We've been crazy busy the last couple of weeks getting ready for a show. Neck deep in alligators and paddling like a big dog. Here's where we're going, we'll leave Wednesday morning and its about a 3.30 hour drive for us:
We'd decided to try a new tactic this year and we started prepping earlier. The idea was more 12 hour days sooner so we could do less 18 hour days later. Seemed to work as we finished off last night with just a 14 hour day, the last in the shop before we leave. And, we got done just about everything on our list we wanted to do. Course before dedicating a lot of time to making stuff for a show you have your regular orders to keep up on.
Nichole modeling a pair of charmitas we just shipped out.
A real difficult sheath build. That gut hook on the harpoon shaped blade was a beech to get to not rip up stuff on the inside of the sheath:
Got er done though:
So while I'm working on a batch of knives to take, Nichole is in here, normally the dining room. We'd run down to the Garment District in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago and bought lots of silk for her wildrags and wool and canvas for her vests:
The silk is bought by the roll and she cuts out (really she rips it, the only way to cut silk straight) 38 x 38 inch squares as her standard and some 42 x 42 inchers as well if the silk is large enough, She then serges the edges of her wildrags (cowboy scarves, cowboys don't wear scarves they wear wildrags).
Then each is ironed, folded, put in a plastic bag and stacked in a bin to travel. I asked her how many she did and she said she didn't know, a sheet ton, she said, which is an official accounting term I guess.
Before the wildrags she'd done lots of misc leather items and they are already in their bins. Thats two shelves of her three shelf bookcase selection of thread for the wildrags:
She'd also made nine of her wool vests, which i'd mentioned in an earlier post:
Meanwhile I did a batch of 28 knives in four days, ( I had a batch of 32, I had to do, before I could do the ones for the show):
And their sheaths, done in two days, here drying on the kitchen counter this morning:
Nichole also made three (all we had the hardware for) nose bags (for feeding grain to a horse). They made their debut at last years show and interestingly everybody that has bought one, wants more. It takes three sewing machines to make these. She serges the edges with her Babyloc, then sews the leather on with her Cobra 18 and finally finishes the bag with her Janome that she uses on the vests. Thats them hanging on the rack with reins, suspenders (new product), purses etc.
Lots of spur straps, always a big seller for us:
Some belts and headstalls:
And the big deal for us, cause last year these guys kicked our butt. Five travel bags:
We made seven last year and took two, the other five didn't turn out well. Well we're pretty picky. My daughter in law pulled them out of the trash and handed em out. Steve, has one, Salty has one, she has one, Logan has one and I have one. This year we got it down, made five and four are going cause one is already sold.
No shop time today. Today we load all the camping gear, the booth, all our stuff, food etc as well as product into the trailer and get ready to head out tomorrow. Time to sit around the campfire:
Whacha been up to?
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