How to Begin A Home Sewing Business

If you are skilled at sewing and enjoy it, you can use your machine to begin a business using your talent to design fabric provided by clients into finished products. You can use your sewing service to specialize in clothing, draperies, and toys or for tailoring and alterations. Training in sewing, tailoring, and design, as well as knowledge of fabrics is invaluable. Hand-sewing skills like embroidery, smocking, and beading will bring a more specialized clientele to your service. Ability to sew and read patterns is required.

Be sure that you are up to the task you have chosen for yourself. Your sewing skills must be excellent. If your work is less than superior, practice your technique, and stay abreast of all the newest methods as you decide what kind of sewing you want to do.

• Custom sewing for individual clients from patterns, although basic drafting skills will be useful in the event that your client wants a special alteration or finish for the garment.

• Custom design for individual clients, using patterns that you make. This type of business requires more skill than simple dressmaking, but offers you a wider market , including boutiques and other specialty outlets, for the clothing you design.

Remember that within these two types of sewing there are numerous specialties including:

• Sewing for weddings
• Sewing for the home
• Sewing crafts (like hats, bags, toys, etc.)
• Alterations

Your initial investment in this business can be less than $1,000 if you already own serviceable sewing machines and a serger for seam finishing. If you don't already have a machine, plan on spending anywhere from $100 to more than $5,000; it's okay to buy a well-conditioned second-hand machine, if necessary.

You will also need a good iron and a steamer, as well as pins, needles, both dressmaker and pinking shears, tailor's chalk, assorted threads, a full-length mirror, dress form, hangers, and other standard dressmaker/tailor tools.

Your earning potential will depend on the kind of work you choose to do. Check out your competition so that you don't price yourself out of the market, but be sure to pay yourself reasonably for the work that you do. Think of what it will cost you to do the job and use a written contract for costly and highly detailed projects.

Depending on the intricacy of your work and the amount of work you do, you may expect to earn between $20,000 and $35,000 or more, annually.

Research your market. This is where you will need to build a business plan. Are there other people in your area doing what you do? Do they do it as well or better than you? What can you do to make yourself more competitive? What kind of prices will the local market bear? Can you afford to be competitive? Where will you do your work? How safe is it? Do you need additional insurance to cover your business?

After you have answered these questions and determined that you can indeed support and operate this kind of business, you are ready to write your business plan and move forward.

Customers for this business are easily found by posting small notices in Laundromats and grocery stores, on college bulletin boards and newspapers, in the local shoppers news and with the local fabric stores that you already do business with, and by word of mouth. You might also want to invest in business cards and a simple website featuring attractive photos of your finished items will give prospective customers a glimpse of your talent and skills.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging