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Arts and crafts

Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

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Original poster

Any curtain & blind makers out there? Been offered some work...

19 replies

GourmetGold · 11/10/2014 16:06

Hi, I've been offered some work by a local soft furnishings lady. She seems nice, but I'm not sure that the pay is fare?
I'll be sewing the linings for £5/drop. They are very long pieces of lining!
I've put together a sewing table (well my partner has) waist height, quite large, in shed, as I was getting nowhere trying to use the kitchen table.

So far each drop is taking me about 45 minutes. My sewing machine (very basic one) is struggling with the black out lining...I'm using a large needle, long stitches, walking foot..but it is still struggling (uneven stitches). I've gone through several needles already & a lot of thread (ordered more cheap on ebay, £1 for 1000m, instead of £10).
I'm sure our electricity bill is going to be high with all the ironing of seams and hems!

Feeling very deflated as I'm unemployed and was hoping to find something that pays okay and so far this is probably less than the minimum wage..but I really don't know if I can ask for a pay rise so early on (1 week!).

I'll be registering as self employed and think I might need to buy a better sewing machine. Just not sure it's worth continuing?

How much would be a fare wage for drops of lining? I don't know how much she gets paid for curtains per drop, but I'm guessing it might be £50?
(I know I'd make more selling my own curtains and blinds, but I've only sewn as a hobby and am not very confident to start my own business, unfortunately).

Thanks!

OP posts:

IDismyname · 11/10/2014 17:48

I can't quite workout what you are doing with the linings... Are you putting them into the already made curtains IYSWIM?

Is everything cut out for you to just sew together?

Aside from all the questions, made to measure curtains cost a small fortune, so you are being paid well below the going rate I suspect.

Original poster

GourmetGold · 11/10/2014 19:46

Thanks for your reply ishouldcocoa. I'm just making the linings (as in sewing together the widths & then hemming them) and then she is adding them to the curtains she is making...so she has less work to do.

She is cutting the lengths off a roll of fabric, but I'm 'squaring' them up before sewing together, it's acres of sewing as most of them many widths wide.

Yes I think you are right that it's not enough that she is paying me

OP posts:

IDismyname · 12/10/2014 12:43

Give it another week, and see how you go. You may find that you get the hang (excuse pun) of it and can work faster, but TBH, £5 a drop seems very low.

I think you need to go back to her and suggest an hourly rate. At least you will then be getting paid for the time you are working.

Sounds like you may need a new machine, or at least a service on your existing one. It should be able to deal with blackout linings. I had mine serviced about 6 months ago. Cost about £60 and took over a week... probably not what you need to know - sorry. :(

confuddledDOTcom · 12/10/2014 13:43

I used to work in a soft furnishings studio and I think a, that's not enough money and b, you need to get an industrial, I won't make curtains on a domestic it's too much work. If it was just the sewing lengths on an industrial it wouldn't be too bad but cutting out and Hemming is another matter.

confuddledDOTcom · 12/10/2014 13:43

firesidechat · 13/10/2014 13:23

Well as someone who is currently making long and very wide curtains for free, I would say that £5 a drop would be lovely .

Seriously though, I think your problem could well be your sewing machine. I have a very sturdy and quite expensive Bernina and it can cope with anything, including blackout lining. You say yours is basic, which is fine, but is it a good quality one?

Original poster

GourmetGold · 13/10/2014 18:35

Thanks for the replies

ishouldcocoa I'm ashamed to say I've never had my sewing machine serviced, since it was bought me as a present 11 years ago! ...so that's a good idea for me to get that done!

I tried to talk about the pay, with it taking 45 mins to do a drop, but apparently I should be able to sew 2 drops together & hem them in half an hour..so I will just have to hope I speed up!

confuddledDOTcom & firesidechat
I do agree I don't think my machine is powerful enough It's a Janome 'One Step', one of the most basic machines, it has been fine for most sewing, even the heavy cotton lining seemed fine, but it really doesn't like this blackout lining.

TBH, if I was being paid more money I'd buy a new more powerful machine. I'd read about Bernina machines (particularly older ones from the 70s?) being excellent.

Which model of Bernina do you have firesidechat? Domestic rather than industrial would be better is possible, as I don't have much room to work in (I machine on work table with a bar stool, as v.small room). I looked on Ebay and even the very old Bernina machines were going for about £400!

OP posts:

Original poster

GourmetGold · 13/10/2014 18:38

forgot to ask confuddledDOTcom, how long do you think it took when you worked in curtain making to sew 2 drops (approx 230cm long), squaring the bottoms (pieces already cut off roll for me) and hemming? Thanks!

OP posts:

confuddledDOTcom · 13/10/2014 18:40

i have the 1970s Bernina. can't remember the number but it's the one that's supposed to be the best. my belt broke though and I'm struggling to find a replacement

it's a good machine though, I'd rather have my industrial but it's a good compromise.

confuddledDOTcom · 13/10/2014 18:44

it's been a few years and we were more of a production line. one drop would probably take a couple of minutes to go through, we have sewed the hems and I'm rubbish at hand sewing (at home it's "Daaaaad!" ) so that could take ages. it's difficult to put times on how long they should take because it depends on size and machine.

pluCaChange · 13/10/2014 18:57

Blackout lining is a fiendish material!

To be honest, I think you are in a rather vulnerable position here. She is underpaying you, AND she could also point out that mistakes in blackout lining leave "light-holes", so she could really go to town on any mistakes you make, docking your "wage" right and left.

Do this lot and then can her, and try to find another outlet for sewing. If your DCs' school has a "classified ads" newsletter, you may be able to get in lots of hemming, nametaping (sooo easy on a sewing machine, and really difficult for uniform thieves to unpick! ) which you can do easily on a basic machine, and which would give you confidence and a "name". Make basic "party bags" next time one of your DC has a party, and promote yourself. Sewing on buttons is even easier!

firesidechat · 14/10/2014 08:34

It's a Bernina activa 240. However it also cost about £800 new. I justified it to myself (and my husband) because I sew quite a lot at home and was sewing for a craft fair business at the time.

Original poster

GourmetGold · 14/10/2014 18:04

Thanks again for replies, the Bernina machines seem really great... so I bid on a 830 on Ebay and got it for about £200..appears to be in good condition, hopefully. So that should sort out the black out lining! (There's also a lovely looking 801...can see how people could end up with several!) I think this lining work will just be a short term thing.

Thanks pluCaChange for those ideas...I will definately look into those :)

After looking at all the old machines for sale on Ebay, I wondered about training to fix and service sewing machines.
In our area there seems to be only one guy doing this & I could also buy machines from car boots/charity shops, fix them and sell on...now I'm really keen on this idea and it would be good money, I've found a course too!

Thanks for everyones help

OP posts:

IDismyname · 14/10/2014 19:20

Well Good Luck, Gourmet - you might have just found yourself a better job.

Original poster

GourmetGold · 14/10/2014 23:20

Cheers cocoa am quite excited now

OP posts:

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 19/10/2014 13:40

That sounds like a great idea ??

RockinHippy · 28/10/2014 18:32

An older style, 60s/70s basic machine such as a Jones, Fristar etc, will deal with curtains fine, they are heavy & solid & won't bounce across a table.

It does sound like whatever your machine is, it needs a good sort out though, cleaning, oiling, setting the tension correctly & making sure you are using the correct needles, not ball point if it's for wovens & the correct size needle for fabric weight too.

£5 per lining is taking the pee though, she needs to be pay you more than that, but how much, will depend on where you are though.

RockinHippy · 28/10/2014 18:34

Just spotted your update - Bernina are lovely machines:)

Missunreasonable · 29/10/2014 23:42

I would happily sew a drop and hem for a fiver but I probably would be underselling myself and I love making curtains so I would be doing it partly to entertain myself (I know that I need to get a life). I would make the 'employer' provide the thread though as I have found that decent thread makes sewing soooo much easier but decent thread is very expensive. After many frustrating episodes of struggling with sewing machines and cheap thread I only use guttermann or duet thread now and sewing has become a real pleasure.

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