Friday 7 June 2013

TGIF: Pfaff Time!

Photo Red Dots Cycling



We have been Pfaff Again!

Thanks to Sabine of Pfaff on Granville for a few goodies we picked up yesterday!

When we bought our dream machine, we had a bag of goodies as part of a special promotion. I'm excited to discover  a box of 12 huge spools of embroidery thread. Any sewer knows that one can never have enough of thread! 



The special bonus promotion I received with my Pfaff Creative 3.0!

Photo Red Dots Cycling



And not to mention the Pfaff exclusive scissor collection!

I'm in Pfaff heaven! I don't know all the specific tools, but I'll soon happily, figure it out. One thing is that I do admire the Pfaff craftsmanship! It's always fun to visit the Pfaff store. They have so many goodies and have extended their line of sewing machines. Sabine is most welcoming and she gives demos on all of the machines. And, she also encourages you to try the machine. The Pfaff display is worth a look showcasing most of their wonderful machines throughout their history. 

When I purchased my embroidery machine, I mentioned to Sabine that I wanted another machine just for rubber... and MAYBE they would have an older machine for me to use. Well, Sabine quickly said that they would find an old machine for me. I didn't want anything too new, I wanted an all-metal tank of a machine, to replace my old beloved Singer Fashionmate.

When I picked up my bag of goodies I was surprised in what was waiting for me! It's a Pfaff model 96! It is an older machine and I tried to find out the origin of the machine online. What a wonderful machine it is! Made in West Germany all mechanical and built like a Panzer. I have tested some rubber and it will be perfect!

Along with my serger and embroidery machine - I'm extremely happy to have another Pfaff in my family! 


Thanks to Sabine of Pfaff on Granville for her expert help and to make it easier for me to find my dream machine!




Part of the amazing machines on display!

Photo Red Dots Cycling



Sabine points out the details of my new Pfaff type 96!
Photo Red Dots Cycling

Carolle



Thursday 6 June 2013

Ride on! with the new Tempo Cycling Cap!

Ride on! with the new Tempo!
photo Red Dots Cycling




We are excited to introduce the new Tempo cycling cap!

Our second best selling cap... made even better.

It is a four-panel design cap made from strong and durable Linen/cotton. A fabric that has antiallergic properties, absorbs dampness and sweat very quickly. Can it get better? We think so.

We proudly include our new embroidered logo. And you are covered on your rides, so don't sweat it because you can sweat with the new added 100% cotton wicking head band.  

You will enjoy your rides... in Tempo!




Wednesday 5 June 2013

I Sew Labels

Sewing Along!
photo Red Dots Cycling




Carolle is spending more time on the computer figuring out the design. And, that means I can participate in the sewing part of the cycling caps. After it's programed, I gently guide the fabric and presto - a label is sewn, automatically the thread is cut and it's finished. This Pfaff is a wonderful machine!

My new job -  sewing on labels!



The finished label!
photo Red Dots Cycling




Richard



Friday 31 May 2013

TGIF: Welcome Our New Embroidered Logo! & Extending the 25-40% Sale!


Introducing our new Logo,
on the classic Cappello Nero.
photo: Red Dots Cycling




This is a cause for celebration!


Not only it's TGIF... we also designed and made our first Red Dots Cycling embroidered logo! This is a major change to our cycling cap. We added a size label, description label, a new wicking band and... the new embroidered logo!

It all took time, plenty of hard work (Carolle you are the best!) and we are happy that this is the final cap version. We are proud of our new logo and pretty soon you will see it in all of our cycling caps!



The new 'r & d with 3 red dots
photo Red Dots Cycling




It's fitting our new embroidered logo appears on our classic and popular - Cappello da Ciclismo Nero Cycling Cap!



This is the first logo made on our new embroidery machine rendered on a free online software. It's quirky and crashes but it is free. For now, we are making it work for us. Eventually, our next goal is to acquire the proper software for our machine.


Good News!

We decided to extend our popular 25-40% Off Sale because we want to make room for the new cycling caps with embroidered logo. Happy shopping on excellent deals!




Richard

Tuesday 28 May 2013

New: Light Linen Cycling Cap for Seven Cycles




Light Linen Cycling Cap for Seven Cycles.
Courtesy: sevencycles





The Summer is coming and Carolle and I are excited to make the newest cycling cap for Seven Cycles called, Light Linen Cycling Cap.  

We describe the cap as understated cool-made of linen/cotton; lightweight, breathable, anti-bacterial, wicks moisture rapidly, will keep you cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold. It's available in two sizes: Small/Medium and Medium/Large.

It's always fun to design new cycling caps for Seven Cycles. We made the caps and Seven Cycles took care of the embroidery.

We are proud to work closely with Seven Cycles to help make this attractive and practical cycling cap for all of your rides!


Here's what their custom cap looked like before
Seven Cycles' embroidered logo!
Photo: Red Dots Cycling





Richard







Saturday 25 May 2013

Planning a Rubber Week

This is what 100's of clean and cut recycled bike inner tubes
look like...
 ready for sewing!
photo: Red Dots Cycling




Friday was spent, and I mean I was spent afterwards-cutting and cleaning 100's of recycled, bike inner tubes.

We're getting set for another run for La Piccola Wallets! Part of these tubes will go to fulfill the Special Edition Wallet Perks from our recent crowdfunding project. It's a messy affair with these tubes. They are now in prep stage waiting for the sewing stage. Next, we will pick out fabric designs, that's the fun part.

Our rubber week production is planned for early June, looking forward to it!



Richard





Friday 24 May 2013

TGIF: First cap made from our new Pfaff, new Logo & How to wear a cycling cap by Gianni Bugno,



Cappello Nero Rosso
photo: Red Dots Cycling




TGIF time!


We just made our very first small run of Cappello Nero Rosso caps on our new Pfaff machine!

We love it! The machine is fast and works so efficiently that we believe we will save in production time. The New Nero Rosso's are now in stock.


Carolle is busy working on a Red Dots Cycling logo design destined to be embroidered. I can't reveal it until it's finalize. So, we are at the fine tuning stage and it's progressing well.


We think highly of Gianni Bugno, former world champion (twice in 1991 & 1992), stage winner in all Grand Tours and classic winner. He is a cool guy and remains in cycling as a RAI TV helicopter pilot and president of CPA (Association of Professional Cyclists). We love this video of the former world champ revealing 'how to wear a cycling cap.'

I think he would look even better with one of our caps!






Wednesday 22 May 2013

My First Thoughts on my New Pfaff Creative 3.0

Simple embroidery,
this took a matter of minutes to complete.
photo: Red Dots Cycling




We have our new machine!

The Pfaff Creative 3 is anything like my old Singer Fashionmate. A stark contrast of two technologies. The Singer was a mechanical workhorse, easy to understand and you can sit in front of it and just sew away. My new Pfaff is full of features that I'm happy to have. I don't recommend this machine for the first-time seamstress. It maybe overwhelming at first. Having basic sewing knowledge would make it easier to be able to get the most out of this machine. One thing that surprises me is that the Pfaff should never be oiled. For me, this is what I always do every month for maintenance. Now, all I have to do is dust it.




Two boxes equals Pfaff Fun!
One holds the machine and the other holds
the embroidery module.
photo: Red Dots Cycling




When I first opened the box I took it out and tried many different stitches that I normally use when making my caps. I couldn't help myself by trying more decorative stitches. This amazing machine comes with 250 stitch patterns. Mind blowing when my old Singer offered only two. The main reason why we chose this machine is it will replace my broken Singer as my new sewing machine and embroider as well.

Why do I know Pfaff? Well, I have a Pfaff serger I purchased from Sabine at Pfaff in Vancouver. That was back in 2006. I've used my serger as much as I sew. It is an essential part of my sewing room and works effortlessly without any problems. Based on my experience with Pfaff, it just made sense to step up to the new machine. I want to thank the ever helpful, Sabine of Pfaff in Vancouver!

It comes loaded with embroidery designs, but I don't think flowers and animals would make a good cycling cap design. What I'm interested to do is to design custom logos and import the designs into the machine.

This machine is very efficient producing the Celtic design I downloaded free online. It took minutes to produce as all I had to do is sit back and be amazed. New technology is simply wonderful. I envision our cycling caps to look even better with your teams' logo or a teams' name.

As you know, we did not reach our goal in the embroidery crowdfunding project. This means, at this time, I am unable to design logos. But, I'm exploring other options in order to digitize my logos. One thing at a time and one step closer to offering embroidered team cycling caps - Richard and I are excited!



Carolle





Humming along!
photo: Red Dots Cycling



Friday 17 May 2013

TGIF: Think Pink! Our New Viva La Corsa Rosa, Pfaff Time & Victoria Day Sale!


Our new...
Viva La Corsa Rosa!
photo: Red Dots Cycling





Our busy week is ending and there's plenty to rave about!

We love Giro d'ltalia pink, and we are pleased to announce our newest cycling cap... Viva La Corsa Rosa!

Made from comfortable wearing and naturally wicking linen/cotton. Our attention to detail is so Giro - we've added a hot pink under brim with hot pink stripe with a side detail of the Italian tricolore all the way to the brim. Also included, because sweating is part of the fun, is our new thick 100% cotton wicking band. It's made to absorb your sweat. So go ahead and sweat it out! Now available in Small/Medium (21"-22.5") and Medium/Large (22.5"-24").

We're approaching the dramatic mountain stages and we hope you are enjoying the Giro -  Viva La Corsa Rosa!




Full on pink love!
photo: Red Dots Cycling




photo: Red Dots Cycling




Today, we 'test drove' what will become our new sewing/embroidery machine... the new Pfaff Creative 3.0 -  it just arrived in store today!

Compared to our former Singer Fashionmate 257, it's really a world apart. Not only the Pfaff sews, it embroiders to perfection. Sabine, from the Pfaff store in Vancouver, showed me how the Pfaff embroiders my name! The results are truly spectacular the quality is perfect - it's exactly what I'm looking for in a machine!

I'm so excited, I'm preparing my sewing corner!


This is a long weekend for us here in Canada. It's Victoria Day on Monday any holiday is a good reason to celebrate! 


We are having a Victoria Day Weekend Sale! That means; 25-40% off on most items in our shop, for a limited time!

Enjoy the Giro and take advantage of our Sale!



Carolle



Saturday 11 May 2013

TGIF: Thinking Pink!, Singer RIP & Last Words on our Crowdfunding Campaign

Our new cap honoring the Giro d'ltalia!
photo: Red dots Cycling.




We love the Giro!

And, we decided to produce a new cycling cap. This is the prototype, it's black linen/cotton (similar to our Cappello Nero) comfy to wear on or off the bike. It's that good looking. To celebrate our favorite Spring Grand Tour - we sewn in a pink ribbon with the Italian tricolore. We love detail and it's in the ribbons. We could not find the ribbon and we decided to make it ourselves. That means we sew in each ribbon individually. One detail that may or may not make the final design is the Italian tricolore overstitch on top of the brim. Production will begin this week ...Bellissimo!


Bad news on Carolle's Singer Fashionmate.

We finally receive the news that it's beyond repair. It was an emotional letting go.


After receiving so many comments to have embroidery on our cycling caps, we tried crowdfunding and  it was a learning experience. We are now trying to look at ways as how to afford a sewing/embroidery machine to fulfill the perks. Thank you to all who contributed!


Monday 6 May 2013

Our Own Alpe d'Huez






As we approach the end of our indiegogo crowdfunding campaign... we can imagine it as a ride up Alpe d'Huez, with many twists and turns.

Any rider that journeys up this special mountain has to train in a special way. Like these riders, we had to go outside of our comfort zone and put ourselves out there. Making a video was a challenge for us because we are far from videographers. The gun sounded and we decided to launch ourselves up our own Alpe d'Huez.

We knew that it wasn't going to be easy and we had to rely on word of mouth and social media to get our message across. We felt confident, with the help from our friends and contacts, that we could reach our campaign goal. After all, people have long been asking us for embroidered cycling caps. When we hit our first switchback, there was a huge challenge ahead. We soon realize that it wasn't that easy. Many people are not comfortable with the idea of crowdfunding. They don't feel secure about online transactions - it's not everyone that embraces it.

And, we found ourselves on the side of the road waiting for the 'team car'...that's where our friend Jen came to our rescue. We are so grateful to Jen for her generosity for lending her sewing machine, especially helping us complete our huge custom cap order, whilst waiting for word on whether our Singer can be repaired. Sadly, at this point, we haven't heard of any positive feedback of our Singer machine.

On the other hand, we received donations from people that have never bought from us. Our publicity raised through Facebook and Twitter is tremendous. People have left positive messages of good luck. Currently, there are 53 hours remaining, there's little chance of not reaching the podium. We are still excited to be part of this race. The experience in itself, regardless of reaching the goal, is rewarding.


Thank you to all of our contributors and ...there's still time to donate!


Please donate to our Embroidery Campaign.




Friday 3 May 2013

TGIF: Indiegogo Crowdfunding, A New Cap & Clowning Around with Cucci Cabana

Emilie Leclerc and Joey Lesperance.
Costumes by Carolle
Photo: James Loewen




TGIF time...

The Giro d'ltalia launches the summer cycling season and we have a new cycling cap on the drawing board.

Carolle's clowning around...

She actually used a cycling cap where no cycling cap has gone before! Her cycling cap is from our basic design made with a special twist for the play, Cucci & Cabana. It's wonderful (look at the yellow cap). She also helped in the design and construction of the costumes. It was fun to see Carolle in another creative light with Joey making costumes. She sure is talented.

Our sewing machine is still in the repair shop and we are still working with a borrowed machine. We need a new sewing machine. There are five days remaining in our Embroidery Project so please take time now to contribute to our campaign and share the word around!




Wednesday 1 May 2013

Venga! Venga! New Cycling Cap - New Feature


Venga! Venga!
All photos: Red Dots Cycling




Here's some images with the new Venga! Venga! cycling cap on my morning ride.

A good morning ride to test our new 100% cotton hat trim that acts as a wicking head band. It works, very well soaking up sweat. Our cycling caps keep revolving with this new feature. We pre-washed the trim to make sure it was color fast (no dye residue) and to check shrinkage. A good thing we did this test - it did shrink. So, now our customers can enjoy the new hat trim with no dye transfer and go ahead and sweat into it -  it won't shrink on you!

The new 100% cotton hat trim.
All photos: Red Dots Cycling


The Venga! Venga! is comfy, stretches perfectly due to the wool/polyester blend fabric. This morning a cool wind confronted me and I was glad that the Venga! Venga! is partly wool, to keep my head warm. I love the design, brown/black/beige plaid, a nice 1 inch chocolate brown stripe with a hint of that Basque orange.