Admin and Sewing!

If so much of my life is spend on time saving measures- like never going upstairs without taking something up, starting the washing machine up before undertaking another more manual task, etc. then how come I still never have enough hours in the day for everything that I need to do??

This morning, despite my best efforts, its already got to 11 o’clock before I can actually start on anything resembling work, and all I’ve done since everyone left for work and school and I got back is sort and start the washing, and the drying, washed up from breakfast, taken in and put away the online Tesco order… Ok, so I’ve not exactly been idle, but you get the picture.

Logging on to the computer I’m pleased to see I’ve had another order come in last night, I’ve got several new Likers on my Facebook page, and the blog’s had a few page views too. As ever, there seems to be as much admin work to do as there is actual sewing, so as its getting on for lunchtime I decide to start with that. Until I opened Little Dolly Clothes Shop just over five years ago, it never occurred to me just how much goes on behind the scenes of even a very small business, just to keep it ticking over. Something I learnt very quickly though was that the more effort you put in, the more you get out of it- in terms of both actual sales, and satisfaction. Keeping the website up to date- all pages, not just the homepage, advertising, planning, ordering fabrics etc. all take time and when you add in a Facebook page, and then decide to start writing a blog…

Anyway, with the weekend’s blog posts mostly drafted, and last Tuesday’s post published online, I grab some quick lunch and reload the washing and drying. The paper tablecloth that was so busy dying over Christmas seems to have taken on a new lease of life, and as its prettier than the table underneath it’s been allowed to carry on working for us, for now. Folding it carefully back out of the way I set out the sewing machine for an afternoon of sewing, accompanied by Take That, whose new album has been keeping me company this morning.

With the cutting out that I managed yesterday, I’ve got a fair amount to be getting on with, and two free hours before going to pick up our youngest from school. I start by edging all the pieces for a dress and a top that will be going together in the same order. It’s a very worthwhile job, but a bit of a boring one, and zig zagging all the way around several pieces of fabric is also quite noisy so I like to get as much done in one go as I can. It’s also quite time consuming, so doing it this way can save time later.

Edges done, I put the pieces to one side and start the next project, the bedding set which is a complete order on its own. If I can manage to complete this today, then it can hopefully be sent out in tomorrow’s post. Bedding sets consist of a pillow and quilt- I developed them when was looking for something for my own daughter’s new doll’s pram about a year after launching my website. They quickly caught on, and are now extremely popular- particularly at Christmas when a lot of parents and grandparents buy new doll’s prams and cots. They are relatively straight forward to make, so in the time left this afternoon I get the set nearly completed. Unfortunately time then runs out, and I have to dash down to school, in the pouring rain, to fetch my little girl.

Its Brownies night tonight so after school making sure that she has tea before Mike gets home from work to take her there takes priority over sewing. Then of course there’s dinner to cook, washing to fold, children to chase up to bed… Reluctantly I put my sewing away for the night, but I’ve made a good start on one order, and almost finished another which will take literally only a couple of minutes to complete tomorrow. A good start to the week I think!