Most Things in Life Aren't Free (Especially Hats)

I have come to believe that some people are under the impression that I'm going to give them a hat for free.

For those of you who don't know already, I make and sell hand-sewn fleece hats. Since I hand-sew these, they take quite a long time to make. Believe me, if our sewing machine hadn't tried to eat my hand, I would be using that instead. It would be much more efficient, but the last time I tried using it, I accidentally screwed up the thread in the machine and I really don't feel like trying to fix it.

Anywho, I put great effort into crafting these hats, and it pisses me off when I post a picture of one, then get tons of  replies/messages/comments from people asking if they can have one or requesting a custom-made one, without any mention of payment or price point.

Let me lay it out for you people: I'M NOT GIVING AWAY MY HATS FOR FREE.

Yes, I have given people free hats before. But that's only because a) they're one of my close friends or b) it was their birthday. If we don't have some sort of weekly conversation, don't know everything about each other, or we haven't done something together (movies, hanging out, etc.), chances are I won't just give you a hat.

Fleece hats are neither easy nor quick to make. I don't just pump these things out like a rabbit pumps out babies. Free fleece doesn't magically appear in my storage bin. I can't just project a design idea onto a hat and make it work perfectly. And I certainly don't have a replicator from Star Trek. I don't even have a working sewing machine.

I wish it worked this way, but it doesn't. D:

The only reasons I'd give anyone a free hat nowadays is if we had some sort of trade, you did something extraordinary that I felt deserved a hat, or if it's your birthday and I talk to you on a regular basis.

If you're wondering about a price estimate for the hats, I'd say that generally they're about $15. We can work out some sort of agreement if you can't pay that amount or more, or some other circumstance.

So yeah, that's my angst for today.

Anyway, there's a good chance I'm going to a Comic Con in Chicago soon, but I'm not entirely sure. If I do go, I might walk around and try to sell some geek hats.

Also, I'm going to Wisconsin for the weekend, and I'm not sure if I'll have wifi at the campsite, so don't take offense if I don't reply to anything for a couple of days.