Yes, baking is work.

[taxguykarl]

Bracing myself for Round 2. Different coworker, fewer cake pops, more complex design.

What's the occasion and amount this time?

[morgana]

I made a favor that was our combined coats of arms done in 2 sided embroidery so no matter how it got blown around it looked the same on both sides. Took me 30 hours for something the size of a 3x5 postcard with ties to attach it.

And I thought *I* was crazy . . .

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Bracing myself for Round 2. Different coworker, fewer cake pops, more complex design.

This time I quoted slightly over $2 per pop.

[Cia]

Oy!

People have no clue about the time/energy that goes into things.

One of my co-workers asked me to make pillowcases for her classroom. Nothing fancy, no big deal. Luckily I had a bag of already sewn items in my car, so she could look at different fabrics. She asked for "cheap" fabric. She meant less then $5/yard. The fabric she loved was $9/yard. I found that if I ordered the fabric online and picked it up myself, it was on sale for $4.79/yard. She was thrilled. She needed her pillowcases before the school year started, I had them finished and ready in 2 days. Since it was a simple project, I charged her $5/hour. She only paid the discounted price for the fabric and refused to pay a penny more.

She has no clue why I'm not super friendly with her.

Send an invoice with a pay up or else and when she refuses then repo the pillowcases....during class.

[AccountingDrone]

Yeah, even with an embroidery machine, fancy garb takes time . . .

What is this magical device you speak of ... I do everything by hand. My grandmother taught me the stuff like white on white padded cutwork, reticella lace, tatting, pretty much every embellishment or handstitch known to man or woman ... I made a favor that was our combined coats of arms done in 2 sided embroidery so no matter how it got blown around it looked the same on both sides. Took me 30 hours for something the size of a 3x5 postcard with ties to attach it.

[Blue Ginger]

All the sewing stories remind me of when my sister and I used to do dance in primary and high school.

Mum loves sewing. She finds it relaxing. She used to run her own market stall in the eighties and early nineties selling all hand made baby to 4 year old stuff. Think t-shirts, skirts, pants, overalls, dresses (with nappy covers for the babies and over knickers for the older girls) and some dolls clothes. She was never going to get rich, but it was good extra money at the time.

So when we started dancing, mum offered to help make costumes. It was a small school in a blue collar area, so everything was done as cheaply as possible. We didn't do competitions, we only had a concert at the end of each year where each age group would do 4 or 5 songs. A lot of the time, the costumes were our black leotard with a skirt or something simple added.

But with the more complicated costumes (or for people that couldn't thread a needle), mum would make the whole thing for a small fee. The amount of parents that would bitch about a $20 for 3 costumes to be done. So they started sewing nights. A few of the experienced people that had sewing machines would get together and anyone that wanted to either learn to make the costumes themselves or couldn't afford the small fee would come and use the machines. So many decided that sewing was 'oh my god so haaarrrddd! How can you do this?' and they stopped bitching about the small fee to have the costumes made for them. Others loved that they could now do things for themselves like hems and buttons.

(My aunty also loved the early years because she used to sew on the sequins and beads for those that really couldn't thread a needle. Again, for a small fee.)

[dalesys]

People die of exposure...

...or of chilling out...

[Maggie]

This sounds very close to those scenarios where somebody with, say, musical talent is asked to come to a party and play an instrument or sing "and we can't pay you, but it will give you exposure!"

People die of exposure...

[taxguykarl]

So, yeah, my quote was WAY low.

Like I said, your quote was a steal.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

I looked up some local bakeries and cake pop boutiques. They tend to sell pops 6 for $12 and custom pops starting at $3.75 each, a dozen minimum. So, yeah, my quote was WAY low.

[Kanalah]

Yeah, usually I do. I thought I could trust a co-worker. Never again.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Oy!

People have no clue about the time/energy that goes into things.

One of my co-workers asked me to make pillowcases for her classroom. Nothing fancy, no big deal. Luckily I had a bag of already sewn items in my car, so she could look at different fabrics. She asked for "cheap" fabric. She meant less then $5/yard. The fabric she loved was $9/yard. I found that if I ordered the fabric online and picked it up myself, it was on sale for $4.79/yard. She was thrilled. She needed her pillowcases before the school year started, I had them finished and ready in 2 days. Since it was a simple project, I charged her $5/hour. She only paid the discounted price for the fabric and refused to pay a penny more.

She has no clue why I'm not super friendly with her.

That’s why you always get payment up front.

[Kanalah]

Oy!

People have no clue about the time/energy that goes into things.

One of my co-workers asked me to make pillowcases for her classroom. Nothing fancy, no big deal. Luckily I had a bag of already sewn items in my car, so she could look at different fabrics. She asked for "cheap" fabric. She meant less then $5/yard. The fabric she loved was $9/yard. I found that if I ordered the fabric online and picked it up myself, it was on sale for $4.79/yard. She was thrilled. She needed her pillowcases before the school year started, I had them finished and ready in 2 days. Since it was a simple project, I charged her $5/hour. She only paid the discounted price for the fabric and refused to pay a penny more.

She has no clue why I'm not super friendly with her.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

On the flip side, the security guard in the lobby keeps getting me pastries the day after I take treats down to him. Very nice, but unnecessary, and also I feel bad if I don't eat them. :/

[taxguykarl]

make a christening gown out of her daughter's wedding gown, for her daughter's first baby

That sounds labor intensive on the face of it

I can only *imagine* how cheap she wanted this to be.

Probably free like the bridezilla in the OP.