OMG, my first kiltmaking contract

[Alan H]

I wore my canvas kilt that I made out and about today, and went to the local clinic for a flu shot. So I'm standing in line (and standing and standing and STANDING) and I come upon a nice family with two boys, about age 6 and 4. The mother noticed I was wearing a kilt and pointed it out to her boys. We got into a nice discussion, and turns out that her grandfather was Scottish and her husband is Irish. The 6 year old was playing it cool, and the 4 year old was nervous at talking to someone he didn't know for a while, but after about ten minutes they warmed up a bit. The woman asked me whether I wore kilts all the time and I told her about my 2-3 day a week habit. I happened to mention that I made the one I was wearing. She was very surprised and had me turn around and show the boys the backside, and all those pleats.

This turned into another ten minutes of conversation and then she popped out with the question. Could I make kilts for her boys? I was a bit surprised, but said "sure" and that I had some Gray Stewart in PV at home that was a smaller tartan and would be proportional to the boys size. She liked that it was machine-washable. She knew what Royal Stewart was and said that the Gray Stewart sounded nice, and machine-sewn was fine.. How much, she asked....

Uh...Uh..I dunno. I had NO clue, so I said $60 a kilt. She didn't bat an eye and we swapped e-mails right before I went in to get my shot. I told her I had one in the queue ahead of hers (I didn't tell her that it was mine) so I might not get them done by Christmas but that I would *try*. I'd easily have them ready by the end of January.

OH MY GOD.... What have I done? Maybe she won't e-mail me. Do I WANT her to e-mail me? AAAACK!

Any hints on making kilts for kids? I think I'll hem it up about 3 inches so that she can drop the hem when the kids grow. I'll add a hidden pleat as per Barbs directions so the kids can grow into them for a year or two. Aside from that...criminy!

[Southern Breeze]

Making a couple of kilts for kids wold be a good way to get your feet wet and see if it's something you like doing. If your sure of your abilties, then try it.

[chasem]

Go for it! Congratulations ;)

[Canuck]

It takes the same amount of time to make a kids kilt as an adult if not more.....She got a deal
So this will be one of your first lessons in the business world of kilt making.
Remember when we got you to itemise the cost of your first kilt?(actually Steve asked you) Now what was the final figure you came up with? at least four times what you are charging...
So review it so you have it in your head the next time you have to give a price.
Please note..This reply is in the spirit of respect...!
Cheers

[GMan]

Somehow Alan, I feel that you will do a good job. Just be patient and remember you got tons of information here!

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Alan,

Good on ya! Although at the prices you are charging, I'd like to get my order in now. When can I expect delivery of a kilt in the highland granite tartan, 41" waist, 44" hips, and 24" length? Could we shoot for late February after the 2 for the kids are done?

I did have an experience with a little girl at the YMCA today while playing with my kids. They were playing on one of the indoor, padded jungle gym things. You know, with slides, and rope ladders, and tubes you crawl through, when this girl about 7-9 walked over to me and said "Why ... why ... why are you wearing a skirt? Girls wear skirts". I smiled at her and said that it was a kilt and that boys wear kilts. She thought about it for a minute, then said "Bye" and went back to her parents. When I mentioned it to my wife (who as a funny side note was crawling around on the jungle gym thing with our girls and had just come down the tunnel slide!), she said I was confusing that little girl's gender identity! She was joking, but it does make me realize how early gender- and stereo- types become embedded in our thinking.

[Alan H]

Alan,

Good on ya! Although at the prices you are charging, I'd like to get my order in now. When can I expect delivery of a kilt in the highland granite tartan, 41" waist, 44" hips, and 24" length? Could we shoot for late February after the 2 for the kids are done?

FUHGEDDIT!

LOLOL......

[Alan H]

It takes the same amount of time to make a kids kilt as an adult if not more.....She got a deal
So this will be one of your first lessons in the business world of kilt making.
Remember when we got you to itemise the cost of your first kilt?(actually Steve asked you) Now what was the final figure you came up with? at least four times what you are charging...
So review it so you have it in your head the next time you have to give a price.
Please note..This reply is in the spirit of respect...!
Cheers

Yes, but I'm not a "professional kiltmaker", you know? I haven't even gotten halfway through my second kilt! I never expected to make any money at them. To make money I know full well what I'd have to charge. It'll take me 20 hours per kilt, easy. That's 40 hours of work, and my time even as a hack is worth $7.50 an hour so I should be charging her $300 for those kilts instead of $120. I figure it's a learning thing, if it happens. IF it happens. I don't have e-mail from her, yet!

We'll see how it goes IF she e-mails me.

[Canuck]

I don't have e-mail from her, yet!

We'll see how it goes IF she e-mails me.

Right and how many times have you checked in the last hour ?...LMAO
This is how it starts.......Pleasant dreams

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Right and how many times have you checked in the last hour ?...LMAO
This is how it starts.......Pleasant dreams

Yeah, it is just like the first time you sell something on eBay. You put it out there and keep checking to see if somebody has bid on it. Then you get your first watcher and you check every 10 minutes to see if you have a bid yet or more watchers! Then you actually make a sale and realize that you did not factor enough in for packing and shipping!