damselcorsets.com

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I wish I could make more for Halloween


Just a quick note! I know that we're sort of.....not that easy to order from around Halloween. I'm very VERY sorry for that, and I and promising that next year it will be better! It's my fault for thinking that somehow I could simotaneously do 3 huge festivals (which means a lot of freaking corsets have to be made and sold in order to pay for the traveling, hotels, booth space, gas, and all the other little millions of things!) and create inventory as well as taking custom orders. I have great and lofty dreams, and a prodigious amount of ambition (or rather....love of money.......then again, if I loved money that much, I would have become more of a sellout corporation by now, and I would be having these things manufactured in china and distributed all over. Believe me, I've had A LOT of offers and I've turned them all down instantly.) but sometimes I get ahead of myself and figure that I can sew corsets and not do anything else (like showering. I've haven't showered this morning....and all I've eaten is some brownie dough out of a tub that I purchased for $5 from my lovely little neighbor girl that was doing a fund raiser. And...holy face! it's 11:55! almost noon o-clock! Oh, I'm so ashamed. It's just that I've spent the entire morning yelling at my camera set up, trying to list awesome Queen of Hearts corsets on etsy, and finishing up my custom orders!).

So, back to the main point of this! When I was at the Portland Pirate Festival, I saw an alarming amount of the $#@%$#@ knock-off guy's bodices walking around. The best part was when a lovely girl walked in wearing one of his coats and said, "I know that you didn't make this, but I've only worn it once and the boning has poked through the fabric." And sure enough, his shoddy piece of plastic boning (he lies and says it's all metal on his ebay auctions. I think he just figures people are too stupid to know.) Anyway, being the kind and forgiving person that I am, I took her bodice and fixed it. Now, granted, I've had the occasional piece of boning slide it's way out of the casing on a corset, but in the last 2 years of making bodices (now that I've done more trouble-shooting and revising than you can possibly imagine!) I've NEVER had the boning just pierce it's way through the fabric. That only happens when the fabric is complete crap, and HOLY NIGHT! I'm not just being a B-, but that guy's china-made upholstery wannabe fabric is sooo hideous. He lines his corsets with cheap satin (You know, the kind that you would find at JoAnn around Halloween. It's "costume" satin, and it's $1.99 a yard. *shudder*) and just as I suspected, the stitching is beautiful, but the actual stuff that goes into the garment is the very lowest of low qualities! OH, friends!!!!!! Please don't buy from this man! The girl that purchased the coat didn't know that the guy had his crap cheaply made in China. He says his location is Portland, but then in the longest "save my own rear" policy I've ever seen on any auction, he says in little letters that he designs everything and has it made in China. Guys, I know I sound like a bitter person that just can't get over it, but I just wanted you to know that I saw and examined the garments, and they're worse than the pictures. I saw one girl wearing one of this corsets and it made her belly look like it was positively protruding because of the big bend in the belly area of the boning. It bent outward, forming an odd 'O' right at the waist, and made her look like she had a serious pooch. It's just so sad that people don't know how wretched this stuff is! I figure I'm doing a serious public service her.

Well, I'll stop being angry and go and eat some brownie dough for lunch, then continue sewing corsets. *sigh*
Oh, one last quick thought! If I have promised you a corset by Halloween, you'll have it by Halloween! Make sure your communicating with me and informing me if you need anything else. Thanks!!!

13 comments:

  1. I love the Queen of Hearts Corset... LOVE... Maybe it's my love for the Alice in Wonderland movies / books / stories / everything!

    You are fabulous and put a lot of love into what you do. Quality will conquer!

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  2. can i just say i love you, and your corsets/bodices. you are awesome!

    i love your stuff because it is UNIQUE, as long as i have been going to ren fairs, i have never seen any bodices that are like yours! great job

    and yes, the guy is a douche (did i say that?) i had a friend who purchased one of his items, and when she showed me, i was like "i know who makes these for real, you got a knock off" and i had to show her your site, and now they wont return it although it has not been worn.

    your stuff is amazing once again! and i love reading your blogs ;)

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  3. I think you have every right to be upset. The thing is - it's not like you're upset he's making a buck at your expense; you're upset for the poor, unsuspecting public who buy his stuff. It's awesome that you're trying to warn the masses about his crap. It shows how much you truly love what you do - and that obviously transfers to the quality of your pieces. Keep it up!

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  4. To think, I nearly got duped into buying Vonwhats-his-nuts' crap!!! Thank goodness I did some homework and got the real deal with your work...it's so gorgeous!

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  5. The reason I stopped by was this guy's ebay auctions popped up randomly, and I totally recognized the knock-off. Grrr! I used to see you gals at Faires all the time (it's been awhile) and just wanted to say, I absolutely love some of the new designs. I still wear my Vixen everywhere - keep up not only the great quality but breathtaking work!

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  6. Michelle,
    I must thank you again for helping me find a solution to finding a bodice in which I can horseback ride. I came to you this year at OKRF like I do every year, to look at your new designs and fabric(yes I am a fabric whore). The only thing that had kept me from buying one from you was that I must be able to make all the subtle but vital seat movements to keep jousting horses from killing things during shows. Being only 5' tall and at least 2" smaller in every respect than most patterns, I have had to learn to make my own. After 4 years of trying to figure out how your bodices work structurally and vain attempts at replicating the structure(never any of the hallmark design
    elements, and NEVER to sell)I broke down and asked you if there was anything you could do. It never occured to me that you would be so gracious, ask so many questions about how it is I need to move, let me "ride" the benches outside your shop for what must have been an hour, or be so accomodating with your time. But then to magically come up with the perfect bodice, you stole my heart! This bodice works perfectly every time, and still looks hot enough to wear with jeans out on the town.
    I say Lady Jousters, UNITE! Don't buy crap from some yahoo you can't even talk to! BUY from Damsel!!! It is worth every single penny my stingy little hands passed over to our hard working team at Damsel. Plus, Michelle is nice, funny, and not so hard on the eyes either!. Ok, enough of that. (but really, she rocks)

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  7. The Snow White / Queen of Hearts bodices are FABULOUS!

    Also, I just received my hooded courtier bodice in that black weave fabric...SO GORGEOUS! Thanks again for such incredible esteem (and bust) boosting!

    Can't wait to see what splendid deals appear after the ren season :D

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  8. Michelle, I love this bodice. I would love a Mad Hatter bodice maybe you with your creative bad self can think one up. Anyway. your work is fab as usual.

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  9. Someone was just asking on a forum I go to about someone on ebay that is apparently your knockoff guy (I didn't click on the auction) and someone else was able to say "OMG DON'T BUY FROM HIM" so hopefully that's one person buying a crappy knockoff averted.

    In happier news, I've got a friend at faire who's seen me wear both corsets I have from you and LOVES them and wants to get one for herself and one for her daughter. :)

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  10. I think I just unleashed a bunch of converts on you...

    http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/2525680.html?thread=396778736#t396778736

    I should say sorry or something, but your bodices are too awesome not to be shared.

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  11. I adore this bodice, and it would be so perfect for a costume I'm doing in March ... but alas, there are no more in your etsy store. :( If only I had discovered it a few weeks before!

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  12. Funny. I was just reading this. I have a friend who just bought several corsets I think from the person in question on Ebay. She also bought a noble dress with a hoop. The hoop is crap and the dress is definately cheap fabric. When she told me how much she paid for it I was a little put out because I paid over 100 bux for my hoop but when I saw the two of them being worn side by side I could tell why mine was WAY more expensive. I guess it's true that you get what pay for and sometimes things really are too good to be true.

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  13. I was going to be cheap and almost bought one of those since I was a little too big (at the time) for the one I'd purchased from you (quite awhile ago). I figured you get what you pay for though and decided not to do it. So glad I didn't buy it and decided to just lose a little weight instead. The corset I bought from you (long ago) is so lovely and fits nicely.

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