Is There a Possible Side Gig in Ribbon Skirt Making?

This week was a busy one for me, I had no time to work on my next skirt. I did, however, look into what they go for online as it might be a worthy side gig for some extra cash.

The problem I currently have is that almost all of the materials I use such as the sewing machine, thread, ribbons and a few others don’t belong to me. So the first thing I would have to do is go out and purchase all of these tools which would cost me quite a bit.

I looked online and found these items on Amazon:

• Sewing Machine It was on sale for Black Friday but the regular price was $220
• Thread This package would be great for beginners because it comes with both spools and matching bobbins. retails for $26
• Ribbons While I would likely need more on a case-by-case basis this would be another great package for a beginner and it retails for $20
• Sewing Bias Tape This is where it gets a little more expensive because this is not a great variety of colours so I would likely have to buy more soon, this set retails for $56
• Plus my own fabric for each new project

So as you can see that amount adds up very quickly. My start up costs would likely be around $400 after tax. That doesn’t even consider the many many hours of labour and hard work that would be poured into every skirt.

So now to answer my question, would it be worth it?

Personally, I think it would be a great investment to make. The cost upfront would be a lot but considering what these skirts are retailing for, I think I could make the initial costs back in just a few skirts. I would just also have to price them appropriately for a beginner. Typically the ones I’ve seen on Facebook Marketplace retail anywhere from $75 to upwards of $250 and if you got them into a local store or market, you could even price them a little higher.

I often go to the Ochapowace Petro Canada and I always make a point to check out the clothing rack, and there was a really beautiful purple ribbon skirt on the rack when I was looking one time. It was a women’s XXL and was $300. I wish I would have taken a photo of it, the ribbons were in a chevron type pattern and they were stitched perfectly. I was in awe.

So bottom line, yes, there would be profit eventually. It would take a long time before I would see the profit and I would have to practice sewing a ton, but it is doable. I could do it if I put my butt in gear and just started, but being a student, a full-time employee, a mother, and somebody whose trying to plan a wedding, the timing is just not right for me. It is something I will consider in my future, not only because I enjoy doing it but also because the world needs more Indigenous representation by Indigenous people.