat Quarter of fabric, yes you mightn't have that much material added to your shirt but in a lot of cases that fabric can’t be/won’t be used on anything else.  There’s the glue/bonding agent that holds the appliqué on and interfacing is used if it is sewn by machine.  The final ingredient in this recipe is the thread.

T-shirt $4

Material $4

Bonding $1

Thread $1

Subtotal $10

Still seems so cheap, so why do we sell for so much more?  Profit?  Not in the handmade world.  

To continue reading please head over to Dino Dust's blog... http://mydinodust.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/why-handmade-seems-so-expensive.html