the final scotty dog

I am a textiles designer. Actually I am a textiles designer who has just made the momentous, soul searching decision to give up the freelance- from - home- design work and take a creative sabbatical.

It was the scotty dogs that did it....you know those awful two piece anti pill fleece tracksuits with scotty dogs appliqued on the front? Well, I'm sorry to admit that I am responsible for a good number of those little beauties wandering around our suburban shopping malls.
I've done a scotty dog with a bow, a scotty dog without a bow,two scotty dogs facing each other with and without bows (after all important to give people a choice) and three scotty dogs in a row , which actually looked like they were sniffing each others bottoms as doggies tend to do but the buyer and the people buying them didn't seem to pick up on that one! Still the number seller for Mother's Day . What on earth are you people thinking!
Stern note to husband : NEVER, NEVER, NEVER even consider buying me a two piece anti pill fleece tracksuit with cutesy applique for Mother's day or any day for that matter. I know that you wouldn't but I'm just making extra, extra certain.
Sure enough at the end of last year ( due to the production lead up it all happens well ahead of time) I get another request for a scotty dog applique - however this time the buyer wants something " a bit different...". As you may have gathered,I was a little bit over scotty dogs by this point and unable to take it very seriously. I mean,  what can you do with the old scotty dog that's a " bit different".It's a scotty dog  , done to death and not even very interesting  to begin with.
Admittedly I was being a little tongue in cheek when I sent back a design featuring three scotty dogs ( black with bows, nothing too alarming ) doing little tumble turns all across the sweat shirt front. Not too bad at all , different even. Buyer's comment - "great, lots of fun but I just don't think that our customers will get it." Excuse me, but just what is there to get? Its three scotty dogs on a sweat shirt not haute couture ( I still don't quite  get that a lot of the time).

Back to the design board.... next up a totally tartan scotty dog.   Quirky , I thought .

Buyer's comment - " I like this, its different certainly but I think it's just a little too out there....."  And that was it - game over , end of story. When a scotty dog becomes a little too out there , its time to take a good  long look at what you are doing.

My conclusion - time to do something a little more creatively satisfying and challenging ( although those scotty dogs were a challenge and don't even get me started on teddy bear appliques. )I'm not sure just where I I'm heading just yet but I've started painting again, doing a few illustrations and headed back to the sewing machine.

End note: The final design that was approved and will go into store,featured two lovely scotty dogs, facing each other, with bows and sniffing a flower( easy to understand ,non- challenging daisy, clever, yes? ). It will no doubt prove to be the best seller for the season  in both the navy and the banana ( pale yellow for all the non fashion industry people) colourways but be warned: although I am not given to violent outbursts , if I happen to come across anyone wearing  this particular ensemble , I will be very very tempted to give them a good solid slap!
Scotty dog, R.I.P