Wonder How Much That Costume is Worth?

Wonder How Much That Costume is Worth? | HistoricalSewing.com
Sorting Receipts

I sort receipts for a living. For real. As a bookkeeper I have to sort through someone’s crumpled, sticky, torn, estrogen-mimicking receipts so they can be recorded. Piles and piles of receipts. And they all come to me stuffed into a gallon size Ziploc bag. I save the fun for slow work days….

Makes me wonder…. How much do I really spend in making my historical costumes? I mean, I’ve recorded a project or two before. But man, that pile of receipts would be S-C-A-R-Y!

From the fabric, underlinings, interfacing, thread, buttons, trim, more trim, more thread ’cause the first spool ran out, bias tape, hem facing fabric, hook & eyes, etc., etc., etc… SOOO much goes into a historical costume! It’s not like a vintage 1960s dress that takes just two yards of fabric, a zipper and you’re done.

Then there’s your time you put into that costume. How much are your hours worth? Gosh, that’s a whole different discussion! Add up the cost of materials and labor and you’ve got one expensive dress there.

But boy, how we love to do it! 🙂

Do you keep tabs on how much you spend on a particular costume? Are you surprised by how much money you put into your historical wardrobe?

24 thoughts on “Wonder How Much That Costume is Worth?

  1. charlie says:

    I tend to look for really good deals on fabric, snatch it up, and the design around what I have.
    When you look at my individual costumes, they tend to have less than fifty dollars of fabric, and less than fifty dollars in trims and notions.
    But if you look at my fabric stash… well. There’s a few thousand dollars worth of fabric there that has yet to find its way into a dress. Some of it I do have plans for. Some of it I don’t. Sometimes it sits in a bin for years until I finally realize I don’t want it and donate it to a charity shop.

    I’m fairly certain that I would spend less money if I bought my wools and silks at regular price but only bought them as I used them. But spending $200+ on fabric for a single dress is a whole different sort of nerve-wracking.

  2. Celeste says:

    Because my grade has usually depened on it, I do. But now that I’m not sewing for a grade, I have no idea how that’ll work. I DO know that my stays have cost about $40. I should probably start keeping track………

  3. Chris says:

    When I made a gown I do it as a portfolio art piece. I keep track of how much I spend on the project so that I know I’m staying on budget, and also so I know if someone wants to buy the ensemble from me how much I would need to charge. It also helps when people ask me questions about it. I keep each project in a ‘journal’ so I can come back and reference it should I need to make it again, for what ever reason.

  4. Cathy Symonds says:

    I think getting started is the really big money item. Before I ever got to my lovely 1860’s style day dress, I made drawers ( one cotton and one flannel), a chemise, a Victorian corset ( Thanks, Jenn, for the on-line corset class!), the TV elliptical hoops, and 2 petticoats. After that I needed to make a bonnet, a reticule, and a woolen paletot. Certainly there was also stockings , footwear and gloves as well. All told, all those pieces and their supplies, such as hoop steel, corset bones & busk, eyelets, patterns, and fabrics were probably pushing well over $500. My dress fabric was a simple cotton and even with the yardage, didn’t cost me much. Did I tell my husband the total? Heck no, but I think he likes seeing the total ensemble. I have worn it the last several years for our town’s Victorian Holidays in November.

  5. Lane Robson says:

    To all the ladies who make and sell your costumes remember you are creating a Haut Couture garment don’t be afraid to charge like it especially if you use silk and other expensive fabric and trims.

  6. Holly Champion says:

    I find it highly amusing that not one person has actually stated how much they have spent on a single costume! Even if they are quite aware! Hehe

  7. Tracey Walker says:

    Melody, you’re a girl after my own heart. I do pretty much all my costume design using thrift store finds. Quite often, I’ll find that mine looks more ‘real’ than something sewn from scratch because they use a cheap fabric. One of my favorite secrets is to scour the childrens department at thrift stores. You can fine beautiful velvet, satin and lace trims there for a dollar or two. It’s amazing how much fabric a childs party dress will produce when you rip out the waist seam. That said, this blog has inspired me to make something from scratch, but I’m overwhelmed.

  8. Varika says:

    In short, no. Expanded version: I shop for things when I see them and have money, then stockpile them until I’m ready to start a costume. And of course, what I have stockpiled is never ALL of what I need, so there are nibbles here and nibbles there…

  9. Lisa D. says:

    I know I spend alot…but through the wonderful organization of my sister, Lynn. I have found a better way of keeping myself organized. With doing this…it reduces the chance of duplication of items I already have. This is half the battle. Moving forward, I will have to sit down and physically keep track of the over all cost. This alone will not only keep my checkbook in check,…but my hubby happy also.

  10. Lynn Marston says:

    I’m sharing this with my other costuming friends. We had a get together this past week and talked about all these gowns we would make “If money wasn’t an issue”. Well, we all came to a crashing conclusion that we do need to watch things more closely. So we started a push to cut pack a little and see if you could help each other out by having a fabric and trim swap. One way of keeping the re-enacting dream alive.

  11. melody says:

    i try to shop the thrift stores,keep and eye out for long skirts, old formals ,blouses ,vest and jackets that have a “period” look. Then I rework them. I set a budget and work from there.This saves me money on buttons and trims ,as the clothes already have them on them. I also buy sheets to use as lining or toiles. I cut old buttons and save them, also trim or zippers. I have a re use pile that has outgrown girls party dresses that i take apart to use as fancy lapels or binding. So my “expenses” are usually pretty low.

  12. Veronica K. says:

    I totaled up the fabric and notions for my Civil War era dress once… I haven’t done another since! And that did not include how much it would cost if I was being paid for my time.

  13. tina holt says:

    I agree with Kayk…….My creations are for sale, so I tend to make them about a size and half larger than I am and then dart them to fit me. That way if some one larger than me wants it and doesn’t mind the second worn status…Sold!…, it will fit a gal my size or the next size up by letting out the darts. It really is more time consuming to do fittings for custom orders and it is hard to charge accordingly for that extended time requirement.

  14. Andrea L says:

    It was so weird, making a modern garment and not having to spend over $100 for the fabric. Or having to buy fabric by the bolt…

    I usually pay attention to the fabric, which is the big ticket item, but then I try to forget the other expenses…and since I’m fairly new to sewing, I don’t have anything in bulk like boning or buttons, so that’s a extra twenty dollars here, thirty dollars there. I…try not to think of it. I’ll be spending the money regardless, so I might as well be blissfully unaware and enjoy the costuming ride. ^_^

  15. Diane Y says:

    I keep careful track of all my expenses, via my Stash Notebook. I created my own form to do this. To the front page is stapled a 3×5-inch swatch of fabric(s), with notations for fiber content, length & width of the cut, cost, date & source of purchase, plus a picture — pattern cover or fashion illustration –of what I plan to make with it. On the back side are the What Elses, such as lining, trims, buttons, thread, other notions, what each cost and whether it is already in the Stash or has to be purchased. And at the bottom of that page I even list those accessories which I plan to wear or use with the completed the costume — hat, gloves, shoes, handbag, wrap, parasol, jewelery. Once I’ve completed an outfit I know down to the penny what I spent on it, so that if ever I decide to sell it I’ve got a firm base for making a price decision.

  16. kayk says:

    Chris D, you are so right. I have done one dress on commission and couldn’t bring myself to charge what my time was worth when I added it all up. That will likely be my last such project. From now on, if you want one of my dresses, you’d better be my size and acquire it second-hand!

  17. Chris D. says:

    I generally pay attention to the cost of the fabric for my own projects, but pretend not to notice all the additional money spent on trims, closures and other odds and ends. I’ll often overspend when I get obsessed with a project, but it’s often worth it in my mind. I really only delve into the true costs when someone starts going on and on about how I should make them something. Generally they’ve changed their minds before I even finish rattling off the costs of all the materials!

  18. Stephanie says:

    Things really do add up! Generally, I try to budget how much I spend in sewing projects per month rather than per project. I tend to stay on track better that way. I can tell you that I was super surprised at how much my first historical costume cost. I ended up going $200 over budget and I didn’t even get to use nearly as much trim as I wanted to.

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