Friday, January 11, 2013

What price your labour?

I spent much of yesterday making sheets and pillowcases. Really, it would be more sensible to just buy sheets and pillowcases. I asked the lady in the material shop whether it was worth one's while to make sheets. She said, 'It is if you make them yourself, but not if you pay someone to make them'. Which means, in effect, that I am belittling my own time and energy. Oh well, it was an easy job, and these sheets are better quality than the ones I bought a few weeks ago. Which reminds me: I was briefly tempted by Egyptian cotton sheeting, but it was very expensive. There's quality, and then there's extravagance!

7 comments:

  1. I agree with what the lady in the material shop said! When someone asks me to make something, I usually smile and say, "You probably can't afford to pay what I'm worth."

    Years ago, someone asked my mom to crochet a wedding dress for her daughter. Mom calculated the cost based on minimum wage. The wedding dress was never made!

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  2. I think it's difficult to price most handmade things. When I sew bags or whatever, the time spent doing the cutting, sewing, finding the right fabric, etc., doesn't come close to what would be a reasonable price to charge. And tatting takes me so long that I couldn't possibly charge enough to make it worth selling in most cases! We could be rich if we could find buyers, but I find I give handmade as a special gift only to those who appreciate it rather than even try to sell it :)

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  3. It has always saddened me that handwork does not get the respect it deserves. Neither do the crafts that men tend to do.

    But, on the upside, you can make things for yourself that will be better than what could be bought (if you can find good materials). I have not found good fabric in a long time. I am envious.

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    1. You're right, there's a difference between making for yourself and making for sale, and I'm happy with my sheets!

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  4. Lovely rich colour. Have you ever made a duvet cover?

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    1. No, we prefer blankets. I have blankets in handspun, handwoven wool on my bed.

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