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Anyone do piece work?

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wahm
894 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  sewchris2642 
#1 ·
I started sewing dresses for a designer - simple, little girl dresses...i get $10/dress plus i bill for any elastic or buttons i had to buy. Can i also bill for thread? I dont know what is protocol here - the designer told me to bill her or elastic or buttons - but didnt specifically say 'thread' - i guess i feel kind of cheap billing for thread - but seriously i am going thru the stuff pretty quickly!!
 
#2 ·
You want to make sure that things like thread are included in your hourly rate. The only time I've charged for thread is when it was decorative or had to be a specific color or type. $10 per dress seems really low, unless you can make at least one in an hour. You should be getting at least minimum wage.
 
#3 ·
How long does it take you to make one dress from start to finish? Have you ever timed it? Do you make one of a kind dresses or do you sew the same dress in a range of sizes? If you are to provide the thread and get reimbursed for the cost, buy the largest spool (or cone) of thread you can, get reimbursed and keep the thread for future dresses. Make sure that you get paid separately for reimbursements.

I get paid for piece work based on $10 an hour. By this time (I've worked for the same company for 14 years now), most of what I sew is based on how long it takes me to sew one. When the company adds a new garment to their line, I get the first few (usually 4-6) to see how long it takes to produce one. I sew all 6 up while keeping track of my time then divide by 6 to get the time for one. Then that is multiplied by $10 to get the pay rate per garment/item. Everything, including thread, elastic, buttons, labels, washing instructions, size tags, laces, ribbon, etc., is provided in bulk. I use cone thread in both my sewing machine and serger. I am required to keep certain colors on hand. If I run low, I tell the company and they provide it. Anything that I keep on hand to complete a garment is provided in bulk. If I run out before they can supply it, I buy what I need and submit the receipt for reimbursement. I use my own sewing machines and serger but the company provided me with a blind hemmer (they had an extra one and I needed one) and a commercial buttonhole machine. I do all the buttonholes on their garments. They have 2 other contract seamstresses and I do the buttonholes on the garments they sew as well as on the garments I sew. I can sew 200 buttonholes in an hour which would mean that each buttonholes pays me 5 cents. But since I'm not sewing that many buttonholes in the same color of thread, I get 7 cents per buttonhole to make up for the time it takes me to rethread the machine with a different color of thread.

I also keep receipts for business related purchases such as a window air conditioner for my sewing room, upkeep and repairs for my machines, extra bobbins (you can not have enough bobbins), and anything I use for my business that is not supplied by my contractor. I also do contract sewing for a bridal shop and do dressmaking for my own clients so I have sales books and general business supplies I can deduct as business items on our taxes.
 
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