A Sweatshop of One

Boy, oh boy, have I gotten in over my head! I went to a church talent show last weekend and decided to bring about 20 of my stuffed animals to display. Word got out that I sell them and I got swamped with kids trying to buy them. Feeling sorry for their parents, I told them that everything that night was only $20. I sold eight on the spot and got eight orders from kids for their own custom Flaky Friends (at $20 each dang it!). That means this week I've got all their orders to process plus four others that came in before Saturday making my stuffed animal habit officially annoying.

I don't think there is any way to gracefully get out of this slave labor I've brought on myself. At $20 each, these animals are hardly worth it. It's taking me anywhere between 2 and 5 hours to make them, and the kids ordered some of the complicated ones (Paris the Turtle and Lester the Giraffe). My entire house is full of fur and fluff and I've lost all feeling in my fingertips. I'm seriously considering hiring some kids from church to help me cut fabric and prep animals. Needless to say, it's going to be a long week.

The good news is, some sucker bought Bad Baby today from my store. My husband Spike was in shock. His reaction to the news? "Wow. People will buy anything!" I'm relieved to have Bad Baby out of my house. He was freaking out my kids and stinking up the place. But now I have to buckle down and sew truckloads of charity animals to pay for my moment of weakness. I hope this doesn't kill all my enthusiasm for the little critters. Okay then. Can't blog. Must sew.

Comments

TheOneTrueSue said…
Wow. I'm stunned by the fact that Bad Baby sold, tee hee

This reminds me of when I was really broke and went on one of those freelance sites and bid on a bunch of transcription jobs. I won them all, and it ended up taking hundreds of hours, for something like $300. I was making about a dollar an hour. It SUCKED.

Anyway, I feel your pain.
Anonymous said…
sue, i sure hope you live in the philippines or some place where life costs less...
Anonymous said…
Good luck! At least you know your consumer age now.
Allie said…
You are too nice! Well, I can't say anything, I really don't know how tho say No in those situations myself. Good luck! If I lived there, I just might volunteer to help. but I don't, sorry.
The Wiz said…
heh heh. People will buy anything. So does this mean you're going to stop making them?
Leslie said…
Aw...hobbies...who needs em anyway. I agree, you're too nice!
Anonymous said…
Yes, way too nice.

Maybe when they come to pick up their Flakey Friends you could say, "Thank you for adopting a Flakey Friend. I'm sure that they will be very happy in their new home. Now, that will be $20 and another $10 for processing paperwork, vaccinations, etc." I'm sure there are plenty of needle pokes involved, and it's still cheaper than going to the local animal shelter, right?
Janell said…
Youch. You have my sympathies.
Anonymous said…
I'm sending good luck! I'm also still coveting many of your cute animals, especially the beaver and the hedgehog right now :)
Anonymous said…
You're saying that where you live children have $20 to drop on homemade crafts? Not only that, but some of them actually had $20 on them at a church event?
Sarah said…
No cash. Their poor sucker parents wrote checks. I felt kind of bad having people give me money at a church event, but I certainly wasn't going to say no!
drainey said…
Since it was a church event don't you think all proceeds should go to humanitarian relief? $20 could buy Reese's for whole villages in Darfur. And how you could not feel good about that?
Jessica G. said…
Hey, I love your animals but someone actually bought Bad Baby? Are they going to use him as a warning to other children?

P.S.
I love Sven and when I can manage to get him back from the kids, I like to snuggle him on my lap while I read blogs. But I can't let the kids know or they will demand him back.
jordan said…
wow, you sound like you're in over your head! those kids got a steal. I think even $35 (isn't that what they usually go for) is low compared to the time and effort that goes into them. good luck!

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