September

"Profitable Sewing"

Welcome

Hello, and a warm welcome to you and the fall weather. This is my favorite time of year. My sewing slows down a bit and the weather cools down a bit too. Most sewing businesses have their own busy and slow seasons. As you may or may not know, bridal alterations have their own unique seasons as well. The busy season starts at the end of January, and seems to push well into July and August. "March madness" is a real thing in the bridal alterations business. I love how things slow down a bit in the fall and winter.

Calendar

The most sought after seamstresses have their calendars filled throughout the year and turn away a lot of work. Their schedules are dictated by their work boundaries. No busy season, they just work at a steady pace that feels right for their financial needs and their free time needs. It’s a good feeling to arrive at that place in your career. This is the "ideal" for all professional sewing business owners. Most of my students struggle to know when to start turning away work. They have to consider their own lifestyle and where bridal alterations fits into that picture. The ideal amount of work looks different for each of us.

Boundaries

If you have your own home sewing business, it's important to consider all the pros and cons of how you spend your time and money. I personally find that sometimes the freedom of setting your own hours of work can turn into a tug of war with other home demands. Would someone expect you to take off work to run errands or do the laundry if you worked in an office? Of course not. Setting boundaries is important with other people, but also for yourself. You may procrastinate doing your work by being busy with household chores that should wait until after work is done. I need to remember this as much as anyone.

If you have little people, feel free to throw all this boundary stuff out the window. You are in a wonderful phase of life and need to cherish those sweet children before they grow up. Just try to take each day and make it work.

Peace

Emotionally, being in charge of when you work brings peace. And knowing that your future career can evolve with your ever changing lifestyle can generate confidence. You can take a break, push hard if a financial issue arises, or slow down if needed. You can take care of yourself and work at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm because you steer your career ship.

Coming up next month

October is going to be all fun and sewing tricks that add color to your projects. Of course, I will have a few dyed wedding dresses featured. Watch for your next Profitable Sewing newsletter at the first of October.