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I left the house at 10AM this morning with Jharna (the textile expert that works with Deepa) and we headed back to the factory to give the colors for the custom prints as well as the 60 meters of cotton satin we had bought for them. I thought it was going to be a drop and run sort of excursion but it turned into a day I will never forget.
I had sent these designs to D a few months back and had no idea that it could actually come to fruition-no way hose b (for you K80). I thought it would amazing if we could get one done but look what we did! But first let me set the scene.
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When we arrived at the factory, we were taken into the owner's office. He was a rotund Indian man, dressed all in white with a gold chain peeking through. From this point on, I had NO idea what was going on and felt more like I was in the Hindu Sopranos and less like I was at a printing mill and fabric was just their "cover business". I started feeling quite tense and I put my head down and pretended to be busy writing this, "Obviously everything has to be passed by this dude and I really can't tell if he is ok or wants to kill me. Honestly, I have no stinking idea. The least I can do is drink the coffee they just put in front of me. Ouch, I just burned my tongue-uh oh. Oh, here comes another one. The room keeps filling with more men that look like "the son", "the brother", "the cousin" and then "the manager". It's like they are trying to decide what to do with a brother who has ratted them out to the FBI but I am pretty sure they are actually just talking about fabric--or not?"
Finally, "the boss" looks up and says "ok" and hints at a smile and we are over to "the son's" office who was wearing extremely pointy black dress shoes with the accompanying black shirt, black pants, undone down to his mid chest with gold chain. Awesome. Obviously, the son has up in the factory and will one day take over. I have no idea why we went into his office but calls were made and we moved over to "the manager's office" who actually seemed like quite a nice man and wrote up our order in a simple notebook and made a copy on a blank piece of white paper and just like that, we were official and up to the printing tables.
We got their a bit late and so they had already made their project plan for the day but stopped that and fit us in. As we made it up to the pigment printing tables I could see my two screens, "the leaf" and "the snapdragon" in the corner and my stomach actually dropped a bit in the sense that this is actually happening. I had given over some thread colors for them to match and they did just that and we had our colors. It was a fascinating/insightful to spend the entire day (8 hours) in this hot, dirty, ink splattered space but I loved it. There were about 6-8 men working in the area, one who had been there for 50 years. They all knew Jharna and that she likes to be hands on so didn't mind that we were there watching their every move. I watched the whole process (8 times) and she was there to keep things moving along. She said that if we had not been there, it wouldn't have gotten done before I left.
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So print after print I watched them pin down the fabric, carefully move the screen across the fabric and then back to make the repeats complete, and hang it to dry. Going with this method certainly wasn't the quickest and each print took about 45 minutes to complete with drying, although as the day wore on they picked it up so we could get out of there.
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When they started the beige leaf I watched in utter awe of what was happening and then the yellow leaf and the teal leaf and my mind was spinning with what I saw and what these could made into. I was spinning inside. They hung all of the leaf desings above the tables to dry and started on the Snap dragon designs which I can see as tablecloths, pillows, napkin, aprons, table mats, laundy bags, and on and on and on. Actually the leaf was taken from the snapdragon logo as well and they can work together but also apart. So guys, we have our own customized snapdragon fabric in 4 colors now and I have a feeling this is just the beginning!
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My head is whirling with what we can do with them and how to mix and match them. I am thrilled with the way they turned out, especially the leaf and stripe which I think can be more commercial than the snapdragon--but that was meant to be specific for the inn. I felt elated and giddy today but overwhelmed at the same time and needing to act like "the buyer" again so tried not to do anything too Chris but Jharna was so excited as well and loved they way they were turning out. But we waited around to check the stripe screen and colors and then collected the leaf prints which had already gone through the curing process (to set the color) and brought those home but we will collect the rest tomorrow.
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Where it goes from here, I don't know but I do know, this is just the beginning. (Yes, that is me in this state of unbelief, elation, and pure contentment and yes I am trying to channel some Sally Jessica apparently)
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--Chris
12 comments:
great well done to you
Brava Chris, Brava! So proud of you. Soooo very proud. All things are possible with the big guy in your side.
The designs are wonderful. vibrant and spectacular. Brava.
Cool specs, little sis.
Coool
Like really big.
Awesome. Everyone else is using the word cool so I will use the word Awesome!! Really they are!
How about Remarkable? Have I told you how much I brag that you are so rad and you are my friend and that you are doing really rad things with colors and designs and you are doing them in India. I love your look in these pictures. I can tell how much your creative genius has been at work, i love it!
Oh, and I am really bummed that I will not be able to see you this trip! We will have to catch up on skype sometime.
great designs! that fabric is tops!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes!!!!!!!!
Chris this will be a post you will have to read and re-read your whole life. What a huge step in your life. You are really someone that dreams big and then does it! You rock!!
congrats chris! this was a really great read.
Thanks. We'll see where it goes from here. Even if it never were to go anywhere, it has been awesome and exciting.
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