Laptop bags arrived - and birds survived (this could almost be a haiku)
Well, in the interests of getting more active again on LJ, I thought I'd mention that the laptop bags have finally arrived here. They are part-made bags without the top of the flap, which we will now print and sew.
And... as this is still more my personal journal than the studio one, I will also say that the arrival was a mix of catastrophe and comedy. We had not expected a container (!) and Alex had to unload it with the help of the driver, and a bit of cash changing hands, and then attempt to move all 120 cartons to our storage alone. Magda, above and beyond the call of duty really, set up across town to help him (our storage place is a bit out of town) and to pacify the neighbours who were wondering if all 120 cartons were going to be a permanent feature of their pavement. It all got done - and we have learned a lesson about asking more questions about packing methods. This is not to blame our supplier - I think they had told us it was an entire container and somehow I had not understood that - probably didn't want to believe it. Anyway, after all this the bags look great - the quality is beautiful - and the sewing is correct.
So we went out to our favourite restaurant last night to celebrate. I insisted as sometimes I feel we don't celebrate achievements enough and honestly, getting all this done, from researching patterns to finding laptop bag makers to negotiating details of fabric etc with a somewhat difficult Chinese agent, really was a saga.
Oh - and a few more updates. All three blackbird chicks survived and flew away after one week. I am lost in admiration for the parents who achieved this by attacking anything - including me - that went anywhere near them. I'll cross-post this on Facebook too.
Now we have the greenfinch chicks about to leave the nest, so I suppose it's going to be another week of keeping a close eye on the cats. And printing laptop bag flaps :)
And... as this is still more my personal journal than the studio one, I will also say that the arrival was a mix of catastrophe and comedy. We had not expected a container (!) and Alex had to unload it with the help of the driver, and a bit of cash changing hands, and then attempt to move all 120 cartons to our storage alone. Magda, above and beyond the call of duty really, set up across town to help him (our storage place is a bit out of town) and to pacify the neighbours who were wondering if all 120 cartons were going to be a permanent feature of their pavement. It all got done - and we have learned a lesson about asking more questions about packing methods. This is not to blame our supplier - I think they had told us it was an entire container and somehow I had not understood that - probably didn't want to believe it. Anyway, after all this the bags look great - the quality is beautiful - and the sewing is correct.
So we went out to our favourite restaurant last night to celebrate. I insisted as sometimes I feel we don't celebrate achievements enough and honestly, getting all this done, from researching patterns to finding laptop bag makers to negotiating details of fabric etc with a somewhat difficult Chinese agent, really was a saga.
Oh - and a few more updates. All three blackbird chicks survived and flew away after one week. I am lost in admiration for the parents who achieved this by attacking anything - including me - that went anywhere near them. I'll cross-post this on Facebook too.
Now we have the greenfinch chicks about to leave the nest, so I suppose it's going to be another week of keeping a close eye on the cats. And printing laptop bag flaps :)