Schwoo! So this is the first moment that I could finally come up for air! What a great few weeks it's been for the shop! Max the dog hoop was featured in Etsy's ART section and the traffic has been amazing!
It's also been so very cool to talk to my customers and listen to their stories. Ya know, I've always felt like I loved my dog WAY too much, like on unhealthy levels of loving. Almost as if no one could even really understand the amount of love I have for my dog. I love his paws, I love his big pointy ears, I love his little nose, you get the point. But after reading the stories that my customers include with their orders, I've realized that I'm not alone. There are a LOT of people out there who love their dogs tremendously. And I've also been honored to memorialize some special friends this week as well.
So I thought I'd take you behind the scenes and show you how exactly a custom dog hoop is done...
First, I spend some time looking at the photos my customers send and sketch out a few ideas. I'll focus on little details that make each dog special - could be an interesting marking or a floppy ear. Then I make sure to get those rosy cheeks in just the right place.
Next, I transfer my finished drawing to the fabric. It sounds really fancy, but I just use my iPad as a light box and re-trace the design. Then I brush on fabric paint by hand.
This is my favorite part! I use fabric crayon to color each design. This is so much fun because each dog is completely different. Even if I have an order with two huskies, their markings and coloring are always a bit different. And I really think the little touches are what brings the magic into each piece and makes each dog, THAT dog.
Then I sew the design onto my backing fabric...
...and hand embroider each name onto the hoop.
Once I secure the fabric to the back, the hoop is ready to go to its new home.
So that's it! And real quick, I'd just like to take a moment to thank Susanne who sent an email just to tell me that she also thinks her dog's head smells good. Sniff on, friends!
