Sewing for the season

If you need ideas for items to make think of the season or months ahead. For example in November you could be making and selling Christmas decorations, table cloths, stockings and towels all with a Christmas theme. In December think of Super Bowl items, football and winter items. In January think of Valentines Day, more winter items and the beginning of spring.

You get the idea. Also think of niche items such as dog coats, skiing clothes, wedding favors and other non-mainstream sewn items. Things that you can't find in your local store is what will sell for you.

Free pattern - cat bed

A fish cat bed. Free pattern and instructions can be found here

edited to add:
Above is my original blog post. If you read my comments you will find that the pattern is no longer free. Thanks to an alert reader. I am dismayed over the fact that websites will put up a free sewing pattern only to lead people in. The above pattern was complete and free for such a long time and then taken down only to reappear as instructions for a Simplicity pattern. I wonder if the original free pattern was indeed a bought pattern and someone copied to the Internet. That would explain the removal of the original free pattern. One can only wonder why it happened.

Establish a return policy for your sewing business

If you sell your items online you will need a return policy in place. My return policy is mentioned on all of my eBay listings as well as on my small website. It is simple but effective, it reads:

Return policy is as follows: Contact us (via email) within 3 days after receiving your item to file a return. You will receive a return conformation number from us after your return file has been approved. You are responsible for return shipping costs. NO item will be accepted without a return conformation number. All items must be returned in an UN-USED condition. You will receive a refund via PayPal for the cost of the item minus (-) original shipping costs and a 15% re-stocking charge.

I also print that statement on the back of my packing lists.

If you do not wish to have any item returned than simply state "all sales are final - no returns or refunds"

Having a return or no return policy in place saves on headaches later.

Fleece the "perfect" fabric

First let me define what I mean by the word "fleece", I do not mean the type of fabric that is also used to make sweat pants and tops, I do mean the type of thick warm fabric that makes great blankets and scarves. It is unique in that once cut it does not unravel and thus does not need to be hemmed.

Why did I call it the perfect fabric? Simple, you can cut it to the shape you need and you don't have to hem it or re-enforce the seams. That saves time, thus saving you money. Buy fleece when it is on sale in bulk and you can't go wrong. Here is a list of some simple items you can make with fleece fabric, many of them you don't even have to sew, just cut.

1. blankets
2. throw pillows
3. scarves
4. bags
5. dog sweaters
6. beanie type hats
7. headbands

Sewing machine maintenance and repair

We all know the importance of sewing machine maintenance. Without our sewing machine running in top form we will be out of business - fast. Most of us need to learn maintenance of our sewing machines, those that don't learn obviously have enough money to have someone else do it for them. There is a great book that teaches you extensive sewing machine maintenance and repair. It even goes on to show you how to become a sewing machine repair person. Now that might lead into a whole other business! Here is the link to the book "How to repair your sewing machine"

Finding the right place to sell your items online

Below is a link to a great in depth article on the many different places to sell your sewn articles online. Some are free to list others charge a fee.

Selling your stuff online

Which is more important making the right item or finding a way to sell it?

Both are important but making the right item is by far more than half the battle. Selling something is an art form in of itself. Remember the pet rock? That was a advertising campaign that would make any company envious. More recent is the chia pet that shows up every time at Christmas. Both of them are novelty items that sold well because of their advertising campaigns. They were both very successful but how much did it cost for the advertising?

If you have a great but unique sewn article to begin with then you won't have to advertise it as hard as the pet rock. Put your effort into the item first and then into advertising. The item will sell itself to your customer - if it is a good design and very well made.

Learn to tailor clothes for extra cash

If you can tailor fit clothes you can make a decent living at taking in a letting out wedding gowns. Performing that service will keep you in business for years to come. If you don't know how to do it you can always learn. I have found an online course that you can take at your own pace to teach you the art of fitting and sewing clothes. It is called Sewing and Fitting Course eBooks. The site also has lots of useful links to other sewing sites.

Don't let the lack of an expensive sewing machine hold you back I starting my own sewing business with a $139 Brother Sewing machine.

Free embroidery patterns

I know it is a little too late to post items that are related to Christmas related but I came across an article that has several links to free machine embroidery patterns. If you need to have some items personalized, machine embroidery might be the answer for you.

Free stitching patterns for personalized Christmas stockings

Do you need a professional sewing machine to make money?

The answer to that loaded question is no. You will need a sewing machine that is dependable and does not breakdown or has constant problems with tread tension or breaking needles. Your sewing machine can be 100 years old as long as it is dependable for what you are requiring of it. In fact many of the older machines that were made prior to the 1970's were more heavy duty than the later models. You can expect those older machines to sew leather, upholstery fabric and many layers of jean materials. Any sewing machine can be used to start your sewing business as long as it is a dependable machine. I started out with an older Brother machine that I still use. It is still dependable as my back-up machine should my newer sewing machine need to go in for a tune up.

Pfaff sewing company is now 145 years old