Can You Really Make Money Making And Selling Tapestries?

By: John Garcia | Date Posted: January 18, 2022

It’s a question many custom tapestry makers and custom tapestry weavers often get: can you really make money making and selling custom tapestries?  This article will discuss the ins and outs of earning an income from custom weaving.

Can custom weaving earn you a living wage? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated. Let me explain.

Although custom tapestries come in all shapes and sizes, meaning there are no standard rates any more than there are standard designs. However, custom weavers usually charge by square foot for their work.

It is thus helpful to know that a casual observer would take a 5×7 ft finished custom tapestry that was woven on a loom to be a custom tapestry that is 54″ by 81″.

HOW MUCH DO WEAVERS CHARGE PER SQUARE FOOT?

So to estimate custom tapestry prices, you would take the custom tapestry size and divide it by 9. The result is how many square feet your custom tapestry will be.

Then multiply the price per square foot by the custom tapestry area, which should give you an estimate of how much your custom tapestry will cost.

Do keep in mind though that weaving is a very time-intensive process and costs money not only for materials but also for equipment rental, tools, and other expenses typically involved in creating custom work of any kind.

Therefore, experienced weavers usually charge custom tapestry prices that are somewhat higher than their hourly wage.

Hours Required to Weave a Tapestry

Hours Required to Weave a Tapestry

It is thus not necessary to charge your custom tapestry price by the hour because custom tapestries do not take equally long to create, since custom tapestries can be anywhere from small wall hangings to large custom bed-sized pieces which would require many hours of weaving.

However, custom weavers may charge an estimate for how much time they think it will take them to weave the custom tapestries. Or if you’re just starting out, you might want to research how long other custom tapestry makers typically spend on projects before pricing your own work accordingly.

Tapestry Prices Vary With Its Size

Tapestry Prices Vary With Its Size

Now that you get a general idea of custom tapestry prices, let’s look at how custom tapestry size affects these custom tapestry costs. Obviously, custom weavers want to charge custom tapestry prices higher for bigger custom tapestry pieces so they don’t have to create the same number of knots as a smaller custom tapestry would require.

It is thus advisable not to sell custom-sized tapestries for less than what your local weaving studio charges per square foot because doing so will devalue the art form and you will be unlikely to make any additional income from such projects in the future.

Is it possible to earn good money with custom tapestries? The answer again is yes but custom tapestry prices are not always high because custom tapestry prices depend on the custom tapestry maker’s reputation, their experience, and certain other factors.

WHAT OTHER FACTORS AFFECT CUSTOM TAPESTRY COSTS?

CUSTOM TAPESTRY

  1. Whether you buy custom tapestry supplies or make your own custom-sized tapestries will affect custom tapestry costs. If you choose to buy custom tapestry supplies such as hand-dyed yarns and organic fabrics, then it is more likely that custom weavers will charge custom tapestry prices higher than if you had used plain commercial materials for your project since weavers who use special custom-dyed yarn and fabrics would need longer to custom-size custom tapestries.
  2. The location also affects custom tapestry prices. In countries where custom tapestry prices are lower, custom weavers have less incentive to overcome the challenges custom weaving presents and thus custom tapestry makers in these areas tend to create smaller custom pieces that take a lot less time and effort to make. They also buy cheap pre-dyed custom tapestry supplies so they can afford to give their custom tapestry pieces away or sell them for very low prices.
  3. Whether you get your materials from the local market or order custom-sized hand-dyed yarns will affect custom tapestry costs because although it might be cheaper in the short run to buy your materials locally, custom tapestry makers will have to spend more on custom-sized custom tapestry supplies as they would need to custom dye their custom tapestry yarns. In addition, custom weavers who use custom-dyed custom tapestry supplies will definitely charge customers higher prices for custom tapestries because the costs of producing these products are higher and often exceed what most customers can afford to pay.
  4. If you commissioned a custom tapestry piece from an experienced weaver, expect to be charged with custom tapestry prices that reflect not only your location but also the quality of the end product. For example, if you commission a custom weaver based in New York City where such skilled individuals typically charge very high prices and you live in a small town somewhere in Alabama, custom tapestry prices will reflect the custom weaver’s location and experience as well as your custom tapestry project’s custom sizing.
  5. Although custom tapestry supplies such as hand-dyed yarns cost more, they are often worth paying for because custom weavers who use custom-sized custom tapestry supplies can create an infinite variety of color combinations that commercial pre-dyed yarns cannot match.
  6. Custom tapestry prices are also affected by the size of your custom tapestry piece. Custom tapestries with larger image sizes take longer to weave and thus custom tapestries makers will need to spend more time on your project which is why it is advisable not to sell custom-sized images for less than what is offered per square foot as doing so will devalue the art form and you will be unlikely to make any additional income from such projects in the future.

Conclusion

Custom tapestry prices are not always high because custom-sized custom tapestries often require a lot of custom tapestry supplies and work.

So, in conclusion, custom weave prices depend on two factors: your location and the experience of the custom weaver. It is simple really when you think about it! If you live in an area where custom weaving costs more then default to custom-sized custom weaves by buying custom dyne yarns and fabrics and so forth in order to get higher-quality pieces.

Thank you for reading!

John
 

John is the founder and chief editor of Homienjoy. With over 15 years of experience in the home improvement industry, John is passionate about helping homeowners confidently tackle their projects. Holding a civil engineering degree and working as a contractor, project manager, and consultant, John brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Homienjoy community.

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