About Us – Annette

Annette made your awnings, or very probably so. And if not, she surely made your shade sails, and today she’s working on some Santa Fe Patio Wind and Solar Screens™ in our signature Buffalo color for a half dozen or so orders. They are cutting the fabric on a huge table adjacent to Annette and lining up the orders in great rolls on the long table by her left elbow.

She takes them one by one, talking as she goes, carefully folds over a top edge and feeds it precisely and rapidly under the sewing needle. The seam edges are straight and perfect, yard after yard. Probably mile after mile. On the last corner of one screen for each order, she sews a leather logo-ed patch. The patches are made by the same company that makes the leather Harley Davidson bags, she tells us. Annette has worked for Santa Fe Awning since 1997. It is very likely she has sewn hundreds if not thousands of miles of fabric. It hardly bears thinking about.

In the early days before the space on Bisbee Court, Annette and Jeff worked out of his house. Considering how big the screens and awnings are, the huge fabric patio covers, it was crazy. There was absolutely not enough room to do this, so she and Jeff would line up tables, boxes, sawhorses with plywood tops and run them through the living room and out the door, across the porch, over the step and into the yard. It was the only way to keep the fabric flat and straight enough to feed through a sewing machine. And the fabric has a double seam, so each piece had to be sewn twice on each side.

This is a woman of creative perseverance and dedication, there can be no doubt. Also, a very good sense of humor. When we asked how she could maintain such a beautiful manicure, she laughed again, and said, “Oh, I just got back from vacation.” You’re amazing Annette!