Jackets of Feather Flock Together

Hey, I'm really just wanting some honest opinions here, and generally, you guys are spot on! Okay, so I'm browsing the internet whilst I'm print off package shipping labels online and looking for some more feather trim. It occurred to me that PERHAPS I might purchase all of this trim, sew it onto a ton of jackets and corsets, and then not be able to sell a single one. Thus, I'm shooting this question out into the unimaginably vast internet and hoping my dear customers will be frank and honest. Do the feathers suck? I'll be the first one to admit that I like tacky things. I like the idea that there's all of this lonely orphan clothing out there and that people like me could take it in, put a snakeskin belt around it and wear it with a pencil skirt, and suddenly it would have a new home where it was welcome, loved, and awesome. Ugly florals that only eccentric old ladies would wear? Bring it on. Right at this moment, I'm wearing a shirt that is a gray background with turquoise, pink, black, white, hot pink, purple and red dots all over it. It has a shirred square neckline and it quite beautiful. I love that it looks like the fall fashion color palette vomited all over my bosom.

Where was I? OH! So, the fact it, I like things that are purposely ugly, and proud of it! THUS, I don't know if my sense of style is mainstream enough to sell corsets sometimes. And it's SOO bad with picking out fabric for my corsets. I find this fabric that looks like someone attacked a couch from the 1970's, skinned it, and took its hide and it calls my name. You know the stuff I'm talking about. It's a large leafy raised floral print in avocado green and rust orange....maybe a bit of a horrid tarnished gold color in there. I LOVE this stuff and want to wear it and roll around in it. However, the fabric I end up purchasing is the black background with red roses and vines. Wow, how invigorating.

Let me make it clear that I don't MIND the mainstream fabrics that sell at the renaissance festivals. It's just that....well, friends....you're so predictable sometimes. Black. Purple. Black and White. Black and Red. Black and Blue. Black and Silver. It's so easy. I would be thrilled beyond reason if someone came into my booth, went straight to the dulled down camel and cornflower blue paisley corset, and squealed with excitement. I strongly encourage you guys to step out of your color comfort zone. Delve into those strange secondary colors. You know which ones I'm talking about-the orphan colors that just need a good home and a loving nurturer. There's this ruffly button up blouse at JCPenney, and they've been trying to clear it out for about 5 months, and it's a shocking greenish yellowish chartreuse. They have about 40 of them sitting on this clearance rack, and they are $3.77!!!! I, of course, purchased one at full price 5 months ago the second I saw it. It's SENSATIONAL! However, women are afraid of the color for some reason. Man alive! What is the deal???? What is with the women coming into my booth at renaissance festivals and snootily declaring that "they NEVER wear orange...pink.....purple....insert color here." The worst part is that about 90% of the time, I think most of the women are full of poo. I'm not being a jerk here, I'm actually being nice! You women that I meet are so pretty and full of life and personality, and SOMEONE made you feel this way, and suddenly you limit yourself and distance yourself from something as insignificant and random as a shade on the dang color wheel!!! Just because you tried on ONE badly cut, ill-fitting orange blouse in department store 6 years ago doesn't mean that every shade of orange makes you look like feces. GET SOME COLOR BACK INTO YOUR LIFE!

Phew. I'm glad I got that out. Okay, so back to the feathers. Do you guys like them?

SALE!!!! Few words fill my heart with such joy as this! So, I redesigned my Buccaneer Corset pattern, yet, I have about 40 in stock corsets that are the old pattern. We literally do not have enough room for them at our booth at the renaissance festivals, so I decided to clear them out on etsy! We normally sell them for $135, and we're about to up the price on them for the new website to $159. However, we're selling them for only $95. Seriously, where else could you get a high quality overbust corset that ACTUALLY defines the waist and shapes you, PLUS has all these great pirate details on it?? I would suggest hopping over to etsy while the selection is still plentiful! Oh, and HELLO Pirate Costume for Halloween!!!

Adventures in Portland

I love how my legs look in this picture! I know that they're not long and lean and I'm well aware that I'll never be a Victoria's Secret model, but I really like my legs. My sister and I always theorized that we are a cross-breed of shetland ponies and coffee tables. Sturdy, squatty, and pretty.

This is me being flabbergasted at how many courtiers we sold the first day. I can never stock enough of that dang style, no matter how many I sew.

You know that people love you when they bake you dinosaur shaped muffins.

Yet Another Halloween Update

Ruffly Witch Corset and Queen of Hearts Costume

Okay, so the next time I think I can have goals and dreams, I should just shove them in the back of the closet of my mind, along with the hopes of being a gymnast (that died when I was eight and realized that I wasn't exactly...coordinated...or awesome.) and being a ballerina (that dream died when I was twelve and discovered that I weighed 150 pounds...rather than 50). This time, I wanted to somehow stock inventory for two of my biggest festivals, create a whole entire magazine from scratch that was awesome and professional, get a brand new shiny website up and running, complete with cart options and new pictures for all of my styles and designs, AND amass an army of seductive quality-filled Halloween costumes to sell on etsy. All of that was supposed to happen last month...I even had a planning meeting with my employees!!! (or rather, my brother (secretary) my husband(costume cutter and grommeteer extraordinaire) my best friend (makes bustles like no one's business) and my sister-in-law (2nd seamstress in command). We all sat down with a bag of three-musketeers and those little tortilla, cream cheese pinwheels, and we discussed AT LENGTH how we could make this Halloween NOT SUCK. *sigh*

As everyone can tell, none of my goals have been reached. I can be honest here. Sometimes, your best just isn't good enough. wah, wah.

However, I DID want you to know that the magazine is about 1/3 done, and it's soo cool. It looks like a REAL magazine, and they're going to all have "$10 off coupons" in the back. I mean, SERIOUSLY cool.

We ARE unveiling the Halloween line on etsy next Wednesday (the 8th) and even though it will start out as "custom fit to you items" we'll actually have a massive stock of them when I get back from my festival, so you can just click on them, purchase them, and I will send the one you purchased right out!

The website IS done, we just need to send a few more pictures, and then it will be published.

We DO have some profusely splendid costumes stocked for our next festivals in Oregon. Ladies, or Oregon, bring lots of money.

In the meanwhile, I need to get back to work and not stop until 10 tonight, when I crash into bed exhausted and wake up at 4 the next morning for another day of the same.