The power of prayer

[baileyuph]

I 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

[scottymc]

There you go, a sign from a YABB GOD.

[BigJohn]

Maybe the "Prayerful One" expects you to have enough  to do the job if you use the wrapper the fabric came in!

[baileyuph]

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

[kodydog]

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.

[sofadoc]

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.

[Rich]

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

[sofadoc]

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.

[gene]

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

[kodydog]

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?

[sofadoc]

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.

[Rich]

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

[Staplpulr]

Tell her you're gonna have put her in, after god grants you a handy fabric stretcher . :P

[gene]

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

[bobbin]

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.