Mommy Arndt selling purses on Facebook 75-100 bucks each

[0 kids n not countin]

http://www.facebook.com/RufflePurse

 

Anyone want to purchase a ruffle purse made by Mamma Arndt (cost, between 75 to 100 bucks)? Apparently she's selling them on Facebook.

 

Imo they're ugly, I certainly wouldn't pay up to 100 bucks for one. For that price I'd rather make it myself.

[mrs]

I think she could market them better as diaper bags. They are a little too frilly for me, and I wear pearls, pop my collar, and l<3ve headbands. :)

[Ex 2x2]

I'm also into frilly stuff, but those things are hideous. And the prices are outrageous! I wonder how many she sells??

[Claddagh]

As a person who sews I can understand how pricey some things can get when charging for them. However, at the same time, one must have a set price for some items.

I used to make these popular rabbits, that if I went by hours spent making them, would go for $200 a pop. I'd never get that on the market in a million years. So instead I sold them for $40 to make up for the cost of materials and a little extra. They went pretty quickly...until the cat decided to behead one...

[Curly Girl]

I suppose I don't have to apologize for snarking on a snark board, but those purses are ugly! I would have used one when I was like 8. I also love ruffles and such....

[Mommy22alyns]

Those things are hideous. And on the page, she makes one of my pet peeve mistakes - it's not a sneak peak, goddammit.

[Just_Jane]

I'm not a fan of the ruffles or of her fabric choices. I admit that my own style is completely different and so I am not in her market base. That bridal purse is not something I'd use if I was a bride. I can't figure out the veiling on the back of it. I've typed and deleted a few times because I don't want to sound overly bitchy but the bridal bag just looks cheap. I think it's a combo of the fabric, the ruffles and the weird veil.

[mrs]

She obviously can sew well.

But, I can't imagine even the fundiest of brides purchasing this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater .

[loveandwar]

No. Just no. I love all things girly and tend to dress a bit preppy (grew up in the South, what can I say...), but those are just too much. Whoever said she should market them as diaper bags was spot on.

[terranova]

She should start making MCNs, there's a huge market for that kind of frilly shit with some Mums.

[rock_girl]

Oh my giddy aunt. Those things are hideous.

Still, I reckon I know a couple of drag queens who'd use them in their acts... provided they were $9 at the local op shop.

[itsnikki05]

I guess I kinda like the fabric choice? I'm not sold on the ruffles. I LIKE ruffles, but they look... out of place to me?

[slickcat79]

Yeah...if the ruffles were solid stripes instead, she might have more luck. The one with the black/white polka dots and the pink hits on colors that are popular now, but I can't see an adult going for all the frills. It either needs ruffles or wild patterns, but not both, especially with the contrasting buttons(!).

[Ex 2x2]

I don't sew, so I have no idea the work that goes into these. They look really cheap to me though. I guess I could see a frumper wearing mom carrying one, but most frumper wearing moms wouldn't pay that much. Obviously if people are willing to pay that, more power to her, but I can't help but wonder if she's sold any.

[Deleted06]

Wasn't the daughter pictured recently with one of these purses?

[Naga Viper]

Yeah, in [link=http://freejinger.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12389&start=0]this thread[/link]. I'll try to refrain from double-snarking here.

[lilith]

Those purses are way way overpriced - I just can't see anyone paying that for them. And the bridal one. Really? Would any bride use one of them? And what would a bride be toting around anyway? I had a tiny clutch at my reception, just big enough for my phone and a bit of makeup, and I can't think what a bride would fill a bag that size with.

The Christmas one is just outright hideous and looks like a ten year olds project from sewing class at school. And would anyone really pay $80 for a hideous Christmas themed handbag that presumably would only be used in the Xmas period?

I don't think the bags themselves are too bad, although the frills could be smaller. The fabrics don't suit the design though. If they were made with soft vintage florals, old denim and old broderie anglais then they could be kind of cute.

[meda]

My word, those are....festive. And not in a good way.

[DifferentGurl]

Makes me think of when I found a purse made from wrappers of M&M wrappers...but it cost a lot! Around 100 bucks I think. The proceeds went to a charity, but it was too expensive for me. So my mom was like "I can make that!" and learned how to make one...and it turned out to cost a lot less. The ones that are made out of candy wrappers can be more expensive, depending on the type of candy wrapper. Also, if you buy a bag that comes with tons of candy that are individually wrapped ( i.e. tootsie rolls ), you can probably save some money.

I experimented making bags out of dog food bags, paper bags, newspaper comics, book pages, pages of an atlas, magazines, and phone books. Making bags from those materials is much cheaper because they cost next to nothing. The main costs then is in the string that you use to weave the rows of strips together ( which can also costs next to nothing if you get a big roll of one ) and the clear plastic tape that you put over the strips to make them waterproof.

So yea, those purses Arndt might be cheaper to make than to buy. It looks like you just need some clothing ( which you can get from a thrift store ). It would probably cost only one fourth of Arndt's asking price to make one purse.

[0 kids n not countin]

Yes, I posted a thread with a photo of Mary-Elisabeth & one of the purses. Here's another photo posted today:

Video screenshot of Mom and Mary during the Penguin Purse Project, which I believe inspired Mom’s “Ruffle Purse†operation.

Wonder how much time Mary-Elisabeth spends on making the purses? I figure the price is, in part, for the time it takes them to make one, but, then again, once you have made a few of them I would think perhaps the actually time to make them decreases as you have "the pattern down." Of course, I'm not a great seamstress, so what do I know, but I am into other "crafty" type things, and that has been my experience with the crafty things I am good at making.

[maybeizfundie]

I don't like the style at all. Ruffle skirts, OK. I don't get the ruffle purse thing at all.

However, I can understand the pricing. If you're sewing with a basic home set up, and do not have the equipment for mass production (special sewing machines/attachments, cutting jigs, etc), there is no way to produce something very nice and recoup the hours you spend on it. I have that trouble with quilts. I can never match the speed and efficiency of someone who has the ability to cut out 100 squares at once and program a machine to quilt the dang thing for her. :/ I put a ton of personal time and effort into what I make, but I can't ask for a price based on the hours because it would be ridiculous (though it seems plenty of people on etsy are OK with insane pricing, but anyway...). Materials are only one aspect. If the idea is to earn some money by selling a handmade item, the hours put into making it have to be considered as well. So even something completely "upcycled" might have a pretty high pricetag, depending on how long it takes to make.

[snickerz]

I think they'd be adorable made in miniature for little girls of about 3-8. For an adult? NO.

And this from the "About" page:

We also reserve the right to refuse certain patterns and designs. Please send no peace symbols, skulls, crossbones, etc. for purses.

WTF?

[maybeizfundie]

Peace symbols are what licentious hippies used, you know. :D Definite no-no. :lol:

[lilith]

I think they'd be adorable made in miniature for little girls of about 3-8. For an adult? NO.

And this from the "About" page:

WTF?

Cause we wouldn't want to promote peace, would we.........

Makes me want to send them some fabric covered in inverted pentagrams or something similar just to see what their rejection would say.

[Bbfamteam]

I was raised in a very conservative church. I was told the peace sign was bad, and when I asked why they thought it was bad I was told it was a representation of an upside down broken cross. The skull is a representation of death and not the good kind (a.k.a. The cross). Needless to say, I was not deterred from wearing peace signs and I just bought my godson the cutest skull fleece with matching hat and mittens. I also no longer attend that church.