Popular Cool Ties and New Uses

My friend Karen bought a couple of Cool Ties from me two weeks ago.  When I saw her again this week, she said that the Cool Ties were just great, and she found that recently, they really came to the rescue for her.  Her daughter took sick and spiked a fever.  To help comfort her, Karen took off the Cool Tie that she had been wearing and put it on her daughter.  She said that the relief on her face was immediate.  It helped stabilize her fever and made her more comfortable.  Karen let her keep it, and she bought two more this week. 

Figuring that if the Cool Ties worked so well on people, Karen also bought a Cool Collar for her dog.  That was the whole idea behind the design and creation of the two related lines.  I have had a lot of satisfied customers in a short time.  One of these happens to be my neighbor, owner of Cooper, who is my Aussie model, shown in previous posts.  She hosted a Doggie Birthday Party (her words :-) and needed gifts.  What could be better than Cool Collars and Cool Ties?  Within a very short time her "shopping" was finished and delivered to her house. 

My regular pet scarves are selling like hotcakes.  They are the type that the collar goes through - not tied on.  The fussy pet will not even know the cute little scarf is there, as long as the collar is always there to begin with.


 I have been very excited by the wealth of colors now available to make my poly-cord leashes from.  Hot pink, yellow, green, purple, even camo!  It's such fun putting together different combinations of colors and weaves, making each one unique! 

The Downtown Lakeland Farmers Curbside Market started up again Saturday.  It was nice to see lots of my "regulars" as well as lots of new folks.  That's a regular Saturday gig for me, although I am considering expanding into both the Dog Event market and the Craft Show Market.  I have so much inventory that it barely fits in my car!  I got there to set up and realized that I really needed another table!  But there's no room in my car for another table!  It was pretty crowded, but it turned out OK.

I was asked by a man in Lowes today where I got my Cool Tie.   He said he had been trying to find them, but wasn't having any luck.  He and his friend, who has a black lab (who overheats easily) may be my next customers at www.bahandbags.etsy.com.

Dress Up Your Pet

Woven/sewn leash

OK, I'm not really into the pet wardrobe thing, but I do know how to make your pet stylish.  No tutus or tiaras, just really classy (and durable) leashes and cute scarves, both for cooling and just for show.

4-braid poly leash

My leashes are of two types:  (1) cotton/nylon woven belting with sewn trim, or (2) woven/braided polypropylene cord.  The sewn leashes are trimmed with colored ribbons on one or both sides.  Some have reflective tape for added safety.  They are in 4' and 5' lengths, and have clips of various weights.

The poly leashes are in lots of colors.  I have been thrilled to find my basic type of cord in 15 different colors, so far, and I'm always on the lookout for more!  These are very strong, and can even be used to play "tug".  These are fun to make, and I can do them away from my sewing machine (TV time, car trips, etc.).  I can now make good use of my "down time" as well!  A variation on this is a very light-weight leash for little dogs made of heavy-weight yarn with a tiny clip.  These are very soft and have a bit of stretch, for those 4-legged munchkins who are very well-behaved.

Cooper with Cool Collar

The other type of scarf does not tie or clip, like my Cool Collars or a regular bandanna.  These cute scarves have a channel to slide the collar through.  If the collar stays put, the scarf won't come off, since the two are attached!  No chewing and untying - it's relatively unnoticeable to your pet.  Both dogs and cats can be dressed up  in these scarves of many colors.

It's Hot for Dogs, Too.

The summer heat has been nearly unbearable, even for those of us who enjoy the heat.  Recently, I read a very sad newspaper article about a man who went for his daily run with his two dogs, but on this day, the dogs became severely overheated.  One recovered, but the other one died.

Since I had been making Cool Ties for people, this was the motivation I needed to get going on a canine version.  I had been thinking about the needed modifications, and it was time to act on those thoughts.  Bandannas in many colors were re-purposed, pockets stitched in and gel crystals added.  The hydrated cooling gel covers the dog's neck and chest, and is either tied or clipped on top.

Thanks to Cooper (and Heidi) for modeling for me!  (note:  Pictured Cool Collars have not been hydrated.  They were photographed dry.)

It's HOT out there!

Also needs water!

Gel is still dry and flat.  Needs water!

It's been a really HOT summer in more places than Florida!  Because this has been quite an issue this year, I was asked by a friend if I could help him out.  He needed something to keep his lawn /landscaping crew cool in the blazing heat, and suggested a scarf with gel.  I had seen these before, but had never made them.  Of course I said yes (is there any other answer?) and proceeded to hunt for the elusive gel.  (It helps if you know what you're looking for...).  I found small packages of something I thought might work, but the cost would have been prohibitive.  I bought one package to experiment with, and then started looking online.  I finally found and ordered what I needed, and then began the sewing part.

Pretty and practical.

Fully hydrated.

Since each tie takes several steps to complete, and I knew that I needed to work assembly-line style.  This was, and still is, very hard for me.  My pieces are unique, and individual, so these ties were a challenge in that way.  But I managed to make 20 or so that week, and over 100 in the next couple of weeks, and even more since then.  They are in close to 50 different color/patterns, so I might possibly have something for everybody.  (Have you heard that before?)  Anyway, my friend bought 8 of them, and they have become quite a hit.  Barbara Ann's Cool Ties are listed on www.bahandbags.etsy.com.