Sock monkeys!

bravobeastie

Angie100 wrote: »

Bravo - I'm not sure what you call expensive but please bear in mind that they take alot of time and effort to make and that has to be taken into consideration when pricing. Most people are going to charge something for their time as well as the costs involved in the actual making.

I would be prepared to pay a decent amount for something that's a one off handmade item so long as it was well made.

As Nats said it takes her 4 hours to make and even on minimum wage that would amount to alot more than we could ever hope to get on ebay for the monkeys.

Handcrafted stuff is always so much nicer I feel...

Sorry, i just meant that the ones my children wanted were over £10. I didn't say i wouldn't pay that, just that at the moment i can't.

I definitely believe they are worth the money because they are quirky and unique.

Angie100

bravobeastie wrote: »

Sorry, i just meant that the ones my children wanted were over £10. I didn't say i wouldn't pay that, just that at the moment i can't.

I definitely believe they are worth the money because they are quirky and unique.

Hi Bravo - I didn't mean to suggest that you wouldn't pay. I just think it's important that people know the effort that goes into the monkeys!! You obviously appreciate the effort which is great. It's not so bad if you only have to buy for 1 child but when there are 2 I am sure it does get costly whatever!!!!

Have you tried to make your own??? I'm sure you could make them for your children and they would love them just as much as ones that you bought. I've done them by hand and machine and must say my preferred method is by hand even though it takes so much longer!!! Go on have a go and if you need help just ask us here.

Angiex

petersburg

Hello everybody. I am new to this posting although I am a regular follower on many MSE threads. My favourites at the moment are on special occasions and I think some of the things you guys make are fantastic.
I especially love the sock monkeys and wish i could make them but unfortunately i' m not able due to birth deformities of my arms.
However I feel I must reply to the post from Angie about sellers on ebay undercharging. There are no minimum charges set out by anybody as to how much people should charge for them so surely it is up to the individual to estimate the lowest amount she would like to receive. If I could make something as nice as this I would be prepared to sell them cheap as long as my outlay was covered, because my pleasure would be from somebody feeling that my product was good enough to buy.
There is one lady on the Nappy cake thread who posted yesterday that she is happy to just make a £5 profit from one of her cakes. Obviously she feels that is enough.
If you are making hand made goods to earn a wage then yes i would say to charge more but the way i read on special occasions threads, most crafters are making for hobbies and enjoyment.
So please ladies think twice before slating the good people who are just producing goods as a way of passing the time and fullfilling their days. As having a disability myself I know many many ladies who are housebound and making things like the monkeys would give them so much enjoyment, and, by being able to sell via the internet would enhance the pleasure they would get.
We are not a nation full of greedy money grabbing folk.
Sorry in advance if you feel i have upset anybody by writing what i feel BUT we are all entitled to our opinion.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK EVERYBODY AND KEEP POSTING THE PICS FOR ME TO ADMIRE

Angie100

petersburg wrote: »

Hello everybody. I am new to this posting although I am a regular follower on many MSE threads. My favourites at the moment are on special occasions and I think some of the things you guys make are fantastic.
I especially love the sock monkeys and wish i could make them but unfortunately i' m not able due to birth deformities of my arms.
However I feel I must reply to the post from Angie about sellers on ebay undercharging. There are no minimum charges set out by anybody as to how much people should charge for them so surely it is up to the individual to estimate the lowest amount she would like to receive. If I could make something as nice as this I would be prepared to sell them cheap as long as my outlay was covered, because my pleasure would be from somebody feeling that my product was good enough to buy.
There is one lady on the Nappy cake thread who posted yesterday that she is happy to just make a £5 profit from one of her cakes. Obviously she feels that is enough.
If you are making hand made goods to earn a wage then yes i would say to charge more but the way i read on special occasions threads, most crafters are making for hobbies and enjoyment.
So please ladies think twice before slating the good people who are just producing goods as a way of passing the time and fullfilling their days. As having a disability myself I know many many ladies who are housebound and making things like the monkeys would give them so much enjoyment, and, by being able to sell via the internet would enhance the pleasure they would get.
We are not a nation full of greedy money grabbing folk.
Sorry in advance if you feel i have upset anybody by writing what i feel BUT we are all entitled to our opinion.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK EVERYBODY AND KEEP POSTING THE PICS FOR ME TO ADMIRE

Hi - you are entitled to your opinion. The point I am making is that these people are probably not even covering their costs and it's not that others want to make a huge profit (you never will for handcrafted items) but it would be nice to make a little extra to cover our time. It's hard enough as it is trying to get people to appreciate handcrafted items and the time involved in making them and if people undersell then it just makes the problem 100 times worse. It's not a case of being moneygrabbing but people should not expect to always have something for nothing and should appreciate the time and effort someone has put into making an item. I appreciate that you aren't able to make these so it may be difficult for you to understand the time involved. Alot of people making them may not be able to get out to work and welcome the little extra they can get if they make handcrafted items.

I think if everyone was sensible then people would see the value of the product and would be happy to pay a decent price that represented the materials used and time spent making. I'd be overjoyed if I managed to make £5 profit like the nappy cake lady!

Angie

chatty123

petersburg thankyou

I too disagreed with what Angie wrote but didn;t wish to reply as didn't want to get into a heated debate. i really don't agree with what was said as Quote:
people de-value things and spoil it for everyone else"

Surely the VALUE is what the individual feels is right for her and as to the quote "spoiling it" for anybody else, that could be said about thousands of products for sale on either ebay OR tesco,asda etc.

The value of the sock monkey made by anybody with a disability or housebound is probably far more "valuable" than an able outgoing person.

I myself have made hundreds of these over the last 10months and for the first 5 months I gave them all away (and still do to certain people). I can make one up in less than an hour if i wish. Now the ones I sell are usually specially ordered with clothes and accessories etc, but i still only charge £5. WHY? well because I just want to cover my costs so i'm prepared to sit and sew them for no profit just so I can see the smiling face of the receiving person.
Sorry if i'm de-valuing the sock monkey

No offence meant to anybody on MSE but thats my opinion

trixietoes

All the monkeys are brilliant.... I have made 3 now and I am getting better with each one, I still love them all the same though. The 4th is going to be using a different method, the one with the thicker arms and shorter tail.

I want to make clothes for mine too, but I need help on the little patterns for jackets etc, does anyone know of any good sites that I can look at for help?

How do people make the hats and scarves too.... I have loads to make ... best get cracking

thank you for any help

ZLS1984

Hi trixietoes, I knitted the scarf for mine but I think others have used left over sock. HTH

chatty123

trixietoes wrote: »

All the monkeys are brilliant.... I have made 3 now and I am getting better with each one, I still love them all the same though. The 4th is going to be using a different method, the one with the thicker arms and shorter tail.

I want to make clothes for mine too, but I need help on the little patterns for jackets etc, does anyone know of any good sites that I can look at for help?

How do people make the hats and scarves too.... I have loads to make ... best get cracking

thank you for any help

I've sent you a pm

petersburg

Thank you for the pm's, much appreciated.

i have overnight now decided that with hubbys help we will trawl thru all the hand made items on special occasions threads and print off the suitable ones to take to the club i attend weekly with other disabled.. our disabilities vary but between us i'm sure we can put together a "whole one" where we can creates some of these fab things..
don't think we'll ever get them as good as all yours but we'll try and have fun doing it. so again thank you ladies for the inspiration and i now bough out again and hide behind the scenes.
can't believe i've posted twice in 2 days when i've been watching for so long quietly in the background..
:j

chocolate.orange_2

I love these but just have NO sewing skills whatsoever
I have limited use of my left hand,which doesnt help. Are these fairly easy to make ? I have bought socks but now i am thinking twice about if i would even be able to manage to make one.

I might have to sew both socks together and make a draft excluder