Counting…and a very awkward confession
I’ve been doing a lot of counting lately as I make kits for upcoming venues: counting fabric bolts, squares of fabric, squares of batting, finished quilt sandwiches, kits for students and more. I realized there is a lot of counting in my non kit-making life too: I count laps in the pool, my minutes on the rowing machine and reps with weights. I keep track of my steps and other fitness goals on my Fit Bit and I sometimes find myself counting random things: there are 10 people in line at the post office and 8 have on flip flops. It would appear that only geriatrics wear regular shoes to the Post Office today. I kinda live a counting life. Sheesh.
Not much exciting going on here this week as it is The Week of Kit-Making. So here are some fun facts:
It takes 35 minutes to cut one bolt of Kona into 114 15″-ish squares.
A roll of Hobb’s Heirloom 80/20 takes 3 hours to cut into 438 15″ squares.
It takes two hours to assemble 150 quilt sandwiches. I hold them together with plastic tabs that you shoot with a little gun, like the ones they use to hold price tags on in clothing stores.
It takes 1.5 hours to package and pack 250 sandwiches into a mailing box. That includes putting paper dividers between each set of sandwiches (3 – 5 sandwiches/student/class), wrapping and compressing with Press and Seal.
10 sandwiches weigh about 7 lbs.
I’ve kept the same colors for a few years. In my mind they are sand and sky. Neutral thread shows up well on them and they are not so stark as to make less-than-perfect quilting look bad.
175-185 15″ sandwiches fit into a 16″ cube mailing box which takes about $35 each to send to Paducah. I’ll be sending 3 boxes.
Don’t try to add up the numbers – it is frightening! I am not the only one. Anytime there is a major festival, other teachers are making kits for their students. Some have wet stuff to pack like paints, some have kits of fabric for patterns, some hand dye acres of fabric, some have to create their own inventory like Libby Williamson who brews tea bags and cuts them open and puts layers of paint and texture on all manner of paper.
I have a good system and I go back to what I learned in a course on Human Factors Engineering (a very long time ago, but it made an impact). I try to make it an organized and efficient a process.
All that makes me look sooo wonderfully organized. And I am. Until I’m not.
I am loathe to admit that I stupidly double-booked a quilt into 2 overlapping shows. I have already sent it off to Grand Rapids and as a result, it will not hang in Houston. Yes. I juried in and it will not hang because I double-booked it.
I do not have a good excuse or even a good explanation other than I just messed this one up. The Houston people were quite gracious about it but I am cringing over what I have done. I cannot take it back. I will not have a quilt hanging in Houston even though I juried in. Heavy sigh.
I hope you are having a better week. I’ll hook up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday. Onward.
But, Jenny, you can admit a mistake. That’s so much better than someone who can’t (trying not to make a political statement here). It’s always better to concentrate on the positives! You’re a great teacher who does so much for her students :)
Oh thank you for that encouragement Sally! What’s hard is when your mistake affects others. Ugh.
I am really careful not to do that but I have to keep a list of what i am entering and then if something doesn’t get in its then available for another show! Easily done I feel your embarrassment!
THank you Jane! What’s so sad is that I DO have a system. I just didn’t enter the proper dates into my calendar to remind me. Sigh.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who counts! Bummer about Houston.
Oh you’re a counter too Linda? Did you see Helen’s comment below with an interesting link? I’ll be more careful about my entries next time.
Ahhhhh!
Big huge double-rats for the quilt mix up. It hasn’t happened to me yet but I am very very sure it will sometime soon.
I absolutely appreciate and understand all of the hard work you put in for your students. When we do extensive prep work and kit-making, the classes run so much more smoothly. I have learned this through experience and I am quite happy to spend the many many many many hours it takes behind the scenes to launch a class.
Hugs! Libby
Aw thank you Libby! You put a LOT into your kits also and I soooo appreciated it as a student!
You are not alone. See this: https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2012/03/27/the-compulsion-to-count/
I’m fairly sure you have already seen it as you look things up on the web like I do. A type of OCD but mild and not dangerous. Some people do it and some don’t.
I do it too but mostly when I’m out walking. How many steps to the top of this hill?
Oh cool Helen – it’s a thing! Ah, another thing we have in common?
Oooh, I’m a counter, too! But, I have an exercise I have to do twice a week. Three different things, ten seconds each, ten times. I’d lose count of what rep I was on. So I associated the numbers one through ten with colors–one is white, two is pale melon, three is yellow, etc. That helps me remember what rep I’m on. Not sure what kind of counter that makes me!
Oh how cool Dorothy – I never thought to use colors! I do what’s called 10 x 10 weight training: 10 reps, 10 times, once a week for each muscle group. I use poker chips to track my reps, grin. The counters are coming out of the woodwork…
My shoulders hurt just reading this and visualizing all the lifting, moving, arranging, rotary cutting, sorting, layering, and on and on. But I know having the correct supplies makes for happy and successful student experiences. You rock, Jenny!
THank you Martha! I am very careful about the ergonomics of it all, hopefully I will still have good shoulders and wrists when I’m 90.
Wow, that’s a bummer about your quilt…maybe you can try for Houston again next year?
Lots of work to get all those kits ready… I’m sure the students really appreciate it. I know I do when I take classes. It gives students the opportunity to try new things without a huge investment on their part. Thanks for all you share!
Thank you Nancy. I do hope to enter next year with another quilt! I think my students do appreciate it and that makes me feel good.
OMG Jenny such a lot of work and thought goes into your classes. I do hope you get full classes – I seem to remember that you do have actually – to be able to pull back some of the expenses. I know you do this for love but it is such a costly thing teaching. I hope with all my heart every one of your students thinks of all you have done to make their life easier in the class they are taking from you. Not all teachers put as much into their classes as you do – I speak from experience believe me.
Thank you Janet! Most teachers I know do a similar thing – it is a lot of work, but no one is making me do it, lol. I love to teach.
Oh and your hiccup about the Houston Quilt, I am gutted for you but you will get another in that show I know you will.
I think so too Janet but I must be more organized!
Dear heart, at Alberta minimum wage ($15/hour CAD — about $11.35/hour USD)…you’ve wracked up a lot of time.
Did you do your bookings in the midst of all this assembly? If so…and even if NOT so…give yourself some slack. You’re human. Perfection isn’t possible this side of heaven. There will likely be other Houston showing opportunities. Just qualifying is an honour. Shall I continue?
Hug yourself and your DH and get some sleep. With all that packing, something tells me you’re going to need it!
This is pretty much the life of a traveling quilt teacher, nothing particularly special about me other than the details! At least I don’t have to hand dye my fabric. I am much more upset about the ripple effect of my error on others: someone else could have qualified, my category will be one quilt short, etc. I am not sitting around beating myself up, just need to not do it again. Thank you so much for the hugs – I welcome them and appreciate it!
Such a lot of quilt sandwiches, and I think I work hard for my small 10 person workshop at G Street…I can’t imagine the quantities you work in. Makes for great classes though. Bummer about Houston. It happened to me once..not Houston though! Hoping you have a wonderful time and lots of great memories in Houston.
Well you DO work hard for those kits Betty Jo! We all do. I will still have a fabulous time in Houston.
I’m a counter, too, and I found the article Helen linked to very interesting. For most of my life I thought everyone counted steps, power lines, cracks in the sidewalk etc. I was amazed to find out they didn’t. Oh well, it is a part of my (relative) normality.
I worry about double booking. I like to think I am organized, but I know it can easily happen. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
You too?! I loved Helen’s article, very interesting. I do have a system but if I don’t enter stuff in, mistakes can happen. I recently went through all my contracts and found a few reminder dates that were not in my calendar. Yikes.
Your friend looks like your sister, was sure that was who it was til I read the blog. I count to, it’s some sort of compulsion, but who is to judge.
Ah, us counters are coming out Christina! I never thought about it but yes, I can see the resemblance.
I would absolutely LOVE a longer free-motion class; 2-3 days sounds pretty awesome to me! Hope you do it at Meissner’s in Folsom, but that’s the selfish part of me speaking!
Anything specific you’d like? I have ideas but I’m all ears if you have suggestions. Thank you for writing Karen!
All I can say is, “Wow!” Well, I do have an idea because I so admire you or anyone else who is able to acknowledge their error, apologize, and move on. I have watched too much news . Anyway, how about a lecture/program on errors. I remember Becky Goldsmith telling us how she shredded a corner of a quilt as it dipped over the edge of the table right into the shredder. She had to make the block/section again. Life went on. Kudos to you for sharing your humanness with us.
Hey great idea Mary! I have so many examples, giggle. I forgot about that Becky Goldsmith incident, thanks for the reminder. Sometimes I truly think one of my purposes in life is to provide comic relief for others.
Sad for you about the Houston quilt experience. But the ones who have your quilt are surely appreciative of it! It looks like a beautiful piece. Calendar errors happens to all of us. Many would not admit in such a public forum. I admire that!
The work you are putting into making kits for your students! I could not imagine cutting all that out! I am exhausted just reading about all that prep work ha ha! I remember bringing my own sandwiches to a class you taught a few years ago. Do certain venues have that as a requirement now? My wrists and shoulders and thumb joints hurt for you ha ha! Have fun at Grand Rapids!
Thank you Mary. No venue requires kits common but students love them. You can imagine, if you were packing for Houston and you had to include 515″ “sandwiches plus all your other stuff. It’s a convenience for students, one that they appreciate.