damselcorsets.com

Friday, December 12, 2008

hand-sewing SUCKS

I don't know how many of you know this, but my sewing background is actually in the bridal world. When I was 18, I got a job at a shop in Orem, UT named Gowns by Pamela. Pam, the owner is an incredibly designer and she had this great idea to sew her own beatufil wedding dress patterns and then to rent them out to brides who could pay a lot less for a lot nicer of a wedding dress, wear it once, (like all brides do) and then return it to be cleaned and prepped for another bride. She made all the gowns in bodice and skirt portions separately (because so many women are shaped differently from top to bottom!) and she made them all so they could be altered to fit each bride. I got the job as the in-house head-seamstress, so I sewed the actual bodices and skirts and I occasionally got to do fittings for the brides.
From this marvelous experience, I learned to recognize a good pattern that fits actual WOMEN'S bodies. I also learned how to sew on an industrial machine, which has changed my life forever. Normal weenie household machines go about 200 stitches per minute maximum.....my industrial machine sews 5,500 stitches per minute. There you have it. The other thing I learned is to HATE hand-sewing. I didn't used to hate it. I spent years sewing goofy little mermaid tails for my barbies, as well as all manner of haphazard gowns. Me, my sister, and my aunt (who is two years older than me) sat and hand-sewed countess little accessories, clothing for our stuffed kittens. This was all when I was 6 or 7 years old. I didn't sew on a sewing maching until I was 12 (Thank heavens for my good mother, who introduced me to the joys of sewing.)

The thing is, with a wedding dress, you're stitching countess numbers of little pearls. OH, and then there's the great part when you stick your finger with a needle, and you don't realize it until a couple of minutes later when you look down to behold several splotches of scarlet blood on a $1200 wedding dress. GOOD times. So, how does this all tie in with these pictures? This is a Buccaneer Style Pirate Coat. I wanted to show it to my customers and see if they think I should offer it on my website. Is it different enough than the classic pirate coat? Is it worth $35 more to get lovely buttons hand-sewn onto it? I just want your opinions. They're always valued, and I do know that sometimes I'm totally full of crap and it's good to have my customers bring me back down to earth. ;)




16 comments:

  1. dear god yes its worth the extra 35$ imo- the slight change and the buttons make it look amazing. please keep making things like this.
    ~Aura

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  2. As with your intricate bodices, I think it is beautiful. I also think, however, it won't sell as readily as the more simple bodices due to the cost and versatility. Once again, you may have to "Make as Ordered" rather than keep a whole bunch in stock. Keep rocking!

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  3. and on the plus side, with it being pirate themed a little blood will add to the costume, instead of take it away

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  4. I would so buy that 35 dollars is worth it.
    -needs to save up her cash-

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  5. This is GORGEOUS.
    I really love the extra strip of black that surrounds the grommets.
    And the buttons are beautiful.
    It really is striking.
    I've taken my measurements - and am saving up to order a custom bodice. (because I have a freaky short torso.)
    You do amazing work!

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  6. The pirate coat is my favorite anyway, but I really like the buttons. I would say they're certainly worth an extra $35. It looks lovely!

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  7. Please do offer it on your website!
    It is very lovely.

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  8. That is freaking awesome! I love it.
    (I finally found my way to your blog! And I plugged damseldress.com on my blog today!)

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  9. I love the buttons! That said, have you thought about making it an additional option? The coat is stunning sans the buttons and I do think the buttons are a great touch. I don't think $35 is a horrible price to pay for the buttons added.

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  10. I -love- the buttons, but what Dawning Dreams said: offer it in your store as an add-on, but I wouldn't worry about making them to shill on Ebay or Etsy.

    Also, I'm waiting for your new bridal collection to go up! I got engaged on New Year's, and where we probably won't be getting married for a little over a year, it doesn't hurt to start looking now at bridesmaids' corsets! :)

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  11. Totally worth it, this is an amazing design! ~Kristen

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  12. Do you know what faires you'll be at in 2009?

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  13. I love the buttons!Totally worth the extra!

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