exquisite design, one stone at a time
A little off topic today, but here's a Buzzfeed article I recently wrote... Goodbye cyber cafes; hello sewing studios. In Paris, you can rent a sewing machine by the hour to go along with your coffee and croissant. From Redondo Beach, CA to Manchester, England, sewing studios are providing opportunities for people to connect, share,… Continue reading The Explosion of Home Sewing Enthusiasts
So many sequins, so little time to vacuum them up... Actually, this project wasn't so bad. The team wasn't exactly sure what they wanted, just that the five dresses needed to be "a little slutty, like Chicago-slutty, but also ballroom-appropriate." Total opposites, of course. We decided on black with either emerald green or indigo blue,… Continue reading What Are They Wearing Wednesday: Formation Team Dresses
Since, until like two days ago, my studio was a complete and utter hellhole (see my last post: So Much Room for Activities!), I usually traveled for fittings. Unfortunately, this meant carrying tons of stuff with me, and I usually ended up searching for it all, throwing it into a bag, and running to the… Continue reading Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Travel Kit
Well, it's been 18 months, but I think I'm finally finished! We started this garage "renovation lite" project in September 2013. I say "renovation lite" because it didn't involve any destroying of walls, demolition of floors, or anything very exciting or fun. It did involve several trips to Ikea, a lot of curse words (because… Continue reading So Much Room for Activities!
Here it is -- our Latin ballroom dress, the "Rose." This isn't quite finished -- with only 14 gross stones on it so far (yes, I did write "only"), it still has a few gross to go...but this thing included two techniques I've never used before: 1. Scraping. What I call "scraping" probably has a… Continue reading What are They Wearing Wednesday: Latin Ballroom Dress
I get frustrated easily, I admit. I want (expect) projects to run smoothly, and I assume that the hardest part of a project is going to be related to my own lack of experience or knowledge, nothing else. So when something is tedious, time-consuming, or difficult -- and it feels like it shouldn't be any… Continue reading Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Stoning Frame
OK, quick disclaimer -- I couldn't get this dress onto the mannequin because the straps are too tight to go over Peg's hips...so this is What's Hangin' Wednesday instead. This is a super-quick dress that's leaving the shop this afternoon. Quick, not because I rushed through it, but because I think I'm finally getting to… Continue reading What Are They Wearing Wednesday: All About the Access
No, I'm not stupid. I know there are lots of tutorials out there explaining how to watermark pictures. However, as of today, there doesn't seem to be one that is both a) up to date, and b) written for people who honestly don't care much about photography and who don't understand/care to take the the… Continue reading Creating a Watermark
I only sew (super-crazy-stretchy) knits, so how odd is it that I skipped The Monthly Stitch's "Sew Stretchy" May? For newcomers, The Monthly Stitch is an Australian sewing blog, to which I'm a regular contributor. Each month they vote on some new challenge, and finished products are posted on the blog. Being Australia, skating a… Continue reading Plumber’s Paradox
Truly golden, as in gold medal. My blog silence over the past three months is due to a ridiculously heavy sewing load, leading up to both the regional and national championships for roller skating, my largest client base by far. I'm not complaining...I had fifteen separate outfits in various stages of completion during one particular… Continue reading Silence is Golden
Leave No Stone Unglued 