Home-based Needlework Businesses |
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In model stitching, a needleworker has an agreement with a designer or a shop owner to stitch new/current charts to be used in trunk shows, as models for the covers of pamphlets, to accompany magazine articles, or to hang in a shop. The agreements for payment for model stitching vary widely. Some designers have information about becoming a model stitcher available on their websites. Other designers will need to be contacted by e-mail, snail mail or phone to see if they have any openings for model stitchers. Many needleworkers become model stitchers for their local needlework shop (privately owned shops are more apt to hire, not chain stores). Payment is sometimes made in cash, sometimes made in exchange for fabric, fibers and charts, and sometimes made in store credit. Contracts must be worked out individually. From what I've heard, designers are looking for fast, accurate stitchers who can keep a secret. They do not want details of their designs to be known to the public before publication. Many designers prefer to have model stitchers that live close to the designer, simply for ease of contact.
This is another job where needleworkers would be working closely with a design firm or needlework distributor. If a designer will be selling their designs in the form of a kit (rather than leaflet or chartpack), they need reliable people to put these kits together. Contact the designers and distributors directly.
There are now many software packages available to turn photographs into counted thread charts. Some needleworkers have utilized this software to go into business. Custom charts are then made on a one-to-one basis with your customers. If you'd like to see the websites of some of these Photo-to-Chart businesses, visit the Photo-to-Chart page in the Gateway area of my site.
Needleworkers are now earning a living by selling used or out of print charts on the web via an auction website. One of the most successful of these sites is e-bay. Directions on how to set up auctions are available on the websites. I've heard that this type of selling works best if you have local shop owners working with you. Needleworkers can buy older charts from their local needlework shop, often at a discount. The needleworker then resells these charts on auction. This helps both parties in that the local needlework shop will not have old inventory taking up shelf space, and the needleworker has the potential for profit by reselling on an auction site.
In this instance, subscribers can place ads for charts wanted or charts they wish to sell. The needleworkers in this case, become publishers of a newsletter.
If you are the type of person that is good at organization, you may wish to sell your services by organizing other needleworker's stash for a fee. I'm not exactly sure how you would find your clients. Perhaps you could advertise in the newsletter put out by your local needlework guild. But you could work one-on-one with your clients to see how they wish to have their stash organized. This could include organizing charts, fibers, fabrics, beads, embellishments, etc. And the organization can take place physically (the actual materials) or on a computer using a database program.
If your needlework skills are good, you may wish to stitch for cash. Individual contracts would need to be sought where the customer can ask for a particular chart to be completed by a particular date. This can be a tricky business, though, if the contract is not clear! Be sure to specify things such as: 1. who will buy the initial materials 2. how the fee will be determined -- by the square inch, by the number of stitches, by the number of hours it takes to complete, etc. (For some guidelines on how to charge for stitching, look at my Tips & Techniques letter Pricing Stitched Items). 3. the exact date the project needs to be completed 4. who will do the cleaning, mounting and framing of the completed stitchery 5. who will keep the chart/leaflet and any leftover fibers, beads, etc. once the work is completed 6. what the penalties will be for you, the stitcher, if the piece is not completed on time. 7. etc. A specific, detailed contract will help consignment stitchers to think of this as a business, not as a "side job." And if everything is spelled out in a contract, there will be less chance of misunderstandings and hurt feelings at the end of the project. Be sure that you have examples of your work available so that your potential customers can evaluate your stitching abilities. Let them look carefully at the back of your work as well as the front!
Here's an interesting notion. Some people have a lot of projects in the works (UFOs = UnFinished Objects) and would like to see some of them completed before starting yet another project. But they just can't seem to get up the energy to get back to work on an "old" project. Maybe you can offer to finish these pieces for a fee. Then return it to the original stitcher. This is really another version of stitching on a consignment basis. And your services might be particularly useful for pieces that need a deadling, like round robins or a gift that needs to be completed for a friend, a wedding, etc.
Some towns do not have a local needlework shop, but do have a need for the materials. So an option is to open a shop within your own home. You would have to check for local ordinances that allow a business to be run out of your home. You would also need to learn about Tax ID numbers and business licenses and such. Most of the successful businesses on this type are also on the Web. A couple of note are:
This type of job is only for the most dedicated needleworker who also has the capability to become a webmaster. About.com "mines the web" for the best sites in any given field. At the time this letter was composed, About.com already has sites for Cross-stitch, Needlepoint, Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Quilting and Beadwork. But if you have a special knowledge of other needlecrafts such as Crewel Embroidery, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Brazilian Embroidery, Surface Embroidery, Hardanger, etc., you may be able to find a home on About.com. Details on how to apply to become a guide are available on their website.
Another possibility for needleworkers also related to the web is to become a webmaster for needlework shops or designers. Again, you must not only have a love of your craft and a thorough knowledge of the needlework business, but you must also know how to build advanced websites (with secure sockets layer [SSL]) and have a good sense of design for the Web.
To read another article about needlework as a business, check Martha Beth Lewis' website for The Business of Needlework
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