Sommer Designs

Happy Belated Mother's Day

I wish I could say that I spent the day in my jammies, knitting or reading on the couch, as my family showered me with gifts and chocolate. As it was, I slept in until 6:30 and then got to work! If I did spend the day in my jammies, knitting or reading all day on the couch, my family would certainly think I was ill. I just can't do it!

I did an event on Saturday in Manhattan Beach, and earlier in the week was kicking myself that I only requested one table. But then on Saturday as I was loading the car, relief swept over me as I realized how very low on inventory I am. This was a good thing for Saturday, but a bad thing in reality because the Palos Verdes Street Fair is in 3 weeks, and I have a lot to do before then!

So yesterday I cut out 111 lavender liners and 12 bags. The liners will be delivered to Estella tomorrow, but even if she finishes them in time, I'm not sure I'll be able to get them stuffed, sewn shut, rolled and packaged by May 31. Luckily, I'm picking up some others tomorrow, which should help the situation, but I can't believe I'm down to less then one bin of liners. I might be a little scarce here while I dig myself out of this little hole I've found myself in!

Saturday was a so-so day - not really my audience (the event was sold to me as a craft boutique, but I was flanked by two replica handbag people and an Arbonne distributor - pretty much not crafty, you know?), but to my happy surprise, Cathy from Twist Yarns was also a vendor!

I hadn't been back to Twist since my initial visit, but she totally remembered me! It was so great to catch up with her and hear how her fabulous little shop is doing! I got to fondle yarn and think about another project (I received a gift certificate from her shop for my birthday that I still haven't used!). Cathy is just such a breath of fresh air, so real and down to earth, I wish Twist was closer to my home, because I'd totally hang there all the time. And then I'd be in even a worse inventory situation, huh?

Oh, hey, one other thing - are you on Facebook? Sommer Designs has a page over there and I'm trying to keep it up to date with announcements, events, etc. If you are and want to fan the Sommer Designs page, please do! Also, if you own one of my products and would like to post a review, please do! Thanks dolls!

Production 101: finding 'these people'

Are you tired of these posts yet? Because I am, almost. I keep waiting for someone in the industry to email me and say, "NO, NO, NO, that's NOT how it's done you idiot!" But they haven't yet. I'm sure they are out there and if they are reading any of these posts, they're snickering and shaking their heads...

I'm learning all this as I go along, okay?

Honestly, I can't remember how I found the contractor I'm using - it was a year ago that I initially touched base with them. But I do know it was through a referral from one of the networking groups that I am part of.

That's really important, the networking aspect. Even if you are working at home, there are places to go to meet other people. And they don't have to be other work-at-home, stay-at-home, crafty types. In fact, I think it's best to spread it around, because someone might know someone, who has a kid brother in Toledo, whose father-in-law's uncle...has a sewing house, or knows someone who does. There are tons of networking groups out there - Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, Small Business Centers, local leads groups, Ladies Who Launch is nearly everywhere, and they have the most unbelievable network! Just start Googling [sewing contractors, your city, your state], and talk to people. Also, if you can go to a Textile Show somewhere, there's loads of contacts, directories and information there. 

Anyway - stepping off my soapbox, sorry about that. A good resource I was given a long time ago [but frankly, haven't really used because I think it's really overwhelming] is ThomasNet.

It's a pretty comprehensive resource for finding information and suppliers of products and services in North America. You can search "Sewing Contractors" by state, and get a list. As I said, it's immense and mind-numbing, and not the way to search, if you ask me.

Also, there's California Apparel News [and I'm sure there's one of these in every fashion district]. I've linked to the website there, but they also have a weekly newspaper that you can subscribe to, and it's kind of interesting. I get it every week, and there's a bunch of listings in the classified section in the back with sewers, cutting companies, die stampers, label makers, everything to do with anything textile. There's also job listings for designers from a lot of the major clothing manufacturers, and that's fun to read also [for me, but then again, I live in my own little world].

The CAN website has plenty of resources also - if you look there along the left you'll see an Industry Index, with a lot of links to companies offering services. Good stuff.

Can I just offer one other word of caution (from my experiences): I know it might be difficult, but try to work with people/companies that are relatively local [also great for boosting the local economy]. Depending on where you are and what you are doing, this might not be easy.

But here's something that happened to me that will forever live in my memory: In the fall, I went into a small production in anticipation of a piece of publicity. Luckily, the facility I am using is about 45 minutes away. The fabric I ordered was also local, about 45 minutes away [in the opposite direction]. I ordered the fabric, had it shipped directly to the sewing facility, and pretty much thought I was in the clear. I emailed my Cut and Sew Tickets, and was doing the happy dance [by the way, there is no happy dance until you receive your finished goods. just saying.].

This was the Friday before Labor Day, and I'm standing in Target at 9 a.m., and I get a call from the pattern maker [who's my best friend now] telling me that one of the fabrics looks different.

I figured I had to go home and check the fabric online first, because I didn't want to call my rep, and bite her head off, without checking. I leave the cart in Target, walk out, and speed home. Online, the fabric is what I ordered, and what I have on the Cut & Sew Ticket - I couldn't figure out what happened. It was the black & white gingham with the strawberries - but Jessica was telling me that the background was solid black with strawberries, definitely not gingham.

So, I was freaking out. I called Robert Kaufman, told them what I was told, and told them I had to pick up the right fabric that day and deliver it to my manufacturer. Luckily, I was able to do this! I ran out to Kaufman, picked up the correct fabric, and ran it down to Orange County, gave them the correct fabric, picked up the wrong fabric, and took it home so I could return it on Tuesday to the Kaufman [remember, this was a holiday weekend - it was about 4 p.m. by this time].

So what happened? The design department decided to change the fabric number, but didn't tell the warehouse. So they were sending out the correct item number, but it was now the wrong fabric.

If I had chosen a facility far away, or a fabric manufacturer in New York, I would have had to wait days, maybe weeks, and this would have altered my production time considerably. If this took place out of the country, I can't even imagine what could have happened. Also, they were in the process of laying my fabric out to be cut - remember that? All those layers of fabric? If I had been unable to make this switch immediately, they would have had to abort the cutting at this point, and everything was already laid out. I don't even know how it affects the process to fold or roll it up, and then have to unfold/unroll to continue. This is why it's so important to have every aspect spelled out - if this hadn't been caught, I'd have gone to pick up a production that was totally and completely wrong.

And then what do you do? I have no idea.

Production 101: how do it know?

If you want anything done, you have to tell them what to do. Makes sense, right? But, you don't just say, "cut 5 of these and 10 of those. And then sew them together." It's a little more formal. For the facility I'm using, I had to provide a Cut Ticket and a Sew Ticket. (are you picturing little citations? because that's what I was picturing when they told me last year. luckily, they gave me another one to follow and forehead slapping ensued.)

(As you can see, my printer is wonking up. Supposedly there is another on order, and it better not be a Mother's Day gift, ya dig?)

Cut Ticket: I took pictures of my fabric and uploaded it to my computer. Then you make a little document with your company name, the date, the item and a short description (with any pertinent fabric information, i.e. BOLD pattern for main body, SOLID CONTRAST for trims, ties, etc.)

You have to give everything a style number - I just grabbed a number out of thin air (they're floating around up there if you look). On your document, make a table with the style number, fabric, and cuts. So for my main body here, I have 5 cuts for each garment (I'm having 5 of each fabric style made); and for the contrasting trims, whatever those are (ties, pockets, etc.)

Sew Ticket: Similar, but shorter, because that's when it all comes together. The Item & Description basically stay the same, but you can add Special Instructions, like where you want your label to be placed, thread color, etc. You might also want to include a sketch, or your own sample. I left them the sample they made for me two months ago.

Also, I made a couple of slight changes to my previous sample. This was called a Pattern Adjustment, and was minor enough that they didn't have to start from scratch, and simple enough that I didn't feel like I needed another sample before they continued. Of course, I'm sitting on pins & needles until I see it, but I trust them.

I'm writing a post on finding these people, because so many of you have emailed about that!

Again, this is solely my experience. I don't know what I'm doing, and whether this is the way it's done everywhere, and I don't know if this is even the right way. But this is what I'm doing right now. :)

Production 101: what I've learned so far.

Friday I dragged Scott with me down to Orange County to meet with the pattern maker and drop off fabric for market samples to be made. I'm using a full service sewing house, which means they can take a concept, or idea, from beginning to end (pattern making, drafting, grading, marking, cutting, embroidery, sewing, etc.). I had brought them my pattern about two months ago for a first sample, and they took my pattern and digitized it. This means, they laid it out and ran what looks like a wireless mouse over my pattern which transferred the pattern into the computer. There, they can make any corrections and adjustments (like making sure everything is even-steven).

At this point, for that sample, I think they just printed it out and cut it out of the sample fabric I provided (or, they might have just used my pattern for the sample, I'm not sure). But for a regular production, it's a little different. If I were making apparel garments, then they would also have to grade the pattern; that means taking the same pattern and making it into different sizes.

[this is looking down into the cutting room from the pattern makers office. Both long tables are used for cutting, although on this day, the table on the right was holding pieces that were being die cut by a machine just out of the shot on the bottom right. There is fabric on the left table with a marker on top of it.]

After the pattern is digitized and you are ready to go ahead from there, they make a marker. The marker is your pattern laid out on paper, but utilizing the layout (width of the fabric) to get as many patterns in the space of the marker when it's printed out. Does that make sense? [probably not]. When the marker is printed, it will be about 4 feet wide, and maybe 5 or 6 feet long. Depending on the size of your garment, they might be able to get more than one cut of that garment onto that one sheet.

When they do this, they have to keep in mind the fabric, and the direction of the print. In my previous production, I used non-directional patterns, so they could get more cuts. This time, one of the fabrics is a one-way print [I couldn't help it, I fell in love], so they might cut all the garments in that direction this time, but if I go into a bigger production after market, it might be a better idea to make another marker with better yields for the non-directional prints. It saves money in the long run.

In either case, there will usually be some waste fabric, and they might suggest something to be made with that. That's why you'll see a lot of pot holders, scrunchies or hair bands from other apron makers. I decided to have them add 4x4 fabric swatches into my marker this time so I could add them to my line sheet for very interested buyers at market.

[Also, once the pattern is digitized, the pattern maker will be able to give you fabric yields; this means, he/she will be able to tell you just how much fabric each piece will take, so you know how much fabric to actually order, and can break everything down for costs. Genius.]

After the marker is made, they print it out on a giant printer, and it's given to the cutter. When you buy fabric for production, it needs to be ROT [rolled on tube] - this is the fabric rolled flat, instead of folded on a smaller bolt (like you see at fabric stores). [if you can only get the fabric you want on the bolt, they will unroll and unfold it, but they'll charge you for it.] There are giant tables down in the cutting room [see above]. The fabric is put on a rack above the table, and pulled out and across for a length (I don't know, maybe 6 ft? It depends on the garment and the marker, I think), and then it's cut from the bolt, and another 6 ft. length is pulled out and placed on top of that. They do this for however many cuts/pieces they need to do, and can have as many as 100 layers in place.

Then the marker paper is placed on top of the layers of fabric. Remember, the marker is your pattern, on paper, and this is all the fabric for, say, your main body. It can also be different fabrics [that will all be cut together], just as long as they are for the same piece.

The cutter uses a cutting machine - it's on a guide that rolls across the fabric/marker, with a straight, saw-like blade that cuts all the fabric at once [pretty nifty]. The marker will also have guides where things go, like pockets, and the cutter will punch a tiny hole so the sewer will know where it goes.

[I believe the cutting machine fits into this rolling guide that the cutter moves along the fabric as it cuts. They can cut up to 100 pieces of fabric at one time!]

At this point, it goes to the sewing department, and they work their magic!

[the sewing room looked curiously empty, but I didn't go in. They might have been on a break or at lunch. It's usually buzzing with activity and quite interesting to watch production sewing.]

There is also a full scale embroidery department, which was in full operation - amazing to watch!

There is some great reading material out there that goes into depth about this process, and has been helpful in explaining some of it to me. If you are interested, check out The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing by Kathleen Fansanella, and also check out her blog, Fashion Incubator (there is a link to buy the book directly on the blog). I just bopped over there, and she has a post on Markers. The book is mainly about garment manufacturing, but also has a lot of information about marketing and sales, and general terminology; I bought it years ago, and didn't really read it until last summer. Also, Cece Marie told me about a book called Fashion for Profit that supposedly covers all this too, but I haven't checked it out yet.

Also, don't take this post as gospel on the subject of production! I'm as green as they come, and am learning all of this as I go. There might be mistakes here, but this is pretty much what I've learned, and my experiences so far. It completely intrigues me.

P.S. All photos were taken with permission...for a change.

Old Towne Orange with Scotty

Yesterday I dragged my very supportive [and quite possibly bored] spouse with me to Orange County to meet with the sewing house I am using. I love sharing this whole process with him, and bring him because he might actually think of something I might forget, and also will remember things down the road that I can't. [Plus, I like to think of him as my partner in this whole experience.]

Afterward, we were close enough to Old Towne Orange, and since he'd never been, I wanted to show him some of my favorite places. We started at Gabbi's, which is the best Mexican place I think I've ever been to. Shari brought me there a year ago, and every time we meet, I have to go to Gabbi's! They make a mean Sangria, and after my last lunchtime experience with one, I decided to pass yesterday.

The place is all old brick with an amazing antique bar - I should have taken a picture! It was delish, as always - Scott got tired of me snapping and grabbed the camera, I tried to look non-challant...

That's HIS margarita, not mine. After lunch, I dragged him to all my favorite antique stores, and I tried to look interested when he wandered into comic book stores. One of the best places, Tony's, was closed the last time Shari and I were there, but it's been reopened with a new owner and the place was spiffied up a bit. Tony's used to be a giant salvage yard type place.

[Yes, that does say $15,000]

There are still magnificent doors and stained glass windows, but the place is cleaner and more organized now.

We found an amazing store full of mid-century modern furniture, including the largest selection of Heywood-Wakefield I have seen in one place.

All of it in pristine condition. I only wish I had a house to furnish - and an unlimited budget.

This was a cool idea- framed vintage furniture advertisements in the stairwells.

Fun afternoon with the hubs. On Monday, I'll tell you about production, and what I've learned. I hope you'll check back!

Have a great weekend - and Local Peeps: If you missed the Spring Fling last week, I'll be at the Palos Verdes Farmer's Market tomorrow from 9-1 (actually 6-1, but I wouldn't make you meet me there that early!). Last chance for Mother's Day shopping! I still have clearance items!

Dudes...you made me cry.

Seriously. Thank you. I was worried about wearing my heart on my sleeve, of not being strong and confident, like I try to be. Thank you for the kind comments, thank you for the advice, thank you for believing. But it's also provided a great opening for me, and will prompt me to write more about the process of all this, and I know there are people out there that want to take this route, but don't know how or what to do.

So, here's what happened yesterday [in between crying jags]:

I took the bigger booth.

Actually, I called them first to ask about the two larger options I was given and the locations of both. One backed to Resort and the other was farther down and over a little. When I called, I was given another booth option, which was closer to the front and along the main aisle, and next to [and across from] a larger company that had three booths [good karma, I'm hoping - but also hoping for the better traffic their well known brand will bring]. So I took that one. I'm waiting for the contract.

I am not exhibiting my entire line, but only a portion. That decision was made based on logistics and what I could personally do. I've made some changes in the last couple of months to help me, and the biggest one is that I no longer make the aprons. Estella does some of the short runs (smaller bolts of fabulous fabric that I have to have), but last fall I experimented with a small scale sewing house not too far away, and I have to say, it was way easier [and they did a fantastic job].

I can't remember how I found them, but last spring, Scott & I went down there and met with them. They are family owned and operated, and literally only have a small department of sewing staff. The sewing is done start to finish by the same person, which I liked (and if you want to get technical, still counts as handmade). They did a little production run for me in the fall, and boy, did it help.

That's what all the drama was about two weeks ago with the textile show and the discontinued fabrics, and me, pulling my hair out. I finally received my sample yardage this week and we are going down there this morning to have samples made for market [the gift show]. I'll explain what that entails in a coming post - but believe me, this has been a huge education for someone who did not study fashion design and manufacturing.

I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm talking about. They know this, and they still help me.

So, I hope you'll come along for the ensuing ride. It will either make me, or break me - emotionally, physically, mentally and financially - but as I said in replies to a few of you, I don't want to wake up in 10 years and think, "What if...?"

Oh - and I always feel weird sharing this, but if I don't, Scott will say, "Why didn't you post that picture?" and I'd be all, "Because it's so self serving" and he'd be, "What about 'putting it out there into the Universe'" using those little finger quotes. And then I'd be, "Dude. Don't push me."

So, here...this was in my PO Box yesterday, [it was pretty good timing] Malibu Times Magazine!

That little nagging voice; you know the one.

It's a four letter word, and not my favorite four letter word [although it also starts with F]. It's called fear, and I've been working though it for the last several [seemingly endless] weeks. Actually, scratch that. I've been working through the fear for years. Fear of failure; fear of success; fear of putting myself out there; fear of rejection; fear of making an ass of myself; fear of playing with the big guns - you name it, I've feared it.

Last year, my goal was to take my business to the next level; but looking back now, I don't even know what I thought the next level was. All I knew was that I couldn't go on the way I had been, doing everything myself; sewing everything myself; being everything myself. But I really didn't know where I wanted to go. I took a Ladies Who Launch Incubator, which is an intensive 4 week meeting with other women where you brainstorm for them, and they in turn, brainstorm for you. It was pivitol for me and was fabulous in terms of confidence building. Without it, [I know] I would have never had the nerve to fly to Chicago and pitch my apron line to the Country Living editors. That was a huge step for me. And I made it - it was amazing, and I still can't believe it, and am still so humbled.

But self-doubt has a way of creeping back into the psyche, and before you know it, it's taken root. It's hard to shake fear. It's hard to move through the fear. And yet, I still have this weird drive pushing me forward. I'm still trying, but I'm still scared. Does that make sense? Does that fear ever go away?

So, in working toward moving forward, I'm still trying to move my business to the next level. I still have no idea what that next level is. Recently, I took another big step out of my comfort zone and applied for the California Gift Show in July.

There. It's out there. I'm accountable.

And I'm pretty scared.

Yesterday, I received booth options, and once again, the fear arose. I could take a 10 x 10 booth in the middle of show, or a 5 x 10 booth in the back. I had applied for the smaller booth, thinking, it's my first show, I should be conservative. But seeing where the smaller booth was raised my doubts about the success of the show for me. And who knows, I may blow anyway. This will be the most expensive show I've every done. The larger booth is $2475, and the smaller booth is $1551. I know, we're not in Kansas anymore Toto.

There's a lot to think about, and it's been dragging me down. It's been hard to come here lately and be my normal cheery self. I think that's why I haven't been updating as much as I usually do. I have too much baggage these days - nobody wants to hear the doldrums. But this is what's going on - now you know.

This post may self destruct - but I strive to keep it real; and this is pretty real for me. Thanks for listening.

Meet The Betty's.

No, I don't normally name my mannequins. My son Dylan asked me what one of their names was, and I said, Betty. Then he asked what another was named, and I said, Betty. Finally, the last, and I said, you know.

Dylan looked at me and said, "You can't name them all the same name! That's creepy."

Me: "No kidding. Mannequins are creepy. They are The Betty's."

End of story.

I bought them last week at a store that was going out of business in Hermosa Beach. It was one of those expensive stores that I could never afford to shop in, but everything was 70% off, so I stopped in. And I still couldn't find anything, except The Betty's.

Look at their awesome feet! I needed some matching mannequins for an upcoming trade show, and The Betty's will be perfect.

And, they were only $35.00 each. How could I not take them home with me?

ETA: The Betty's came with the pink sashes - I did not outfit them! They were from a store called PINK, in Hermosa, that donated all its' profits to breast cancer research. It's a real shame they closed, but I think they might have lost their lease. Maybe they'll continue via the web?

Gorgeousness Continued

I'm talking about the weather, of course. It's another one of my obsessions, but you know this. After that killer hot weekend 2 weeks ago when the temps reached into the 90's, we had another extreme cool down and I was back in jeans, clogs & sweaters. Gradually, it got warmer last week, until Spring Fling day, which was in the mid-90's. I kid you not, I had to turn on the air conditioner in the afternoon, it was sweltering! And for the last three days, the a/c has run every evening, because the upstairs is unbearable (and we are heat wimps).

These are the Iceberg Roses that are in my front yard, and stopped me dead in my tracks yesterday when I drove by. I know, I have to drive by my own home to notice these things. I think they are the product of hot/cold/hot/cold/hot. There is an explosion of blooms out there, and the lavender hedge is right behind them, two months early.

It was the perfect backdrop for a quick photo for my email newsletter I sent out this morning. New Del Cerro Totes have been uploaded, as well as new burp cloths. Missed the email? It's right here!

Spring Fling 2008

Spring Fling was this past Saturday, and as always, it was such a fun day! Filled with friends and customers who traveled from near and far (thanks Laura & Katy!), lots of chatter and girl talk, and of course yummy snacks!

I only snapped a quick photo of my set up before everyone arrived, and the sun was streaming in the window, which totally ruined my shot! So, sorry, but you get the idea!

Three bins of older merchandise that I just wanted gone was marked down 50% - there's still some left, which I'll bring to the Farmer's Market this weekend; great timing for Mother's Day. The bags are in perfect condition, just older prints...that I'm really quite tired of looking at. [isn't that a nice thing to say about your own creations? jeez...]

Natalie Walker of Natalie Nicole Swimwear [isn't she DARLING?] and her amazingly CUTE line of swimsuits. She's actually closing her business, and everything was $20 a piece. Believe me, gorgeous separates at an unbelievable price.

Shoppers liked those Market/Book bags I was talking about last week [you know, the ones I didn't like making...figures, right?]. Can't say I'm going to make more, but it was nice to know that I was on the right track.

Simple snacks are always on the menu...including cupcakes!

Cutey patootey Charlotte modeling her new hair clip [made by me years ago - another small bin I found that I decided to liquidate]

Jamie Calvert's beautiful artwork - lovely scenes of Palos Verdes & the equestrian trails - the small square cube in the center is mine, mine, mine!

Susan with Katy & Richard, who braved the heat and traffic and visited from the valley - thanks guys!

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked - it's hard to sell, host and be photographer too! Oh, and there's all the socializing...that's hard work! It was a fun day, but exhausting. I'm glad it's over - thanks to everyone who came and helped make it so much fun! We'll see you next year! XO

This dogs life.

I swear, I just walked into the kitchen and found Gracie sleeping like this on the couch.

Regretfully, my camera snap woke her.

Back downtown.

Two of the fabrics I fell in love with last week and planned to order yardage for samples ended up having very low yields in the warehouse, so I had to go back downtown this morning to see what else would work. This has been increasingly frustrating and stressful for me, and quite an education at the same time.

I've ended up changing my design scheme to something that's a little safer; I'm sure it will work out in the long run. But you know that feeling; when you see something and picture it together with something else, and it clicks and you're happy? Yeah. I had that, and then it was gone. Pulled out from under me. As I said, I'm sure this will work fine, and once I get the yardage and make the samples, I'm sure I'll be happy; but don't think I won't be second guessing myself for the next 2 weeks. I will be.

While there, I had to use the restroom, and it was way in the back of the warehouse. Of course my jaw hit the ground as I was led there - these are fabric blanks on 50 yard rolls. Aren't they fantastic?

See, if I were a big time designer, all of this worry would be for naught. Because if I had unlimited funds I could just print the fabric I wanted that is now low in stock and soon to be discontinued. They'll do that for you, you just have to order 500 yards. But that's not the cool part - the cool part is that you can change the colorways to suit your design and needs, so the fabric you print (using their design) will be yours and only yours in those particular colors. Isn't that awesome?

Pallets upon pallets of undyed fabric. This was downstairs - they have the printed fabric upstairs, and unfortunately, didn't offer me a tour. Maybe they had already heard about me and my camera touting ways...

I love fabric warehouses. I want to tour them all.

Where procrastination comes back to bite me.

Maybe I just need to start delegating - that's what the husband tells me, because I feel like all I do is work anyway. So how is it that I'm sick to my stomach at my to-do list and scrambling all the time? I logged off the computer in an attempt to really buckle down and get some work done. It worked, but I have miles to go before I sleep...

I love these new Del Cerro Totes in Pink Lotus and Butter Toile - they were a little experiment, and if I can get it together, will be on the site at some point this week (just being realistic, okay?). The bases are brown poplin, and they're perfect for summer. I got a slew of aprons packaged and more cut out, and currently, I'm working on cutting out a bunch of lavender liners.

I had a slew of older fabrics that I've grown tired of, so I played around and made them into Market Bags/Book Bags. They're quite cute, and I considered adding them to the site, but I really didn't enjoy making them. They were one of those things that sat cut out on the table for two weeks, and everyday I would walk by and shake my fist at them. I finally sewed them together (to put us both out of our misery), and will offer them at the Spring Fling this weekend.

Speaking of, the Spring Fling is coming along - I feel much more scattered this year than I have in previous years, and I wonder if that's a sign that I'm growing tired of it, or just don't have the time. It used to be such a big deal, with me preparing for weeks ahead of time to make it just right. This year, I feel like I'm sort of just throwing it together at the last minute. I'm not, but for some reason, it just feels that way. I know it will all come together and will be a fun day - but it's just stressing me out right now (can you tell?)!

It's time for me to get back to work - Happy Monday!

Notes on a Textile Show.

I love fabric. I really do. And walking around a giant penthouse filled with fabric samples makes me downright giddy, it really does. But it's exhausting, and maybe I'm missing something as far as organization goes (could happen), but personally, I think the LA Textile Show is poorly laid out. I don't understand why everything is thrown into the mix, and not organized by fabric type? I love walking the show, but the vast majority of fabrics do not apply to my purposes, so I walk in circles constantly. And then finding my way out of the maze...I got lost more than once. This happens to me all the time when I go!

But okay, I did it and I loved it! Here are some things you might know, might not know, don't really care about, or are indifferent about:

::Michael Miller is no longer carrying the heavy weight canvas prints. Bum-mer.

::However, Michael Miller will be a distributor for Modern Flora. Ye-ah!

::Found new prints for lavender liners there and ordered more dots, which I can always use.

::Found myself a little peeved with Alexander Henry. They have a great new line of heavier weight canvas prints - great, right? Well, 3/4 of them are sold out right now. And before you go thinking, "Oh, that's no problem, they'll reprint." let me just say, "hold on Nelly, not so fast." I learned this the hard way with AH.

In October 2006, I ordered more Cowgirl print at the show. They happily took my order, and it wasn't until 2 weeks later that I got a call from them saying it was out of stock and on backorder. Backorder - how long can that take? Well, at the time, they had 200 yards on backorder; they wouldn't go back into reprint until they had at least 1200 yards, on backorder! I thought, "Hmm, well, I want the fabric, I can wait." My 15 yard bolt was delivered in August 2007, almost 10 months after my initial order.

So when I saw the heavy canvas, I got excited, but then pissed off when I found out what the status was. Why, oh why, do they show a fabric that is not available? And some of it wasn't even going back into production - it was gone forever!

Here's the problem with this: [Most likely] you are sourcing for a market, like the Gift Show or other trade show. You find your fabric; you buy a small quantity for samples; you have your samples made; you go to market; you take orders (trade show orders = retail buyers) for that item in that fabric, and then go back to the fabric manufacturer to purchase higher yields of fabric for production, but find out they don't have enough, or it's on backorder! You are f*cked. Sorry for the emotion - but that's how I felt standing there listening to them tell me that fabrics they were showing weren't available [at least I had the sense to ask about availability this time].

I'm not sure I can count on them anymore; maybe for smaller stuff, but not for fabric I really need in a big way. I did find what I was looking for elsewhere, and made my way out of the maze. Most of the manufacturers are very nice and will spend time educating you if you have questions about productions and lead times. It's always a learning experience, but I'm getting more comfortable in my skin there.

Also! Lisa Lam has a fantastic post today over at Craft Boom on what to do when people say your handcraft is too expensive - check it out!

I'm already tired thinking about next week.

So, today was a Farmer's Market - and do I have to tell anyone about the weather in Southern California? It reached 94 degrees today. That's just insane for April 13. Heat like this breeds lethargy.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from today's market. Susan was supposed to split the booth with me, but she was super busy and low on inventory, so she backed out last night. More room, less chatter. At least my friend Kim was next to me [so I got some chatter anyway]!

The markets have been a little slow lately, and I say that even as a shopper. When Scott & I go on non-market days, it's slow. I can only imagine what the farmer's are thinking. I'm always wondering how the economy is for them and how the rising prices are affecting them. Today was hot, so it could have gone either way. It was busy early on, people were smart in getting their shopping done early before the heat got bad.

I had some new bags I was thinking of debuting today, but they didn't get done in time. I got too lazy in the heat the last couple of days and didn't finish them. So, hopefully they'll be done by my Spring Fling Boutique in two weeks.

This coming week is going to be a little insane. I'm posting tonight because I don't know if I'll have time for the next couple of days. This week is the Los Angeles Textile Show, and I might be attending everyday. That's unusual for me because I usually just go and visit my favorites and blow out of there.

But this time, I'm sourcing a new product that has been in the works for almost a year, and admittedly, could have been released a long time ago if I could just make a decision. I've made a big committment (that I'll tell you about later!), and it's time to really get serious about it. So I'll be sourcing in a big way and will be picking everybody's brain.

Couple that with getting ready for the Spring Fling in two weeks, another Farmer's Market the week after, and the Palos Verdes Street Fair at the end of May. THE END OF MAY is next month!

Who put time in hyperdrive?