I've been so pleased with the bows that I made for Woo that I made some more. I found some gorgeous French grosgrain on the weekend and made them up too (no pics yet). One little pair will be winging their way, belatedly to our now 4 year old friend 'Ony Rose.For some reason, call me odd, I love production line work and although I like the process of designing things, sourcing materials, trialling (and error-ing!!) and creating the things I make, I really enjoy getting a big old pile of things made at once. Zoom-zoom.
Mostly I think it's in my make-up, I love saving time, minimising double-handling - I usually open the mail on the recycling bin to avoid even bringing the unsolicited mail into the house. I'll spare you my showering routine, but let me tell you with our current drought in Victoria I can assure I'm done in the requisite 3 minutes.
Okay I'm really quite odd and you may well be x-ing out of the page about now. But wait. One second. I want to tell you where I learned about my love of production lines and 'time and motion study' and where get my motion saving practices from. Have you heard of my favourite book, "in the whole wide weld" (thanks Tigs), Cheaper by the Dozen?
It is true the story of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Gilbreth and life with their 12 children.
Frank and Lillian worked as time and motion experts in the 1920's to reduce the number of motions used to perform a task in order to increase productivity. One of the most well known experiments examined the handmotions of bricklayers and were able to reduce the number from 18 to 5. Cool hey? So the brickies worked more efficiently and were less tired to boot!
Many of their experiments were carried out on their children and are retold hilariously in the book and in the equally funny original movie. Minimising wasted time came in endless forms including having to learn Morse code from signs on the back of the toilet door! They were tested by having meals at which no one was allowed to speak. All conversation was held by Morse code being tapped out on the dining room table! Lessons in how to wash efficiently sounded a little dull and the elder girls were thrilled to be presented with a gramophone, only to be disheartened to find it was to be placed in the bathroom so that cleansing ones body could be combined by learning a foreign language.
Father was a strict disciplinarian and Mother was incredibly strong but gentle with her children. In Father's eyes he had "only 12 children" in Mothers she had "12 only children". I have my Meme's copy. I treasure it, I know she loved the story too.
Anyway, at risk of wasting time, it's why I love production line work and my favorite book synopsis wrapped up in one.
I had NO idea when I started typing where my (evidently weird) brainwaves would take me. Are you still with me? Anyone?
