The delicate work of hand embroidery is an art form that many people have mastered. The tiny stitches made with a needle and embroidery floss, pearl cotton or knit croheen create patterns and texture on plain pieces of fabric. Determining a price per item for a hand-embroidered project is difficult because of the amount of time spent completing the project. Check the local market for similar items before determining a price for your handmade embroidery project.
Step 1
Add up the cost of the material used within the hand-embroidery project. Include the fabric, embroidery floss, pearl cotton and knit crocheen. Example: a piece of fabric costs $8.00, 10 skeins of embroidery floss cost $12.90 and seed beads cost $2.19. The total cost for the material is $23.09.
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Step 2
Assign a value for the use of the fixed items/assets to complete the hand-embroidery project. Fixed items include such things as an embroidery hoop, needle, floss holder, embroidery basket and scissors. Example: set a fee for the use of fixed items at $1. The $1 addition to the price is set aside to purchase new fixed items/assets as old ones wear out or when new equipment is desired.
Step 3
Add the cost of the material plus the cost for fixed items/assets. Example: the cost of the material is $23.09 and the cost of the fixed items/assets is $1.00, for a total of $24.09.
Step 4
Assign a cost per stitch per hour. Example: An average individual can stitch approximately 45 stitches per minute, or 2,700 stitches per hour. Each stitch averages approximately 1 cent per stitch. This would mean for every hour of stitching to complete the hand-embroidery project, the cost per hour is $2.70.
Step 5
Multiply the amount of hours used to complete the project by the cost per stitch per hour. Example: a hand-embroidered item that takes 10 hours to make at $2.70 per hour equals $27 in additional cost for the hand-embroidered item.
Step 6
Add the cost of the material, the cost for fixed items/assets and the cost per hour together to attain a price for a hand-embroidered item. Example: the material and fixed asset cost is $24.09. The cost per hour is $27. The total price for the hand-embroidered item is $51.09.
Tip
Keep in mind that the cost for hand-embroidered items will only bear what the market is willing to pay. Generally, people who hand-embroider items do not get paid a significant amount per hour for completing a project. Many people hand embroider mainly for pleasure. When completing a project for someone else, speak with that person about the price before completing the project.
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