I'm certainly not going to question it. But I've been dealing with a difficult customer for the last few weeks that goes too far with it IMO.
I told her to get 14 yards for 2 wing chairs. When I got back to the shop, I measured the roll.....11 yards.
When I called her, she told me that after much prayer, God had assured her that 11 yards would be enough. She then launched into a long prayer in which she asked the Lord to give me the expertise to make the proper cuts.
As she prayed, I carefully watched the roll of fabric to see if it was stretching right before my very eyes....it wasn't.
I told her that it would take a miracle similar to the parting of the Red Sea, or the '69 Mets.
After several prayerful conversations over the phone, I've come to the conclusion that it has nothing to do with faith. It's about her proving me wrong. In her infinite wisdom, she has determined that 11 yards is sufficient, because she was able to take the fabric, and wrap it around one of the chairs several times.
"Make it work" is the line I've come to detest most in the shop where I work. I hate it because it's not the customer who provides the goods but my boss who routinely "guesses" at the yardage required to complete the job properly.
I'm pretty good "squeezin' a dollar 'til it hollers" and maximizing efficiency on a layout but sometimes knowing I'm facing an assault on Everest when I've been equipped for day hike really takes the wind out of my sails. I hear ya, Sofa.!
Yes prayer is a powerful force. Ask and you shall receive. But most religious leaders (of sound mind) will tell you, you must not rely on prayer alone ignoring action. You can ask the Lord for a Mercedes Benz but that doesn't mean you can then sit on your backside and one will miraculously appear in your driveway.
Also after prayer you must make sound decisions. You can do all the praying you want but if you then, continually, make bad decisions you'll get nowhere.
Its nice to squeeze a 14 yard job out of 13 yards but to try to do it with 11 is over the line. You'll spend 1-1/2 hours trying to make it fit every which way. Trim a little off the back here, make the welts 1-1/4", shave a little off the skirts. Only to find it just ant gonna to work. Then who pays you for all that wasted time.
Maybe you can do the outsides in a different fabric. It may look like hell but that might just be the miracle shes looking for.
I certainly don't mean to make a joke out of prayer, but it appears she has. How about this to make a point to her: find the material and buy a few extra yards and get the chairs done properly. When she comes to pick them up tell her you've spent many hours in prayer making what she provided work and the Lord told you to charge double what you quoted and He revealed to you that you would receive what you ask for in payment.
See how far that flies with her!
Kyle
The real problem is that she found an 11 yard roll of fabric (for cheap), and there isn't any more.
I have refused to start the job until we have a contingency plan (such as a contrasting fabric on the outsides). I have no intention of wasting my time by starting a job that I can't finish.
The last job I did for her was 4 years ago. I delivered a sofa to her on a Saturday afternoon. Only after setting it down in her living room, and presenting her with a bill, did she inform me that her religion prevented her from doing business on Saturday (her Sabbath day). I asked her if she was a 7th day Adventist. She replied "No. I'm a Christian".
Every time she flips on a light switch, someone at the power plant is working to serve her. So she IS doing business on her Sabbath day whether she realizes it or not.
Reverend Sofadoc,
Preacheth thee unto that child of God:
My dear sister, from the holy Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verse 8, as I readeth from the GOD'S WORD Translation, it sayeth:
"And the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one."
Yes me dear sister. It is a MIRACLE! The Lord hath joined the two wing back chairs and made them one. Yes!!! Your eleven yards will work just fine on this one chair, just as the Lord hath saith. He has performed a MIRACLE right in my shop. I will have your one chair finished unto the pleasure of the Lord within 4 weeks.
And reading onward unto the holy Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verse 9, it sayeth, "What God has joined together, let no one pull apart."
Don't make me holler, don't make me shout! Turn those pockets inside out!!!
amen
PS: If you are offended by my attempt at humor, it's OK. I have a friend who is religious.
Sorry I cannot add anything to this. I am not religious. I am Catholic. :o
;D
Chris
Can I get a HALLELUJAH, AAAAAAAMMMEEENN!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Mojo on December 01, 2011, 12:00:13 am
Sorry I cannot add anything to this. I am not religious. I am Catholic.
Gee Chris, if you would just say a few Hail Mary's for me, I'd already have enough fabric to do the job. ;)
If you think it will help Dennis I will say a Novena and light some candles for you. :)
Chris
OK, I have to go find out what exactly a Novena is... (PTL for Google)
Bobbin (Catholic-lite... Episcopalian, lol)
sofadoc:
Why would you want to get yourself into such a job, cut your losses and bail!
Unbelievable ??? I'm with BigJohn on this one.
June
Every 3 or 4 days, she'll call me to see how the chairs are coming.
The answer is always the same. "Without more fabric, I can't start the job"
Then she launches into another round of prayer.
Eventually, the Lord will speak to her, and make her realize that I ain't budgin'.
Next time she calls tell her you think the Lord never planed for her to use that fabric. That's why he sent her to you. That's why you told her 14 yds. And that's why there was only 11 yds. She missed all the signs. Just like the guy on the roof in the flood.
I think someone posted this once before
A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says "get in, get in!" The religous man replies, " no I have faith in God, he will grant me a miracle."
Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in god and god will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again cause "God will grant him a miracle."
With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, I thought God would grand me a miracle and I have been let down." St. Peter chuckles and responds, "I don't know what you're complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter."
QuoteI told her to get 14 yards for 2 wing chairs. When I got back to the shop, I measured the roll.....11 yards
I am reupholstering a wing back also, I have it all done but the reversible cushion. The selected upholstery material is a very small pattern, would you believe it isn't going to take 5 1/2 yards. I will make the cushion next week and let you know exactly how much this one is going to take, I suspect around 5 yds.
I realize all wingbacks aren't the same and some patterns will increase the yardage.
This chair doesn't have a skirt, merely a high back wing.
Will let you know when I am done with the cushion, next week.
Doyle
There you go, a sign from a YABB GOD.
Maybe the "Prayerful One" expects you to have enough to do the job if you use the wrapper the fabric came in!
Update on yardage as promised:
The actual yardage came to be just under five yards. The scale of this chair is average, not the smallest or biggest. It has the reversable T-cushion. Wings can be fairly short armed from back to back and from top to bottom, which reduces yardage. The inside back is a tight back which also reduces yardage to pillows and such. There was typical usage of cording on cushion and wings, that was just about it.
There is a possibility that the two wings Sofa is doing could come close to the 11 yards. It would be easier to estimate if a picture of the chair and fabric were provided. Also, is a skirt required?
I did this wing just like the factory usually does in terms of pulls and decking out of a denium or standard decking cloth.
Mine was a fun job, came out very nice.
Doyle
I'm getting ready to do a vintage wing chair and ottoman for resale. The chair is tall but not over stuffed like the stuff you see today. The ottoman is small. I have 7 yds with a 1" stripe I'd like to use. Going to measure it now. I'll take some pics and let you know if its going to work.
Quote from: DB on December 06, 2011, 06:08:21 am
There is a possibility that the two wings Sofa is doing could come close to the 11 yards. It would be easier to estimate if a picture of the chair and fabric were provided. Also, is a skirt required?
I appreciate the offer to help me figure out a way. But after more than 30 years of doing furniture, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that 11 yards will not do the job. These are very large wing chairs (almost chair and a half size).
I have done many normal size wing chairs out of 5 yards (probably more than 500).
I initiated this topic simply to illustrate how some people use prayer to compensate for poor judgement.
Ask her if she's read these;
Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
"'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'b"
7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
Luke 14:28
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
But I really think you should just send her on her way with her chairs and her fabric.
Rich
Rich: Those are great passages. I've always been particularly fond of the second one about first estimating the cost.
What my customer doesn't realize is, that her prayer has already been answered. And the answer is "No".
This same lady recently prayed over a young man in the hospital that had been in a car accident. His injuries have left him in a vegetative state. Irreversible coma, technically brain-dead.
The Lord spoke to her, and told her that the man would rise from that bed and walk again. So she went out and bought him $500 worth of new clothes, including shoes. Problem is, due to infection, his legs had already been amputated. Did the Lord really tell her to buy shoes?
The Lord does speak to all of us. But some of us have a funny way of listening.
If that lady can get her money back for those $500 worth of new clothes, she can then go out and buy 3 more yards of fabric. But then, that would make sense and would also be disobeying God who probably has never figured out the yardage for anything before.
I had a designer who I did 2 jobs for before she went away and never (so far) came back. Both times she shorted my fabric requirements. The second time, I asked her why she didn't get the amount of yardage I needed. She said she knows that I overestimate the yardage so I can make more money. I pointed out to her that she was the one buying the fabric and marking it up, not me. She said nothing, then changed the subject.
Give the lady a call and tell her God changed his mine and wants her to go ahead and buy 2 more cubits of fabric.
gene
Quote from: gene on December 07, 2011, 05:41:35 am
She said she knows that I overestimate the yardage so I can make more money. I pointed out to her that she was the one buying the fabric and marking it up, not me. She said nothing, then changed the subject.
gene
That's funny Gene. We recently had a customer short us two yards. When we asked her why she said a friend told her all upholsterers over estimate the yardage so they can resell it to another customer. Isn't that like calling me a liar and a cheat?
Quote from: kodydog on December 07, 2011, 06:55:03 am
Quote from: gene on December 07, 2011, 05:41:35 am
She said she knows that I overestimate the yardage so I can make more money. I pointed out to her that she was the one buying the fabric and marking it up, not me. She said nothing, then changed the subject.
gene
That's funny Gene. We recently had a customer short us two yards. When we asked her why she said a friend told her all upholsterers over estimate the yardage so they can resell it to another customer. Isn't that like calling me a liar and a cheat?
I have a customer that I always have to play the same game with. I add 2 yards to my estimate because I know that she's going to short me a couple of yards.
If the customer asks for their extra fabric to be returned to them, I do so. If they don't ask, I keep it. A lot of customers don't really even want it back.
Many of my regular customers give me the extra fabric as a form of tip.
Quote
The Lord does speak to all of us. But some of us have a funny way of listening.
I agree 100%. And some of us like to show everone else what good Christians they are and do it in a way that turns others off to ever having anything to do with it. I think that's sad.
Rich
Tell her you're gonna have put her in, after god grants you a handy fabric stretcher . :P
I know a lady who makes window treatments. She has a long time customer who lives in a very big mansion and likes to constantly redo window treatments. So, this lady gets a lot of work.
The customer refuses to pay sale tax. So, this lady works out the quote, marks it up the amount of sales tax, and gives only the total to her customer. The only time the customer complained about the price was years ago when this lady tried to charge her sales tax.
People are interesting.
Without people, I'd have to blame everything on my dog.
gene
The husband has the best perspective on this sort of frustrating thing. I quote, "People like that are put on on this earth for my amusement.". The anecdotes on this thread are proof positive.
I get way more worked up about things than he does. People who provide "short" yardage bother me (I don't suffer fools gladly). When the blood pressure rises after checking the provided yardage for accuracy (why do I now do this, lol?) I recall his sage observation, take a deep breath and call the wayward customer... . "You have provided less fabric than is required to accomplish the job, what suggestions do you have to get the work done?". I say nothing until they make some reply. Often the silence is long and deafening. :) After they respond I offer my suggestions.
The more insistant people become about religion the deafer I seem to become. Tomorrow will start the 3rd. week of the Advent season and I will add one more candle to the display in my shop's window. Although not religious by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoy the history and the ceremony of the season's celebrations. The Book of Common Prayer is beautiful literature and offers sound guidelines for life's navigation. As do the holy books of many other religions.
Just to follow up. I think that my prayerful customer has finally had a revelation. She has agreed to start looking for 14 yards of something else.
She had found the 11 yard piece in a closeout bin. She says that the LORD spoke to her and said it would be enough (I think it was really her pocketbook that spoke to her). Maybe she shouldn't spend so much money on shoes for legless people (see previous post).
Prayer can be a powerful tool. But it requires more effort than just kneeling, and clasping hands. I could pray that I wake up tomorrow, and find a new Cadillac in my driveway. But unless I write a check, I don't think it's going to happen.
Lol.
Amen to that, brother Sofa.!
Granpappy Jack used to like to say: Pray in one hand and poop in the other. See which one fills up first ...
Quote from: CreativeCanvas on December 10, 2011, 12:32:14 pm
Granpappy Jack used to like to say: Pray in one hand and poop in the other. See which one fills up first ...
My Grandmother always said "Want in one hand.....shell peas in the other".
She had other witticisms, such as "A POOR ride is better than a PROUD walk"
She would send me to the store once a week for:
Dark brown Bob size Extra small mesh hair nets.
The hair net rack had every possible combination of color, size and mesh. So it was easy for little sofadoc to come back with the wrong ones. When this happened, it was because "Ye went up thar with yer fanger in yer tail!"
Mr. CreativeCanvas,
We have one of those churches nearby that likes to put pithy sayings on their marquee.
http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/black%20and%20white%20chair/churchsign2.jpg
gene
I've always wondered about those "cutesy" church signs, such as "You think it's hot HERE?" or "What's missing from ch__ch?........UR"
Do they really think they're winning anyone over to the Lord with clever signage?
It was a better time when our church signs only listed the hours of worship, and nothing about poop. But I guess if it didn't say something funny, most people would fly right on by.
God answers KNEE-mail! (I'll bet that one converts the sinners by the multitudes).
Quote from: gene on December 10, 2011, 02:53:48 pm
Mr. CreativeCanvas,
We have one of those churches nearby that likes to put pithy sayings on their marquee.
http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/black%20and%20white%20chair/churchsign2.jpg
gene
That is unfreakinbelievable Gene! Word for word?! Granpappy Jack's spirit still lives! And in Missoura?
Hear ya SD. I liked it better when the marquee listed the pastors name, hours of worship, mebbe bingo night. Or perhaps the upcoming Bazaar?
Sadly nowadays I fear virtually everything has been politicized, commercialized, and/or propagandized. Hey don't be too hard on 'em. The church is just tryin' to spread the word, and turn a profit ...?