Need help/advice please

[PaisleyAngel]

Hi everyone! :)

I'm looking for some help and I hope some of you ladies will be able to help me out. :) I lost my job on Friday. :( It came totally out of the blue and I was not expecting it at all. After crying and crying and crying (and crying some more) :cry my husband concocted a little plan for me: Work on crocheting full time! :bounce It sounds like a great idea, but one that I'm sort of at a loss as to how to begin. :shrug

What do you make that sells?
Where do you sell it? Online? Craft fairs? Church fairs?
Do you need a web site?
Would a blog be a good thing to set up to promote my crocheting?
How much can you actually make?
Am I totally dreaming that I could actually do this?

I know I probably won't be able to do this full-time and make enough money. :( I am thinking of getting a part-time job as well. Either at an AC Moore or a Curves gym. I was thinking the ACM is a good idea because then I could get a discount on yarn, which I would then use for my other "job" of selling my crocheting. I'd also like to get into designing. I have come up with some simple patterns and I think if I just really apply myself I could come up with some more elaborate ones.

Can some of you that do crochet as a "job" contact me and let me know if you think this is really a viable option? My husband says this is an unexpected opportunity I should take advantage of. I'm just really worried. :worried Any advice you guys can give would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks so much, everyone. :grouphug

[Ambersafghans]

Oh I'm so sorry for you. That's got to be tough.

Accidently hit the reply button before I was done!

I'll go ahead and send an email to your inbox. I hope it works out for you!
Amber

[threeolivemartini]

Angel.. i fell into the same sort of situation myself.. however .. i dont have a husband to support me.. so you are lucky in that part .. I cant say what will or will not sell as each area of the country is different.. what i can tell you is that the things that have sold for me are things you cant get every where.. i sell ponchos .. shawls..hats .. scarves.. things of that sort.. but i do them with nice yarns and use unsual patterns so it doesnt look like any thing you can get in a store ..the nicer they yarn the more one is willing to pay for an item

my other word of advice to you .. do NOT sell your self short...i see too many people doing that..

at the moment i have a friend working on a site for me.. i cant wait to get it up and running .. however .. i have found myself staying busy just doing what i do here..

i set up at the farmers market here once a week .. and let me tell you i have been busy .. its a nice venue if you have one where you are.. the fees here are reasonable as i would think they would be anywhere.. and once a week gets you out of the house and into the public eye.. i make hand made tags for every thing i sell with my contact info in them so if any one has any questions or wants something custom they can get in touch .. word of mouth is your best advertiser.. this is a great time of year to get started..

if you go this route i would get some small business cards to hand out to people and of course wear your stuff as much as possible.. people will stop you and ask where you got it.. then you can hand them a card.. and let them know its what you do .. i have even sold the article i was wearing right off my back ...

I have to say this also.. do not expect to make bunches of money right off the bat.. you have to grow and promote your business.. but it can be quite profitable and lucritive once you make a name for yourself.. if you would like to talk more please email me in my EZbox..

[lilhatshack]

I'm so sorry to hear about your job loss. I've been at the same company for 10 years...its not what I went to school for and i'm ready to make a change as well. I can tell you this that I have a website on the side selling sock monkeys, yes - that's right - sock monkeys. I set up at the large OK craft show last year - and made quite a bit - but I think a real starter for me is that I had a unique item. You don't see alot of people selling sock monkeys. I handed out over 200 business cards magnets and got alot of orders for Christmas. Its just a one woman show - and the orders trickle in slowly. I've been selling some on ebay and also started selling my crochet on ebay. I just started a few months ago - i've sold every toddler poncho I put on (4) and sold a few hats and scarf and hats sets as well. I would love to craft and sell full-time - but can't, gotta pay that rent! I hope this is a blessing in disguise for you and its great you have such a positive influence in your husband! Good luck to you and if you have any questions about how I got my website going - please just let me know. thanks!

[antara]

I'm sorry to hear you lost your job! :hug Business cards are a good idea, maybe you could print some off your computer and hand them to family and friends. I advertise my Cafepress store by putting a link to it in the signature of my emails. If you do decide to start up a website, be sure to let us know, and I'll ask my family and friends to look at it. Good luck!

[Ambersafghans]

I print and cut my own cards. But they aren't always perfect. I'm going to look into gettings some proffesional cards. At some places, you get your first shipment free!
Amber

[threeolivemartini]

i do something fun and unique for my cards.. i print them on my computer on card stock .. then i cut them with the scissors that make edges for scrapbooks.. so no two are exactly alike and if they arent cut exactly straight it doesnt really matter.. i picked a niec font and edge them with the scissors .. very cost effective in my book but can be time consuming with the scissors.. i guess you have to decide what you really want .. because honestly business cards arent that expensive... i just like being different

[mishakitty78]

I'm sorry to hear about your job loss! The exact same thing happened to me in August! I lost mine after 4 years of hard work building a non-profit...the board voted to disband it and we were all let go.

As I'm in grad school, I was not in a hurry to jump out and get a new job. I decided to sell my artwork and some crochet where I can. I do ebay, mostly, although I don't know how long that will last. It seems to be a place that prefers low price items, and if you use nice yarn it's hard to price stuff to compete with cheap items. I'm starting to look into local boutiques and consignment stores. And I'd like to try craft shows, too.

Like you, I also got a part time job. This was great as it gives me something to do, makes me feel like I'm pulling my weight at least somewhat, and makes me look forward to crochet time - that way it doesn't feel like work! Sometimes it's hard to do something you love as a job, as you can get burnt out on it, but I find that with my pt job it's much easier.

Good luck!
Melissa

[threeolivemartini]

I am with you Melissa.. not a huge fan of ebay for nicer things.. as a matter of fact i DONT sell my crochet there.. i do other stuff but not that.. i also have a couple of arrangements with some boutiques in town on a consignment basis.. it works well too because there is no real over head .. they take a little of what my selling price is but the fee is worth the exposure for me..

[PaisleyAngel]

Hi everyone! I wanted to thank everyone for the great encouragement. :) I'm currently going through all the emails and posts and I'm going to sit down and think everything through. You guys are wonderful. :grouphug I already started a blog. Please visit and let me know what you think!!!! I'll write more later!! :grouphug

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

Oh no Hon I'm so sorry , the same thing happened to us at the beggining of the year. God bless you and your family :angel

I would think scarves and toys little gifty type things for people to give as gifts like baby stuff.
I'm crossing my fingers that things improve for you right away:fc !!

[SamplerLady]

Check local yarn stores to see if they need displays made. Generally the deal is they will supply the yarn, you the skill, and in 6 months it's yours to keep. Maybe they'll let you put your card on the display.

My daughter sells the jewelry she makes in the local bead and yarn store. One would think that people that make jewelry wouldn't buy it, but she sells lots of it there.

I have to echo the others. Don't sell yourself short. Charge a good price for your work. If you don't cover your costs plus make money, it will only frustrate you in the end.

As for at home, learn to make do and do without. It is suprising how much stuff we think we "need" because the advertising world tells us we do. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gif

[rebeccav]

well, i've never sold anything, so i can't really offer any advice on that.... but, what i might be able to help you with is home stuff. i just might be the most frugal person you 'know' (except for yarn:blush ). i am the money master (again, with the exception of the yarn thing:ohdear ).
i can teach you to be super-efficient in the kitchen and my hubby helps others with a course called Financial Peace University - it's by Dave Ramsey (http://www.daveramsey.com). it's a truly wonderful program - it is what helped us to become totally debt-free (with the exception of our house - which we will have paid off 15 years early<if we stay in it>). soooo... this is my offer to you (or anyone else) to send me a private email if you'd like :hug

[froggy]

Hi Danielle, Just visited your Blog and it looks like it is off to a wonderful start. I will certainly say a prayer for you and hubby.:grouphug

[threeolivemartini]

i am a big believer in Dave Ramsey as well .. he has some very sound and good advice.. I am one of those people who live Debt Free as welll .... its wonderful! and not trying to out do you Rebecca.. but my house is paid for as well ..

I tell you once i got on track i was a demon.. i had goals etc.. so really if you follow his course .. you may not even need a job..

[woolandflax]

I'm a SAHM currently but am trying to develop my own patterns to sell and crochted items to market as well. So my word of advice is stick to what you know and know well. How fast you can finish projects could be very important in how many orders you can accept at a time. Also find things to make that have a good profit margin. In other words make something that costs very little compared to how good it looks when finished. That way you feel good about charging a competitive price and still making a good profit at the same time. Oh and think about making up a few samples and giving them to friends who will wear/use them where others will see and might ask questions about where the item was purchased. Word of mouth is the best publicity, and it's practically free!! Good luck and you are blessed to have a husband who sees the value in your craft!! Let us know how things go so we can cheer you on!! :cheer2

~Rebecca~

[mythunderbird]

hi, i am soooo sorry to hear about your job, that sucks, is happening all over and no one seems to think anything of it do they? jerks:<> , have you thought about making things for a business like a pattern tester. i know that lion brands does that and am thinking that the other crochet mags probably do the same thing, you could check it out. somewhere on my vast amounts of e-mails i have saved, is a site that you can contact . will search for you as soon as i can, i am having to share 1 computer with 3 people as my laptop is sick:cry :cry :cry :cry , and i have to send it into the shop. thank goodness it is under warrenty:clap , but will find that as soon as i can. what i do is make my things and advertise them as i make them, like yesterday i had made some carebears after i was done with jordans and took them into the walgreens there as i pretty much know alot of people there as i have been a customer there for a while and know who have little ones , well yesterday i sold 2 of them and today another lady wants to see one. you can also make business cards on the computer with cards that are already sized, i bought mine at walmart at then print them up and cut them. again a little time consuming, but not tooo bad, in fact my son made his graduation announcments on the computer(they wanted almost 200.00 for the schools) and he made the little cards that go in them with that the business card paper. then when you see someone who asks about soemthing you have made, give them a card. i sold several purses that way, i had one lady come up to me at the store and ask me where i got my awesome purse(its a really cool red,white, and blue one) and i told her i made it and she goes oh rats, then i told her i made them and sold them, and she was liker eally, and handed her a business card, she called me that night and had me make her one. i hope that things will get better for you. can you collect unempoyment for a while. also the craft fairs should be happening and they ususally aren't toooo expensive. my hubby is like yours, he is always telling me i can do it if i got into it in a big way, and i'm like huhhhhhh??????? but he thinks i can do it so am building a web site too)or my son is!!!) hang in there. we are here for you:grouphug :hug : vicki:)h

[PaisleyAngel]

Hi everyone! I cannot thank you guys enough for all the encouragement, prayers and support you are all throwing my way. :grouphug You guys are the best! I am so glad I found you!!!! :yay

I have been going through all the emails and posts here and I made up a word document of everything. I'm going to print it out and have an "executive board meeting" with my husband tonight - after the baseball game of course! :lol

You guys have such great ideas!!!!! :) I've already gone on to Ebay to see what is selling there and I know of at least two consignment shops in my area that I could check out this week. One specializes in vintage clothing (from the window display at least) and maybe they would be interested in some stuff. My niece wears a scrunchie I made for her to school, maybe I can work something out where I make some for her soccer team for a small fee or something. A friend asked me to design a snowflake for her, and another woman contacted me to ask me to design a special potholder for her. I'm working on both of those this afternoon. If the potholder comes out right, I'm hoping I'll be able to market that to a magazine.

I could not even think about any of this if it weren't for hearing from you guys. :ty :ty :ty Knowing that my sweetie is all for this, and getting encouragement from you guys, is what's keeping me going!

:)h

[Ambersafghans]

Go Angel! Go go go!

Amber

[tepperleen]

Wanted to say how sorry I am as well. When one door closes.... Anyway, I just did my first craft's fair. I had a really great time and did fairly well. $315. Not too bad. I was so surprised at what sold and what didn't sell. The stuff that was priced a little bit higher sold better. Go figure. I had 4 women's ponchos and only sold 1. Had 2 baby ponchos and sold both. Do you know the song, gotta have a gimmick, from Gypsy? I think that's true. You need to set yourself apart from everyone else. I had cloches with flowers on them, and so did alot of other people. It didn't really pan out so great, but I make my flowers with a pin instead of sewing it on so that people can choose the color flower they want, or maybe buy an extra for different color, or maybe just buy the flower to wear as a pin. I would try to look at In Style and magazines like that so you can see what's hot, what colors are in etc. A friend of mine suggested making baby blankets in unbaby colors. She said she looked for one like crazy when she had hers and couldn't find it anywhere. Something like that, that makes you different. I saw a dog dress on another thread here. That's a riot. I also made a business card on my computer and attached it to every item with a piece of yarn. So everyone who bought something got a card. Best of luck to you.