Mini-hat price range

[stockingshock.livejournal.com]

I have been working on some mini-hat sample pieces- they are all basically small top hats, stylewise, but with different fabrics and adornments and such. (Will post pictures soon.)
Thing is I have no idea what to charge for them, or what someone is happy to pay for them.

I wanted to make *proper* hats, not ones made from foam or cardboard or pre-bought felt ones. I am making them out of millinery buckram, and they are entirely hand-stitched (it looks better than machining in this case). So I think they should be on sale for more than your average premade/costumey hat, but at the same time they are fairly easy and fun to make, and don't take that long. And it is something I can do in front of the telly, so it's not like proper work. ;-)

That considered, what sort of price range would you think was reasonable?
Or, should there be options whereby you can get a decorated premade hat for dirt-cheap, and the more expensive one if you prefer?

Ta!

Comments

[totodedum.livejournal.com]

on a good quality, non felt/carboard hat, i personally would pay somewhere between $20-$40 based on how the hat was decorated.

but, sales-wise, you should go with the last option where you have a basic one for "dirt-cheap" and then go higher price-wise as it gets more elaborate. that way you can have an array of customers who'll be able to afford your products and you'll be compesated for the materials that you've used.

[angry-chick.livejournal.com]

I will pay between $20-$30 for it. I don't think that mini-top hats should be expensive, because they're small.

[mognetcentral.livejournal.com]

I think $20-40 is definitely fair. You need to make sure you cover the cost of materials and then figure out how much time and labor goes into each style. Just because an item is small doesn't mean it's cheap to make, and I'd rather pay more for fine craftsmanship.

[kawaii-mon.livejournal.com]

i would pay a lot more than $20-$40 (more like $50-60, or more even) because I also handmake hats with buckram ansuch, and understand how much work goes into them.

[stockingshock.livejournal.com]

Do you have any photos of your work?
I'm not trained in millinery or anything, so it's sort of guesswork and what I get from old millinery books (which seems fairly simple so far). So I would not want to charge what real hat-makers do.
I am stitching the pieces together, they aren't blocked or anything; but as long as they look good and don't fall apart, then I'll be satisfied.

[kawaii-mon.livejournal.com]

unfortunately no.. i've been too lazy to take photos (i will do it one day)
i've been trained by milliners so i was taught how to do everything properly (blocking, etc). i've been working out how to make a block for a mini top hat so that i could make some to sell myself.
i made a full top hat for my bf that took so much time hand sewing, if anyone ever wanted me to make one, i'd charge them $400. mainly cause i dont really want to make one ever again. :P
there's still alot of time and work put into hand stitched hats, and i dont think you should undercut yourself.

[seeinglife.livejournal.com]

Do one not in front of the tv, to see how long it takes. And figure a reasonable wage per hour for your time and add in the cost of materials.

[stockingshock.livejournal.com]

Ha- doing it in front of the tv. helps me time it! ;-) One documentary per hat, so far.
They seem to take about one hour to actually make, then I would say another 30 minutes to an hour for decoration and such.