31/08/2026
Please donāt be unkind to crafters, the little comments ie āI or my nan/mum could make thatā or āmy dog would love to play with thatā or the most common one āhow much?ā as they take a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth. How rude!!
Of course, I canāt speak for all crafters, my main one is knitting and crochet. Those who craft will know where Iām coming from, many who donāt, wonāt have a clue about the steps we go through to create something good enough to sell.
The time, the design, the patience, sourcing the materials and thatās before weāve even started making it, the love we put into every creation can never be repaid and will never make us into millionaires.
For example, Iām currently making a festival top (a commission) so I have time restraints which can cause underlying stress, āwill they like the finished articleā, āwill it fitā etc are all in the back of your mind whilst I spend hours, and I mean hours, and love, creating just one item. Letās not forget the pain I suffer too with being a long time victim to rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
To put it to you in plain English, Iād like to pay myself Ā£15 per hour, but realistically, thatās just a dream. If I charged you on an hourly rate, to be perfectly honest, you couldnāt afford it. ļæ¼
Look at all those granny squares, the process of making, then blocking and now the task of putting them all together to resemble a pretty top. I like to think Iām pretty reasonable on my prices and would only charge Ā£30 for this item, unless I was a named designer who could charge, and get, considerably more!
Letās do the maths, if I charged Ā£15 per hour to make this (about 12 hours) thatās Ā£180 plus the cost of materials, would you pay that for a little top? Even if there wouldnāt be another identical one to it in the world, each piece I make is unique, yet how many of you wouldnāt think twice about paying that if it had a well known label sewn in the back, even when there are several other identical tops on the rail, and risk wearing it with the possibility of seeing someone else wearing the same.
So as I said in the beginning, be kind to crafters, each thing is made with thought, patience and because we love what we do ā¤ļøā¤ļø
www.buzzbumblecrafts.co.uk
