I sometimes get questions on what it's like to turn your hobby into a job and if it's hard to get the sales rolling, so I will try to answer those questions as best as I can.
As for switching from hobby to paid work, I do miss sewing for myself sometimes. Or technically I still sew for myself, but instead of just making one blouse I might make five or ten. Also since the Floremark range is limited to mostly knitwear I have found myself buying more clothes than usual. Like jeans and a winter jacket - things that I would normally make myself. I sometimes feel conflicted about that, being so used to making pretty much all my own clothes.
As for making sales, I would say it is pretty hard. On Etsy for instance there are some super successful sellers, but many many shops who has been there for years might still only have 5-10 sales. The good news is that sellers who put a lot of effort into every detail, from product concept to design to marketing to photos, still has a chance to make it in this overcrowded market place. I've seen clothes sellers who came after me and just took off like crazy after a few months. What they all have in common is a very strong niche and aesthetic and they are all probably doing an insane amount of work as well.
As for the the reward, for me it is that I really love working on new designs, tweaking concepts, fine tuning production techniques and interacting with customers. It makes me very stimulated, has enriched my life and boosted my confidence. I sometimes wish I could be that sort of person who didn't have big dreams and ambitions, I think it would have made my life easier. But I am not that person, never have been and probably never will.
Hoppas du är stolt, det är jag. Allt ditt jobb kommer att ge någon form av makalös utdelning i slutändan, det är jag säker på.
ReplyDeleteI love your designs, they are classic but in a modern and flattering way. I wish you would sell your patterns, as I like to sew my own clothes.
ReplyDeleteFredrik: Tack fina du :)
ReplyDeleteBeccA: That is something I have been thinking about a lot, but due to time restraints mostly, I'm not sure I will every find the time. But hopefully one day!
Have you ever thought of selling your patterns because I'd love to get my hands on some of yours so I can sew them for myself.
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When I did knitting samples for my yarn shop, I also felt like I was losing something which I really liked. I had been making all my own clothes since I was a young teen, and I really missed that. Small icky pockets, horrible fit, nasty quality... I'm not sure I ever want to live like that any more. The only way I could see stopping again would be to go blind, but even then it'd matter :-).
ReplyDeleteIt took me years to catch up when I stopped. If you have any sort of job, you can't just pop out a whole wardrobe in a month.
I second the request for patterns :-)..
B and Marie-Christine: Thank you for the pattern requests, I will keep considering it :)
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