It's true, I DON'T do custom orders. But, sometimes I have a hard time saying no, especially when what people suggest seems like such a good idea!A very good friend showed me her new jacket and wanted hand dyed thread to match the colors in the jacket, to be made into a matching pendant. A fabulous idea! But, turning ideas into reality, well, that's just amazingly hard to do.
The thread I managed to come up with, well, I'd say it compliments the jacket, but isn't an exact match. I could tweak the recipe to make the lights lighter, and the darks darker, but I can't change the basic hues without buying different dyes.
The dye company's printed samples don't really capture the exact hue, so the only way I could find matching blues would be to buy whatever looks close, dye a sample, (keeping careful records of how I mixed it) and see what the finished color looks like.
Sigh...life is just too short...I DON'T do custom orders!
15 comments:
Still gorgeous colors -I love it!
I say the thread color is a beautiful complement to the jacket.
Custom orders have never been my cup of tea either. It's a commitment I rarely want to take on, partly because of the time but also because you almost always have to buy something extra. The customer might compensate you, but it's still more of a commitment to my time and energy (and pocketbook if they don't like it) than I'm willing to make.
Wouldn't it be better to just dye some fabric to match your thread??? (JOKING!)
I know what you mean about doing custom orders. I don't do them either for things that I make. I also know that it's hard at times to get others to listen to no & when we feel we should do it. Cause it normally leaves us feeling like we let the other person down & ourselves as well. But you know we are human & we can't do everything. We can only do what we are able to do. Dealing with dyes to do threads by hands isn't easy to do. But it don't mean we should feel bad. We can only learn from such situations. No, I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm just telling you to not come down on yourself so hard. Trust me there's a reason for such life lessons to happen to us...so we learn from them. It's ok. It's just making it clear that we are only human. I'm sure your friend won't be mad. Cause you always say you don't do custom orders & this is why. You was honest about it.
But it's SUCH a pretty blue!!! I have problems even using blue for some reason although I wear a lot of denim!!! Go figure!!!!
Thank you all for the understanding, support, and encouragement :-)
Mostly, the intention of this post was to try and discourage special requests, which in my experience just never turn out right, disappoint the customer, and cause me a lot of frustration.
I simply must agree with Jane and all the rest -- this new HDT is beautiful!
Here's hoping you kept careful notes in case you ever want to make it again. :-)
Blue is my favorite color and my name is Sue so I guess that is why I love what you have created there! :)
Who needs "custom" orders when what you come up with on your own is AMAZING. If I had the money, I would put in a standing order for every color you come up with. Beautiful. You go girl, do your own thing! It totally works!!!
I love the Blues shown; but, I like all blues ~ except for pastels. I agree with you about special commissions ~ best to skip them altogether and real friends will understand. When I painted in oils, my dear friend wanted me to paint on her ceramics she was putting in the kiln ~ totally different type of 'painting'. I could never get her to understand it wasn't the same thing. LOL que sera sera
I really like you new book. Too advanced for my skills, but the photographs are perfection and the instructions impeccable. Good Job! I might be able to to the ear rings on the last page. LOL
But that six shuttle Atom is intimidating (although I suppose one uses only 2 shuttles at a time). It is a fabulous book, though and well worth the price. My friend to whom it is going, will LOVE it ~ and she can tat at that level.
xxx bj
I do tie dye and understand. You get what you get with tie dye and it is hard and more time consuming to do special orders. There is no guaranty they will like how it turns out and then you are stuck with it. Then we talk about the time factor when with the same amount of time you can make large batches at once. Then no one wants to pay what it is worth in your time dollars. I understand completely and just wait until you create something I can use!
Beautiful Blues !! And yes I'm with you, your always going to dig a deep hole for yourself trying to match colours for a custom order, so I don't do it either :)
I got the... blues,sometimes. But never when i have a look at your blog!!
I received your books today!! Thank you for the super fast delivery, and the shipping costs - i thought sending both book at a time would be cheaper for you (D... mail services)
i love everything in the books - i'm starting tatting tonight. THANK YOU
It's so beautiful!!
Well, I guess I'm glad you mentioned that you don't do custom orders... I had been thinking lately if you could do a certain color ensemble.. LOL, I guess I got my answer :-)
Maybe if you rename it, you will have a new color scheme for everyone! This combo makes me think of a stormy night from a fairy tale, with the castle and the woods behind it... totally loving it!!
Gorgeous colors! I can understand not wanting to do special orders! I am just starting on the HDT, but I have done crochet doilies and I always hated it when someone wanted me to pick out a doily to make them...just make it so big...sigh. I wouldn't do it! Too hard to decide my own tastes, let alone someone elses!
Hugs
Carol
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