sewing 'troops'

These are so cute!

They are meant to be weights to hold pieces of sewing pattern on fabric.   Five Green Acres posted the pattern recently and I found it through Whip Up.  I couldn't resist trying the pattern. I was in a funk and needed a quick creative fix.  I may have been carried away just a bit but I can explain!

As a compulsive right brainer I sometimes have difficulty following rules designed for the left-brained analytical world.  It's been a struggle most of my life, especially in the work-a-day world where I am expected to 'just do it' like everyone else does.  When I can successfully put a bit of myself into my work the task at hand becomes easier and much more pleasurable.

When I found a pattern for these little guys something that had been weighing on my mind became fun. They would become my soldiers in the battle of 'getting it done'!  Obviously another explanation is necessary.

Part of my new job requires scheduling four employees. Normally that would be easy, but where I work there are some shifts that are more desirable than others. Staff all want a turn at working them.  Making sure everyone gets an equal amount of work and a fair share of the good shifts was keeping me awake at night.

Neither computer programs nor a piece of paper and an eraser appealed as the right tools for the job. That was much to ordinary and slow.  I wanted something I could move around quick enough to keep up with my thoughts.   I had just purchased poster board to draw squares on when I came across Five Green Acres design.  With different colors of fabric representing each staff member I 'whipped up' as many as I had material for.  Scraps in each color  made do for the rest of the shifts to fill.

 With the 'troops' all in place creating the schedule was easy!  If I need to change it I still have the weights available and now I have a bowl full of sewing weights for my next project!

Thanks Mary Jo and may your Five Acres always be Green.  And thanks to Whip Up for pointing me in the right direction.