Saturday, October 08, 2005

Weird sewing experience

Today my local sewing center had a sewing day for Project Linus. Yes this is the same store where I am hoping to win the sewing machine.

I had told them a week or so ago that I would come in and sew for a little while. On Thursday they called to remind me and to tell me that they were ONLY using Janome machines. I could bring my own or they will have some there we can use. Since I don't own one, I guess I'll use one of theirs. So I get there and they have "kits" already cut out. I pick a machine to work on - the same model that is in the drawing. I sit down and start sewing - after having to ask several stupid questions about how to use the machine. I am sewing strips together and notice the the strips aren't the same width. I ask about this and am told "We can square everything up after we have the blocks together." This should have been my first hint that I should turn and run for the safety of my own sewing room! I make my wonky little 4 patches and take everything over to the cutting table to "square everything up". Most of my 4-patches ended up being about 10.5 inches. The alternate blocks on the other hand were all over the map. The girl that cut all the kits is very sweet, but obviously can't cut a straight line to save her life! I managed to trim the alternate squares down to 10.5 inches. Anyway, I sat down to start sewing again just as this mother/daughter team come in to join our little sewing group. They each have their own Janome machines - the kind with all the fancy stitches and stuff. They sit down directly behind me. They make a big deal about how they each brought in one completed "quilt". They held them up for us all to admire. They are tied, no batting and flannel as the backing. Totally fine with me. I keep to myself the fact that I have already donated 6 quilts and have four more sitting here waiting to be quilted. Anyway, I keep my big mouth shut.

A little while later the owner walks by and I ask her if they are going to offer training for the person who wins the machine. Before she can answer me, the mother behind me turns to me and says "Oh, I'm sorry, but we are going to win that machine!" UGH! I say "No, I think I am. I am stuffing the ballot box." The mother says "We each brought in a quilt with us today." Yeah, you know what I said next. "I have already donated six." She just turned back around and said "Well, we'd better get busy." I really don't mind if someone else wins the machine - I know it probably won't be me anyway, but to have her be snotty about it when she has an expensive embroidery machine already sitting right in front of both her AND her daughter made me a bit crabby.

I sat there a few more minutes and quickly got tired of wrestling with the crazy quilt and everyone not speaking to each other, so I gathered my belongings and came on home. I won't be doing that again unless I can bring my own fabric and have solicited promises that no crabby people will be allowed in (besides me of course!).

Sorry for being so crabby. I needed to share the story with people I know will understand! Thanks for listening!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

P.S. - Just did spell check before I posted this entry. My spell check wanted to replace all of my CRABBYs with CRAPPY. Could be appropriate, don't you think?

4 comments:

Nines said...

Sorry babes! Don't you just hate it when something like that happens? You know it's not personal, but it gets me in a foul mood! (Bill had a pharmacist grumping at him on the phone and I listened to him be so patient with her and she just kept getting hotter. Sometimes people thrive on being rude. It got me grumpy just listening to her. Bill just laughs and says, "How would you like to be married to that?" Does keep things in perspective.) I'll be crushed for you if you don't get that machine. You know they are going to churn out a dozen of their little cheap "quilts" and that just isn't fair. But it is for a good cause and you know, Stacy can be real sweet sometimes...

Darcie said...

Your story had me LOL, Sarah! Not AT you...but just because I can relate! I'm sure we all can in one way or another.

Good luck with winning that machine.... You're a winner no matter what, because you're a giver!!!

Darcie

Finn said...

Hugs for dealing well with a crabby(and I agree with spellcheck) situation. Makes you wonder if those people actually live and breathe the same air we do ?? Hurray for YOU for going and helping, and for all the quilts that(I hope, I hope) will win you that sewing machine..*S*

Quilts And Pieces said...

It was so wonderful you have done what you did! When I sew and do things like that, it just irks me when people are like that. Probably because I'm doing it for fun. It doesn't matter where you go you run into people like that!

I hope you win the machine, but if not, we all think you did a wonderful thing!