Why are my prices so expensive?
I'm so glad you asked! As my infographic over yonder demonstrates, handmade clothing is not cheap, and for good reason. While the current minimum wage where I'm working is $7.25 an hour, I'm going to pay myself much more. I believe that $7.25 per hour is an absolutely absurd number for a human to live off of and this is my store so I decide the rules. It takes me about four hours to whip together a shirt and just a little less for pants. All other projects will take 5 hours or more.
In case you're curious why, this is because I have made the same shirt and pants patterns multiple times, and have gotten very good at sewing them. Other projects take longer since I don't have every step memorized. There is a large process to sewing where the pattern must be printed or designed (which involves math) and is then assembled/cut out. Next, I select and cut out fabric, before ironing each piece. When I finally get to sewing the pieces together, I must also serge each seam so that the garment stands the test of time.
Alongside this process, there is the price of materials. Fabric is, on average, $10 a yard. For nice fabric it is easily $20 - $30 a yard. Smaller sizes generally only require 2 yards, but larger sizes often require 3 or more. In this infographic I haven't even taken into account the costs of thread or replacement needles.
So, next time you're confused about my, or another textile artist's, high prices, now you know!
