No exaggeration. I started at around 8:15 a.m. and stopped at 5 p.m. I took a few small breaks along the way (to change over my laundry and at one point to eat and pee breaks) but mostly all I did was sew (and stuff--oh the stuffing!).
What did I get accomplished?
Great progress, yes, but nothing FINISHED.
So frustrating. Mostly because I suck at estimating how long it takes to do things. I stupidly thought "oh, I'll get all three completely done today". Oh, how wrong I was. They still need faces (ears, eyes, nostrils) and bibs. I did get the bib fabric picked out (ooh, such a hard step!) and I do have an ear template (which makes my life so much simpler) so hopefully tonight I can at least get all the faces done. I'm going to really work to get them all completely done so I can hopefully get them out of my life by the end of the week.
That sounded harsh. I don't hate these monkeys or anything but they are just reinforcing what I already know.
I could never make a living selling my crafty stuff.
NEVER.
I sewed steadily (as if it were my job) all day and didn't actually finish anything. So for 8-ish hours of work I earned zero dollars. Yes, I could have done each monkey start to finish (and not assembly line style) but even then I may have gotten only 1 completely done in 8-ish hours time. I'm charging $35 each for these monkeys. So for 8 hours of my time I would have made $35. That's not even minimum wage!
I guess if I really did want to make something close to a "living" from these I'd be forced to up the price. These extra-large sized (with one accessory--I'm giving them bibs since they are gifts for babies) I'd have to charge at least $50. Fifty dollars for a sock monkey! That's so laughable I might just pee myself.
No one in their right mind would ever pay that for a sock monkey. Hell, I don't think they SHOULD pay that for a sock monkey. Sock monkeys are simple dolls that folks should learn to make themselves, not pay for.
I priced these ones so low because I just felt like making them. That's pretty much how I do all my commissioned stuff. If it interests me I'll do it. Then I charge based on my relationship to the buyer (in this case it's a co-worker who's really nice and doesn't try to take advantage after the fact, asking for extras and such--and he's a good customer--commissioned SIX monkeys total). So $35 each sounded very fair to me. A little more than a cheapo chinese made sock monkey from Wal-Mart but not laughably priced (considering how simple a craft they are).
To all my other co-workers who see stuff I make and say I should quit my job and make stuff for a living I say:
GET REAL!
So don't expect to see an etsy store from me any time soon. I don't have the ambition to hustle all the time (which is what you need to do to make an etsy store profitable) and I don't have the heart to charge a fair price for my skills. That's sad to say but it's true.
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