FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
For embroidery jobs I have a one-time set up fee. Chest logos, monograms, names on towels/bags and the like are $5 each. For custom sewing projects it's dificult to quote until you get into the project so I normally charge $10 per hour for those; if the customer provides materials. I charge three times the cost of materials if I have to do the shopping.T.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I attend the SewExpo in Puyallup, WA almost every year to take mini-classes in everything from fitting patterns to embroidering straight borders. I purchase, and actually read, many books on fashion/sewing/projects, I am a member of American Sewing Guild and learn more from them. I am also a member of National Network of Embroidery Professionals and have great support from this professional group.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I've always loved the whole creative process of sewing, well except for cutting out patterns. As a 'chubby' kid most of my clothes were home-made and I absorbed a lot. The mandatory home ec classes in junior high taught me more and I began making my own garments shortly after those. My birthday one year saw an embroidery machine dropped at my doorstep and as soon as my friends found out, I was in business. I've spent nearly years perfecting techniques in machine embroidery and a friend and I decided about a year and a half ago to open a sewing cafe. The rest, as they say, is history.