Sommer Designs

Friday Favorites...August 31, 2007

It was high time for a Friday Flickr Favorite, don't you think? Always filled with my favorite things...flowers, yarn, fabric, doggies - Flickr never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Thank you!

It's 8:15 a.m. and my A/C just clicked on. I know I should turn it back off...I know I should, I know I should...but, jeez. It's hot!

Before I forget (like I did yesterday), I want to say a huge thanks to Jenny Ryan for blogging about my reworked Lands' End cardigan on the Craft Zine blog! That was so nice and I so appreciate it! If you don't know Jenny (and who doesn't? She's a craft powerhouse and the driving force behind the ever-so-popular Felt Club), please check out her website, Sew Darn Cute! Besides being, SEW DARN CUTE, she's closing her virtual doors after 5 years in business. This always makes me sad, but as someone in business, I can certainly relate to the time and energy it takes to keep things running. I know we haven't heard the last of Miss Jenny - she'll still be around!

Oh, and, I am still cleaning out my studio and just uploaded a bunch of jacquard ribbon to my Etsy! Most of it is brand new and unused. I only opened the shrink wrap to take the photos! Good deals!

August recap: We went on a {godforsaken} cruise.

I guess I should start out by saying that I have never had any inclination, nor desire, to go cruising. I'm more of a land person - preferring road trips to all other methods of travel. Scott, however, has been hankering for the cruise experience...so when his father offered to take us (all of us) on a 4 day cruise to Ensenada, he jumped (I, of course, argued and then gave in). The cruise was everything I thought it would be, but I do have to say, it was so nice to get away. I mean, really get away. I turned off my cell phone and only checked my email once!

The silly thing about this cruise is that it was so local. It left out of San Pedro Harbor, which is right in our backyard, practically. See the hill in that photo above? That's Palos Verdes. The first day we spent in San Diego - it took us all night to cruise down there, but if we drove, it would have only taken 2 hours. I didn't take too many pictures there, because, well, it's 2 hours away and we've been there a million times. Then, we cruised back up the coast to Catalina - which is right across the ocean from here (22 miles), I can walk around the corner and usually see it clearly, and, we can jump on the Catalina Express and be there in 45 minutes. But once again, it took us all night to cruise there. Cruuuuuuuuuuising.....

I actually hadn't been to Catalina in about 20 years - so it was fun, but the boys were bored. I had a great time with them though, and I suppose we are now at the point where anything Scott & I do embarrasses them. There is a small pleasure in that though, I assure you...

At the Casino - which isn't really a Casino at all - but it's simply a beautiful piece of art deco, built by William Wrigley in the 1930's (I think).

I had to tickle him to get that smirk...but then everytime I took out the camera, he walked away...teenagers!

Not to be outdone...(this was actually on the first day, before we left, we had to practice our evacuation...nice.)

After Catalina, we cruised back down the coast to Ensenada, where we played the part of tourists...

Yes, we did get our name on a grain of rice...

Took in all the sights, sounds, (smells) of town...explored, shopped, and saw some amazing handiwork...

I found some beautiful Mexican pottery, but could only afford a few (small) pieces...

And then it was over! I will definitely consider another cruise, but it would have to be to someplace like Alaska. Mexico was just too close, and, I admit, very depressing. More cruise photos here!

I think that recaps August pretty well! Much of the other time was spent cutting, sewing, figuring out my fall schedule - which is posted on the sidebar, surveying inventory, ordering supplies and trying to stay cool! We are in the middle of our usual August heat wave over here - I'm thankful for the lack of humidity!

August recap: I went fabric shopping.

I had been dragging my heels on this for months. Unfortunately, the next Textile Show isn't until October {I'm sure by then I'll be ready to shop again}, and I couldn't wait that long. But, since I am outsourcing a good portion of my apron production this season, I had to see the fabric in person because the direction of the pattern mattered this time. Also, I had to find a manufacturer that sold fabric ROT as opposed to on the bolt (see? tons going on over here this month! lots of learning!) (by the way: ROT? Just what you would expect: rolled on tube).

A well-known fabric manufacturer is conveinently located south of downtown, just off the 110 freeway - a mere 20 minutes away, in a non-descript commercial section. Not much to look at from the outside, and from the inside either...until, that is, you walk into the fabric showroom...

Total and complete fabric nirvana. And I had it all to myself!

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, but it still took me a good hour to put it all together...

I mean, you really do have to look through each and every pattern. And you really do have to touch each and every piece. Right?

Things start to come together...

But they are just as easily shot down when you learn that something you *just* fell in love with is out of print. Damn them.

I think I ended up with a pretty good selection and made them swear they would ship immediately. I'm not sure I'll have this new stock in time for the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair (October 6-7), but will soon thereafter. In the meanwhile, I've scoured my online resources and am in the process of making samples. Thank goodness I don't produce a clothing line - there's no way I could be sourcing Spring 2008 right now! Hopefully, I can finish those samples soon and give you an idea of things to come - I'm hoping it'll be a fun holiday season!

I'll have to devote another post to outsourcing, and all the drama involved. I'm sure I have small ulcer by now.

August recap: I also made a skirt.

Well, first off, thanks for the comments and emails with serger suggestions. Sergers intimidate me and all the information made my head spin. Earlier in the month, I was walking through a Joann's and stopped at the in-store sewing department. They were running a promotion on serger's and I asked the (not-very-helpful) saleswoman for a suggestion on an entry level model. She gave me a couple, one of which was a pretty affordable Singer model (which, of course, they did not have in stock).

I wrote it down, planning to return, and then noticed it on big clearance at another Joann's that was closing. But, before I plopped down the bucks, decided to see if there were any reviews. Thank goodness for Pattern Review. They also have a section for sewing machine reviews, and every single one I read for this particular machine was not good. One reviewer returned the machine after only 5 hours, which was spent just trying to thread the damn thing.

Around this same time, I got an email from Jill who happened to have an *extra* serger sitting in her garage gathering dust. She said it probably needed a tune up, but I could have it and she gave me a great deal. So we met for lunch (which was so nice!), and I inherited an older model, all metal Juki 4-thread serger (thanks again Jill!)! I love hand-me-downs! I took it directly to the local sewing machine dealer for repair and they gave it the once over and all the work it needed (not much - timing, tuning, oil, etc.), threaded it for me, said it was great machine, and gave it back!

I promptly set it up, cut out a skirt pattern and started serging my seams. How fabulous did I feel whizzing away on that thing until one of the needles came unthreaded? But then I decided I didn't need all 4 threads going - I didn't need that chain stitch because I just wanted to finish the ends. So I removed the extra needle and carefully unthreaded the two threads, but left them there and continued.

You can probably guess what happened. I'm such a dolt. All of a sudden, it stops overlocking, and I opened the little box thingy and all my threads are in a jumble. All I can think is, 'now I have to go back down to the sewing machine place and have them thread it for me'. Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. That I would just return to them and have them do my dirty work!

The next morning (after a good nights sleep and a jolt of coffee), I got out the manual that I found online (I *heart* the Internet!) and low and behold, the thing threads in a snap! Especially if you are only using two threads! Yay, me! So I finished! Serging that is - and then I sewed that baby up!

I made the basic panel skirt from the Cute Skirts pattern! Super easy - once you get your machine threaded correctly!

Well, hello there.

That was kinda nice, taking the month off. Scott didn't think I could do it. In fact, he walked in the door the second day after my last post, and the first words out of his mouth were, "There's no way you can do it." (...and how was your day, sweetie?)

Well, I like a challenge. But now, I feel like a fish out of water and out of my groove. So much happened, but how do I put it into words?

My parents took the older boys to New Mexico to visit my sister, and we were blessed with one child and a quiet home. It's amazing how the dynamics change when you mix it up a little.

Drew and I decided to take Scott to our secret camping spot (he'd never been - I'd only taken the boys alone with friends and their kids previously). It's up north, just before Mammoth, out of Bishop - a little campground called Big Trees that sits right on Bishop Creek. I mean, right on. It was as beautiful as I remembered and Scott was duly enamored as well.

Big Trees is just below Lake Sabrina...yep, check out those clouds!

This is the way we camp...

After many years of trying, Drew caught, not one, but five fish! We threw them all back, because, well, that's just not something I'm getting into.

However, as is usual for the sierras in August, we were treated to a massive downpour, and in all our years of camping (all 7) we had never been caught in the rain. If you are a camper, you know then, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Finally, this was our when. And our pathetic 7 year old $99 tent from Costco could not keep the wet out. We couldn't even get a fire going! So we went back down to town for pizza, and when we came back, our tent was flooded! So, we left the thing standing (luckily we hadn't yet put much stuff inside) and spent the night at the Best Western! Oy!

We still had a great time - fished more (well, they fished, I read), went on a little horse ride on the trail to the old Bishop Mine, but ended up packing it in the next day because those clouds were comin' back! I do love the eastern Sierras though and could spend my whole summer there if funds were unlimited and we had a vacation home...

More photos from the trip here!

Geez, I don't remember blogging being this much of an energy zap!