Interesting times

I had a comment this week: "I didn't realise you were Scissor Sistas, I thought they were a professional company". On the face of it, I knew what my friend meant - "wow, you're Scissor Sistas" but it could also be taken as an insult - "I didn't think you could make stuff that good".

Hmm, the dilemma of crafting then raises it's ugly head. Hand made crafts don't always look like 'shop bought' items. Some aren't finished with great care but the majority have beautiful touches and are one of a kind. And with that comes a price tag that a lot of people think isn't worth paying.

My husband suggested I made some cushion covers to sell - there are too many beautifully made ones already so I won't be trying to compete but I compared the cost of hand made with shop bought. Not a great difference in price between a large department store price and a lot I have seen on Etsy, for example, but no comparison between the options & workmanship available between the two.

Economies of scale and a staff of hundreds (or more) are not within our grasp but we still need to make a living.

Unless a talented crafter themselves, our customers need to consider our time & effort as being worth a few extra pounds on what they would pay from a department store. While I was a student, my then-boyfriend-now-husband and I used to spend our food money on art. Not art that cost us thousands, or even hundreds, but art by local artists that we liked & would enjoy. Craft items are the same to me - you buy them because you love the item and want to use it/look at it and this in turn rewards the maker so they can make something else (or buy food).

So go and support your craft fairs, spend your money on something that no-one else will have. And feel smug about it!

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