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This is JUST a hobby

This is JUST a hobby

Old 06-09-2014, 03:09 AM
  #31  
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They think because you sew, you can fix anything. I say "asking a quilter to alter clothes is like asking Picasso to paint your garage". I then recommend two of my friends that do that for money.
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:10 AM
  #32  
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I think having a sewing machine is liking having a pickup truck. It is "odd" enough that it gets on everyone's radar.

And... they remember you!

If you own a truck, you can be sure to get a call when it's time to move somebody - as if it is so fun that you want to take your truck out and run it around the city with a bunch of junk in the back.

Sewing machine = same thing. They think you must have so much fun hemming pants or fixing drapes!

After all, any time spent in your truck or at your machine must be enjoyable for you, right, or you wouldn't own it?

lol
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:18 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by kyquiltlover1942 View Post
I was asked by the girl that has been cutting my hair for 25 years, to hem some pants for her. I told her it would be $15. a pair. She thought that was way too much. I then explained that she spends about 15 minutes trimming my hair for $25. and she wanted me to spend over an hour for less that. She has never asked again.
Well played!

(and I'm an esthetician - so I "get" it)

I had my car fixed last week. My son has a friend that works at a dealership who got me hooked up with a mechanic who likes to take a little work on the side.

Had the repair been done at the dealership during normal hours - it would have been about an $800 repair. The guy doing it on the side only wanted $200. I still gave him $300 - and when he asked "Are you sure?!?!" - I said "Yes! As long as the next time I need you, you will say "yes" again!"

The prob with sewing is that everyone thinks we like to do anything that has the machine involved - and they don't appreciate how much time or money went into buying equipment, etc.
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:29 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by HouseDragon View Post
I say my minimum charge is $2400.00 for a twin size quilt.

That ends the conversation right there.
Ha, that ought to do it!
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:33 AM
  #35  
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I hear ya! I, too, just start calculating cost of making a quilt, and funny thing is when I get to yardage for the back their eyes get big and I lose em! Quite funny! My sister wanted a queen quilt for her bed and it was a complicated pattern, I debated, until she said it was going under her bedspread that matched her curtains! Told her to go Kohls and buy a blanket, use her coupon! She does have a couple quilts and lots of runners etc.
I've told a few that my Babylocks are for quilting, they don't mend! And they went, oh, ok. (Duh)
I say no quite well now, didn't use to!
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:45 AM
  #36  
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My family has learned not to ask me to mend or repair any item of clothing. It disappears in my sewing room and may materialize years later or it may not. It will never return repaired. lol I have never had a problem saying no.
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:46 AM
  #37  
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Tell them you retired so you could do something fun and special things for your family. I tell them I have 60 members in our own family and I am going to make quilts for them ALL before I do anything for anyone else. When they think about being at the end of that line I don't hear from them again.
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Old 06-09-2014, 04:51 AM
  #38  
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My sister just went through this last week. She made a king sized Trip Around the World with a wolf panel in the center. When someone saw it, they instantly wanted her to make them another. This thing took several months, as my sister works and does not have a whole lot of time. She quoted the person $1,000.00. That put an end to it.

As someone else said, once you have been able to say no, it gets easier to say it again.
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Old 06-09-2014, 05:07 AM
  #39  
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Just tell them you have so many projects lined up that have to
be done, you don't have time
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Old 06-09-2014, 05:13 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Linda1 View Post
My family has learned not to ask me to mend or repair any item of clothing. It disappears in my sewing room and may materialize years later or it may not. It will never return repaired. lol I have never had a problem saying no.
I really do enjoy mending! It puts something back into use that would otherwise go into the garbage. If I get something to mend from family, I may tell them that it might take a while. But then it is in my sewing room, and I can always see it, so I would like to get this out of here, so I do it right now. It's fun to get it done and back to the owner. The thing that took the longest to do was my grandson's snowmobile glove. He brought it in January, but had had shoulder surgery, so would not be using it until next year. I fixed it in April just because I wanted it gone.
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