Rant on commission work

I was interested in commissioning someone to make me a custom 2 piece dress: nothing overly complicated in pattern and/or design but obviously not something that I can do myself.
As my 1st choice was busy I shot an email to "choice#2" to see if what I wanted could be done. I was told yes it can be done but :
1. I needed to send over the body to make sure it's a perfect fit - I am okay with this as I have done it before
2. I needed to supply the specified fabric colour for the dress to be made - I was surprised this was a requirement as it was my assumption that you (the person I would be paying the services for would source the coloured fabric). I just need to tell you what I need and how much it's going to cost me.

Although I was expecting to pay a pretty penny for the work from choice#2 - I did not expect I would also need to source the fabric for the commission.
Sure - I depend on your expertise, but what's next - you'll need me to send you my sewing machine too?
I think I'll just have to wait for my 1st choice to be available (like I have much of a choice).

Rant over - lol
Have a great week ahead everyone.

Hmmm... sounds to me like the maker has been "burned" by customers complaining about the colors of finished items after the work has been completed. If somebody simply says "red" or "blue" the Maker will pick red or blue fabric and get to work. Hobbyists are often trying to replicate an exact "screen accurate" look for a character, and might not be happy with what the Maker ends up choosing.

Additionally, even sending photos might not be sufficiently accurate, as video monitors are often calibrated differently. The Maker might interpret a color seen on a monitor differently than does the purchaser, which could again result in complaints from the purchaser when the final product "is the wrong color."

I could be mistaken, of course, because I'm not directly familiar with the situation, but I suspect the Maker is trying to reduce the likelihood of purchaser complaints that arise after the work is done.

The gal who made the dress and fur coat for my Nika (Olga Kurylenko) figure, sourced everything herself. She’s a custom wedding dress maker by trade, but she/they make stuff for 1/6 scale figures. I was hoping to get a more “silken” material for the dress, as it was more or less a “slip”, but she explained that the material she chose worked best at this scale, and since she was the professional, I deferred to her. I can give you their Etsy store link and you can contact them (there’s 3 that work out of that store). This being wedding season, it could be a bit before they can get around to it.

I suspect David is right about why Choice #2 made this demand.

davidd wrote:Hmmm... sounds to me like the maker has been "burned" by customers complaining about the colors of finished items after the work has been completed. If somebody simply says "red" or "blue" the Maker will pick red or blue fabric and get to work. Hobbyists are often trying to replicate an exact "screen accurate" look for a character, and might not be happy with what the Maker ends up choosing.

Additionally, even sending photos might not be sufficiently accurate, as video monitors are often calibrated differently. The Maker might interpret a color seen on a monitor differently than does the purchaser, which could again result in complaints from the purchaser when the final product "is the wrong color."

I could be mistaken, of course, because I'm not directly familiar with the situation, but I suspect the Maker is trying to reduce the likelihood of purchaser complaints that arise after the work is done.

GubernatorFan wrote:I suspect David is right about why Choice #2 made this demand.

Good point - but to be fair though Choice#2 could have said "hey buyer - we don't have the colour you need but we do have these colours for you to choose from as an alternative.." but maybe that's just my service industry experience getting the better of me.

Stryker2012 wrote:The gal who made the dress and fur coat for my Nika (Olga Kurylenko) figure, sourced everything herself. She’s a custom wedding dress maker by trade, but she/they make stuff for 1/6 scale figures. I was hoping to get a more “silken” material for the dress, as it was more or less a “slip”, but she explained that the material she chose worked best at this scale, and since she was the professional, I deferred to her. I can give you their Etsy store link and you can contact them (there’s 3 that work out of that store). This being wedding season, it could be a bit before they can get around to it.

Thanks Stryker for the recommendation - please do share their details and I'll drop them a line to see if they can help.

Sorry for your frustration, Allotropos. While I cannot say what their exact reason might be, I do know from experience of sourcing fabrics for 1/6 scale, that it can be a long and stressful process to find the perfect fabric (unless you have access to a huge fabric store 24/7). It could be that they are trying to shorten the amount of time you will have to wait for the finished item by having you source the fabric yourself.

And Stryker, could you PM me the info of the store in question as well? Just out of curiosity. : )

skywalkersaga wrote:Sorry for your frustration, Allotropos. While I cannot say what their exact reason might be, I do know from experience of sourcing fabrics for 1/6 scale, that it can be a long and stressful process to find the perfect fabric (unless you have access to a huge fabric store 24/7). It could be that they are trying to shorten the amount of time you will have to wait for the finished item by having you source the fabric yourself.

That was my thought as well. I guess it would depend on the volume of work the individual does. If it’s their occupation/livelihood, then I would imagine they had accumulated many different fabrics over the years and know where to source them. If it’s a hobby or a side hustle, I imagine it would be far more difficult.

Myself, I prefer to supply the materials. For example, I recently hired someone to paint the front of my house, but I bought the paint. That way, I get the quality of paint that I want, and the painter only has to be concerned with quoting out his labor rate and some ancillary tools and materials that in most cases, he already has available.

Other people would rather let the painter buy the paint. Either way works. It really comes down to the personalities of the two principals involved. The important thing is that you’re both on the same page. In this case, Source 2 probably isn’t the right fit.

Thanks guys for weighing in and because there are always two sides to a coin, I am sure choice #2 has their reasons (as mentioned above). Maybe my past experiences have coloured my expectations but nevertheless - I'm sure there will be someone out there who will be able to help me with what I would like to have made..I just need to keep looking.

Stryker2012 wrote:The gal who made the dress and fur coat for my Nika (Olga Kurylenko) figure, sourced everything herself. She’s a custom wedding dress maker by trade, but she/they make stuff for 1/6 scale figures. I was hoping to get a more “silken” material for the dress, as it was more or less a “slip”, but she explained that the material she chose worked best at this scale, and since she was the professional, I deferred to her. I can give you their Etsy store link and you can contact them (there’s 3 that work out of that store). This being wedding season, it could be a bit before they can get around to it.

Just a heads up I reached out and she isn't accepting any customs so the search continues !
Thanks again for the hookup !

Aww, that’s too bad. I know when she worked on mine, she was having issues with arthritis in her hands and had to have surgery. Hopefully, it didn’t put an end to her career.

Stryker2012 wrote:Aww, that’s too bad. I know when she worked on mine, she was having issues with arthritis in her hands and had to have surgery. Hopefully, it didn’t put an end to her career.

Arthritis really sucks when you are trying to work in small scale.... speaking from experience.

skywalkersaga wrote:

Stryker2012 wrote:Aww, that’s too bad. I know when she worked on mine, she was having issues with arthritis in her hands and had to have surgery. Hopefully, it didn’t put an end to her career.

Arthritis really sucks when you are trying to work in small scale.... speaking from experience.

Preach, Sister. My hands are terrible with it.