What was the stupidest job you were asked to do.

[Mike8560]

Me I had a tie for 2.my first was a Bimini top on a waverunner
http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy102/Mike8560/Flybridge/MVC_734S.jpg
the second was this bini ion this gulfstar trawler  the owner wanted the boat to look  igger hen it was 50 somthing feet so wanted the stainless top ridiculously. Tall about 8'  I needed a 4' ladder  so I could  get up to make the pattern. The topshould have been lower then the radar dome   
Taking he price of the job in account it was the dumbest. 
http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy102/Mike8560/Flybridge/100_0811.jpg

[bobbin]

Nothing so glamorous, Mike. 

For me, it's usually a pretty weird repair.   

I've replaced portions of handles on "family heirloom" canvas tote bags.  I've patched the slings of WWI and WWII folding cots.  I've made round canvas bags to haul sea water onto the deck so it can be swabbed.  I've made slings to hoist arthritic dogs onto the boat. 

[sofadoc]

I get at least one call a month about covering a lampshade. I know that some of you love a good challenge, but I'm WAY too busy to fool with any of that "Artsy-fartsy" stuff.
My favorite "challenge" on every job that I do, is to turn a profit on it.
Those little "tote bag" type repairs I will fix for free it they aren't too much trouble. I look at it as a gesture of goodwill toward future business. But if it's something that is going to bog me down, I'm so-o-o-o out .

[Jim101]

I had a woman call me who had just purchased a cedar swing set for her kids and wanted a quote on making a water proof cover for it because she didn't want the weather affecting the pretty wood.

Figuring such a job was going to require a large amount of material I told her the cost would likely be more than what she paid for the swing set.  Much more.

She called me back a couple of days later and said she planned to move the swing set into her garage for the Winter.  That was three years ago and I haven't heard back from her since.

Jim

[Gregg @ Keystone Sewing]

I get at least one call a month about covering a lampshade. I know that some of you love a good challenge, but I'm WAY too busy to fool with any of that "Artsy-fartsy" stuff.
My favorite "challenge" on every job that I do, is to turn a profit on it.
Those little "tote bag" type repairs I will fix for free it they aren't too much trouble. I look at it as a gesture of goodwill toward future business. But if it's something that is going to bog me down, I'm so-o-o-o out .

You better be good if you want to be able to sew lampshades.  I know I can't do it!

[gene]

The only stupid jobs I have ever had are the ones where I under bid. No. The only stupid jobs I have ever had are the ones where I under bid a second time, not having learned from my first mistake.

I recently bought VHS tapes from Rowley on making fabric window roller shades. I haven't done them yet but I now know how.

I have done custom lamp shades before. They are expensive and not too much of a demand for them, so I don't do many.

I work with a lot of designers so I am always thinking of how I can help them sell more to their customers, which means more business for me. I recently added cat trees to my upholstery line. My cats trees are made from wood and totally covered with carpet. I have made many cat trees for my cats over the years, and I thought why not offer cat trees to my designers? Example: They are adding carpet to a child's room and they give me the excess carpet and I make a cat tree for that room out of the same carpet. Currently this is a stupid idea but if I start making tons of money I will be a genius and I'll be meowing all the way to the bank.

gene

[bobbin]

Gene makes an excellent point about "stupid" being defined as a money loser for him. 

Viewed from that standpoint, my "stupid" jobs weren't really that stupid!  I may have questioned the customer's thought process in the relative value of the work they were asking me to perform, but I was savvy enough to charge accordingly and didn't lose a dime in the process.  I love repair work.  I'm good at estimating the time required and really can't recall the last time I took a hosin' on repair work.  "Stock and time", baby!

Lampshades...  I love nice lampshades.  I have had 2 custom shades done by a local woman who is a master of the trade. Both are silk and the skilful use of bias to conform to fluted shades is a wonder to me.   Could I learn how to do it myself? absolutely.  But it isn't something that really jazzes me.  I love taking an old lamp to her, telling her what I have in mind and then allowing her to do what she does so beautifully... .  Ultimately, this is why people call me, too!

[kodydog]

This one wasn't so stupid as a PITA. When we lived in Charleston we did a 8' sofa for a designer who lived in a historic 3rd floor condo on Broad St. She decided to cover it in off white linen.

No way no how was that sofa going to fit in the elevator. The only other way up or down was the fire escape attached to the back of the building. Getting it down was no big deal. You don't worry about messing it up on the way down.

Delivering it was the fun part. My helper was on the track team in high school. He was fit but he was small. I just knew we were going to get it dirty or worse loose our balance and send the thing sailing over the rail.

After struggling for 20 mins. we set it down in her living room. I did a quick once over and sure enough there was a smudge mark on the outside arm.

I didn't say a word and she never complained.

[Mike8560]

not stupid bobbin  but a 8' high bimini just to look big

[kodydog]

Speaking of stupid. I could never get the clear plastic over dining seats thing. No matter how hard you try they just look crappy. I've had people ask me to do whole sofas in clear plastic. Sorry no thanks. I just cant wrap my head around that. Even when I was 5 years old my grandparents had a plastic cover on there car seat. I thought it was stupid then and I think its stupid now. 

[sofadoc]

Speaking of stupid. I could never get the clear plastic over dining seats thing. No matter how hard you try they just look crappy. I've had people ask me to do whole sofas in clear plastic. Sorry no thanks. I just cant wrap my head around that. Even when I was 5 years old my grandparents had a plastic cover on there car seat. I thought it was stupid then and I think its stupid now.

Yeah, and what most people don't think about, is that the clear vinyl gets scuffed and dingy. Eventually, it looks as bad as dirty fabric.

[kodydog]

Last year we did a job for one of our county commissioners. Took the old plastic off and put new on. Here's an idea, take the plastic off and enjoy the feel and look of real fabric. I'm not going anywhere, I'll recover it when it gets dirty.

[Mike8560]

Sofa and Kody do you remember thoose plastic car seat covers?
My dad had a  1965 or so ford falcon. With factory seat covers clearwith little knoby embossed bumps.
He later relized HD was just protecting the seats for the next  owner 

[byhammerandhand]

"Fingerhut" used to make these for both car seats and sofas (remember Frank and Marie's sofa on Everybody Loves Raymond?

Sadly  ;D the don't seem to make them anymore, so we have to settle for this

http://www.fingerhut.com/product/Elvis-Tapestry-Throw/G5884.uts

Sofa and Kody do you remember thoose plastic car seat covers?
My dad had a  1965 or so ford falcon. With factory seat covers clearwith little knoby embossed bumps.
He later relized HD was just protecting the seats for the next  owner  

[Grebo]

I had some tight arse guy, take all the covers off his boat when he sold it & bought a new ' bigger' boat. He got me to adjust some of the covers to fit over the new covers on his new boat.  ???
Covers over covers.. :-X
I had made him sun screens to fit the bimini on his old boat, he wanted them made to fit the bimini on the new boat. Completely different shapes & sizes.

Yes I did tell him he would be better off making it all from scratch, but no......
Oh well  ;D

Suzi