Across(stitch) the globe

March 12, 2008 9:34 AM

I’d like to outsource piecework. How?

Don’t hate me, but I’m becoming a big fan of outsourcing – specifically personal outsourcing. These are activities that I would otherwise do for myself. I’m not taking anybody’s job away – just freeing up my own time. I’ve so far stuck to technical items or organizational items, but only for things that are email-able, which has worked out great.

Is it possible to outsource piecework?

For example, I have a few cross-stitch designs that I’d like to get to, but never seem to find the time. I don’t want them enough to have them professionally done – I don’t want them that bad to spend that much. But I know that there are people around the world that earn pennies doing piecework that eventually ends up for sale in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Somewhere between the full price of local production and the meager price of industrial piecework lies a cost that makes sense for my level of interest.

So is it possible to do this as an individual creating single items? How does one find pieceworkers around the globe?

I could see this being a steady stream of work, but it would never grow into anything that would rise to the level of contracting with production companies. This is just an occasional hobby and I’d like to spend more time on what I enjoy – creating designs – and less time on what I don’t – production.

posted by ochenk to work & money (4 comments total)

Sorry, not enough information. Please specify how many manhours worth of work it is and how technical is the work? Can it be done by machine, or skilled worker? How many training hours would be necessary to get the worker up to speed?

Would it even be worth the cost of shipping to have this "outsourced"?

Also...are you SERIOUSLY considering outsourcing your HOBBIES?
posted by hal_c_on at 9:48 AM on March 12

Sorry, not enough information.

It can be all over the place. Some pieces are very small with just a few colors, some are monsters. And I'd like to do this with multiple media, not just cross-stitch. The question is specifically how does one go about finding/working with pieceworkers from other, often "less-developed" countries, to provide one-off work? Is it even possible?

Would it even be worth the cost of shipping to have this "outsourced"?

Sure. I ship internationally pretty regularly, and it's not terribly expensive.

Also...are you SERIOUSLY considering outsourcing your HOBBIES?

I'm considering outsourcing the parts of my hobby that aren't interesting to me. It's like a painter buying pre-mixed paints or pre-stretched canvas. Or a guitarist buying, rather than making, guitar strings. Or a cook buying veggies rather than growing them. I love designing product and I love seeing the final product. In the time that it takes me to produce something I've designed, I could create three more designs, and have three-times the enjoyment.
posted by ochenk at 10:25 AM on March 12

There are many non profit companies doing piecework. they are non profit becaus they tend to be affilliated with non profit orgs that take care of developmentally challenged adults and they employ those adults to do the piecework.
They can sometimes be competitive, but I've seen many that are just looking to maximize their profit by charging the same as for profits while having access to cheaper labor so good negotiations are key.
posted by Fupped Duck at 10:36 AM on March 12

I know a company that does this for knitting, not cross-stitch, and I know quite a few cross-stitchers. Have you considered doing what I do when I test my new knitting patterns (before I start to sell them)? I offer a certain number of test knitters a free copy of the pattern (and in the case of cross-stitch, you might want to throw in the materials, too, they're not that much) in exchange for completing it and making sure the pattern makes sense.

Some people who don't like to design things themselves are happy to do this "testing" for you. You might also want to put an ad in the TNNA (National Needle Arts Association) newsletter or brochure looking for testers...
posted by bitter-girl.com at 12:21 PM on March 12