Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Jessica from Juicy Bits shares a free pattern for this little felt owl ornament. Make a bunch of them for your Christmas tree, and Santa will say “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” this year. Or maybe he’ll ask, “Hooo’s been naughty and hoooo’s been nice?” Or perhaps he’ll sing, “Owl be home for Christmas.” Get the free pattern.
[photo from Juicy Bits]
[tags]sewing, tutorial, pattern, felt, owl, ornament, Christmas[/tags]
If there’s one topic that makes sewists uncomfortable faster than sewing zippers, it’s pricing. Not how to sew the item — but how much to charge for it once it’s finished.
Most people don’t struggle with making handmade items. They struggle with putting a price on their time, skill, and effort without feeling awkward, guilty, or worried they’ll scare buyers away.
If you’ve ever thought:
“I’m not good enough to charge that much,”
“People won’t pay handmade prices,”
or “I’ll just price it low until I get better,”
you’re not alone. But you’re also not doing yourself any favours.
Let’s talk about how to price handmade sewing items in a way that’s fair, realistic, and sustainable — without undervaluing yourself.
Underpricing doesn’t just affect your income. It affects your motivation, your confidence, and how seriously buyers take your work.
When handmade items are priced too low:
Ironically, pricing too low can make selling harder, not easier.
Handmade sewing items aren’t competing with mass-produced factory goods. They’re competing with thoughtfulness, quality, and care — and those have value.
One of the biggest pricing mistakes beginners make is charging only for materials.
Fabric, thread, zips, interfacing, labels, packaging — these are your base costs. But they’re only the starting point.
You also need to account for:
Even if you enjoy sewing, your time still counts.
A simple rule:
If someone else had to make this for you, what would you expect to pay them per hour?
Many sewists worry that because their items are “simple,” they don’t deserve higher prices.
Straight seams, basic construction, minimal shaping — these are often seen as beginner skills. But from a buyer’s perspective, simplicity is often a feature, not a flaw.
Simple items are:
A well-made tote bag, table runner, or pouch doesn’t lose value because it’s simple. It gains value because it works.
You don’t need complicated spreadsheets to price handmade sewing items.
A beginner-friendly formula looks like this:
Materials + (Hourly rate × Time) + Fees = Price
Your hourly rate doesn’t need to be high — but it does need to exist.
Even a modest rate acknowledges that your time matters.
And remember: pricing isn’t permanent. You’re allowed to adjust as you learn.
This mindset feels sensible, but it causes long-term problems.
When you price low “for now,” you:
Your skill will improve through repetition, not through underpricing.
Selling handmade items is a skill too — and pricing fairly is part of learning it.
Most buyers don’t analyse your stitching technique.
They’re paying for:
They want something useful, well made, and ready to use — not a bargain-bin price.
When you price confidently, buyers feel more confident too.
It’s smart to look at what others charge — but don’t use comparison as a weapon against yourself.
Instead of asking:
“Why are they charging more than me?”
Ask:
There is room for different price points. You don’t need to be the cheapest to be successful.
Selling handmade items should feel rewarding, not exhausting.
If your prices don’t allow you to:
…they’re too low.
A sustainable price keeps you sewing longer — and consistency is what builds sales over time.
Instead of asking:
“Is this worth what I’m charging?”
Ask:
“Would I be proud to sell this?”
If the item is:
Then it deserves a fair price.
You don’t need permission to charge what your work is worth. You just need to believe that your time, effort, and creativity matter.
Because they do.
Book Review – Sewing to Sell – The Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Craft Business
Selling your handmade items? Here’s how to figure a fair price.
I Love this! I can’t wait to make an Owl Tree next year!
I want to make these…but her site is down! Do you have another copy of the pattern?
Her site was still up this morning. Perhaps it was just a temporary technical glitch? –Anne
I tried to pull up the felt owl ornament and was unable to do so. can you send to my email thanks
You should be able to just right-click on the link to the pattern (at Juicy Bits blog) and save it down to your computer. It’s a PDF file, which tend to be large. If you just click the link to open it in your browser, your browser may be timing out. Try downloading it to your computer before opening. If that doesn’t work, you may want to contact the designer for help. –Anne
Where is a good place to buy felt? I’ve been to Michael’s, Joann Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby but they don’t have an extensive collection of colors. I’ve looked at the American Felt and Craft website and they seem to have a good selection. But wanted to see if you have any other suggestions. Thanks!
Helaina, I get most of my felt from old blankets, so I don’t know offhand the name of a good source for purchasing. Perhaps another reader has some advice? –Anne
I was not able to download the owl pattern, can you send it by e-mail.
Thanks!!
I cannot send the file, but perhaps you could contact the person who created the pattern and they may be able to help you out. –Anne
I love the owls. I made one and it looked really cute. I called it squishy owl because it is quite squishy. I used red felt for the body, orange for the underneath eyes and the wings, white {obviously} for the eyes, green for the belly, dark green for the beack, brown beads for the middle of the eyes and I dry felted the patern on the belly. It looked realy great and best of all it’s hand made!
Thanks!
I Love these owls would to make some … I love the trees….
Love the owls can’t wait to make them
When you make these do you sew them right sides together or is it blanket stich only ?
Want the owl pattern Went to Juciy website – go access there either. Could you please email it to me?
Went to other website. No available pattern. Could you please email it to me?
Thanks for the pattern, my little daughter will love it.
Cool! 🙂
Thanks for the pattern! My daughter loves owls and I want to make her a set of ornaments!
Thanks for the great owl pattern. I used it @ with my high students, they loved making the owl.
Thanks for the pattern. I want to make a friend a bag for her birthday and she adores owls, this pattern is brilliant, I’ll be able to use the pattern as a motif and fancy it up with sequins. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for the pattern. Iam actually going to sew some on to a hot water bottle for my daughter. I have plans to make some for the tree too as all our decorations need to be two year old friendly for my son.
Your owl pattern is adorable, I plan to make it for my 32 yr-old son, he still requests a homemade ornament each year and I love that he does.