Tales from the Cutting Counter: A woman brings me a bolt of black fabric. She says she needs just a little bit, she's repairing something or other. I show her half a yard--too much. I show her a quarter yard--too little. I show her a third--she stops, thinks. "Which will work best for you, the quarter yard or the third yard?" I ask. "Whichever is smaller," she answers.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
The Right Tool for the Job
Tales from the Cutting Counter:
A gentleman approaches the cutting counter. He is fifty-something, well dressed, tall. "I have these pipes in my basement," says he, "about this big." He makes a circle with his thumb and middle finger to show the diameter of the pipes. "I am looking for something to wrap around them to insulate them."
I hope the incredulity I was feeling did not show on my face. I spoke slowly. "Have you considered, um, pipe insulation?" There's a plumbing supply place less than a mile from the fabric store.
"I have," said the man. "But I notice you have long cardboard tubes inside your upholstery fabric. Do you give those away?"
"No, we reuse them," I said. I am thinking fast, here. "What about pool noodles? You could slit them down the side."
"Cardboard will be best," he said, definitively. "Thanks anyway."
This past week has featured single-digit temperatures, and my guess is that the local plumbers have thawed a lot of pipes in a lot of basements. And nothing insulates pipe better than
cardboard. :/
A gentleman approaches the cutting counter. He is fifty-something, well dressed, tall. "I have these pipes in my basement," says he, "about this big." He makes a circle with his thumb and middle finger to show the diameter of the pipes. "I am looking for something to wrap around them to insulate them."
I hope the incredulity I was feeling did not show on my face. I spoke slowly. "Have you considered, um, pipe insulation?" There's a plumbing supply place less than a mile from the fabric store.
"I have," said the man. "But I notice you have long cardboard tubes inside your upholstery fabric. Do you give those away?"
"No, we reuse them," I said. I am thinking fast, here. "What about pool noodles? You could slit them down the side."
"Cardboard will be best," he said, definitively. "Thanks anyway."
This past week has featured single-digit temperatures, and my guess is that the local plumbers have thawed a lot of pipes in a lot of basements. And nothing insulates pipe better than
cardboard. :/
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
My Two Cents
Tales from the Cutting Counter: It's part of my job to stay on top of current trends in bridal decor, since so many brides like to make things themselves for their weddings. Right now, burlap is all the rage for table runners, ribbon, you-name-it. A woman came to the cutting counter today. She'd been browsing for a while. "I need your opinion on something," she started. "My daughter wants the groomsmen in her wedding to wear ties made from burlap. What do you think?" "What do I think?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "I think that your daughter should not have neckties made from burlap at her wedding." I said. The woman laughed out loud. "Me EITHER!" she exclaimed. We had a fun little chat after that about planning weddings, and Pinterest, and how smelly, itchy, and generally awful burlap is. I think she's going with a nice, slubby linen for the ties.
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