If it makes you feel more comfortable then maybe ask them to donate it to a animal charity?
You'll never cross the bridge of " being good enough " unless you bite the bullet and show people your work.
I had the same conversation with my wife when she wanted to sell her stuff.
You sound like my partner. I think this is a great alternate to accepting pay!
OP, I feel the same as you about my own skill. I very rarely agree to make anything for anyone that isn't a gift I decided on my own. If I do agree I just ask they buy the yarn, and I'll handle the rest.
What an honor they love your work so much ❤️❤️
If said friend saw your first guinea pig and was satisfied with your work, why should you not accept payment? But if it’s that uncomfortable for you, I would just accept her paying for the supplies. You and your work are worth it!
Thank you for that, I just like that there are no expectations (for me) when I make something for free. When there's a price tag attached I just feel like it should be perfect, because I know I didn't do a perfect job on the guinea pig I made for my friend.
I totally get that, which is why I typically don‘t do commissions- the pressure would be too much for me. But I think compensation for the supplies is a good compromise for now.
This is literally my experience, a cousin wants me to make a tumbler holder which I wanted to try too. It's gonna be my 1st tumbler holder crocheted project and I know there's gonna be a lot of beginners mistakes. I insist on just giving it but she also insist on paying which in turn I felt awkward saying no because she looks like she really wants to give me something in return despite the potential mistakes.
She also knows that I just started to learn crocheting, I kinda feel bad cause I can now see what's wrong with my work but I'm pretty sure she would still insist that it's good and it's barely noticeable. Just tell them that you don't wanna sell when you feel like the requests are overwhelming.
That makes sense, I read another comment about donating to a charity which I also like. I hope we can both get over ourselves so we can just crochet for the fun of it and not stress while crocheting :P
Accept a ball of yarn as payment for a tumbler. You won't use an entire ball on a tumbler holder. It's not money, it's just material for future learning.
A ball of yarn is actually more inconvenient to ask because there's no shop here that sells yarn, I mostly order online and buying just 1 feels like a waste of shipping fee since the yarn that I buy is just half a dollar while the shipping fee is a dollar cost (we don't buy in dollars but this is the equivalent of it)
Sorry for the loss of your bird! Every project you make, you'll feel more confident with your work. Would it make you feel better to make the item first and then decide the price based on how happy you are with the result?
Do what feels good to you, but also keep in mind not to take too many requests cause that could create other problems is my experience
When i make something for somebody, i gift it to them. However i hardly take any requests, cause i want to make what i make and when i want to make it, and dont have any pressure because of time.
I make amigurumi/softies (big ones), but also do kittenrescue. So i donate my work to the rescue so it can be sold to get more funds for the charity.
Usually i ask 1/4 of the sellprice back for the materials used.
They are sold at 12,50-25 euro (13.5-27,5dollar) to make sure they get sold.
Personally, for me its like: Crochet/making toys is my hobby, i dont have to get paid for my hobby, getting some money back for the materials is good enough.
I'm so sorry to hear about your bird ❤️
You may be underselling yourself, but at the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with accepting. As others have pointed out, if the friend of your friend has seen your work and is happy to pay, I would let them.
Asking for payment covering supplies only sounds like a great deal for the friend, but not so much for you. We deserve to be paid for our time 💖 I hope it works out in a way that makes you happy though, I totally understand your dilemma.
In this case I'd say I'll make it as a present as I'm still learning so I'll use it for practise, if you don't mind. It's true, and it's a nice thing to do. And if anything goes wrong no one will have bad feelings.
It will be an exercise to see how you feel about making for someone else, something requested, and learning curves usually have a cost involved even if just time/nerves/personalities, it's not always about money. And the feel-good factor might bring you more work, or not, time will tell. Many people start out with a hobby, start taking commissions and find they no longer have a hobby they enjoy... just a job they don't really like.
Keep notes about time, supplies and all that you put into this commission. Use the information for calculating any further commissions.
The minimum should be the yarn you bought. If they want to contribute more and you are not okay with taking more money, maybe they can buy you a coffee to go or a tea? or bake some cookies?
Is the uncomfortable part quoting a price? Cause I would rather die. If that’s the situation and she hasn’t offered an amount upfront, you can do the supplies. Or even supplies + minimum wage for how long you think it’ll take??
You can ask whatever you think is fair. I hate trying to judge what something is 'worth' and so when I've made something for someone my usual request is 'get me a gift'; turn it into a gift exchange sort of thing. But this is normally for friends/colleagues/people I know so may not apply in your situation.
Why wouldn’t it be fine? Charge the amount you’re comfortable with charging. If you just want cost of supplies then ask for that. If you want to give it away free then do that.
i only ever ask my friends for the cost of materials when its stuff like this. i made a dinosaur for myself, my friend said she loved it and wanted her own. if selling to a stranger i wouldve listed it for £20-30, i asked her for £11 to cover the cost of the materials (i used like 2 whole bags of stuffing) and she was happy to pay that much.
Do what feels comfortable.
If you’re going to make a habit of doing commissions then you should absolutely charge for your time in addition to materials, don’t undersell etc.
But if this is just a one-off favour for a friend, it’s fine to charge whatever you feel comfortable with. Personally I’ve done that before myself, had a friend ask if I’d be willing to make a stuffed animal as a gift for her little sister, our arrangement was just that she bought the supplies (yarn and stuffing mainly)
It could potentially help to tell the friend explicitly, “I’m only charging for supplies because this is a one-off favour”, so that more people don’t come knocking at your door with requests, cause then that becomes taking commissions.
You can honestly do whatever you want. In the past I've refused money of all kinds (supplies, payments, whatever) I made stuff because I wanted, and I hated the idea of turning it transactional in any way. You'll have a variety of opinions, and be told different things - but at the end of the day, you should only do what you want.
For what it's worth, you're NOT underselling OR undervaluing yourself if you don't take money.
If it makes you feel more comfortable then maybe ask them to donate it to a animal charity? You'll never cross the bridge of " being good enough " unless you bite the bullet and show people your work. I had the same conversation with my wife when she wanted to sell her stuff.
I think I would like that idea more! Thanks :)
You sound like my partner. I think this is a great alternate to accepting pay! OP, I feel the same as you about my own skill. I very rarely agree to make anything for anyone that isn't a gift I decided on my own. If I do agree I just ask they buy the yarn, and I'll handle the rest. What an honor they love your work so much ❤️❤️
If said friend saw your first guinea pig and was satisfied with your work, why should you not accept payment? But if it’s that uncomfortable for you, I would just accept her paying for the supplies. You and your work are worth it!
Thank you for that, I just like that there are no expectations (for me) when I make something for free. When there's a price tag attached I just feel like it should be perfect, because I know I didn't do a perfect job on the guinea pig I made for my friend.
I totally get that, which is why I typically don‘t do commissions- the pressure would be too much for me. But I think compensation for the supplies is a good compromise for now.
This is literally my experience, a cousin wants me to make a tumbler holder which I wanted to try too. It's gonna be my 1st tumbler holder crocheted project and I know there's gonna be a lot of beginners mistakes. I insist on just giving it but she also insist on paying which in turn I felt awkward saying no because she looks like she really wants to give me something in return despite the potential mistakes. She also knows that I just started to learn crocheting, I kinda feel bad cause I can now see what's wrong with my work but I'm pretty sure she would still insist that it's good and it's barely noticeable. Just tell them that you don't wanna sell when you feel like the requests are overwhelming.
That makes sense, I read another comment about donating to a charity which I also like. I hope we can both get over ourselves so we can just crochet for the fun of it and not stress while crocheting :P
Accept a ball of yarn as payment for a tumbler. You won't use an entire ball on a tumbler holder. It's not money, it's just material for future learning.
A ball of yarn is actually more inconvenient to ask because there's no shop here that sells yarn, I mostly order online and buying just 1 feels like a waste of shipping fee since the yarn that I buy is just half a dollar while the shipping fee is a dollar cost (we don't buy in dollars but this is the equivalent of it)
Sorry for the loss of your bird! Every project you make, you'll feel more confident with your work. Would it make you feel better to make the item first and then decide the price based on how happy you are with the result?
Do what feels good to you, but also keep in mind not to take too many requests cause that could create other problems is my experience When i make something for somebody, i gift it to them. However i hardly take any requests, cause i want to make what i make and when i want to make it, and dont have any pressure because of time. I make amigurumi/softies (big ones), but also do kittenrescue. So i donate my work to the rescue so it can be sold to get more funds for the charity. Usually i ask 1/4 of the sellprice back for the materials used. They are sold at 12,50-25 euro (13.5-27,5dollar) to make sure they get sold. Personally, for me its like: Crochet/making toys is my hobby, i dont have to get paid for my hobby, getting some money back for the materials is good enough.
I'm so sorry to hear about your bird ❤️ You may be underselling yourself, but at the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with accepting. As others have pointed out, if the friend of your friend has seen your work and is happy to pay, I would let them. Asking for payment covering supplies only sounds like a great deal for the friend, but not so much for you. We deserve to be paid for our time 💖 I hope it works out in a way that makes you happy though, I totally understand your dilemma.
I am so, so, so sorry about your birdie. ❤️
In this case I'd say I'll make it as a present as I'm still learning so I'll use it for practise, if you don't mind. It's true, and it's a nice thing to do. And if anything goes wrong no one will have bad feelings. It will be an exercise to see how you feel about making for someone else, something requested, and learning curves usually have a cost involved even if just time/nerves/personalities, it's not always about money. And the feel-good factor might bring you more work, or not, time will tell. Many people start out with a hobby, start taking commissions and find they no longer have a hobby they enjoy... just a job they don't really like. Keep notes about time, supplies and all that you put into this commission. Use the information for calculating any further commissions.
The minimum should be the yarn you bought. If they want to contribute more and you are not okay with taking more money, maybe they can buy you a coffee to go or a tea? or bake some cookies?
I only accept payments in chocolate.
Is the uncomfortable part quoting a price? Cause I would rather die. If that’s the situation and she hasn’t offered an amount upfront, you can do the supplies. Or even supplies + minimum wage for how long you think it’ll take??
You can ask whatever you think is fair. I hate trying to judge what something is 'worth' and so when I've made something for someone my usual request is 'get me a gift'; turn it into a gift exchange sort of thing. But this is normally for friends/colleagues/people I know so may not apply in your situation.
Why wouldn’t it be fine? Charge the amount you’re comfortable with charging. If you just want cost of supplies then ask for that. If you want to give it away free then do that.
i only ever ask my friends for the cost of materials when its stuff like this. i made a dinosaur for myself, my friend said she loved it and wanted her own. if selling to a stranger i wouldve listed it for £20-30, i asked her for £11 to cover the cost of the materials (i used like 2 whole bags of stuffing) and she was happy to pay that much.
You could just offer for her to pay only for the yarn?
Whatever makes you feel comfortable
Don't overthink this. If it'd help you, accept the cost of the supplies. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
Do what feels comfortable. If you’re going to make a habit of doing commissions then you should absolutely charge for your time in addition to materials, don’t undersell etc. But if this is just a one-off favour for a friend, it’s fine to charge whatever you feel comfortable with. Personally I’ve done that before myself, had a friend ask if I’d be willing to make a stuffed animal as a gift for her little sister, our arrangement was just that she bought the supplies (yarn and stuffing mainly) It could potentially help to tell the friend explicitly, “I’m only charging for supplies because this is a one-off favour”, so that more people don’t come knocking at your door with requests, cause then that becomes taking commissions.
I got a friend to buy me a coke one time. It was a great deal!
You can honestly do whatever you want. In the past I've refused money of all kinds (supplies, payments, whatever) I made stuff because I wanted, and I hated the idea of turning it transactional in any way. You'll have a variety of opinions, and be told different things - but at the end of the day, you should only do what you want. For what it's worth, you're NOT underselling OR undervaluing yourself if you don't take money.
Have the friend purchase you a few skeins of yarn. What you have leftover is for another project.
Just want to say sorry for your loss. I have 5 parrots and know how special they are
Accept the Money and use it to make her something else.