Home » Home & Style » Needlework » Part III: Model Stitching for Publishers and Designers

Part III: Model Stitching for Publishers and Designers

© Lori J. Seaborg

This article is the final one about model stitching. If you have decided that you would not like to stitch only for supplies, but would rather get some money for your efforts, then you should consider stitching for designers and publishers. In the first article of this series I shared with you that I have been stitching for publishers for the past few years. While I was paid for my efforts, it was minimal pay considering the hours put into the work. It simply would not be worth your while to stitch for publishers and designers simply to make money. You could do much better at a minimum wage job! After some research (from fellow model stitchers), I found that the most common range of pay is between .01 to .05 per stitch, with back-stitching sometimes getting half that price.

Having established that price as the average range I've found, here are the extremes: Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, the designer and owner of Told In a Garden, http://www.tiag.com/, pays $500-$1000 per design while other designers, usually new ones, have their stitching done for free from a friend who is happy enough just having her name in print. One perk that you can usually expect is to be able to keep the project once the designer is finished using it as a photography or display model.

If you are still interested in designing, knowing that you have to send in meticulous work on a tight time frame and for little pay, here is a step-by-step list of how to get started:

1. Stitch several samples of your work:

a. Size: These samples don't need to be any larger than 4"x4". 3"x3" is often sufficient. Make these samples a replica of your best stitching.

b. Fabric: Stitch the samples on a fabric that you hope to be considered for as a model stitcher, or stitch them on both Aida and linen if you want the publisher or designer to know that you can stitch on either.

c. Design: It is not important what the design is of, but it is important that you include several types of stitches in your work. For example, if you want to be considered for designs that are primarily "cross-stitch", then include backstitches, half-stitches, and maybe even a few beads with the cross stitches. If you want to be considered for a range of stitching, then include some of your best - although not your most complicated - specialty stitches along with the basic cross stitch.

The copyright of the article Part III: Model Stitching for Publishers and Designers in Needlework is owned by Lori J. Seaborg. Permission to republish Part III: Model Stitching for Publishers and Designers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.