Back after a long hiatus. This is the longest I’ve gone without posting to the blog in a very long time. It’s been an eventful year for me with many many things happening outside of The Varlet. I’ve had some personal challenges this year which have been difficult and I do regret the lack of posts since early spring. However, the pace has been picking up since about mid-August, as I’ve been able to clear many issues that were plaguing my personal life and hampering production. With this said, I do want to showcase some of the custom work that’s been going out and some of the highlights from the summer and fall. As we head into winter, I want to open up some availability to give folks one more chance at putting down a deposit for a custom creation this year. I’ll give a brief update on things in the shop and then will get to the details regarding availability. Of course, there are photos too.
Shop Update
With regards to production, I’m feeling confident in the methods I’ve laid down since 2015 but more poignantly in these past three years. I don’t really foresee any major production changes, such as TimeMark, or developing new knot shapes, which were major milestones but also demanded a lot of R&D to make them viable. I’m pretty happy with where the brushes are in terms of what they offer, and many features that I dreamed up in the early stages of The Varlet have now become reality. I feel I can focus more on increasing production for the next couple of years if I’m fortunate. With the need to expand the feature set no longer there, this will free me up considerably and allow me to have a better flow with production. The machinery is in good order and access to supplies is refreshingly much easier here in late 2023.
Photos
Below are some highlights of custom brushes created. Some of these are very bold designs but all have been a pleasure to craft. In thinking back to 2015/2016, when I only offered brushes in Somerset Ivory, I’m amazed how colorful the blog has become these past few years. The classic aesthetic is still the foundation for The Varlet, and I do wonder if a renaissance of the classic ivory handles is due in the coming near future in some exciting way. For now, as we are focusing on customs on this post, I’ll showcase some colorful pieces.
Availability for Winter
I was not planning on opening up availability until well after the holidays. However, since I have been catching up on orders pretty steadily here in November, I thought it was a good time to take some custom orders. There are slots open now, and I’m anticipating completion for new orders to be in mid-February 2024. Of course, depending on details for each custom, this will vary, but that will be determined during email consultations. I’m looking forward to working with folks on some more custom brushes.
Head over to the custom order page to reserve a spot.
That is about all I had for this one. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. Thanks everyone for stopping by!
-Aldo
