Would you pay for sewing?

[Autumnflakes]

Due to good 'ld Covid i've found myself having to diversify. I've found myself a wonderful job as a community carer to pay the bills (i'm very much passionate for it and if it paid somewhat of a decent salary i'd stay with it). Today I stitched up my leggings at clients house as I found a great big hole in them. She said i'd should get myself a seamstress job on the side (the kind of lady who doesn't beat around the bush who tells the honest truth).

I'm no curtain maker or dress maker but I have somewhat of a decent grasp of the basis. I could possibly sew on buttons, scout badges, turn up trousers/hems etc. I thought those kind of jobs were gone with fast fashion but I know that it's a dying skill these days. If it was offered in the local area would you take it up for a couple of quid?

Of course it's a useful service. I can do basic stuff but don't have the tools for more substantial things. eg will hem some trousers but if they need to be taken up significantly by being cut I take them to the local tailor because I don't have an overlock machine etc.

I've previously had shirt buttons added (big bust - shirts tend to gape) and the odd minor dress alteration if needed.

You probably need a fairly diverse client base to really make it worthwhile, but if you can get your name out there, you'd probably do ok. Biggest challenge is probably where you do it from. To get a decent client base, you'd need regular contact and are you willing to do that from home?

I'd definitely pay for this

It comes up in threads quite often that people HATE sewing on their dcs' Cub or Brownie badges and is definitely a service people pay for (I know a few people who have done this as part of their fundraising for Scout or Guide 'big trips').
Of course you don't need to be properly trained or go to classes. I can turn up a pair of trousers / patch / sew on badges / take in a waistband / sew on a button and I definitely wouldn't call myself a seamstress. There are people who have no idea where to start though, Then there are people who know how, but would prefer not to - just like some people pay for cleaners, or someone to cut their lawn or paint a room for them or do some ironing.
I think the OP probably would have the sense to know her limitations and not take on a job like changing a wedding dress to a completely different size.
I mean, I am happy to bake a cake for the local coffee morning, but I'm not going to offer to design a Scooby Doo cake for someone. I can cook a dish for a shared lunch or for friends coming round, but that doesn't mean I'd suddenly think I was ready for masterchef.

Yes! A good seamstress is like gold dust. I’ve never paid just for buttons etc. but that’s only because my DM still kindly helps out with the odd bits when she’s around. If it weren’t for her I’d be delighted to pay someone else to do it... it’s a dying skill set.

I know two ladies that take in sewing and they are always very busy.

I asked in Dunelm recently how much it would cost to have the hem of ready made curtains taken up and it was a lot, so jobs like that would be worth doing.

I can turn up a pair of trousers / patch / sew on badges / take in a waistband / sew on a button and I definitely wouldn't call myself a seamstress

That’s what confused me. Those few simple skills don’t make anyone a seamstress to me either. So when OP said they wanted to start a seamstress business on the side, I’m thinking she needs some more skills to advertise herself as a seamstress because buttons, scout badges and hems are too basic.

It’s like knowing how to make toast and fry and egg and then advertising yourself as a chef for hire. An actual seamstress does go through an apprenticeship and takes classes. Some even have degrees in textiles and design.

I use a service like this - had a pair of DC's trousers turned into shorts, the hem on a dress taken up etc. I am clueless about anything like this and also short on time, so always willing to throw money at these kind of issues. But yes, agree that you need to do a good job. I would be really unhappy if it was a botch job.

I find that it depends where you live. If a low income area no because no one spends that much money on clothing. If you're in a high income area absolutely! If you earn minimum wage through your sewing it can still be a lot to pay in relation to the value of the item.

£12 for shortening jeans, £16 for formal trousers.
4 items needing repairs was only a tenner (agreed afterwards as she wasnt sure what I was dropping off).

I use my lady a lot BUT she is a proper seamstress, alters wedding gowns etc as well as basics. Shes very talented and well worth the money imo!

Yes, I would definitely pay. I have, in the past, glued a hem up on a dress and used safety pins when the strap of something else broke. I use a dry cleaner for repairs, and they wanted to charge me £26 recently for something so small that I left it as it was.

If you can get yourself known you can make minimum wage just sewing scout/ guide badges. A friend of mine funded an overseas Guiding adventure by sewing badges: £1 each.

Probably not the right time of year but I have seen people advertise sewing on school nametapes.

There was a place when I was in uni near the station. I used it a lot. altering the hems, changing the length of skirt, mending a hole, it was great. I wish I had them nearby, so I would definitely pay.
Sawing on the name tags and logos on school uniform etc. is such a pain, I assume you have a market there too.

The art of sewing is quite lost these days. I have only ever paid a seamstress once and that was to take up a multi layered bridesmaids dress. It was a hugely complex job and I didn’t have time though could have done it myself. The woman who did it said some people, couldn’t even sew on a button. I taught dc how to sew and knit when very small, DS took a knitted square in for his teacher as he Christmas present when he was 7, she may have preferred wine but he was so proud of his efforts.

You will have to be explicit on what you can do.

Yes. When I am in the UK, I sometimes take things up to my nearest seamstress.

@PlanDeRaccordement I'm sorry you struggle with comprehension. I'll try and make it easy for you sweetie. The OP is talking about basics (I know, a typo said basis but most of us got what it meant). She even said the words that she was no curtains or dressmaker. That means she can do basic things. In sewing this means things like hemming, buttons, small repairs and sewing badges etc.

HTH.

Is it just me who’s thinking of Terry Pratchett where all but one of the seamstresses is a lady of the night but the one who isn’t is by far the busiest? I’m sure there’s a market if you’re clear about your abilities. I certainly know folk who literally cannot sew on a button.

I know of a local sewing place that has stopped sewing on badges and labels because of high demand and it wasn't worth their time it took for them so there's definitely a market for that.

I wouldn't, because I am quite capable of doing my work repairs and adjustments, and don't mind doing it when I'm in the mood, but I know plenty of people who don't have the skills and would pay.

Apparently sewing a loose button back on to your cardigan at your desk is amazing, but it was literally hanging by a thread and I have one of those small sewing kits in the drawer, so I just did it at the end of my lunchbreak. I was a bit amazed at how many people were impressed by this. It was a simple button, not complex tailoring.

[quote DreadingSeason2020sFinale]@PlanDeRaccordement I'm sorry you struggle with comprehension. I'll try and make it easy for you sweetie. The OP is talking about basics (I know, a typo said basis but most of us got what it meant). She even said the words that she was no curtains or dressmaker. That means she can do basic things. In sewing this means things like hemming, buttons, small repairs and sewing badges etc.

HTH.[/quote]
What you have omitted that as well as the OP saying the basics as you listed, she also said:

i'd should get myself a seamstress job on the side

So please tell me how I could have comprehended that statement as nothing to do with presenting herself as a seamstress?

Yes, but don't sell yourself short. Look at the prices of other people offering the same service. People who don't sew underestimate the skill and time involved.

A seamstress does many clothes sewing jobs. And yes, that means buttons, hems and repairs. They also choose which jobs to take. How would the OP misrepresent herself if she's not taking on dress alterations? Sewing buttons buttons is a seamstress skill.

Yes, I would and do, I can sew on buttons and stitch up small seams etc Butler anything more than that I use a local sewing person. In my area I can think of 3 off the top of my head who do it at home plus 2 tailoring businesses so I assume there's enough demand to keep them all in business

Once children stop growing and have moreepensive clothes imo getting them mended is well worth it.

Yes! I paid someone to sew on dcs school name tags years ago