Just to keep the blogging momentum going, I thought I would show you what I have going on this fall. Or atleast some of what I have going on. A girl can't share all her secrets, ya know! Besides keeping my stores stocked up for the holidays, in August I accepted a corporate order for 825 bags that is due in the spring. Shown is about 200 of the 275 tote bags that are being made for this group. They ordered 3 different designs of bags. Work is progressing nicely and I am right on schedule to reach my target completion date. I have also begun prepping 275 vinyl laminate lined swim suit bags that will be part of a 3 piece amenity set given to each couple in attendance of this incentive group. The colors are bright, tropical and festive. The sets look great and I will be proud to have my name on this project. But it is lots of work. A project of this size doesn't just fall together by itself. I ordered 1200 yards of fabric, a plethora of coffee bags, 1000's of yards of cotton webbing and a box load of magnetic snaps. That aside from the 550 cord ends, 275 cord locks, 275 swivel hooks 13 bolts of vinyl laminate, 500 yds of cording, 100 yards of cotton canvas, 6 bolts of stabilizer and 6 bolts of fusible fleece. Ouch! You should have seen that credit card statement!
I love working with this group though. This is the third project that I have collaborated with them on and they trust me and I them, which is a really good place to work from. Due to my heavy work load that I take on, I only accept a limited number of corporate orders each year. I try to be aware of my limitations as a small company and always want to produce and oversee quality work. If I were to take on every job that presented itself, I would have to hire many more people and I would not have the quality control that I choose to keep.
I often hear, "You are going to have to hire more help." I guess that would depend on the direction I choose to lead my company into. I am not saying "no" to that suggestion, but often people don't realize that more bodies can also be more headaches. More time managing, less time working. The bigger my business gets, the less time I have to sew. Much of my days are spent ordering supplies, shipping products, preparing invoices, marketing, meeting with clients, delivering products and then I get back to the studio and say, "now...where was I?" I am lucky to have one trusted seamstress who has been with me for 4 years. We work well together. I respect her and value her. She knows that I insist on her putting her family before work. I remind her that the work will be here but one day her family (kids) won't be. I wish I would have had an employer tell me that when I was young and trying to "do it all". In turn, she gives me her all when she is working. What more could I ask?
I also have my trusted MM. He often cuts out fabric for me when I really need to streamline my production process. What a big help that is! He set up an area outside that can accommodate the large 60 yd rolls of fabric with a cutting table. That way we can both be working in different areas and we meet up for lunch or each at our own comfy chair for a rousing game of Words With Friends. (He always beats me BTW).
So there you have it. A peek into my life, such as it is today. A hot cup of Kona coffee. My old scruffy cat by my feet and a "To Do" list an arms length long. I'm ready to roll!
a hui hou
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