Stash Report - Week 3 & quilty thoughts

Used this Week:     0 yards
Used year to Date:    6.75 yards
Added this Week:    0
Added Year to Date:    0
Net Used for 2011:    6.75 yards

I have been busy, honest. I spent a ton of time finishing up a custom quilt for a customer... more on that in a moment... plus I've been stitching like crazy on my RRCB with hopes of getting it done and sharing it at the guild meeting where Bonnie Hunter is speaking tomorrow night. I have been getting lots of help too. Miles has been assisting with cutting and Nacho with the pressing. *VBG* But nothing used that had not already been counted and nothing added. Hopefully I can keep my 'added' in the one digit range.... heading to Road to California on Thursday. I don't 'need' anything... I know, I know,  famous last words.

Here is a close up of one of the blocks on the customer quilt. I'm not sure why I shot this one.... only about half the quilting in that block and none of the surrounding blocks were quilted by me. But let me back up. I got a call shortly after Thanksgiving from the friend of a customer. The call started out confusing, it was not clear what she wanted me to do. Eventually it did make sense though.... she was looking for someone to finish quilting a quilt another longarmer had started but not finished. ???? I had never heard of such a thing but I scheduled an appointment for her to bring it by and we could consider her options.

The other LAer had gotten it about 2/3 done. For whatever reason, it had taken 11 months to do that much. (insert big eyes emoticon) I did a panto on her friends version of the same quilt with a 3 week turnaround. I felt sooooo bad for the quilter. Both she and her friend are fairly new to quilting and I did not want her to give up on the hobby because of this experience. So I agreed to finish custom quilting it and gave her a date I would have it completed for her. It ended up taking me twice as long as I estimated.... I don't do much custom work other than my own.... so the day before I told her I would have it completed, I called to tell her it would take a couple days more. I knew of her previous experience of very little communication and missed deadlines, so I knew it was crucial I kept her informed. I will think long and hard before I agree to finish another project started by someone else, but that's not my reason for this posting.

PEOPLE.... if you are in some sort of service business... follow through and keep your peeps informed. I got a hug from the customer.... she was over the moon thrilled it was done.... and probably a customer for life.

On the flip side .... I'm on the other end of something similar right now. I participate in an fabric square swap online. The gal doing the flinging (sorting and sending) has been sitting on all the squares of several dozen participants for over 2 months. Frustration is building and people are pulling out of future participation because one person is not following through. I know if the same person is the flinger next year, I'll sit the year out. Sigh.... perhaps my old age is showing..... or DNA or something. I do what I say I will do. Am I in the minority?  In the words of Nike..... JUST DO IT!