If you love to sew and want to do it for a living, there are ways to go about procuring enough work to earn yourself an income.
No shop to call your own? No worries!
What if you don't have a sewing shop or even a business setup? That should pose no problem. Many established business shops that already provide sewing services - such as dry cleaners, tuxedo rentals or even other tailoring shops, occasionally need to hire a sewing talent.
Make up a few flyers and order a set of business cards. Then simply approach a few places and ask if they are in need of a sewing specialist.
As for setting up a business, establishing "sole proprietorship" in your region is easy and simple, maybe even free. Call your local tax authorities and the IRS and ask them what you need to do. In most cases, if you work alone, all your money is treated as personal income and filed with your regular taxes.
Splitting the cost
When taking on work, the going pay rate is a 60/40 split; that is, 60% of what the customer is getting charged, goes to you and the remaining 40% goes to the shop owner to cover their cost of doing business.
It is also the standard pay arrangement for the seamstress who sets up her sewing machines in a corner of someone else's shop, in lieu of rent.
Working from home
If you work from home, then the rate is usually 1% less.
However, if you don't deliver at all and have everything brought to you and picked up when completed, then pricing is usually determined by the business owner, with the split being 50/50.
This may be considered an employer/employee relationship, rather than independent contracting or freelancing. The determining factor is whether or not the shop owner tells you, not what NEEDS to be done, but HOW to do it. If the latter is the case, have Human Resources put you on their payroll and switch to hourly pay, or pay-by-piece along with their contributions to Social Security.
The advantage to working at home that you don't have to deal with any customers directly, which saves you time, and frees you from time-consuming customer fittings. The shop owner typically hands this duty to the front end clerk. Most customers deliver their garments pre-pinned, or marked the way they want it, anyway.
Use the 60/40 split if you own a shop yourself and take in additional work from other businesses that is dropped off at your place.
If you are often called upon to "fit" customers, change the arrangement to 70% since you are "wasting" your machine time.
Pant:
- Men's dress slacks - $10
- Cuffed pants - $12
Jeans
- Jeans - straight hem w/ jean thread - $9
- Replace zipper - $9 and up
Suit
- Suit sleeves - shorten - $24
- Shorten Jacket at hem - min..$28
- Take in @ back - $12
- Shrink & lower collar - $16
Dress Shirt
- Shorten sleeves or flip cuff - $6
- Reverse collar - $4
- Taper width - $10-12
- Hem shirt tail - $10
Women's Slacks
- Dress pant - $10
- Lined pant - additional $4
Skirt or Dress, Business Attire
- Blind Hem - $14
- Skirt w/Vent - $16
- Lined Skirt - extra $6
- Take in at waist - $9
Formal or Dinner Dress -- Shorten Hem
Fluttery, Silky, Chiffon or anything beyond a straight pencil skirt hem......$14 and up
Lining - 1/3 to 1/2 more.
Rips, patches, zippers, buttons
- Sew a jean patch over a tear or hole - $4 or 3/$10
- Decorative patch on shirt/vest front or sleeves - $2.50 each
- Small patch groups.(ex.: Scouts) - bulk rate okay
- Loose buttons - $1
- Jacket Zippers - 50 cents to a dollar Per Inch (over 9")
- minimum rate for zippers under 9" - $9
This current guideline covers general and frequent requests for garment alterations.
Evening gowns and wedding dresses have their own pricing list since they compete more directly with the bridal gown shops where they are purchased.
Reupholstery work and custom drapery are in a separate category since they more fully rely on special equipment and materials unfit for human cloaking. They use a foot-measure pricing system.
Leather goods repairs and alterations, and boat covers are priced by the labor and skill involved.
Staying successful
The most important rule to remember, in order to stay in business, is to complete the work on time. Learn to say 'no" to jobs that are above your skill level and don't take on more than you can complete in a timeframe.
These few tips, when followed, will ensure a good working relationship and happy clientele.
