Standing up for myself when the store screwed up, and juggling fiber projects. Happy #NeedleworkMonday :)
Nearly all my young adult life I was notorious for avoiding confrontation. The type of person who would go ahead and eat the wrong food, or cold food, that was brought to me in a restaurant, just to avoid telling the server that there was a problem. Considering I spent almost 4 years total in customer service and I didn't get mad when people came to me with complaints, I'm not sure why I was so scared to complain myself.
Then I met the Husband, and after cringing through multiple episodes of his flagging down a server and boldly announcing "These fries are cold," he began to rub off on me. I think my first major breakthrough was when on a rare ladies' night out, I was served a well done (and dry) steak instead of the medium one I'd requested. The thought of wasting that kind of money on something I wasn't going to enjoy spurred me to actually say something. This wasn't $2 fries, so dang it, if I'm going to really splurge, it better not be cooked to death, right?
Project 1: baby quilts!!
To quit rambling, I survived being a complaining customer, and now I'm somewhat better at it, which is a good thing because the Joann Fabric at the nearest bigger city to us nearly screwed me over on the price of a certain fabric, through their mistake. I'm only recouping the material costs on these quilts (as a favor to the friend who is buying them from me, for expecting Navy mamas at her command) so I can't afford to go over a certain price per yard. I'd love to get fabric from the quilt shop instead, but that would blow her budget, so Joann it is.
Here are the two quilts I made for her before:
The yellow chevrons were much more pale than I anticipated, so my goal this time around is to match the yellows better
When she recently requested another 2 quilts, with the same general design and colors--and one of them needs to be done before June!--I was dismayed to discover that I couldn't get the dark blue star-printed fabric anymore. After extensive and agonizing online fabric shopping, I settled on the marbled navy/royal blue cotton with the little gold stars, second from the left in this stack:
It was a much higher price per yard than I'd normally pay, but luckily it was on sale for 40% off, and I got another 10% off for doing the "order online, pickup in store" thing on Joann's website, so I ordered it, along with yet more navy blue flannel ;) That was on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon I got a call: "I'm sorry, but I just sold the last of that fabric earlier today. We are completely out." DANG!! I was beyond bummed. Now I'd have to start all over and what the heck fabric was I going to use now that would still fill the requirements? "Go ahead and cancel the order," I told the woman, "and I'll figure something else out when I come to the store tomorrow."
Guess what? I walked into that store Friday morning and within about 10 seconds of approaching the fabric section I beheld: the fabric that was supposedly all sold out. Within a few minutes I'd found a second bolt of it. And the 40% off sale had ended!! So I took them to the cutting counter, pulled up the cancelled order on my phone showing the price I would have paid originally with the two discounts, and uttered the words "I'm really ticked off about this right now" to a store employee for the first time in my life.
After some civil discussion of the incident, she agreed to honor the price I was originally going to pay. YIPPEE!! I get all ridiculously proud of myself when I successfully speak up :))) Also, I think that the gray star-printed flannel will make a perfect backing for these quilts, since "a STAR is born" fits the shooting-star theme. Now I have to get cracking on cutting them out....
Project 2: A custom placemat order
I had a customer order one of my "made to order" placemats this week! Then she messaged me her phone number and we had a lovely chat to discuss details. After I texted her photos of all the fabric I have on hand, that I thought she might like best, she liked so many of them that she ordered 3 more placemats! WOW! And she wants one of them monogrammed, so for the first time I'll get to use the embroidery machine on an Etsy order! So I have to get cracking on that too, haha...
I have these all sewed together now and quilted to the backing...just have to do the binding! Then it'll be one down, 3 to go!
Project 3: Sort-of trivets
I was disappointed to discover through field-testing that my experimental trivets aren't thick enough to withstand the high heat of a pan from the oven. So, while they're failures as potholders, they can at least handle a plate from the microwave or a cold drink sitting on them, plus they're decorative. I went ahead and listed them in my Etsy shop with that disclaimer :) Guess I'll need to invest in the specialty heat-deflecting fabric if I'm going to make more of these.
Project 4: The egg apron!
How many of you have done this: "I need to use up yarn, so I'll make X with it." Toward the end of making X, you think, "I'd like some different colors to decorate this with" and so you go and buy more yarn? I'm so guilty...
Yep, I used up two whole skeins of brown yarn, only to go and buy the blue and gold (facepalm). They're so beautifully soft!! I still need to assemble the completed apron pieces...this project has been put on the back burner because I got the quilt and placemat orders literally the day after buying the new yarn, but I'll still take it to town and work on it on the days that I take the kids to school. Hopefully that way I'll putter my way to completing it sooner than later.
Typing that out makes me feel a bit overwhelmed...so I'm off to clean my house and get busy in the sewing room. Happy #needleworkmonday to all and I'm looking forward to checking out all y'alls projects later this evening!
Wow..I love all the colours you use in your projects! Everything looks so bright and lively. I'm really looking forward to seeing your egg apron..although I would probably still manage to break some. The last time I put an egg in my pocket was a big mistake. I now use a basket...but I still am interested in your apron. 😀
Thank you! Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some more progress done on it, since I'll be driving the kids to school!
Oh my goodness you sound so like me. I very rarely complain it embarrasses me so much. It sounds like you are really moving forward with all your quilting projects - that's awesome. My neighbour quilts and it just blows my mind at how they come together so nicely.
Embarrassment is a good word for it. Even now that I'm able to say something I still get flustered!
Awesome to hear about your success in speaking up for yourself! I think, too often kind-hearted people like us tend to not want to offend, but that does not mean you have to accept poor service. Good on you, and I wish you a wonderful 2018!
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Agreed! I've finally come to realize that if I'm paying, I don't have to pay for poor service, like you said...and if the other person gets offended that's their problem :)
I can totally relate to not speaking up. It is something I am slowly having to learn in adulthood too.
What nice projects! I love the quilts. Is certainly better to be busy than bored.
Thank you! I'll absolutely take being busy. It means my shop is picking up :)
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Confrontation makes me cry. Like literal tears streaming down my face. For no good reason! Which frustrates me and I cry more. However, crying or not, I'd like to think I would have said something as well! Anger spurs us on more than being inconvenienced.
Also, those quilts are adorable. So are the other projects. You're really getting your money's worth out of that machine!
Oh gosh, my biggest cringeworthy moments in my short military career involved EXACTLY this:
I still do that, too!! I've just gotten in the last few years to where it doesn't happen as easily or often as it used to, and generally not with strangers. I finally had to tell the Husband "if we're disagreeing and I start crying, ignore it!"
ahh go girl!!! i can relate with you. also very happy for your project. all the best
Thank you very much! :)
Wow, your projects look fantastic!! I love the colors on your placemats, and it is a shame about those potholders, cause they are just as cute as can be!
Good job sticking up for yourself and getting that good pricing. I know how hard that is. No one wants to be the complainer, (ok, some people DO, but I think most dont...) but if something's not right, its okay to ask them to make it right! ♥
Thank you! Haha yes, I do think there are a handful of folks who enjoy causing drama! But my experience has been that many tend to be more apologetic about it :) I'm just glad they were willing to make it right without being difficult about it!
Glad you field tested those hot pads! Too bad they are not going to work as oven pads, but they are pretty.
Good for you for standing up to Joanne! Those quilts are going to be great!
Thank you! I'm glad it occurred to me to actually test them out!😳
Yea for custom orders! I love the fabric on that placemats!! So bright and beautiful!! Thanks for sharing those. There is some batting that has reflective material in it for potholders and such. I used it before to make potholders for my family one Christmas. And then my MIL used hers and it caught on fire. So there you go. ;) Love the stuff you're making. The baby quilts are adorable. Glad you went to Joann and helped them see that they do in fact have the fabric you're wanting! So frustrating!!
I busted out laughing at your MIL's potholder catching on fire!!! Oh my gosh! Did she get burned? Did her pan of food end up flung across the kitchen? I never thought about a kitchen fire from a potholder 😂
I appreciate your compliments on my stuff as well! :)
No, she didn't get burned. I don't remember what happened. She may have microwaved it. Or she may have used it to get something out of the oven and it just ignited. I forget but she still had it hanging up like a treasure whenever we went to visit. Even with a big burned hole in it. Ha!
That's funny!! It makes sense that it caught fire if she microwaved it.