Sommer Designs

Aprons restocked!

Hooray! Barefoot Roses is back in stock! Available here!

I am still chained to my workshop and making progress! I don't know if any of the new bags will get uploaded to the website, but I will most likely be able to update inventory on Lavender Liners by the end of the week, or beginning of next, so that's good news! By the way, Lavender Liners and Hostess Aprons make great year-end teacher gifts! This, I know from experience.

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!

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.

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!

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?

The land of misfits.

Last night, I gathered all The Duds in a box. You know The Duds, don't you? They're that family of misfits you tried to master, only to sink lower and lower into the abyss of unfinished and abandoned.

Oh. You don't know The Duds? Well, lucky you.

I've boxed up my misfits and duds and I'm going to be placing them on a high shelf, or under a table for a while. I've spent too much time making and remaking, and wasting both time and fabric. I'm frustrated and annoyed. I am not a patternmaker, I'm just winging it here. {but first I'll strip them of their hardware - they won't know what hit them}

Damn Duds. Misfits.

Inept quasi-patternmaker {me...*shaking fist at the heavens*}

I'm not looking back.