The Evolution of a Product

For the past three years, people have asked if we have any draught stoppers.  These are long tubes filled with sand, beans, rice or other forms of filling placed on the floor by a door or window to stop draughts.  We listen to our customers because we have learned they usually are asking for something that is practical and beneficial to our business.  It took a little over a year for me to Google, YouTube, read and ponder about draught/draft stoppers before an idea formed in my mind on the procedures I would follow.

Eating snackerdoodles with papa after an exhilarating day in the Ochocos

I was coming down the stairs one day and, as I rounded the corner to the downstairs hallway, Molly, my precious cocker spaniel, was sprawled out in front of me, sleeping and snoring her adorable snore that keeps Gene awake at night.  I had the "ahha" moment that someone that preciously cute should be the inspiration for the draft stoppers.

Molly resting after shopping

Molly was born on September 13, 2005.  We brought this tiny, precious little creature home and she has gently ruled her kingdom and we have been her willing subjects ever since.  We would  get such delight watching her sneak up on the songbirds when she was a puppy and "point"... this little hunter had all the instincts of a good bird dog.  One of her stuffed animals was a duck that she would carry to us, roll her eyes and then lay her catch on the floor at our feet and wait for her lovies.   She loved her walks around the block that could take as long as an hour as she sniffed each and every scent she came across.  Sometimes our walks would consist of her leading me so I wouldn't get lost.  She would go about ten feet in front of me, look back to see where I was, wait for me to catch up and then move again in front and wait.  She had the cutest little outfits but she hated dressing up so that stopped because I hated that wrinkled brow that let me know she was not pleased.  I still have her little yellow raincoat with the ducky buttons but that stays on her coat hook and her Hawaiian dress we bought on the big island is in her drawer.

I now had formulated in my mind the look I wanted as well as it's title:  dog gone door draft dodger. I used butcher paper for the pattern, a pencil to draw the pattern and writing the steps as I did them, a cutting mat, a ruler for lines and a bottle for rounded corners, scissors and something to drink.  I measured the doors and, after many trials and errors and a trail of butcher paper everywhere I travelled, I had the pattern cut out and sewed together.  Holy moly!  This prototype prehistoric Canid used a lot of fabric and a boatload of flax seed and dried lavender buds.  This wouldn't sell because I would have to charge a fortune to just break even.

Draft Stopper Prototype

It was back to the drawing board and modifying the pattern again.  I drank a lot of tea between each step!

Scraps of butcher paper, fabric, thread and pins everywhere, especially on the floor, and hours of modifications, I finally had the pattern worked out.    Cutting the material for the modified pattern with the beautiful lavender-printed fabric was exciting but a little nerve wracking.  In the back of my mind, I wondered if I modified it to the point where it lost the appearance I wanted.  I knew what I wanted the final product to be but sometimes surprises happen and not always in a good way.

After cutting the fabric, the next step was to attach the tube and the lining to the body and then the head and tail to the tube.  There are the four legs that are hand stitched with buttons to the body and the ears to the head and the nose embroidered using black thread.  The hind legs have a different shape from the front legs, the cocker ears need to be narrow at the top and broad at the bottom and the head is shaped to resemble a cocker's head.  The legs have a function in that they give the main body stability plus I thought, along with the embroidered black nose, they finished off the little "dog gone door draft dodger" nicely.  Each piece--tube, head, tail, legs and ears--are filled with flax seed and dried lavender buds.

Legs and Ears need attached and the nose needs to be embroidered.

Close up of the dog... head with eyes and floppy Molly ears and embroidered nose, short little snubbed tail, and legs--all with buttons--for stability.  And don't forget the ribbon around the neck.

 Finished Product for 2017

The finished dog gone door draft dodger is approximately 7" round x 36" long and is filled with flax seed and dried lavender buds.  The tube is machine sewed but the ears and legs are hand sewed.  From beginning to end, starting with requests from our much appreciated customers, this is the procedures we used to bring this requested product to you.  Thank you for your valuable input.  We appreciate all the support and suggestions you have given us over the years.

And now, on to the next project--klingy kitties!