INVESTING IN INDUSTRIAL SEWING MACHINES

Visited Joe Payne at Portland’s Rooster Roc SewCo last Saturday.  You know, the store at 3427 NE 72nd Ave. behind Annie’s Donuts on Sandy?  The building with the big “Commercial Sewing Machines” sign on it?

           I love that place and I don’t know why.  Car showrooms?  Make my skin crawl.  Hardware stores?  Ho-hum.

           But put me in a sewing machine store and this girl drools!  Maybe it’s the thought of all that power sewing.  6,600 stitches per minute.  That’s fast, baby.  Who wants a Jaguar when you can have a Juki?  Yeah, that’s why – I need the speed.

         What does a sewing girl need in her sewing room?  Take a note and send a memo to the men and partners in your life.  The holidays are over but you must have another gift-giving occasion soon, right?

I have 13 machines.  Six of them are industrials.  Three of them are key:

       - Single needle lockstitch.  Mine is the Juki DDL8700.  It has an on-board computer.  This means it automatically backstitches, cuts the thread and lifts the presser foot with a kick of my heel on the footplate.  I can program it to sew the same length seams quickly and automatically.

Don’t need all these bells and whistles?  You can get a Juki DDL8300 – a standard for sewing contractors – for one-fourth the price of mine.

- 3-thread overlock (i.e., serger).  You need this for knits so get a pack of ballpoint needles.  Mine is the Juki MO3304.  The MO6704 has since replaced it.

I also have 5-thread safety stitch for simultaneously stitching and finishing the seams of pants, jackets, blouses.  It’s a Juki MO6716.  Of all the machines, this is the one I use the most.  But if your budget makes you choose, go with the 3-thread.  It’s more versatile.

- Blindhemmer.  Mine’s a Consew.  If you’re using the blindhem foot on your home sewing machine, stop!  The Consew is how it’s done in the real world of apparel.  You can set the length and depth so no stitches show on the outside.

Yes, other than the Consew, all my machines are Jukis.  Brother, Pfaff and Singer Union Special make fine machines.  I just trust the Jukis.

Yes, I bought all my machines new.  The action is smooth.  The machines, problem free.

Yes, I bought almost all my machines from Joe.  You can buy off the Internet, just be sure that:

- It comes with a power table.  This is the secret behind the speed.  These are 20”x48”, so make sure you have the room.

- Shipping is free.  The motor is very heavy.  Better yet, make sure someone can deliver and set it up for you.  You’re going to have plugs, a “fanbelt” and an oil pan that needs the right kind of oil.  You need someone who knows how these go together.

- Made in Japan, not China.  More reliable.

Commercial machines can be confusing.  So many models!  And I like to give them a test drive.  That’s why I shop at Joe’s.

I’ve known Joe since I came to Portland and he sold me a home sewing machine, the Pfaff 1471.  He worked at Montavilla Sewing before the fire and the new store they built at SE 84^th and Stark.

Montavilla sold industrial machines back then.  His job was to sell and repair them.

From what I can gather, Joe retired.  Montavilla quit selling industrials.  So Joe took up the trade and moved it to NE Portland.

         The name Rooster Roc?  Well, he lives near there in Corbett, Ore.  At least I think.  You see, Joe knows a lot about machines but he’s not a big talker.  When he answers the phone, listen closely.  The words he blurts out?  “Sewing machines.”

NOTE:  My little company, PortlandSewing, will offer industrial machine sewing classes in April so stay tuned.  Want to be notified when classes come up?  Send me an e-mail.

Cheers -- Sharon

FREELANCE AND CONTRACTORS

TIMES ARE TOUGH.  Folks can't find jobs.  Apparel companies are laying off designers.

As a result, a few of my students are going freelance.  But they are nervous about what to do and how to make sure they get paid.  This is something most design schools don't seem to teach.  So I thought I'd share with you what I've been telling them.

Have a written contract.  My lawyer husband says there are 3 elements to make a contract.  But Sam, one of my business teachers, hammered in my head the five C's of contracts.  Here's how he defined them:

1) Consent.  A mutual understanding of what the contract covers.  E.g., we are talking about a dress.

2) Creation, or offer and acceptance.  E.g., I am going to make this dress in this picture for this person.  You are going to give me money.

3) Consideration, or an exchange of something of value.  E.g., for delivering this dress on May 3, 2009, you are going to pay $1,000.

4) Completion.  The dress is delivered on time and the check cleared the bank.

5) Competence.  Basically, don't sign a contact with anyone younger than 18 or of doubtful reputation.

Now here are some details.  Contracts can cover many subjects, but mine all have these things in common:

- The names and titles of the principals in the contract:  The client and the contractor (you!).

- A specific description of the item/work to be done.

- The deliverables.  E.g., illustrations could be hard copy on a specific paper, pdfs of a certain resolution and a disc of said pdfs in a specific format.  Deliverables can come from the client as well as the contractor.

- Date when the deliverables are due.  This should be done in increments at natural progress points, e.g., sketches, draft illustrations for approval, final illustrations.

- The payment.  This often is done on the same dates that the deliverables are due with increments and totals given in $numbers and percentages.  BTW, save your receipts and time logs!

- Signatures of the principals, along with the titles and date of signature.

You may also be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  This just means you won't blab about your client's work.  One page is enough.  Go on the web to see what such agreements look like.

Bear in mind that most clients want to hear how much a project will cost in total.  They don't want to hear a price/hour with the number of hours left open.

Creating such an estimate is tough at first.  With luck, you've tracked your hours in doing similar projects for yourself or school.

Don't expect more than minimum wage ($8.40/hr in Oregon) if you don't have the tools or good skills.  But if you are experienced, just new, charge $20/hr.  Go up as your client list grows.  If you can sew a custom-sized lined skirt with zipper, hem and waistband in two hours, you should charge at least $50/hr.  Thus your bid for such a project would be $100 -- for the sewing only.  Illustrating?  Patterning?  Consulting about designs and fabrics?  Fitting the client once or twice in a muslin?  Your price goes up depending on the number of hours you allot for these activities.

Oh, and BTW, if you get a client who says the project is very simple and straightforward but can't give details, don't do it.  If s/he starts changing her/his mind, drop 'em.  If it's a wedding dress and she starts bringing her bridezilla mom, drop her.  If it's a friend/relative, set the stage, give a written estimate with options on the number of fittings/drafts and get money up front when you sign the contract.  Then send invoices and exchange money at each deliverable point.

Be brave.  Be professional.  Believe that your time and skills are worth something.

I'd love to hear your experiences in freelance.  Send them in! -- Sharon Blair, studioskb.com and portland sewing.com

NOTE:  My friend, Laura, from Nike and I plan to offer apparel business classes Spring 2009.  Stay tuned!