[Emily]

Yesterday I celebrated clearing my “sewing obligation” backlog by cutting out three Family Reunion dresses for Eleanor. Two of the fabrics I’m using are border prints, which I adore, so I’m really looking forward to getting back into my workspace and getting started on the actual sewing of them. I have plans for a few Jump Rope dresses in the next size up, but nothing concrete yet.

Jenni, I find that the vast majority of people who ask about buying handmade clothing stop asking when I tell them what I would charge. In the past when I’ve done custom work for people, I’ve taken the raw materials cost and multiplied it by somewhere between 2 and 4 (depending on how well I know them, which is an odd metric but it works for me). For a dress that takes 1.5 yards of fabric, buttons, thread, interfacing, and other random notions, it’s likely my raw materials cost is in the neighborhood of $25. For most people, $100 for a dress for a preschooler is more than they are willing to spend, and they stop asking. I also think that telling them that $100 (or whatever) is a fair price helps them to understand that sewing clothing takes a fair amount of effort and knowledge and isn’t something to be undervalued. Just my $.02!

[thejennigirl]

Emily, the message was just, well, odd. I sew for hire quite frequently (usually my own patterns, the rest being vintage patterns) on top of the alterations I do for a living, so I would have no problem with stating the price I would in fact charge. The sender basically said ‘I need that blue dress for my niece in a size 2/3. Would you be able to ship it out tomorrow? I’ll pay whatever.’

It’s like she didn’t look at the description (that it was a size 5 made with a fabric I can’t replicate) and assumed she could have what she wanted when she wanted it. Maybe she doesn’t understand how flickr works? I don’t know. The tone of it was weird and made me wonder if she had sent the same message to others or thought I was someone else. Very stange.

[Emily]

Jenni, that IS odd. Especially because there are plenty of Etsy sellers who do things like that, and there’s no shortage of blue dresses available on the internet. It seems weirdly entitled and is pretty off-putting.

(I just went and browed through the flickr group – was she asking about the GORGEOUS Playdate dress made from the applique tablecloth? I am absolutely bowled over by it – well done!!)

[thejennigirl]

It was the Playdate dress, and thank you. I didn’t want to say it sounded entitled, but since you said so, I’ll agree. I’m going to chalk it up as yet another weird internet encounter and giggle to myself when I get past the odd stalker-like feel of it all.

[meleliza]

Nicole, could you please share what in the world “bush piggy” means? 🙂 I’m dying to know.

[Sarvi]

Aw, they’re cute!

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/Content/western-bush-pig-684666-sw.jpg

[Tamara]

I just have to laugh! I said the same thing only the other day as I watched a little mouse navigate the rafters of my verandah roof. How can something so destructive be somehow cute?! Personally though, mice are the most awful things and yet unfortunately comes with the territory … they are the squatters on our farm!! Pigs! well, charging through the bush as they do and they can be rather dangerous especially the boars!

And speaking of pests, we have a professional kangaroo shooter living on the farm next door who caught a half bred dingo the other day – part kelpie dog and part dingo and it was HUGE! Apparently it just sat there whilst the guys ran about getting the rifle. They measured him afterwards and he was over 6 feet in length from nose to tail tip!! He was also responsible for the loss of several hundred sheep from two neighbours plus us – one mob of 500 ewes only had 87 lambs!

Just thought I would share that info even though it has nothing to do with sewing or the very non bush piggy clothes that are planned.

Today I modified a bodice based on the seashore dress bodice and made a toile so that I can get started with this Good witch Glinda costume. I’m adding an invisible zip for easy dressing and when I use the pattern for the seashore dress, I’ll have to size it up as it isn’t roomy at all.It will do for the costume though. I also cut out the sailboat top in black panne velvet to start the Cat in the Hat costume. I’ve decided on a two piece for this one for easy dressing plus it would mean having to draft from scratch and I am rather time challenged at the moment. So these are the two projects that need to be completed this week so that I am ahead of time.

I finished a Class picnic top and pair of shorts also but the top turned out better than the shorts – crooked sewing and early morning starts!

[Nicole]

http://www.harryc.com/australian-slang.htm

[meleliza]

So nasty ugly? Isn’t English amazing? My husband and I – even though I’m a pretty good anglophile and the other American girls in Germany needed me to translate for the English boys – famously once had to communicate in German. Hilarious.

[Tamara]

One cat in the hat costume almost complete – I used the sailboat top and the nature walk pants for this. The tail needs resewing as it burst while being stuffed! Just press studs, bow and tail stitching to do on the actual costume part and I’m waiting for my Little things book so that I can do the oversized hat. I love it when ideas come together successfully.

Working on Glinda today and hopefully have that complete by tomorrow – too easy.

What’s on your sewing agenda today?

[thejennigirl]

I’m adding another Class Picnic top to my list. I found a precious hand appliqued dresser scarf at a yardsale for 50c, that was just screaming Class Picnic! Probably going to put it away for Christmas, but

I may give in and give it to her as soon as it’s done…

[Tamara]

It’s done! Cat in the hat complete with magnificent hat all completed. Honestly I looks like I slaved for days but if it weren’t for the easy peasy patterns I used, I would have. It took just a day for the clothes part and an afternoon for the hat – which was the fiddliest part. Rapt with the result and so is master N.

Tomorrow will be Glinda’s turn and that may have me slaving yet lol.

[homefire]

I have a twin sized quilt for ds in the works right now that is taking precedence over my other projects at the moment. I am determined to make a quilt for my 3 children for Christmas this year. I did get four 2+2 tops and two 2+2 skirts cut out yesterday though. Hopefully I can get to them by the end of the week. The weather went from blazing hot to an autumn feel seemingly over night so I need to get started on slightly warmer pieces.

What are you up to today?

[Nicole]

I finished my daughters First Communion dress and we are both pretty happy with it! I had to eat my words http://fiveandcounting-motherof5.blogspot.com/2011/08/silky-seashore-success.html the Seashore dress is definitely not just a toddler dress!

I am cutting out Music Class and Picnic Blouse’s for the girls,these will move nicely into summer. Charcoal,raspberry and white for the twins,City Weekend,some floral japanese cottons and white for the little’s.

I am sewing Sailboat pants for the baby(toddler) with HUGE buttons a la Jenni!

What are you sewing?

[Violaisabelle]

I almost had the jump rope dress finished before holidays, but didn’t quite make it. Took it with me on holidays, but didn’t touch it…but I did sew a Salsa skirt since I brought my serger along with me. 😉 My sewing got diverted with an emergency project for my eldest daughter for a wedding. The dress that had been ordered was not what the sales lady said it would be….so here I am trying like mad to duplicate the dress. The corselette has been fitted, spring steel boning and tips ordered. I went shopping for the silk and lace fabrics and hopefully, by early next week, the dress will be finished. As I wait for the bones, hopefully I can finish the jump rope dress….I’m so close. 😛 I drafted the dress up to a size 10/12.

It seems like there is always another project pushing its way to the front of the queue before I have finished what I wanted to finish. 😛