Help???
I have a friend/customer that is difficult. I mean, not "mean" difficult, but I think in some weird way she creates situations for herself to be let down or let others down. Foot dragging, wishy washy, asking the impossible, or asking for you to do things out of the norm kinda waiting for you to say no. She is a kind person...but emotionally draining.
SO, I'm making a quilt. I know, I should have considered it before I said yes. But I got sucked into wanting to lift her up, and have something nice for her, because of that "never anything good happening" kinda thing. I've gotten wiser though, and this will be the last major investment of my time, because I've figured it out. And she can bring her song and dance to someone else.
The quilt: A baseball-themed quilt. I've got enough novelty fabric to make it baseball themed. I tried to get her involved with the fabric choosing (because she asked, and of course...she's going to have it forever, so yes help choose the fabric) and out of literally 40-50 blue fabrics (she made a point to say blue, blue, blue...her son likes blue!) she picked the most odd, non-matching, not-boy, not-noteworty fabrics. It's like she doesn't feel like she *deserves* for me to use my best fabrics for this quilt. Like I'm supposed to beg her,drag her along, foisting pretty (handsome) fabric on her. It's not like she said OOOOH...I love *this* one, and *that* one...it was more like: Well.....I guess this would work...and maybe that one would be ok...this is all via the internet. She doesn't live close.
So, AFTER I had agreed to make the quilt, but BEFORE she started choosing fabrics, she asked if I could make a baseball diamond. Otherwise, if I couldn't do that then we could do a baseball/football themed quilt. To add to the mix, I had told her she must purchase the fabric as part of the deal. And, in the past I know that she has had money problems. And, in the past, she has owed me money. To date, she has paid back any money owed, but each time it has been like pulling teeth to get it back. SO, when she originally wanted me to do the quilt, I said "You will pay for the fabric" and so she sent me some $$ asap. :shock: Dammit, she called my bluff. Now I'll be making this quilt.
So, when she said only baseball, or baseball + football, I knew that I would have no use for all this novelty fabric, and she would be responsible for the overages, and at $9/yard (because some stores don't do the 1/2 yard online)...I was like, OMG I will NEVER get this money. And I'm NOT buying before I get the money, because I've done that before. I'm not sticking my neck out. SO, I gently steered her to "only baseball" to totally avoid the discussion about her needing to send me more $$.
I just really wanna get this done and on its way to her and be done with it.
Sooooooo.....baseball diamond....need to make one. Need suggestions for how to make the "outfield" round, and make the home plate circle proportionate to the outfield. Coffee cup? String and a pencil? I have never sewn a circle. I know I need to clip the curve, but how do you make it lay flat? Do you just need to account for the seam?