Embroidery is a fantastic hobby, for many people it is incredibly soothing. However, after many years of embroidery as a hobby, you may find that the amount of finished projects you have accumulated is vast. This is when you should consider selling them.
I expect you have probably given a lot of your embroidery and other sewing work to friends and family as gifts for Birthdays and Christmas, but after a few years it’s nice to offer them something else. You could use the extra money you raise from selling your embroidery projects to fund your Christmas shopping.
When you decide to start selling your embroidery projects, you should first think about the usefulness of it. For example, you have a finished cross stitch piece but you have done nothing with it. For many people, this would not be an enticing project to buy, because although you have finished the embroidery side of it, they would not consider it to be finished. What you need to think about is how you can convert it in to a useful or decorative object. Could your embroidery piece become a cushion cover, the top of an ottoman, a wall hanging etc. Pieces of embroidery like this are much more likely to sell.
The type of embroidery you have completed may also effect the price, for example, a piece of completed cross stitch may not fetch as much as a completed piece of Assisi embroidery, as Assisi is often thought of as historic embroidery and cross stitch is considered to be very modern.
You will need to consider your selling venue, craft fairs are an excellent place to start, as you will get to meet other crafters and embroiderers who will guide you, offer you advice and often be a good inspiration for more of your embroidery work. You will often fetch a much higher price for your work at a craft fair than you will else where.
Another option that presents itself to most embroiderers is using online auctions such as ebay. This is simply because of the ease of use, there is no planning involved and you can list your items on when you have time. Although ebay has its benefits, you’ll be hard pressed to get a very good price on your item, so choose your venue carefully.
When you price your work there are a few things you should add in to the cost. Include the cost of materials, any postage costs if you order the materials via the Internet or mail order, any fuel if you had to collect your materials, work out your hourly rate and then calculate the number of hours that it too you to complete. Some people may advise you to multiply that number by 4, however it is up to you. Often a piece of embroidery can take months to finish, and multiplying the cost by 4 would make the finished piece out of many peoples price range, so choose wisely.
If you are still unsure there is a third option open to you, and that is getting someone else to sell your embroidery for you. If you are lucky enough to live in a tourist town you could approach gift shops to sell your embroidery projects, or if not, many craft shops have displays of finished wares. Often these shops will also help you with pricing and give you a guide. If you build up a good relationship with these shops you may find you get commissions for your embroidery which will earn you quite a bit of extra money.
Written by Laura Marsh. For more useful information on different types of embroidery visit http://www.simplyblackwork.com
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