Monday, January 27, 2014

Let's blog about quilting goals

The January Block Lotto-linky party theme is "let's blog about quilting goals" so I guess I will give it a try:

This year I will try very very hard not to throttle anyone because of quilting (thereby making it a quilting goal--see how that works?).  I often start the year with this vow & the only reason I have been successful in previous years is most of my quilting contacts are on-line.  It is hard to put your hands on people on-line.  Also, it is easier to walk away from provocative conversations.

I should clarify that I have never actually punched (or kicked or bit) anyone because of quilting.  I am hoping to continue this record, but 2014 is shaping up to be a banner year.  A certain amount of agida comes from the Facebook Quilt Block Swap & that is mostly OKay.  This is a to-be-expected downside of overseeing a swap group of 200+ people, not all of whom are English speaking & even those that are don't all speak American English (if you think that doesn't matter, tell me quick how many centimeters in an inch?).  There are questions frequently asked, & less frequently, but still sometimes asked more than once...or twice by the same person. 

Recently, I got a message from a person asking for the THIRD time in six months (we swap every other month so that means for the third straight swap) for my mailing address.  She knew she had asked this before & was a little embarrassed so she sent me a private message instead of posting it on the group page (where there is actually a file called Mailing Label).  She had asked this question on the group before (her first message said, "I think I have asked this before"), but instead of risking ridicule...or looking up my previous answer, she messaged me privately.  Because having to read one more message about something I have already answered & answer it again is not at all annoying.  What is particularly sad about this (& anyone who uses Facebook messenger may have spotted this already) is previous conversations are archived together under the name of the person you are messaging.  Which means that right there, immediately above her apologies for asking this question is the answer from last time she asked this question.  So....agida.

The last message asking for my address actually arrived the day blocks were due, so it was moot & also not a 2014 problem.  2014 problems have been blocks for a swap already done & gone arriving postmarked after the due date (which was in 2013 & not in December by-the-by).  When told of the late arrival the swapper blamed the post office for not delivering her woefully under-postaged envelope sooner.  I was not aware the post office could travel back in time -the postmark was the Monday following the swap- so even if they tessered it here, it would still have been too late.  In another envelope, a different swapper sent blocks for a sign-up only swap for which she was not signed up, which was just as well because she didn't follow the directions anyhow. 

Then last week, I had yet another unpleasant encounter with a person claiming to be a representative for a well-known quilt group who was concerned I had used the name of the group erroneously & threatened me with a lawsuit (again).  Among the specific quilt requirements she told me I needed to meet were incorrect minimum quilt dimensions (the dimensions she provided were larger than those specified on the group's own website) & that I needed written permission to use the group's name, well, anywhere.  The text she had trouble with was "among the groups receiving quilts made from 6th blocks are" insert name of group here, along with the names of four other groups because I am apparently attracted to sets of five.  This sentence does not appear in any advertising because we don't do any advertising, it's just a list of groups that have indeed historically received 6th block quilts, some of whom (including this one) have sent thank you notes.  I realize this is a too-many-cooks problem, but it is very off-putting.  So off-putting that after the last time it happened, I successfully avoided this group's color scheme until two of our members (two of our FOUNDING members) asked if we could do another one.  & then I got this Napoleon Syndrome nonsense in my e-mail.  

That's three pains in the ass in three weeks.  Today is the Monday of week four.  I haven't killed anyone so far, but it is not yet noon.  & sorry Sophie, this is probably not what you were looking for when you asked for quilting goals, but this is the one at the top of my list right now:  no punching & also remember remember remember the just under 200 group members who make it worth while. 

5 comments:

  1. It's maybe not on the list of things I had in mind, but it's a good goal nonetheless. Having led many, many swaps in the past and the Block Lotto for a decade, I can probably relate to your post more than most, too. It's always going to be a trade-off of whether doing something like this is worth it ... and it's always OK to take a break and/or ask for help.

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  2. answer to quick question... roughly 2 1/2 cm to an inch...

    but i'm sorry the QBS group is causing you so much annoyance. there are times I love to so swaps (our group and others) and times I've had enough for a while. I do have my feb blocks all finished and they should go out to you soon, minus the 6th block so you don't have to send it to me later. was your off-putting encounter with someone related to the group i'm sewing the 6th block quilt for?

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  3. I had to google the answer the 1st time it was asked; now I have a photo of a ruler with it marked to no one has to use a translate app. Did you really know that right off? A did, but he's a professional geek so.....

    I keep telling myself it is all percentages, if there are a dozen problem people (which is a way higher than the real number), that is still only 5%, right? Please don't check my math... & the VAST majority of people are pleasant or even wonderful! Truly. Unfortunately we ended 2013 with an actual scammer who did some ugly damage (but not in our group, phew!) which has left me a bit shaky.

    & I'm sorry to say it is indeed your preferred organization. If it makes you feel any better there is another group that is much harder to deal with; last year one of the 6th block recipients was sure I was exaggerating the problems & was disheartened to discover I was being nice.

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  4. I did know it off-hand, but only because I've done international art shows where they make me give sizes in cm instead of inches. Stuck in my head after that.

    I'm surprised to hear someone from the organization threatened a lawsuit when you were just giving people another place to make blocks and know they had somewhere they could have fun and get blocks to use. Like I do. Incredibly, if you look at their own FB page, half the people on it don't know the guidelines, requirements or even how to correctly put the organization's name on the quilt they did. But I do know some people who've been given a coordinator title take it above and beyond their duties and think they have the power. Thankfully, some of the kinder coordinators have helped me a few times when I needed it - the boxes of Moda one stars, getting a quilt back from the longarmmer after 4 months of no communication and then volunteering to quilt my next ones herself immediately as I recovered from my surgery.

    I look at it in the way that the recipients didn't do anything wrong and they deserve to continue receiving our quilts, so I try to ignore the power-trip people and do work on my own.

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  5. Sounds like everyone I work with must be in your swap group. I sew to escape the agida. Well, actually I sew so that I don't escape into a booze bottle. I'm already addicted to block swaps (and I'm a fabric hoarder) so don't need another addiction. Good thing I have not ever had the urge to join the F word or I'd probably be in the swap you mention. I'm terribly annoyed by people who can't read or follow directions or meet timelines. And that brings me full circle back to everyone with whom I work. I need to go sew.

    I enjoyed reading your quilting goal. Good luck.

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