some people have no clue..........

No picture of completed sewing to show so I'll re-post my favorite picture of Pippi which may have been on my defunct blog. Ignore the unmade bed but she makes it a little difficult to make a bed at times. The quilt? One made for me by the list members of a group I used to moderate--where I met Cher, Pam and Veronica and Ellen the founder of Wrap Them In Love among others. It is reversible with log cabins on one side and Sunbonnet Sue blocks on the other.

It has been one of those days--errands took longer than they should have today. Delays at one store due to lack of personnel. The guy behind me at the self checkout was quite impatient--I know I was exasperating him as I fed change into the machine but hey, there were three other lanes open, he could have gone on when he saw I had a week's worth of groceries. Sheesh. This afternoon I went into make part of our evening meal only to discover that I didn't have one of my grocery sacks--the last one I sacked up that had the celery in it. Not in the car, I know it wasn't in the grocery cart so that left the store---back I go again with receipt. Yep, there it is---surprised Mr. Impatient didn't make off with it.

Then the clincher today---and my reason for saying that some people have no clue. Way back in January-February this year I made this quilt for someone out of her deceased mother's clothing plus bits of my scrap bag. It's full sized but I quilted it on my home machine--ditched in the strips and crosshatched in the plain bands. And I waaaaaaaay undercharged her to do make it---my fault and I learned my lesson. The client was hard to reach, wouldn't call me back when I called etc and I was just happy to be done and paid though it took about 3 months to finally make connections.


Well, she called today and get this, wanted a T-shirt quilt done for her son for Christmas. Like I don't have anything else to do but whip up a quilt for her. There is no way---once I get that king sized t-quilt back I have to bind it as well as quilt the SEC tops, bind, label and put hanging sleeves on them.


I said it would have to go to the long armer as I won't quilt it even if I DID have time and the longarmer is booked up too. I won't get the previous one back until the 2nd week of December. BUT if she were still interested I knew that the longarmer would charge 200-250 dollars for a quilt start to finish. Nope, she didn't want to pay that much as she didn't pay that for this quilt you see here.


I reminded her that I had underestimated my costs and should have charged her at least twice what she paid for it. That was not what I had discussed with her initially so I was not asking for more then. Subsequent quilts would be more, I told her at the time of delivery--she mentioned a t-shirt quilt at a later date. She should consider that rate a gift and my time is worth something. The fabric alone was more than half what she paid for it. One month before Christmas was that later date, I guess. If she can find someone else to do it for cheap, then more power to her but it ain't going to be me. She will get the quality of work that she pays for too.


It took till about 4 till I could get started on fixing the round robin so I can do my work. Her stitching is coming apart in a spots and it flares a bit. I am taking those areas apart and taking a slightly deeper seam to try to bring it back in line a bit. DJ said "why are you doing that and why do you have to keep fixing her work?" Its the last round and too late know to hand it back to her. If she had the skills, she would have done it right to begin with. Then I am stay stitching the edge to keep it from pulling apart on the other seams where they haven't opened up yet. Two sides are patched up at this point.

I already decided that I best stay home tomorrow and work on the robin instead of going to our meeting to pin quilts. Theramae will be the door keeper.


In the midst of that aggravation my husband came in and asked for a seam ripper. His favorite jacket, a birthday present from me from 20 years ago, had shoulder seam coming apart. If he took the stitching out of the lining could I please fix it for him? Hard to tell him "no" if he did half the work plus he was lucky that I didn't have to change thread when he asked, LOL.


Some days it doesn't pay to get up..........sorry for the bitching but it has obviously NOT been my day.