exquisite design, one stone at a time
**If you're only interested in the hand-dyed lace tutorial and not all my babbling, scroll to where the photos begin!** The process for most of the custom roller skating outfits I make is fairly simple: coach has an idea in March, we settle on a plan in early April, dress is finished by early to… Continue reading Hand-Dyed Lace and Where Crazy Ideas Begin
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
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
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 recently read a friend's Facebook post where she was unhappily (and slightly unsuccessfully) sewing her daughter's Girl Scout badges to her vest, and various other friends were chiming in and debating the virtues of glue vs. needle and thread. It made me realize that 99% of the world's population is blissfully clueless about the… Continue reading Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Ode to E6000
I just returned from my first and definitely not my last (sorry, Bill) trip to the textile district in downtown Los Angeles. Actually, to be honest it wasn't my very first trip; while at UCLA I used to buy formalwear fabric there to sew into the multitude of dresses I needed for various sorority functions. … Continue reading Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Buying Fabric
Pins. I hate pins. Mainly because they inevitably end up on the floor, in my foot, or in my dog's mouth. There are occasions when straight pins are necessary: attaching skirts to figure skating dresses or ballroom gowns, getting an inset bra placement just right, keeping ridiculously slippery and delicate fabric in exactly the right… Continue reading Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Use What You’ve Got
Leave No Stone Unglued 