What We Take for Granted
I was asked to make a couple of aprons as a custom order. The aprons themselves are not complicated, but the customer had some specific ideas of what she wanted. Above all, they need to be sturdy and able to withstand repeated washing and drying. I had some turquoise 100% cotton twill in the stash. My customer liked that, but I only had enough for one apron. She asked if the second one could be the same fabric but in chocolate brown.
On a good day, I might be able to source what I need in Kalispell. Three months into a pandemic, with broken supply chains and reduced operating hours in stores, the chances of finding 100% cotton twill in chocolate brown were slim to none. I also need to adjust my errand-running schedule. I prefer to go into town early in the morning. I can’t do that anymore.
Joann Fabrics is now only open from 10 am to 5 pm, and their first hour is reserved for at-risk customers.
Wells Fargo Bank pushed back the time their drive-through opens from 9 am to 9:30 am with no warning. Their website still lists the opening time as 9 am. Does opening half an hour later really make a difference?
Hobby Lobby is only open from 10 am to 7 pm.
I forget all these things and head to town at 8:30 in the morning so I can be the first one in the door, only to have to drive around and waste gas and time until everything opens. Our local bank, where we keep the husband’s business accounts, is open at the drive-through only, but at least they are keeping to normal business hours.
From now on, I need to run my errands after lunch, which really chops up the day.
Hobby Lobby has 100% cotton twill, but not in chocolate brown. They are also out of some other supplies that I need, and while those supplies are not critical, I wonder if they are gone for good. Joann Fabrics has plenty of twill—even chocolate brown—but all of it has spandex in it. Fabric with spandex eventually breaks down after repeated washing and drying, so I can’t compromise. I need the twill to be 100% cotton. They are also running out of thread, batting, and interfacing. Again, I am good on those items (for now), but I wonder what else is going to disappear.
With no other choice but to order some twill, I came home and started surfing fabric supplier websites. I try to use Fabric.com as a last resort because it is owned by Amazon, but I can find fabric there when I can’t find it anywhere else. Not this time, though. The landing page of their website says, “Due to reduced capacity, some items have been temporarily removed from the site, and new orders can take up to 30 days to arrive.” They had no chocolate brown twill.
Ironically, I ended up back at Joann Fabrics. The Joann.com website has 100% cotton twill available in chocolate brown. The minimum order is two yards (this seems to be a new requirement). I don’t need two yards, but I had to order two yards. Of course, they are also experiencing shipping delays, so there is no guarantee I will get what I need in a timely manner, but we’ll see.
Believe me, I know that these are all first-world problems, and they are minor compared to what other people are facing. I am not trying to keep a business afloat. I certainly can’t start or expand my fledgling sewing business, though, if I can’t source fabric. My hope is that some of this manufacturing comes back to the US—even if supplies cost more—but even if that happens, it’s going to be a long, bumpy ride.
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I found out the other day that the Boyd-Walker Sewing Machine Company in Spokane closed in December. They had been a Pfaff dealer there for 75 years. Apparently, though, the owner had cancer and died last year. I am bummed about this. The store wasn’t big, but they had all sorts of sewing miscellany. They also sold refurbished vintage machines. I know the entire back of that building was full of old machines and I wonder what happened to them. Hopefully, someone bought the stock so it wouldn’t end up as scrap.
I am really struggling with not being able to get in my car and get on the road. For the past half dozen years, I thought nothing about popping over to Spokane and Seattle to see my girls and do some shopping. I haven’t been on a road trip for over three months, and anyone who knows me knows that I get twitchy after about six weeks. That need to adventure by myself is a bigger part of my psyche than even I had realized.
I think I am going to have to pick a day when the weather is crummy and road trip to Missoula. I can’t go far, in any case, until the chicks are a bit bigger and don’t need to be checked on every few hours. The minute Jay Inslee opens Washington State again, though, I will be hard pressed not to get in my car and head for Seattle.
And that’s enough whining for today. I don’t think I’ve posted this picture yet (ETA: Whoops, yes I did. Sorry. Side effect of blogging at 5 am.)
This is an apron pattern I was playing around with last week. It’s reversible—the back is another coffee-themed fabric.