I've been accused of being a control freak a few times, maybe even this month! I like to think I have a passion for excellence, not that I have a need to control my universe. Some call me anal, but I take that as a compliment. Who wouldn't? It means I care about what I do and then do it to the best of my ability.
My son likes to pick and sometimes the joke is lost on me, same old stuff rehashed. He thinks I could let go of some of the mundane jobs I do at the shop, to free my time for the more important aspects of the business such as design and marketing. And he's right on that front. Heck, I would dearly love to do this, come to work every day and pump out a new design, maybe sit and hook it....well golly, that might be a preview of heaven.
My problems is the need for quality in all things. I strive for it and can't compromise in any way, shape or form. Not to the point where I become obsessive, sweat and wring my hands in a nervous way, no, but I do like being on the good side of perfection. In an age where the attention to detail is being flushed down the drain, along with patience and manners, I can't seem to get off my high horse to step down into mediocrity.
I have two new employees who are in various stages of training. One gal pretty much does patterns full time but that's because she is here for only a few hours a day, 10:30 - 2:00 and patterns are the stock I need most. She's fast and can pump out patterns quickly and we are getting orders out with a fast turnaround and stocking the back room for this years tourist boom.
The other gal works from 10:30 - 5:00 and because she is here for longer hours, she has been getting trained in different aspects of the business. She's a pouched employee from the Post Office so she's now in charge of mailing out our parcels, praise the lord. I sure handed that job off willingly, no tight grip on those reigns! She is also trained to do patterns. That's one of the biggest and most important jobs around here and labour intensive. They have to be transferred, then darkened, then the information needs to be written on and then sewn.
My son likes to pick and sometimes the joke is lost on me, same old stuff rehashed. He thinks I could let go of some of the mundane jobs I do at the shop, to free my time for the more important aspects of the business such as design and marketing. And he's right on that front. Heck, I would dearly love to do this, come to work every day and pump out a new design, maybe sit and hook it....well golly, that might be a preview of heaven.
My problems is the need for quality in all things. I strive for it and can't compromise in any way, shape or form. Not to the point where I become obsessive, sweat and wring my hands in a nervous way, no, but I do like being on the good side of perfection. In an age where the attention to detail is being flushed down the drain, along with patience and manners, I can't seem to get off my high horse to step down into mediocrity.
I have two new employees who are in various stages of training. One gal pretty much does patterns full time but that's because she is here for only a few hours a day, 10:30 - 2:00 and patterns are the stock I need most. She's fast and can pump out patterns quickly and we are getting orders out with a fast turnaround and stocking the back room for this years tourist boom.
The other gal works from 10:30 - 5:00 and because she is here for longer hours, she has been getting trained in different aspects of the business. She's a pouched employee from the Post Office so she's now in charge of mailing out our parcels, praise the lord. I sure handed that job off willingly, no tight grip on those reigns! She is also trained to do patterns. That's one of the biggest and most important jobs around here and labour intensive. They have to be transferred, then darkened, then the information needs to be written on and then sewn.
And this leads to my point today. All the sewing is done on my grandmother's machine, a hand-me-down that I covet and handle with kid gloves. My granny's initials are carved into the metal base, it's a very special hunk of metal!
It's a heavy duty Stylist, Singer machine, perfect for sewing the zig zag on burlap and linen. It's a busy machine too. Her motor is roaring for at least 1/2 - 1 hour a day, sometimes even more. I have her maintained once a year, an ounce of prevention and all, because we couldn't go a day without her. So I'm protective and anxious about letting anyone use her except myself or Shane who is now too busy in the dye kitchen to be fiddling with sewing.
But we are so busy, I have to relax and trust that others will show the old gal the same respect and gentle touch. After Michelle made about a hundred patterns for kits this week and the sewing part loomed up, I groaned at the thought of having to do the job. So I decided it was time to hand the chore off. First we went through sewing 101 and she worked on a few scraps for the end bin and then she was off. It isn't rocket science; only a repetitive thing that needs a gentle hand. I kept an ear to the machine, I'm the appliance whisperer around here and like it when a machine purrs. My son dubbed me that because I can tell even while upstairs if the vacuum bag is too full or if the motor is running hard. I might have made a good mechanic if I didn't mind the grease under my fingernails, instead I opted for dye and marker stains.
So yesterday she sewed a bunch of patterns, impressively I might add. So you see, I have no problem letting go, I just want the job done as well as I would do it, shoot me if that's wrong.
Ironically, the machine broke down today, one day after letting a stranger touch her. It's nothing more than a coincidence but wow, what timing! In all honesty, it had been feeling tight for a few days, which I regretfully dismissed as nothing. Something seized in the motor so the running of the needle became a hard pull. She's now out for fixing and we won't have her back until Monday. We're saved by the fact that it's Easter weekend so she won't be needed while the shop is closed.
It's a heavy duty Stylist, Singer machine, perfect for sewing the zig zag on burlap and linen. It's a busy machine too. Her motor is roaring for at least 1/2 - 1 hour a day, sometimes even more. I have her maintained once a year, an ounce of prevention and all, because we couldn't go a day without her. So I'm protective and anxious about letting anyone use her except myself or Shane who is now too busy in the dye kitchen to be fiddling with sewing.
But we are so busy, I have to relax and trust that others will show the old gal the same respect and gentle touch. After Michelle made about a hundred patterns for kits this week and the sewing part loomed up, I groaned at the thought of having to do the job. So I decided it was time to hand the chore off. First we went through sewing 101 and she worked on a few scraps for the end bin and then she was off. It isn't rocket science; only a repetitive thing that needs a gentle hand. I kept an ear to the machine, I'm the appliance whisperer around here and like it when a machine purrs. My son dubbed me that because I can tell even while upstairs if the vacuum bag is too full or if the motor is running hard. I might have made a good mechanic if I didn't mind the grease under my fingernails, instead I opted for dye and marker stains.
So yesterday she sewed a bunch of patterns, impressively I might add. So you see, I have no problem letting go, I just want the job done as well as I would do it, shoot me if that's wrong.
Ironically, the machine broke down today, one day after letting a stranger touch her. It's nothing more than a coincidence but wow, what timing! In all honesty, it had been feeling tight for a few days, which I regretfully dismissed as nothing. Something seized in the motor so the running of the needle became a hard pull. She's now out for fixing and we won't have her back until Monday. We're saved by the fact that it's Easter weekend so she won't be needed while the shop is closed.
Here's an announcement I'd like to share.
RSS Feed
