If you enjoy sewing you might want to think about starting up a sewing service. As a doll maker and designer it can be time consuming to sew a bunch of doll bodies. The idea of having someone use my design templates and sew the bodies for me is appealing. That way it saves me a lot of time and I can go straight to stuffing the doll and finishing her features. You could offer to do "piece" work. Meaning charge by the piece. For example $2-$3 per doll body and once you gained a few clients it could be worth your while. Sewing would have to be something you enjoy and you'd have to not mind the repetition of doing some of the same doll bodies over and over again.

Another idea is for anyone that enjoys doing stitcheries. The one reason I don't offer stitchery patterns at the moment is I simply don't have the patience or time to sit down and actually do the stitchery. Now I can draw out the designs no problem but it's more time consuming to do the actual stitchery. I have in the past hired someone to take the design and create a stitchery for me. Then they took a great photo of it that I could use for the front cover of my patterns. I paid them a reasonable fee and PLUS they got to either keep the finished work or sell it. Their choice. A win-win situation. I had the picture I needed for my design as a finished product that I could use for my pattern cover and they got paid and could sell that finished item. That gal ended up going back to work full time so she can't do them anymore.

The same concept could be done for those that enjoy needlework like doing Needle Punch. The designer creates the design and you created the finished Needle Punch. Again, you would take a clear photo of the finished item and email it to the designer, who in turn would use it for their pattern cover picture. Also the designer in most cases would furnish the materials required in most cases, or you could add the cost into what you charge. I would imagine there are a lot of crafters that either sell online or off line that could use this kind of service. The gal that did the stitcheries for me was fantastic at it and a lot quicker than I would be. It was really neat to see my design come to life like that.

I know personally in the pattern designing business this kind of service would probably be a great asset for a designer. To be able to team up with someone talented in sewing, needlework, etc. That came to know the designers style and how they wanted the finished piece to look. Or in the case of just the doll bodies, how they liked them done. It could really work out to the benefit of both individuals. I'm not talking about outsourcing work like they do when sending things overseas to have a mass amount of finished products made.

This business would specifically be beneficial to designers who create their own pattern line. The difference would be you (your business) would create ONE of something so a picture of the item could be used as the front cover for that designers pattern. An seasoned designer would have enough experience to know the steps required to write instructions for sewing the doll body, as most are very similar in the way they are sewn together. So something to think about and perhaps this will help someone that is trying to find the right niche for them to start a business in the crafting world.

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Marketing Manager:
Pattern Mart, LLC.
http://www.patternmart.com

Talena Bacon is a doll maker, pattern designer and also marketing manager for Patternmart and IPMPRO, LLC.

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