Business as Usual

I have spent a great deal of time on the computer lately and not doing the fun stuff. I have been finalizing my 2008 records and preparing the 2009 spreadsheets which, because I am self taught at all this technical stuff, takes me longer that it probably should. Every year I say I am going to take a course, but I think I have probably figured out most of the basics by this time and what else do I need.

When I started Heavy Metal Quilting eleven years ago, I had no idea of how much paperwork would go into running a one-person shop. I have gone through two PC's and now have a laptop which I like best. I use Word, Publisher, and Excel for most things with the help of a scanner and a printer. I have always appreciated technological advances; for example, I was delighted when I first had a program to figure students' grades when I was teaching so I didn't have to spend hours with a calculator. And yes, I am old enough to remember when it was an adding machine borrowed from the business classes and even paper and pencil before then.

My Gammill Premier is showing its age but still stitches great and produces a nice product. However, my Gammill and I are falling behind the times in the technical aspects since she is not computerized. All the newest machines offer the ability to regulate the stitch and to push a button and have the machine take off on a particular pattern without much aid from the operator. Now if I had $20,000 or so, I would certainly be sure that I owned one of the top new machines with every bell and whistle, but it's not happening. I wonder too how much the owner of a twenty to thirty thousand dollar machine has to charge customers to make it pay for itself. My prices are reasonable, I think, for the product that I produce and enable me to pay the bills for my small studio in Hebron. My Gammill is long paid for; but I am sure most of the purchasers of new machines are paying monthly bills for the machine alone that are larger than my entire monthly nut.

So, as much as I admire technological advances, my trusty Gammill and I will continue to work our way through over 150 quilts a year and to pay the bills on the studio.