On to a New Adventure...

Some of you already know, but I've moved on to a new part-time job. Rick's is history. I just couldn't wait tables anymore. If I ever suggest, sometime in the future, that I might do that again...would someone give me a cyber-slap and remind me how much I said I hated it? lol

I got a part-time job at a fabric/craft store...MUCH more in line with my personality and passions! lol This past Sat. was my first day and I worked on one of the cash registers all day...interesting, considering that I have never had a job where I operated a cash register regularly! It was an adventure!!!

Backing up just a bit, on this store's application, it lists several different types of crafts and you check mark which ones you have experience with. Well, out of maybe 12, I only left 2 unchecked: quilting and another one that I had never done (can't remember what it was right now). When the mgr. had me come in for my interview last week, she mentioned that most of their clientele are quilters, so it would've been better for me to have experience with quilting rather than apparel sewing (which I have a lot of experience with). Most people don't sew clothes anymore.

Side note: I still have all the clothes that I have ever made the kids!!! When they were little, I made them a new pair of flannel pjs every year at Christmas. LOTS of experience sewing clothes!

Last night was my first "after my real job" shift. One of the biggest perks is that the store closes at 9, so I KNOW when I'm going to be able to go home at the end of the night. (There were several times at Rick's that I wouldn't get home until after 11...even though the restaurant closed at 10. That really stunk...esp. when I had to be to work at my "real job" early the next morning for a full 8 hour shift!)

Anyway, last night, there were only 3 of us working. I was mainly watching the front of the store and covering the register. The other girl was covering the cutting table and the supervisor was setting up a new ribbon display. Well, being a Monday night, it was really slow, so I did a lot of wandering around...straightening the fabric rolls and making sure things were picked up off the counters, etc. At one point, I wandered back to the cutting table out of boredom.

Ultimately, my apparel sewing "expertise" paid off!!! A woman was there with a partly finished "beach hat" and the pattern instructions were spread out on the cutting table. She had asked for some help figuring out how to put the lining in the hat. She pointed out that the instructions skipped that step. The girl on the cutting table looked at the pattern, but said she didn't understand patterns anyway. Then the supervisor went over it and over it and she appeared to be stumped too.

Now, keep in mind, I HATE butting into conversations or interactions where I wasn't for the initial start up or wasn't invited. It was hard for me to do this, BUT...

I looked at the pattern while the supervisor was trying to figure it out and immediately saw where the instructions explained how to do the step she was having trouble with. I pointed it out, then picked up the hat and the lining and showed her how it was supposed to work. Then I pointed it out again. She just said, "Are you kidding me??? I looked at that thing a million times and MISSED IT every time???" We were all kind of laughing about it, but I told her that the brand of pattern that she was using isn't always real simple to follow.

I made a comment to the supervisor that "I guess my apparel sewing experience DID come in handy". lol

It was kind of a high point of the night! :o) But it also made me miss sewing...I just wish I had more free time to do it!