Do you like to do custom work?

I was just wondering of all you sew-cool mamas and papas, whether or not you enjoy custom work?

Personally, it's my favorite thing to do. It took a lot of work to get a good system down to get measurements, etc. right, but it's just so fun! For me, I think 1) knowing that it's sold already, and 2) feeling somewhat like I have a "fan club" - people who've seen my stuff and just can't wait to have something especially for them really adds to it.

I advertise on my website that "I love a challenge", and I love that my customers take that to heart. Seems like every custom order I get starts out with "well what I've always wanted to see..." and ends with "just go crazy, do your thing!" Higher-end stuff is epecially fun, when I can just have fun brainstorming for a couple of days.

I haven't ever had a problem (knock on wood) with unsatisfied custom-customers. Maybe because since I know it's already sold/paid for, I put that much extra into it. Dunno, but everyone seems happy with their piece in the end!

So what do you wonderful crafters think of custom work?

 

it always seemed to take the fun out of it when I *had* to get it done because someone had already paid me for it and wanted things to be a certain way. That's why I stopped selling my babyslings (my attempts at clothing are not marketable - LOL). Everyone wanted me to make them one like so-and-so has, rather than just buying one I already made. I had much more fun making lots of them at a time, without any special instructions on what color or design or fabric or whatever and with no time constraints!

 

i love doing custom work... i enjoy the challenge when someone comes to me with an idea, and I have to come up with a way to make it possiable.

I hate doing custom work when you spend hours on something for someone and then they turn around and cancel the order. Or, you send out the work and never recieve the agreed upon payment. This also goes for "trades".. you send out your item in good faith only to have the "trade" never appear. Amazing how many things seem to get "lost in the mail".

So.. now I only do work for people I know... no internet custom work. If I know where you live and can hunt you down for the money I am owed, then I will do it.

 

Yeah, I never ship until paid. And with and bigger order (say, over $50) I ask for 50% before I start to work. It's true that returns end up as stock, but it's hard to make premade high-end items, because fewer people are looking to spend that much, so it ends up sitting around for a long tie until I finally break down and way undersell myself.

 

LOL - well, that's the other reason I no longer sell my slings. I would end up with a pile of them, and either give them away or sell them for way less than they are worth because they would sit around too long. But I guess my biggest problem with custom work is that I have this problem following directions, and it bugs me when I have to do something a certain way instead of just going with what I feel in the moment or what the fabric is telling me to do to it. Even moreso with tiedye for me, it's just not much fun for me when I'm given instructions. Now, making an item for a person I know rather well, who has left it entirely up to me what to do, that's fun.

 

I find custom orders are great for sewing block. I rarely advertise that I do customs but whenever I have a block and can't get inspired I find customs are the cure. I can focus on what the client wants. Usually after I finish the custom order my sewers block is gone and I have a ton of new ideas.


On the downside I just made a pair of custom pants and though they came out awesome and were exactly what he wanted- sadly I made them too small- lol. No biggie I can just stitch up a new pair and these will go into my stock or be sold on ebay. I felt pretty silly though, oh well practice makes perfect

 

Cool pants! lol, same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. I made them just *slightly* to skinny for a really skinny dude and ended up with them for a long time before they found their owner. The sewers block comment, though, is right on. I just started sewing today on the order that made me think to post this to begin with, and I'm having so much fun! Nothing makes me stretch and try new things the way custom work does. I can't wait till I'm finished, so I can post a pic for all to see!

 

well I don't sew but I do enjoy knitting for someone on request... I've had people find a pattern, buy the yarn, and gotten me to knit it up for them. I've never minded up until now, it's always been relatively small projects, which lead to great ideas for my own gifts for others...

 

i like stocking up because if someone doesn't go through with buying it then i will just wear it. my waist is exactly average, so that makes it a little better.

 

*snicker snicker* haha i adore you woman!!

As for me..I am divided on the subject..i sometimes dont mind and other times i find it complete drudgery..the worst is when someone wants you to make something thats not really something you wanna make..
I absolutely hate when someone has paid and i dont wanna make it..then i feel stuck...meh..
but mostly im a whore for the cash sometimes so i usually dont mind..if i dont wanna do it i will just say so..

 

Hi evryone, I'm new...
YEs custom sewing is fun! I haven't actually sewed things to sell in a long time because I have small humans and some high maintanance orchids. I t's cool when I am stumped for a creative idea and still want to sew something! two years ago in Arcaty I had so much fun sewing little kids clothes in december, I put up fliers and my friend who's a streetvendor helped me get the word out. It was cool, the people would call and tell me what they were looking for! It's a neat way to meet people too and you can get the idea of what to make to sell if your gonna go out and sell stuff.

 

I'm getting to the point where I am not wanting to do any more custom work. People are driving me nuts with their demands.

 

I like doing custom work. It pays the bills.

 

I like custom work for some items ~That I have a pattern for. Alot of times I don't use a pattern, so each piece is different, it would fit a smaller body different than it would a larger etc. So Its a bit harder to get that to fit without actually having the person in front of me.

*However* I make custom things for friends alot and they aways come out wonderful because I can just ask them to come over and try the dress on before I get to stitching it for good. Plus they can see the colors in person (everyones computer is different and pics don't always come out in the actual colors of the garment) Since I do a bit of dying, the color is very important, and browns often look like pinks on my computer.

So Do I like custom work? For certain things with a solid pattern, Yes

If I made an outfit to be unique, well, thats it, thats why its art for me, sometimes the fabric wants to be something else other than what I'm trying to make, and if I try and force it into a shell where it doesnt want to be , well then its gonna come out looking like that. So in those cases, No.

 

I've never done custom work, but I wouldn't want to because I'd be frustrated in getting it exactly perfect (measurements, style, ets).

 

I have a custom order that I finished up about two months ago..... horror...horror..... absolute horror! I think I am going to stick to premades from now on. I like making what I want. Is that selfish? lol

 

I hate customs, I'd rather make stuff I know anyone will want, not just something that one person wants, plus, it takes the creativity out of it all