Mobile Menu

  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Home Jobs by MOM

Insights. Ideas. Improvements.

  • Lifestyle Insights
  • Business Ideas
  • Improving Family Life
  • Contact
  • Search
11 Tips for Starting Your Own Sewing Business

11 Tips for Starting Your Own Sewing Business

You are here: Home / Business / Starting a Business / 11 Tips for Starting Your Own Sewing Business

February 19, 2021 //  by Home Jobs By Mom//  4 Comments

Note: This article contains affiliate links (hyperlinks, widgets, or through images), which means I receive compensation if you purchase a product through them. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers. Visit my disclosure page for more information.



Tweet
Pin8
Share
Share

11 Tips for Starting Your Own Sewing Business

It’s always satisfying to create your own garment from scratch or repair a damaged garment, so it looks as good as new. If you have sewing skills and you enjoy various sewing activities, you don’t need to pursue it as only your hobby. In fact, you can start a sewing business with your expertise and skill. You can transform your sewing hobby into a great career.

A sewing business has minimal startup costs, and you can even start by launching your own business as a part-time job. Once you have more sewing projects, you can also consider outsourcing them. You can find out more info here if you want to avail of these kinds of services.

If you don’t know where to get started, below are some of the tips on how you can create your own sewing business:

Starting a business with a craft is different from working on it as a hobby. Keep reading to learn about starting and running a successful sewing business from home! Click To Tweet

Prepare Your Business Plan

The plan must start with analyzing your local market and similar services in your area. Then, describe and list the kinds of services you want to offer your target audience.

Your business plan must include your project startups costs, such as shop rental, sewing machines, computer equipment and software, patterns, and thread. Then, don’t forget your marketing plan so you can get the word out.

Have Enough Space for Your Work

If you want to create a workspace in your home so you can work from home while operating your sewing business, contact home zoning or your local small business administration office to ask about the rules regarding home-based businesses. This is because several regions don’t permit business owners to meet with clients in the residential areas.

Setting aside an area or room of your home that you use strictly for the business not only helps you keep your sewing supplies organized but also has tax benefits. Talk to your tax preparer or account about the possible deductions for your home office space.

Another option is to rent a commercial space for your business. You may find an office in a co-working space, or you might rent a commercial property.

Determine Your Target Market

The target market of your sewing business will depend on your specialty.

Some potential target markets include clothing designers who require sample garments made, entrepreneurs who want to outsource some manufacturing, consumers who want to buy handmade goods or garments, and home sewers who would like to learn more about sewing and want to take classes.

Have the Necessary Tools for Your Sewing Business


You won’t be able to operate your sewing business if you don’t have the right tools and equipment. Although you don’t need to have every piece of equipment possible, below are some of the essential and necessary tools you’ll need:

  • Quality Sewing Machine: You’ll need a sewing machine. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. All you need is a basic one that will serve as a good workhorse. If possible, stay away from the computerized models and purchase a mechanical model with internal metal frames.

  • Serger Machine: It’ll help you add any finishing touches to your sewing projects and a real professional look.

  • Pins and Needles: These are crucial for sewing businesses. Without these, you can’t fix or create much with your sewing projects.

  • Measuring Devices: These may include gauges, rulers, and tapes necessary to provide fitted and tailored clothes.

  • Ironing Board and Iron: These are essential to keep the seams flat on whatever you sew.

  • Mannequins: You’ll need dummies to display your creations. If you’re sewing ready-to-wear clothing, get fixed mannequins to photograph samples.

Of course, there are other pieces of equipment you may want to have around depending on the kind of work you specialize in, along with necessary fabric and thread, but these should be a good basis for getting your business started.

Know Where to Sell

When starting your sewing business, it’s crucial to know where to sell. Getting a website started might seem like a daunting task, but many website templates are available to try. So, consider searching for a marketplace with loads of traffic and understand how it works.

You should not also forget about checking out the local markets or craft fairs. These are the best places to sell your ready-to-wear collections and get customer feedback at the same time.

Don’t Hesitate to Seek Advice

Before opening your sewing business, it’s a great idea to talk with some sewing business owners to get a big picture of the market. Don’t look for this kind of information from your local competitors as they might not help you.

If possible, check out online sewing communities or reach out to sewing business owners from different areas and willing to share information with newcomers like you.

Evaluate Your Competition

Before you open your sewing business, it’s critical to know how your store would fit into the competitive landscape.

You must start by researching your competitors and create a plan on how you’ll compete with such businesses. If you fail to test the market correctly and see your real competition, you can’t expect to be successful since you have nothing to gauge pricing.

Pick Your Specialty

There are many sewing specialties you can choose from. What you want to sew may depend on the equipment you’re starting with and whether you’re working by yourself or with somebody else.

Some of the specialties you may focus on are as follows:

Repairing and Alteration

It’s the most basic, but such services are high in demand. Almost everybody has something that needs repairing or alteration over time. A good percentage of garments need alterations even when purchased brand new as retail garments are sold in fixed sizes that frequently don’t perfectly flatter every figure or may fit one dimension but not another.

Most people would love to have a tailor who can fix their clothes to their needs. It’s a type of sewing business in which you may charge high per hour. However, bear in mind that clothes alteration requires you to be versatile with lots of things, from working with various stitches and fabrics and darning to re-fitting.

Custom Sewing

You can make dresses and clothes based on customer specifications. You can decide the type of clothes you like to specialize in. There’s also casual wear, dresses, formal wear, and so on. Just make sure to keep in touch with the trends, current styles and make garments with excellent finishing.

If you’re good with customizing, this specialty is perfect for you. The only thing you should do is never stop being creative and innovative.

Designing

You can make your own designer line. If you have a flair for creative ideas, it can be a satisfying kind of sewing business.

Bridal Sewing

Another specialty you can consider for your sewing business is bridal sewing. Since a wedding is an important occasion, brides-to-be prefer customization. A bridal sewing business can be profitable because many bridal dresses are either custom-made or tailored to fit, which means you can go for a higher price. But, make sure to practice how to do bridal gowns with the right fit and pay attention to your client’s unique needs for them to experience the highest possible level of satisfaction from your business.

These are only a few of the options you could focus on for your business, or you could choose to do a bit of everything if that interested you and fits your business model.

Never Neglect the Paperwork

You wouldn’t want your business to be shut down just because you forgot about taking care of your paperwork on time. To avoid this, hire a lawyer or a legal adviser and have them help you take care of all the licenses and permits necessary to run your sewing business.

It’s also wise to find an accountant to take care of your business taxes and some financial responsibilities. Plus, it’s beneficial to buy business insurance—since you never know what might happen, it’s best to ensure that your business will stay up and running regardless of what circumstances may come your way.

Price Your Work Properly

Pricing is an essential aspect of any business—your profits depend on how much you sell your products or services for. The better your profit margin, the better your take-home income.

You only have to look at the competition and market carefully to gauge your rates. With this, you’ll avoid marking your services or products too high. However, don’t be tempted to underprice your services to make yourself seem more competitive—you should value your time and labor, as well as the price of materials, appropriately so that your prices reflect your quality of work.

If you’re running a custom sewing shop, have a journal to jot down the time you’ve spent on an individual project and other things necessary to complete it. With your journal, it won’t only help you stay organized, but you’ll also determine what you’ll charge for your sewing consultation, sewing time, skill sets, materials, and design knowledge.

Advertise to Reach Out to Your Potential Clients

When it comes to promoting your sewing business, there are various ways to do it. Social media contacts, family, and friends are the best place to start. Even if you think they don’t plan to use your services, they might have family members or friends who require custom alterations or sewing.

Display flyers in the dry cleaners, dry cleaners, local dress shops, wedding shops, and some local businesses. You can reach out to more local TV and print reporters to feature your business and show how unique your offerings are.

Also, don’t forget about your online resources. You can use social media services like Twitter and Facebook as your outreach tools to offer some special deals. Just ensure to include quality photos, information about sewing services, customer testimonials, and so on in your promotions.

Conclusion

Running your own sewing business, whether you’re home-based or operating a brick-and-mortar shop, takes a lot of forethought and organization—but it doesn’t have to be complicated. With the tips above, you can be assured that you’ll stay on the right path to achieve success in no time.

Do you have any sewing skills?

Home Jobs By Mom

Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.

Tweet
Pin8
Share
Share


Get the latest scoop on lifestyle + business tips, blogger opps, & giveaways to enter below!

* indicates required



Opt-In

Blogger Opps

Email Format

Powered by MailChimp

Home Jobs by Mom will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at krystle@homejobsbymom.com. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices here.


Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

What are the Different Types of Profitability Ratios Businesses Should Track_

Profitability Ratios Businesses Should Track

Have Blog, Need Life_ How to Be Successful Without Letting It Take Over

Have Blog, Need Life: How to Be Successful Without Letting It Take Over

video editing

How to Choose the Best Video Editing Software

working at beach

How to Take Advantage of Working Remotely this Summer

craft birthday gifts

5 Awesome Money-Making Ideas for Moms

How To Start Your Floral Business From Home

How To Start Your Floral Business From Home

Home-based Cryptocurrency Trading for Beginners

Home-based Cryptocurrency Trading for Beginners

A Recent Spread of Ransomware Throughout Texas

Creating a Workspace That Will (Almost) Make You Want to Work

eCommerce Growth 101_ How to Make Money Online as a Stay at Home Parent

eCommerce Growth 101: How to Make Money Online as a Stay at Home Parent

personal finances

The Importance of Financial Planning in the Gig Economy

Struggling to Stay Organized_ 4 Hacks for a Chaos-Free Home Office

Struggling to Stay Organized? 4 Hacks for a Chaos-Free Home Office

planner

10 Sunday Tasks to Get Ready for the Upcoming Week

Previous Post: «Have Blog, Need Life_ How to Be Successful Without Letting It Take Over Have Blog, Need Life: How to Be Successful Without Letting It Take Over
Next Post: @ClearlyFiltered Water Pitcher Giveaway (Ends 3/10) @las930 Clearly-Filtered-Filtered-Water-Pitcher-Giveaway»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. megan allen

    February 20, 2021 at 9:37 am

    I love to sew and my daughter is learning! Thank you for sharing these tips!

    Reply
    • Home Jobs By Mom

      February 26, 2021 at 4:51 pm

      What kinds of things do you sew?

      Reply
  2. ANGELA PRINGLE

    February 20, 2021 at 12:37 pm

    LOVE IT!!

    Reply
    • Home Jobs By Mom

      February 22, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Do you enjoy sewing?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Get a look into a mom's inkling into this crazy thing called life.
Read More…

Giveaways to Enter

Game Day Score Boards
.
Game-Day-Score-Boards-Giveaway-800x80017 Days Left
Aveline Beauty Bundle
.
Aveline-Beauty-Bundle-Giveaway-800x80018 Days Left
winning moves games prize pack
.
Winning-Moves-Spring-Fun-Giveaway-800x80016 Days Left
Snocca Nails
.
Snocca-Nails-Giveaway-800x80015 Days Left
Ambush Mosquito Trap ($150 RV) PLUS a 6 Pack Of Lures
.
SMGN-2021SpringGiftGuide-AmbushMosquitoTrap-Giveawaysmallerversion30 Days Left
any size and color set of PeachSkinSheets
.
SMGN-SpringGiftGuide2021-PSS-smallerversionGIVEAWAY30 Days Left
Choice of DaVici Wood Puzzle
.
DaVici-Wood-Puzzles-Giveaway-800x80014 Days Left
Nooie Outdoor Security Camera
.
Nooie Outdoor Camera29 Days Left
$50 Amazon Gift Code
.
amazon cash giveaway29 Days Left
20-ounce bottle of Naked Collagen
.
SMGN-2021SpringGiftGuideGiveaway-NakedCollagenSMALLVERSION27 Days Left
FLOWS Premium Audio Sunglasses
.
22 Days Left
household needs bundle
.
Household-Needs-Giveaway-800x80011 Days Left
Teach My Toddler Learning Kit
.
Teaching-Your-Toddler-Giveaway10 Days Left
Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher
.
Clearly-Filtered-Filtered-Water-Pitcher-Giveaway9 Days Left
COOLAGN Body Scrubber
.
COOLAGN Body Scrubber29 Days Left
.
spring gift guide

Recent Posts

steeped coffee

How to Make Coffee Without a Machine @steepedcoffee

How to Make Coffee Without a Machine @steepedcoffee
How To Choose Yoga Wear That Actually Works

How To Choose Yoga Wear That Actually Works @aktivstore

How To Choose Yoga Wear That Actually Works @aktivstore
Game-Day-Score-Boards-Giveaway-800x800

Game Day Score Boards Giveaway (Ends 3/18) @las930

Game Day Score Boards Giveaway (Ends 3/18) @las930
Aveline-Beauty-Bundle-Giveaway-800x800

Aveline Beauty Bundle Giveaway (Ends 3/19) @AvelineRazor @las930

Aveline Beauty Bundle Giveaway (Ends 3/19) @AvelineRazor @las930
Winning-Moves-Spring-Fun-Giveaway-800x800

@WinningMovesUSA Spring Fun Giveaway (Ends 3/17)

@WinningMovesUSA Spring Fun Giveaway (Ends 3/17)
Snocca-Nails-Giveaway-800x800

Snocca Nails Giveaway (Ends 3/16) @las930

Snocca Nails Giveaway (Ends 3/16) @las930

Footer

Free Download

Productivity-Planner-Preview“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”

Download the FREE Colorable Productivity Planner to get your life more organized. Sign up as a newsletter insider today!

Be A Better You

Giveaways

Game-Day-Score-Boards-Giveaway-800x800Game Day Score Boards Giveaway (Ends 3/18) @las930
Aveline-Beauty-Bundle-Giveaway-800x800Aveline Beauty Bundle Giveaway (Ends 3/19) @AvelineRazor @las930
Winning-Moves-Spring-Fun-Giveaway-800x800@WinningMovesUSA Spring Fun Giveaway (Ends 3/17)
Snocca-Nails-Giveaway-800x800Snocca Nails Giveaway (Ends 3/16) @las930
SMGN-2021SpringGiftGuide-AmbushMosquitoTrap-Giveawaysmallerversion@AmbushMosquitoTraps ‘Regain Your Outdoors’ Giveaway (Ends 3/31) @deliciouslysavv
SMGN-SpringGiftGuide2021-PSS-smallerversionGIVEAWAY@PeachSkinSheets ‘Wake Up Refreshed’ Giveaway (Ends 3/31) @deliciouslysavv
  • About Home Jobs By Mom
  • Terms & Privacy
  • Networks & Affiliations
  • Work With Us
  • Contact

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 Home Jobs by MOM · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT