Wednesday, March 21, 2012

4 weeks, 3 people, 2 hours and $50...

My day job used to be in customer service..  I worked in a local hospital taking phone calls from the public and making appointments for everything from a mammogram to a blood draw to an xray to surgery...  it required a lot of customer service...  The goal was to make the customer happy, whether that customer was the public, the hospital department or the physician...It was hard work and I loved it.

We live out here in the middle of freakin nowhere...our only option for internet service is satellite... or dial up...  The satellite is ok most of the time...it's not the fastest and there are limits on downloading and uploading...   Four weeks ago, we realized that our satellite company was offering four new packages with faster speeds and higher downloads (or uploads or whatever loads)...  I called to get us set up...

No problems...I get the package I want at the speed I want at the price I want... Too good to be true, right?  Yea...
Their computer gets an error..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours.. to reorder
I call back..
Their computer is updating..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours...to reorder..
I call back..
I get the package I want at the speed I want at the price I want...
Their computer gets an error..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours...
I call back...
Computer error on their part...
Can I call back "MOUNTAIN TIME"...  um...why can't I call back in MY TIME???  No response...
I call back in two hours as mountain time is two hours different than central time. (that's really all I can figure out to do as silly as it sounds)
Computer is still in error mode...
Please call back in 72 hours...
This continued until last Wednesday when I was told that the package I wanted was no longer available...as of the day before...  EXCUSE ME!!  After 1 hour I was told that she would "manually add the order" and we would receive a call within 72 hours to schedule the installation day...

Will it surprise you to find out there was no call?  I didn't think so..

Today I finally talked to a supervisor...I didn't get the package I wanted...I didn't get the price I wanted...but I did get an installation date and $50 for "my troubles"... That's not nearly enough...but it's over...

So I went back to the sewing room...

I have been on quite the kick lately...something started me making these cute little skirts for the grandkids...   While at retreat at the beginning of March we visited the local quilt shop.  One of the ladies was holding a couple of jelly rolls and I asked her what she was planning to do with them..(as if we need a plan!LOL)  She started telling me how she makes her girls the cutest skirts and explained the whole thing to me... I fell in love and immediately grabbed two jelly rolls...


This is the first one I made.  I sewed enough strips together to measure one and a half times her waist measurement.  It wasn't quite full enough...but Abbie wears it..




This one is close to 3 times her waist measurement...  and much fuller..


and I got tired of sewing all those strips together and made these for Abbie...

And these are for Ava... 

I don't have photos of all the skirts...  I made a total of four for Ava and four for Abbie and somehow I ended up making one for Abbie's mothers boss's daughter..(did you get that?)

So then I got brave and bought a pattern for shorts!


 Epic fail!  They are way too long...the crouch is way too long.and bunches all up..very unflattering even on a 6 year old....and when I had Ava try them on she said "Grandma, this was supposed to be a skirt!".. well, that's the last pair of shorts I make...Apparently the girls would rather have skirts...and they are so much easier to make and fit...

So let's change things around and make something different...

A friend will tell you that this is a lot of pins for me to use!!

What's wrong with this picture?  Look carefully at the ruffle at the top of the photo... Yep..I sewed it on wrong side out. And of course I finished the edge and trimmed it so I spent another 1/2 hour unpicking the whole dang thing... Will revisit this one next week...
The next two days I will be granddaughter watching...our four year old has shingles of all things...she is miserable and isn't sleeping and it hurts and she can't go back to school for two weeks...  wish me luck tomorrow..and Friday...  I think I'll take the iPad and let her download the cupcake game...lol

And I finished my two blocks for our RedBird Bee...



These are for you, Tess.  They look wonky, but it's just the photographer...

Thanks for hanging in with me until the end... 

Nancy

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

zipit...

So have you been awake all night wondering what zipit is?  What did you guess?

Is it -

A.what your mom used to yell at you when you talked too much
B. our new dogs name
C. a new to me etsy shop



If you guessed C...you are right..(well A is also correct, but doesn't fit with this post).  A fellow member of the St Louis Modern Quilt Guild gave me heads up when we were talking about our next swap...(which is in one week and I'm still changing my mind!)  zipit is a fabulous etsy shop that is filled with zippers...every color imaginable... every size imaginable..and more...

Fast delivery...

Beautiful bright colors...

REASONABLE.... I don't want to say cheap because that makes you think these are inferior...they are not...they are a super bargain...

These were in my hot little hands just 3 days after ordering...


Not only did she send me my zippers, but she added a zipper pull and a Fortune Telling Fish!!  Inside that little package is a red cellophane fish...you lay it on the palm of your hand and it curls up...and depending on which end curls your fortune is told... so fun!!

Oh, you don't have to buy all those colors either...you can get any size in any color in any amount...just convo her and she will set up a special listing just for you...  That's great customer service....

So if you are need of zippers, check out zipit.. you won't be disappointed...

Nancy

This is not a paid advertisement.  I bought all my zippers.  I just think it's the best deal in zippers with good customer service..

Friday, March 2, 2012

VOTE!! (please?)

I entered a pillow into a contest...  I loved this pillow and it was really hard for me to give it away..I WILL make one for myself...

Go look at all the fabulous entries and if you feel it...vote for Donna's Christmas Pillow...


voting is over....thanks for all the support...I didn't win, but I got closer than I did last time!


I am packing up today for a 3 day sewing retreat next week.  I think I have 6 or 7 projects ready to go...

Wonder how many I will get to... at least two of the projects are due next Saturday so they will be first done...

Nancy