2mo ago

I just got paid $5.50 per hour.

I hate this town. I hate this fucking town.

I just want to sew. I've been looking for local sewing jobs for fucking ages!!! Everyone in my area is looking for upholstery work. There's a fuckton of boats in my area that people want done. But every single upholstery shop has told me "no". Four local shops. Have a fuckton of work they want done, but they don't want to pay me the amount!!!!

A local shop finally called me back. Guy gave me 4 outdoor cushions to make and said he'd evaluate my work & pay me when it's done.

I worked on 4 cushions, 2 different sizes, complete with piping & zippers on all of them. Took me 3 days. Approximately 6 hours per day of work, a total of 18 hours, and that's the low estimate.

Got it done. Looks awesome.

He gave me 100$. Then he said I could compete with his current seamstress for jobs and he'd choose the cheaper of the two estimates we give.

I want to fucking cry. I have to take this job. Any job. I need the money.

I'M ONLY ASKING FOR LIKE 300$ PER WEEK IN ORDER TO SURVIVE???? Am I crazy????? Is that too much????

At least he gave me the job where I quoted 35$ each for 2 vinyl boat pieces.... that's 70$.. I think I can get it done in day.... wow.... 10$ an hour.... fucking wow......

I hate this. I fucking hate this so fucking much.

God, I want to cry......

EDIT: Start my own business?

During a looming economic crisis + ridiculous foreign tariffs + with real estate currently at an all-time high?

Don't think I can take the risk that right now, as much as I'd like to.

58 comments

Can you and the other seamstress coordinate your bids? You shouldn't have to be in a race to the bottom.
- He already complained about her raising her prices & being """too expensive""", which is fucking absurd.
  Her bid for the 2 seats were 25$ each. He only chose mine because she's been out sick all week & he needs them done by Friday.
  I should talk to her next time she's in. Hopefully we can exchange contact info because he probably won't leave us alone together.
  
  Fuck, that manager is a vulture.
  
  Careful about bosses telling tall tales. Happens in the contracting and piecemeal space a lot. Confirm with other seamstress. Hell, start a coop and poach clients directly.
  
  I know it's easier said than done, but this is exactly why unionization/collective bargaining exists.
  Right now, you (and your fellow seamsters/seamstresses) have zero leverage in this relationship and will get fucked over 100% of the time. The only possible way for you to improve your situation is to gain some leverage, and the only way to do that is by organizing.
  
  It would be worth finding out why the other seamstress is quoting $25 for each seat. Are they trying to underbid you (or other seamstresses), is that rate sufficient for them, or do they just have no idea what their labour is worth?
  If they'd normally bid higher but underbid to get the work in preference to you, you need to talk. You'll either need to work together or in some way set a reasonable rate between you. If they are underbidding to beat others, the market may be saturated, but from your post it sounds like there should be enough work for all.
  If the rate is sufficient for them they either have lower living costs somehow, but yours sound low anyway, or they are producing pieces more efficiently than you are, so their effective rate is higher. If that's the case, you might want to talk to them to find out how, although they may not be willing to say.
  If they just don't know what their labour is worth and the boss has pushed them to quote that much, you probably need to talk to them about that.
  In summary: talk to them. They might not want to talk, which is their perogative, but you both might get more insight into the issue, and maybe find a way to boost your income in the process.
  
  Her bid for the 2 seats were 25$ each. He only chose mine because she’s been out sick all week & he needs them done by Friday.
  Dumb question because I don't know your industry. What would a customer pay to have these 2 seats done that he is paying her $25 to do?
- I think that might technically be illegal coordination, but good luck to you either way
  
  It's called unionised.
  
  Ehh.... When you are talking about poverty-level income, I wouldn't think it would matter too much...
  
  Heads up, if grocers can collude on prices unmitigated for years, two seamstress aren't going to be investigated talking about their wages.
That truly sucks.
Do you have the passion, skillset, and tools to do commission cosplay outfits? That can be pretty lucrative, but somewhat hard to get into if you can't get a reasonably influential cosplayer to rep your work.
- There's also furries. Apparently they pay out the tail for their goofy getups.
  It's a different skill set I think, but prom, quinciñera, and wedding dresses are surely lucrative.
  Find a car modification place and make new seat upholstery?
  I bet cute handmade pet clothes are a decent price per hour, sold on Etsy.
  Drycleaners often have a little tailoring side business. Find a new drycleaner and see if they need an in-house or as-needed hem and dart person? Burlington coat factory and some department stores also do light tailoring.
  Rich people pay for custom curtains, I'm sure.
  I don't know if any of these are feasible in your area or with your experience, but I'm throwing spaghetti here. Hope things turn around for you, friend.
  
  I've actually made fursuits before.
  Unfortunately, there's apparently an oversaturation in the market right now..
  I'm looking for some place where the income is stable & I don't have to seek out clients on my own. Done my own stuff for years now. I'm too tired trying to "market" myself & my work.
  
  All fantastic ideas.
  I imagine the furry market is a lot harder to get established in as cosplay due to size.
  The automotive market is equally as hard to break into unless you can establish a partnership with an established upholstery company.
  Pet clothes are are a more widespread niche market, but the clientele has to be more batshit than furries.
  Drycleaners, big market, great potential.
  Rich people pay, but are a bigger pain than pet parents.
  If your specialty is seamstress, I guess that is an any harbor in in storm situation. So maybe taking anything n you can get until you find a niche is the strategy?
  
  Very good ideas but you've just described, like, 4 trades lol. Sewing Machine Operator is a very broad term for many specialized trades. It's rare to find a quilter who's also an industrial tarp fabricator.
- I've tried to do custom cosplay work before based off of written measurements, but I'm pretty useless without the client being available for tailoring/adjustments.
  Most folks aren't goid at giving the actual correct measurements anyhow.
  
  Understandable. Is there any other market that you can pursue that isn't limited by local market demand?
I run a cut/sew shop specializing in marine canvas. I'm a one man shop but have worked for tyrants in the industry. Sounds like this guy is another dictator of his empire of dirt. Buy yourself a good walking foot machine and seize the means of production.
In all honesty, a simple box cushion should take about an hour and a half. I charge $100/hour. If I was to sub it out I have a sewer who would do it for $40/hour. I hate cushions with a passion and would tell the customer I was subbing it out but would still charge them $60/hour at least. Experience equals speed equals profit, and education is expensive. I'm sure you'll sew the next ones faster, but that doesn't mean you'll get paid extra to learn.
But fuck that guy. He will always pay the smallest amount possible and look for ways to keep his foot on your neck as you improve. Marine canvas isn't a simple trade to start in, but can be quite profitable if you don't fuck up. I encourage you to keep at it, but don't count on some asshole to help you.
- The fabric was patterned and he said that he expected the pattern to match / line up on each one, and they have to match no matter which cushions were switched out. I had to be meticulous and make sure the back cushion pattern started where the seat pattern ended. Had to do the same with the boxing.
  I also used a hot-knife to cut, as I had wanted to make sure fabric wouldn't unravel. That was probably overkill, but I wanted to show I could do clean work and was serious. Too bad I felt I was the only one taking it seriously, in the end.
  I live in a town on the water, and we don't have a marine canvas / upholstery shop, which baffled the hell out of me. Now I realize that old, out-of-touch shop owners would not want to fairly pay employees, so that's why we still have none.
  I looked into starting my own shop.. but with my country's current leader actively plunging us into an economic crisis.. it's a frustrating no-go, as the risk is far too high. Plus, I looked into buildings where it could be feasible, and I could not afford it even in my wildest dreams.
  I appreciate your input. I'm too angry and frustrated to do more rn, but I do very much appreciate your kindness. Thank you.
  
  Ya, patterns suck. Unfortunately, a great way of learning the trade can be eating some assholes shit for a while. If you can find a shop you can suffer with, it will get your face out there. People will quickly seek you out if you're talented.
  It doesn't sound like you're able to start a business, but you will be able to build one. I say, I'm not building boat tops, I'm building relationships lol. It's a piece of cloth, they're going to be back for repairs. Sometimes you eat the bear, but this time the bear ate you. Remember this one and carry on with the next one. It takes a stiff spine to slut yourself as a custom shop. I call myself an upholstitute or an upholstwhore.
- He owns the equipment.
  
  Seize the means of production my prole
Start your own business if possible.
- There is tons of work and the local market supports that. Find a way to use equipment from somebody else for cheap to start and at the rates that the shops get payed you probably would get byy with finding one out two jobs per month. Take control of your life. You can do it.
You don't give him the work until he pays you enough for it. This is why you negotiate up front. Anyone who won't agree to a price ahead of time is trying to screw you over
That is deeply fucked. You deserve enough compensation to be comfortable, to have healthcare and all the other necessities & some luxuries, and to be able to plan for your future.
Those upholsterers are being predatory. No one deserves it.
I mean, that’s kind of on you for not agreeing on the price beforehand - but still, pretty damn rude of them. I bet they’re charging at least 50 bucks an hour, so I’d love to hear their excuse for paying a tenth of that.
Sounds like you already have the equipment for this kind of work, so why not just start your own business? That’s what I did, and it was one of the better decisions I’ve made in my life.
- I suppose I shouldn't have expected a boomer to fairly compensate me. However, it being my first time out in the job market for a while, I had expected things things to work on a standard based on at least the current minimum wage.
  I don't think those expectations are unreasonable.
  
  Unfortunately if you aren't an actual employee, minimum wage doesn't apply. And if you have to bid against other workers for work, you DEFINITELY are not an employee.
  
  It's not unreasonable. I wouldn't work for this person, or I would accept work to do and then come back to them and say "I needed to prioritize better paying work, I can't get this done on time."
  Like, do you think this person is treating you honestly in any measure? No. They are breaking the social contract. Don't give them an inch.
If you are willing to do it so cheap for him can you try to reach out to customers directly? Put an ad in the local mailer or up at the docks. Keep the work simple until you build up the experience to do more complex and better paying projects.
- I have been looking for stable work that doesn't involve self-employment & having to "market" myself & my work.
That fucking guy's archetype brings about unions. Or he gets dragged out in the middle of the night and beaten to death in front of his family. I don't know what it is about the maritime community, but it sure does attract a disproportionate amount of grifters, scammers, total jerkwads.
May I suggest that you open your own business? It seems there's more than enough demand, and you have the skills and the tools. Go you!
Where the hell even are you? Anyway demand minimum wage.
I can't be the only who just does not sympathize with OP? Doing what you'd like to do isn't profitable? You'd need to have a job you don't love?
I mean... that's life for you.
- Let me be clear: I'm handicapped and sewing is one of the only skills I have that allows me to make money.
  I do enjoy sewing, but it is also one of the few jobs I'm actually physically able to do.

58 comments