How much to charge?

[ArielCallista]

So I've been sewing for quite sometime, usually for myself and as gifts. Anytime I have charged for anything it was really easy to figure out how much to charge. For example, I make fleece hats that look like pokemon (and other various animated charcters occasionally) and those don't take much effort to make so its not a big deal. Usually $8-$15 depending on the number of colors, level of detail etc...

Well a friend of mine is getting married and wants me to make her dress. It a very different idea and due to her size it would be really hard for her to just go purchase. Its foundationally a corset and full tulle skirt. I'm making all of it myself, patterns will have to be edited a bit, and theres lots of fabric involved (corset with a lace overlay, lots of tulle and lots of trim type stuff ) She's bought most of the materials and the two of us together are going to be purchasing the rest together next week. So i'm just charging her for labor...

I've looked at how much places are selling simlar things, davids bridal, ebay, etsy, etc and have gotten a huge variety of prices...and that hasnt helped much...

Does anyone have any suggestions on figuring out how much to charge for labor? Or how much for this dress specifically...
I would like some kind of idea on how I should charge for things in the future since I have a halloween costume commission and i forsee having a few other commissions in the near future...

[Master James]

Well I would say that a good rule of thumb is probably about $20 per hour unless you want to cut her a break and then you might say $10 per hour I wouldn't go lower than that plus the cost of patterns and materials.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Do you have pictures?  I could then estimate what I's charge, if that would help...

[ArielCallista]

I don't...I have pics on my cellphone and thats it...andits highly modified from that

[Tink]

Like Master James said, choose your hourly rate, then keep track of how long it takes you.  You could give her a percentage off or something if you wanted to give her a deal

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

$10 an hour plus materials is a good start.

Seasoned Seamstresses charge $20-$35 an hour, plus materials.

[ArielCallista]

I really should pay attention to how long it takes to make things then shouldn't I...

[Tripletap]

"I really should pay attention to how long it takes to make things then shouldn't I..."

I have been thinking of that as well, I am gonna time my next few projects, at least then I will really be able to gauge how my learning is coming along.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Charging an hourly rate is all very well, but if you don't know how fast you sew, or how well, you can't charge a realistic rate.  Can you charge the same hourly rate as someone who sews twice the speed that you do and sews at a higher skill level?  I know how much I can do in a given time, and am realistic about my skill levels, so any gown I do I can quote a final price for.  If I sew it in less time, I win.  If I take longer because I don't take something into account, I lose, but I DO take it into account next time I make a gown similar, and make a more realistic quote for the next customer.    More skilled sewists with more experience in a particular field can charge more than the less skilled.  Be realistic about your skill levels.  Compare your work directly with those of other professionals and make your charges according to skill level and a realistic estimate of the time it will take.

And I charge more per hour for intricate hand work than for straight seams and machined hems.

People need to know what the final cost is for something like a wedding gown or a large fair project so that they can budget for it.  It's no good saying I'll charge you $20 and hour, but I have no idea how long it'll take to make.
 

[Butch]

I would start by at least charging the cost of materials for labor.

That is, if $100 was paid for the materials, then charge $100 for the labor.

Count all materials, whether you personally paid for them or not.  All fabric, trim, buttons, hooks, elastic, thread, etc.  Don't charge for any hardware you need during the project (additional needles, different presser foot, etc) as that should come from you.

Just my thoughts as a place to start.

Congratulations on the confidence of your friend to hire you for such an important occasion!  You must be much better than you let on!

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

It took me a while to figure out what to charge, realistically, for ensembles and single items. I also went on other sites to look at what is charged for Doublets, Paned slops, Bodices, Chemises, Hats, etc. I am in the within range  for the higher end garb, though more expensive than what is found on eBay.

For Example, the Pelican Portrait gown I am working on is a $3,500 commission for a good friend of mine who has wanted this particular gown for many years. At least $650 has been spent for materials and the rest for labor. I am building this ensemble from the undergarments out. So there are many pieces. I figured at least 125 to 150 hours at $20 an hour. My largest single commission to date. Luckily, I do not have to ship it outside of Minnesota. To have shipped this would have cost over $125 Parcel Post, plus Insurance and Delivery Conformation. More for UPS or Priority Mail.

One does need to guage how fast they sew, yet maintain quality. The type of garb being made, number of pieces, embellishments, etc., determines the overall price. A starting out ensemble would cost many hundreds less than a Middle Class,  Noble, or Royal  ensemble would.

[LadyStitch]

I agree with Lady Kathleen it can be difficult to price out per hour depending on what you are doing.  When I first started I charged by the hour at a rate that was suitable for my skill level, but I set a maximum hour limit.  One person said a good starting base would be the cost of the materials plus 10% in labor cost.  Ie shirt supplies cost $15, so 15+1.50= $16.50 labor.  =Total cost $31.50
That is a reasonable price for a good quality basic ren shirt, but it wouldn't work for hand beading a ball gown.
If I am doing custom pattern work for someone, if they want to keep the pattern I charge them a pattern fee of $10-25.  It pays for the time of me creating the pattern.  It's not a lot but it makes up for some of my time, and that I can no longer use that pattern for any future designs.

I was just asked if I would be willing to create for selling a few more of our "bad girls" outfits from my current show.  The supplies from them were maybe $40, but I would have to charge at least $100-125 for each dress.  Each has a lot of hand sewing for trim, and special care has to be taken when working with the materials. This price is in line with what RTW items would cost.

When I had my wedding dress done I went to a local seamstress as I was swamped with life, school, AND wedding.  She gave me a basic price list.  Of things that are typically done.  She charged $7 to cut out the pattern from the package. It took time away from sewing so she charged for it.  If you wanted a hand done hem vs a blind machine hem, she charged $7 an hour for that. I knew up front what my main charges would be, and she gave me a max cost of $500 for the dress. It actually came out of only $300 but it was a way for me to budget my money.