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
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!
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
"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." -- Joseph Campbell Except that Joseph wasn't talking about literal burning; painful, blister-inducing burning. But I promised this story, so here it is. Once upon a time there was a skater. A very sweet, very earnest skater, who wanted so… Continue reading Saturday Sayings: Burning Out the Pain
"For the first couple years that you're making stuff, what you're making isn't so good, OK? It's not that great. It's trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it's not quite that good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, your taste is still killer." - Ira… Continue reading Saturday Sayings: When It’s OK to Stink
"You have brought forth something ordered and beautiful out of nothing." -- Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration Skating people know this quote means it's show season. Show season for us is a strange thing; all our energies and focus are on competing the entire year, so shows are at the same time a… Continue reading Saturday Sayings: It Must Be Show Season
Today's What Are They Wearing post is a little different -- it's not what's on my mannequins, but what's on my shop floor: This beauty is the creation of my husband. It's huge -- 4 feet by 5 feet -- but its utility is far outweighed by the sheer awesomeness of the chartreuse green paint… Continue reading What Are They Wearing Wednesday: Upcycled and Awesome
So I stumbled upon a sewing collective called "The Monthly Stitch." Now, not to bash other collectives, but this one seems to be full of completely normal, nice people for a change...yet they approved me, so... Every month they host a challenge, something of a goal, a way to spur creativity and set a deadline… Continue reading April’s Challenge: Seeing Double, Sewing Double
Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment -- Claude Monet Well, it was yesterday, anyway. The problem I have doing anything is my tendency to obsess over every tiny detail. Last week I decided the photos I have of the fabric in my store really stink; the color is completely off, and obviously it… Continue reading Saturday Sayings: When OCD Stands for Obsessive Color Disorder
So I missed a Wednesday, because I was exploring the textile district of Los Angeles, the largest in the world. And to make matters worse, my sewing machine is in the shop for three weeks for a tune-up and lube job. However, there is a little something on Peg today: This is an extraordinary piece… Continue reading What Are They Wearing Wednesday: February 12, 2014
Leave No Stone Unglued 