I ended my year with an Etsy order, for the mini capelet with fringe. Remember this cute thing?
Well, like almost all my orders have gone, customers would rather have their crochet goods to fit their style. In this case, my customer wanted a capelet to wear to her Red Hat Society meetings. Que, custom order! She needed a red and purple shawl, slightly bigger than the pictured item (which was made for a girl).
It is so difficult to do custom orders for people halfway across the country. I have no idea what this lady looked like, so I hope my slightly bigger fit her slightly bigger. I also hope I got the colors right. I sent her this photo of yarn that I already had on hand. I recommended the first red with the purple, because it is brighter and as I recall the Red Hat Society is bright red. She agreed. Gosh, I hope I got it right.
I didn’t take any photos of her shawl on the mannequin, but I can give you an idea of how it turned out.
It fit well on me, and the buttons could be adjusted, if needed. The red color looks pink in this photo, but I think it’s the light. It is called Pinkish Red, so I hope it meets her expectations. Overall, the hardest part about custom orders like this is not really knowing the customer. If it was for someone I knew, I would physically show them the yarn and have them try on the piece as I was making it. I guess, now that it is shipped, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best. I know I tried my hardest.
How do you handle custom orders from complete strangers? Has anyone tried the Shrug with Fringe Pattern? Any suggestions on improvements to the pattern? Hope everyone is getting off to a great start in 2018! Happy Crocheting!
Crochet539 
Looks great!
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Thanks!
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I’ve made my fabric sewing boxes as custom orders and I just get an idea of the sort of theme/colour/design they are looking for, rifle through my stash and send them photos of the fabric combinations I’m thinking of – as you did with your yarn. Sometimes it takes several communications to get it right but I haven’t had any complaints about the finished item yet. If I’m honest though, I prefer selling my ready made ones as all the decisions have already been taken (by me!) and the buyer either likes it or doesn’t from the pictures I’ve already published.
I’m sure your customer will be happy as it seems you have made it to her specifications – who can do more? Personally I prefer the purple one but then I’m not a member of the Red Hat Society which I’m off to Google as I’ve never heard of it.
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You are right, all we can do is ask the right questions and get as much information as possible. But I prefer to sell ready made items too!
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I haven’t done any custom orders for strangers yet. The thought terrifies me. 🙂
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Ha! It’s not so bad, most of my experiences have been positive 😊.
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Ahh it looks great! The only tip i can give you with custom orders is communication. I always get the ‘I will let you decide your the expert’ But its really hard when again, like you said the person is a stranger. So, multiple of swatches only small ones, colour combos and always communicate send pictures etc. Don’t allow the project to get too big before showing them the progress. In case they do decide to have something changed at last minute. Keep note of your most requested colours, items, stitches etc. Getting the customer involved is fun and exciting for them as well 🙂 Seems like a lot of work but it really isn’t, plus this shows good service and you will more than likely have future business with them. xo
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Really good advice, thanks Rebecca!
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No problem! Here’s to more custom orders for you 😀 😀 😀 mo money mo money
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🤑💚
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It’s a gorgeous pattern so I’m sure she’ll love it. I haven’t made any custom orders for anyone but I have made tops for people that I was just guessing at their size and that was really tricky. The only advice I can think of is to maybe send a little color swatch of the yarn when the exact color is important. I always have problems with my pictures not really showing the true color of the yarn. It’s so annoying. 😀 😀 😀
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It is annoying! It’s mostly why I don’t buy a lot of yarn online. Good advice about the swatches, might have to try this next time.
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That’s great Brenna, way to go! I have only made a couple of custom orders for friends and, although she lives back in Europe, I think the pictures of the yarn were enough. But is was for amigurumi toys, so I guess there is less room for error than with garments. Your capelet looks great though so I’m sure she loved it 🙂
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Thanks Emma! It’s always tricky when the customer is so far away, I just hope she likes it!
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For custom orders, I just make sure to communicate as much as I need to. If I have a question, I ask it. And I can only hope my customers will do the same!
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Good point about customers asking questions and giving information as well. Good communication paves the way to a good outcome!
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I think she will really like it. It looks perfect for the RHS.
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Thank you 😊
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I’ve had custom orders (not many since I don’t usually do custom orders except for my students 🙂 from people who attended the craft fairs I’ve done. They live nearby so it isn’t quite the same but I don’t know them or have access to them to try things on and it’s very nerve wracking wondering if they will like it. I was selling Minecraft beanies one year and a man asked if I could make a Superman one. I shrugged that I probably could. I asked what he had in mind. Turned out his wife was a PTO mom at our school (I didn’t know her personally) and that she had bought one of my dolls at a previous craft fair. I decided to try it even though I was worried I couldn’t pull it off. I made it about the same size as the others and delivered it to the mom. Just recently, she reached out to me and asked if I had any Coraline dolls (I don’t). I guess they were happy with the hat or they wouldn’t have come back to me, right? Now I need to try and see if I can make a Coraline doll! Here’s the link to the hat in case you’re curious about what it looks like. https://yochet.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/superman-beanie/
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Omg your Superman Beanie is too cool! It’s definitely a testimonial for you to have a repeat customer! You’re like their personal fiber artist! It’s nerve wracking to make something specific for someone you don’t know, but it’s kind of fun too (especially if they’re really happy with it) 😊.
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I’ve only had a custom order for a card so far (thanks, Rebecca!) so I’ve no tips for you, I’m afraid. Just encouragement that it looks fabby and I’m sure they’ll love it!
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Thanks Hannah! What I’ve learned from most of the comments is that communication is key. Ask questions and get a really good idea of what the customer wants. This is good advice, whether working with a stranger or a friend!
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Cute!
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Thanks 😊
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