The Damsel in this Dress Blog!

Rustycon Cancellation-Stupid Snow!!!

2012-01-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

OH, friends! You can't imagine how sick to my stomach I am about this!! We were all packed up and ready to go to Rustycon in Seattle, and I was THRILLED because I was going to attend the balls and have a lovely time at the hotel, meeting Seattle customers and basking in the warm glow that geek conventions emanate.

We had heard about all of the hideous storms going on up in the Northwest, and I knew that the predictions were that Utah was going to get hit pretty hard too. I turned a blind, stubborn eye to it all and figured that by sheer will and determination, we could still make the 16 hour drive up to Seattle and I could set up my racks full of all the lovely things we've made! (You guys have no idea! I specifically made things for my Seattle fan-base, and we had HUNDREDS of new items that were simply stunning and amazing! I haven't been able to show them to anyone, because our dang photo studio has been under construction, so I was just keeping them secret until I could unveil them dramatically to a gasping and sighing gaggle of women!!)

Anyhow, the more we frantically and furtively checked the weather, the worse the conditions appeared. On our way up through Oregon, there were CHAIN RESTRICTIONS all over the place, because the roads were so bad! There was road closures all over the place, and we watched several little weather videos where there was the shivering weatherman, in his fur trimmed parka, squinting through the flurries of snow as he glumly reported record snow fall, when much to his surprise and the camera-man's delight, a car spun around in several circles in the street right behind him!!! That did it for me. I figured that if cars were doing ballet in the middle of the streets of Seattle, we had BETTER not attempt the arduous journey with our Ford Excursion and 17 foot long trailer. We don't even have 4 wheel drive! Who KNOWS how long the actual trip could take! A 16 hour trip could quickly turn into a 26 hour trip. *shudder* It's just not worth putting our lives in danger, NOT EVEN for corsets.

So, ladies, I'm truly sorry, but I DO want to remind you that we'll be RIGHT BACK in Seattle for the Faeriecon February 10-12th, and I will just save all of our amazing inventory for THAT show! Once again, if you need tickets, I will have them available and I can get you in for free! ;) (Although, I need to lovingly remind the guy to send them, so I can forward them to those of you who have already been smart enough to take me up on my offer!)

If I did a Steampunk Event

2012-01-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

So, there is a secret meeting held at one of the Libraries in Salt Lake where a covert conglomeration of individuals is planning for a Steampunk Festival in Salt Lake City. I am planning on showing up in full Damsel regalia with all of my ideas and opinions for how to do a steampunk show, but I do need to collect my thoughts first, so I'm doing it here. Here are the elements to my dream steam show!

*First off, it might help to actually TELL people about it! Come on! We live in the golden age of social network marketing! Get the show OUT there so you can get people TO YOU! I'm always enraged when I'm at a festival nicely lacing up a lady who is extolling the wonders of an upcoming steampunk of which I know not! Friends, I cannot BEGIN to illustrate unto you the countless hours I have spent searching for events that have the appropriate characteristics to encourage me to vend there. POST your events to freaking forums, blogs, livejournals, facebook, EVERYTHING!

*SWAG BAGS. Yes, I said it. This is the most awesome idea ever! People could purchase normal tickets or PREMIUM tickets which included ACTUAL good swag. Here's what you do!

Get every single vendor to put a sweet coupon, business card, or catalog into the bag (coupons for the show are the best!). Get little booklets printed that have information for local steampunk groups, ads for other steampunk events, bands, performers and even vendors that want to show their stuff, but couldn't make it to the actual show! These booklets would also have the schedule of all the splendid workshops for the show (more on that later!).
Get someone (like me) to make ruffled cravats where you could pull the ruffle out straight and it would have the show name and year printed in fancy Victorian writing on it! Everyone can wear cravats, and they would be a great stand-in for the t-shirts!
Have "ladies" and "gents" bags, and put cameos into the lady's bags and steampunk cufflinks into the gents. You can grab some people who are good with glue and purchase hundreds of cuff-links and hundreds of cameos and settings on etsy, and each of these would probably only cost $1 or less to produce. They don't need to be something big, but free jewelry is always a plus.
Encourage any vendors that are able to put in free samples of their product. Let's say you do perfumed oils-include a little sample! I know this wouldn't be possible for everyone, which is why I still insist on including really valuable coupons. It WILL get people to come into your booth!

*A DECENT Steampunk Ball. If I wanted to go to an eerily adolescent seeming event with a bunch of nerds bumping and grinding on each other to Britney Spears, I would crash one of my local school dances, top hat and all! Come on, friends, let's get someone knowledgeable in Victorian dances and have them actually TEACH us the dances! Does anyone know how to do ANY DANCES? Dancing is a purely beautiful form or entertainment, when it's done in a proper Jane Austen way......I digress. But seriously, if you want to SET YOUR DANCE APART, do something that's actually different, refined, and refreshing. The kind of men that are into steampunk are the kind that want to have ROMANTIC dances with women. I know, I've met hundreds of them. They are the most respectful, intelligent type of men on earth. You will not hear them call each other "bro". Enough said. This is why I love the type of people that are into steampunk!

*WORKSHOPS GALORE!!!! If this event was held at a hotel, it would be easier to set up these types of workshops in the conference rooms, but if you REALLY think about the kind of workshops that you would like to attend, you'll see that I'm freaking brilliant. Here's a few that I would be overjoyed to attend:

It's a classic. Nerf/steam guns. For this workshop, the people that actually want to DRESS UP the guns need to bring one. We need to have someone brilliant like the people from League of Steam to show us how to paint, distress, age, texture, and deck the guns out.
Tea Parties. I would love to learn proper tea etiquette, get a little booklet of recipes for biscuits, scones, dainty puffs, and everything snobby and tea-ish. This workshop could also encourage the throwing of your own tea parties and feature ideas on how to get tea-groups started
Steampunk Hair. It's true, I just barely met the very handsome and distinguished OWNER of a STEAMPUNK HAIR SALON right here in salt lake! I would love for a hair dresser to come in and teach mens' and womens' Victorian hairstyles, with a modernized steampunk twist. OH, here's the link for Absinthe Hair Parlor. http://www.absinthehairparlour.com
Simple Accessory workshops. I would be more than happy to teach people how to grab scissors, a needle and thread, and FIRE for making simple, but elegant accessories. There are so many little things you can do that make a BIG impact when they're put together skillfully and artistically.
Steampunk Jewelry Extravaganza! Okay, I know that everyone and their dog is making steampunk jewelry these days, but this would be a GREAT opportunity for one of the potential jewelry vendors to give the attendees tricks and tips for making good, high quality adornments. What's that, you say? You're afraid that people will NOT purchase your goods because they figure they can make it themselves. This is where you can show your supreme intelligence and integrity. You will only show them the basics, but you'll display SHOW-STOPPING pieces. I'm not talking about an old watch body with some extra gears and a twig super-glued onto it. Yes, that stuff IS easy for anyone to make. YOU would show your true talent and passion with intricate pieces that the wise customers would look at and say, "Oh my heavens! I'm not going to make THAT! I can SEE how much work and love is put into that, and I'm smart enough to know that you purchase your supplies in great bulk to get the superb prices, and since I only want to make ONE necklace, I would be a damned fool to try and pay retail for the raw materials and spend many frustrating hours making an inferior product!!" (I PROMISE, the people that attend steampunk events ARE on a higher intelligence level than other shows I've done. Even though they're very much into DIY, they are also incredibly respectful, since they actually KNOW for themselves what it takes to make such things. This is what I have found, and I'm sorry if people out there disagree.)
Phew.
Calligraphy. Have someone adept teach people with real ink-pots and quills!
Paper-making. I know it might sound dorky, but this is SUCH a neat thing to do. Be sure to have the instructor to bring many yard clippings.
OBVIOUSLY, have panels where very cool people discuss steampunk literature, tv shows, movies, music, costumes, home decor, and such.
Oh! A crash course in steampunk home decor! I would LOVE this.
Haberdashery. Have some lovely person teach the ladies how to make fascinators from strange and wonderous things.
Leather-working. Learn the basics of stretching, molding, stitching, stamping, and working with leather!

*That does it for the workshops, but how about some great little mini events like a "Mustache-Off" for the men? OH, baby.

*By the way, there are constant requests for steampunk models needed for photographers! If you really pushed your show out there for photographers, and maybe even had some little faux Victorian backdrops set up, it would be a fantastic place for photographers, models, promoters, and EVERYONE to meet and mingle.

That's about all I've got for right now. If these ideas don't actually get incorporated into some shows, I HONESTLY might think about starting up my own Steampunk Event. I know it's daunting as heck, but you had best believe I'm passionate about it, and the more steamers that I meet, the more impressed and elated I am by such human beings! Anyhow, if you ladies have anything to add, or if you think I've seriously overlooked some huge obstacles in all of my wild dreams, please let me know!

Holy Love! We got in!!!

2012-01-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Ladies! We got into this show! You can find a link over to the side if you want more information! Plus, if any of you are interested, the coordinators have told me that I will have 30 free tickets! If you honestly think you'll be able to make it, I would LOVE to give you a ticket, seeing as I don't personally know as many people in Seattle.

If you are interested in getting a free ticket, please email me at seamstress@damseldress.com, and I send you a ticket and maybe a little stack of business cards and goodies.

The Gourmet Breadstick of Anger

2011-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to tell you guys about my favorite story of the year! Any of you who know me well or have even met me for 10 minutes while I bellow out lightweight mormon expletives and lace you into a corset will KNOW that I am emotional about my corsets. I turn into a forlorn fritter of a woman when anyone says the slightest negative statement to me about my cherished corset children. Now, I HAVE been endeavoring to discipline myself and my unruly tongue when customers come into my booth at renaissance festivals. After all, these ARE the dames who make my financial existence palpable. Just because a small gaggle of patrons haven't been tutored in the art of tact DOES NOT mean that I can run them out of my booth with the rolling pin of indignity when they peer at my price tags and wrinkle up their faces like ignorant prunes while spewing forth the injustice of non-Wal-Mart prices.

I totally get it. There is a huge disconnect between buyers, sellers, and manufacturers that DIDN'T use to exist. I, too, reluctantly admit to blindly purchasing cheaply composed goods that support heinous business practices, weak mindsets, and loose morals. When I'm laying down $69+ for a pair of glitter encrusted, metal studded, pre-beaten jeans, I might deprecate the overall quality and lament the fact that no one manufactures "muffin" banishing trousers, BUT no one at Express is going to run into the back room sobbing when they hear these disgruntled denim damnations. The woman who put the jeans together is thousands of miles away living in a cardboard box, for all I know. I don't know who she is, what motivates her, what her passions are.....it's a rare thing to actually have a connection to the maker.

I think this is why women will come into my booth and utter things that they would NEVER DREAM of saying if they knew that the girl who put her heart and soul into the wares is standing right before them. However, this was the rampant behavior of an unseemly amount of women at one of the festivals I vended at this year. I undertook to suppress my violent inner monologues as little handfuls of women would recklessly fondle my corsets and then loudly whisper to each other that "the ones at the other booth were cheaper!". Now, just a side note, the "other" corsets are ones that are manufactured in China with the cheapest metal boning and satin possible and there is a website that sells these same corsets for about $46 to the public and $30 if you buy them in bulk. The booth that was selling them had purchased hundreds of them and then marked them up to $150. I know all of this because....well, there are loose tongues and bitter women in the renaissance festival circuit.

Friends, I DO want you to remember that I admire and applaud women with opinions, and if a lady chooses to buy a cheaper corset because she likes it and it's what she can afford, I actually DO NOT MIND! We live in a wonderful free country with numerous buying options and lots of different business minds, and just because I make my own wares doesn't make me better than this other company. (Well, actually it freaking does, but I'm trying to be fair and balanced. ) This GREAT fallacy here is that manners, politeness, and social graces are going the way of the blue-footed booby! (you know...the endangered species bird?) It's just plain tacky to blatantly demean handmade items when the maker is within earshot. Now, the second you are out of my view, you can call me all of the profanities you want, insult my womanhood, and vociferate violent vilifications against me!

Which brings me to the gourmet flax seed & parmesan breadstick incident. A lovely curvy lady had entered my booth and politely inquired as to whether she might be able to don one of my corsets. I graciously found her size, told her how much I liked her thick wavy hair, and started lacing her into the bodice. When she was squeezed tight, I showed her the full length mirror and saw her literally light up, because generally women with her shape are at the mercy of mindless block-shaped sheaths. I LOVE curvy women in my booth, and I YEARN to make them feel sensual and proud of their forms! As the woman stood admiring, in walked the demon...oh....uh...I mean, the uh......trying to think of a nicer word.....never mind. Demon!

This woman was her sister-in-law, and she took one look at that happy visage in the mirror and exclaimed, "I DON'T LIKE IT. It's like...weird. It doesn't look good on you. The other ones were cheaper. I just really don't like these ones." I was so startled at the unrefined and coarse words that I said, "Hey...um....I actually thought she looked sensational in this. I might be biased, because I'm the one who designed and sewed all of these and I've put my whole heart and soul into them, but I sort of thought they were awesome....." She looked quickly embarassed and disgruntled and started stumbling around words, gingerly fingering the nearest corset and saying "Oh...they're neat." in the most insipid tones possible.

It's good to remember that I had had a LONG day, and I was perhaps slightly lacking in compassion at the time. Either way, I replied, "No! Apparently they're NOT neat and they don't look good" at which point I took one of my gourmet parmesan flax seed breadsticks out of their little pretentious plastic ribbon-adorned bag AND CHUCKED IT AT HER HEAD! She started laughing, because I do admit that I sounded sarcastic when I growled this sentence, but when she saw my stern eyebrows, her smile vanished and she started trying to dislodge the breadstick from her unruly hair. She yelled, "Come on! We're going!" to her poor teenage daughter that had been lurking behind the racks, and they shuffled out in a cloud of digust.

Did I behave properly? Hell no! It was completely immature, overly emotional, and irrational, BUT I would imagine that the next time she attends a craft show, she might stop and reflect upon this unfortunate spectacle in which she wounded an artist's ego and mortified herself AND her sweet sister in law. I definitely regret overreacting, but I think that the true abomination was the unfortunate loss of a quality morsel of bread.

MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY! PRICES SO LOW, WE CAN'T EVEN SAY THEM ON THE RADIO!

2011-11-28T09:20:00.001-08:00

Uh...Cyber Monday? Okay, so you ladies have SERIOUSLY done your part to help me clean out inventory, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. So many of these were corsets that I've carried to EVERY festival and convention this year, and hauled them all over the country, BUT for whatever reason, they still haven't sold (probably because they aren't solid black...which is all I sell.) I DID want to give SCREAMING good deals to everyone, because I know that if people can just get STARTED into good corsets, they'll be converted. Lots of women who have not felt like they could afford them FINALLY can, and then they can join the ranks of us who have a secret weapon for fat bloated days!

There's still a few things listed in our artfire shop that I just reduced, so for anyone who missed out on Friday, I still want to help you out. We ACTUALLY will be listing a small pile of things today, since we found a few more random OOAK corsets that didn't get listed for whatever reason. They'll stay on the cheap sale until they find new homes.

Once again, thank you to all of you. I deeply appreciate your support, ever-kind words and emails, and the fact that you wear these things out into the world and spearhead my advertisting campaign. That's so outrageous that my customers would be awesome enough to do that for me, and I know you guys have been the ones who have helped us survive bad economy, expensive car troubles, strange injuries because of corsets, and a host of other calamities! Yay for corset goddesses!

Black Friday-Official Ad!

2011-11-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

It's good to note that we have NEW blouses, bloomers, and corsets that we'll be listing this week as well, and all of them will go onto our artfire store for the Black Friday sale. Just be sure to get there early. It's also good to point out that there is no way to "discount" everything automatically, so I will START LOWERING prices on everything at about 4 in the morning, my time.

Good luck, and remember, we don't make ANY money at this low of prices. This is just simply a way that I must clear out my stock and get rid of odds and ends pieces so that my inventory for next year's shows can be how I want it! ;)

New Magazine!!!!

2011-10-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Featured in our New Magazine
*An interview with the reigning Fairy Artist, Amy Brown!
*Stunning Never-Before-Seen Photoshoots
*New corset styles
*Comes with a US $15.00 off coupon
*Contest Winners for "What My Corset Means to Me"

These magazines are a SERIOUS labor of love, and at first I thought that I might actually get paid for the hours of preparation, stress and brain-numbing aspirations. In the end I decided that it COULDN'T be about making money, it had to be about keeping customers loyal and giving them a solid, palpable piece of the company that they could hold in their hands and show their friends. I don't care what people say, but browsing the internet will NEVER be able to take the place of the absolute beauty and joy of a catalog! I love being able to look at things side by side, and I loathe trying to hunt for things on the internet, Paper books will never let you down like that! ;)

Anyhow, these are only $3.50! I'm hoping to cover my publication costs, but all of the money spent on graphics, models, photoshoots, costumes, and accessories all came out of my own pocket. I do it because Iove you guys!

Michelle

Wizard of Oz

2011-09-30T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the last official Day of our 13 Days of Halloween Celebration....I'm pretty darn sure that it ended up being more than 13 days, AND more than 13 costumes.

Today, we have custom fit sets from the Wizard of Oz! These will also be available as ready-to-ship pieces in a lot of sizes after October 10th. I just HAVE to get our next festival over with before I start spending all of my time producing items for our online stores.

Yes! Best Fabric ever!!!

Before I close, I just want to IMPLORE you to take a moment and think differently about yourself. I work with women every single day of my life that are so beaten down about their bodies that they don't even want to TRY to feel good. One of the main reasons I got into this business is because I felt like I could slowly start to change the female default mindset, one depressed customer at a time. You guys should see all of them women I meet and all of the emails I get where women say things like, "I'm fat, so you're going to have to make me something huge." or MUCH worse things than that. With every breath, they put themselves down and their insecurities practically blast out of them. I get it......I do. I say foolhardy deplorable things about myself, and then I'll hear my lean little 6 year old daughter ask me if she has a flat tummy today. AAAAAhhhh. I HAVE to work on changing myself, and I MUST help other women change their hearts and minds.

If you haven't purchased a corset from me, I just want you to know that it's not NEEDFUL to buy something just to make yourself feel better, BUT corsets ARE empowering. There has only been a tiny handful of women that were soooo beyond help that they would put one on and STILL NOT feel pretty, but I would say that 99% of you can lace yourself into one of these things and your whole countenance will change. You strand straight and tall (because you have no choice there!) and you become unstoppable. When I'm at festivals, I have ladies come into the booth as the worst version of themselves and emerge as a fiery phoenix super-charged version!

If you're still thinking of purchasing some drab little polyester nightmare for Halloween, PLEASE, I beg of you, don't walk further down that road of self-loathing. You are worth more than that, and I want to see you shine. For the SAME price as one of those hideous things, you can grab a simple corset from us, and then go to a thrift store and pick out CRAZY things to go with it, and you'll look and feel so sensational that you'll stop people dead in their tracks.

I've taken about 8 YEARS to change my brain. Corsets have helped encourage me to be proud of my womanly shape, lose 50 pounds (ooh...actually maybe 60. Originally, I weighed 210, and I'm 5'5") build my company to be bigger and better, reach out to other women, and diversify my skills, my ideas, my empathy, my everything! I can't be intimidated, shut down, or put down while I'm wearing a corset! We have had the most HIDEOUS disasters and misfortunes with our company this year, but every time I go back to a festival and put on my entire costume, it acts as a shield, and I DARE anyone to defy me!

I really want to help you ladies out, so PLEASE give me that opportunity. I feel this is my life's work, and I WILL get through to you eventually. ;)

Maleficent

2011-09-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

It took us over an hour to get the lighting right on these photos, but here is my version of Maleficent. I wanted her to have this great party girl vibe, and I tried my hardest to make a skirt reminiscent of the bad prom dresses from the late 80's, early 90's. I wanted the "bow" in front to be bigger....but it still worked out.

The sleeves are fantastically cute, but I've GOT to figure out how to make them more comfy before I sell them. I think I've already got it figured out, though.

I believe STRONGLY in pieces that stray away from the "cartoony" look. Obviously, I like loud, over-the-top types of costumes, but they have to maintain a level of elegance that makes it so you can wear it as a 17-year old or a 65-year..uh..young.

And Alice

2011-09-27T03:58:00.001-07:00

If you ever want to see me throw the biggest tantrum you've ever seen, just DARE to ask me if this skirt will make your hips look big because "You already have huge hips."! ARRRGGGGGGhhh! I get the same thing with the bustle skirts. Will this make my butt look big? I already have junk in the trunk. SERIOUSLY?????????? Just stop for two seconds, and cogitate over your questions.

The whole dang POINT is to exaggerate a severe and impressive hourglass frame. I bet your ancestors would roll over in their graves if they heard you uttering such nonsense! OF COURSE you want your hips to look huge and round. It will make your WAIST look so STUPIDLY SMALL that people will wonder if you removed your spleen and pancreas! Yes, the bustle skirts will make your backside an impressive and delicious array of swagged, sculpted iridescent fabric. The men will love it (at least the ones that don't suck. I can't imagine a jock type drooling over this...) and other women will hate you for how completely sultry you look. I personally have about 5 of these exact skirts, and I wear them to festivals all the time. Women will come up to me and say "Oooh, you're waist looks so tiny!" and then, in the same breath, "But I could never wear that skirt. I've already got too much junk in the trunk." That, RIGHT THERE, is a contradiction, madam. You too, can have this waist (Hell, do you think I ACTUALLY look like this??? What a beautiful dream.) and you should be putting MORE items of no considerable mention into your "trunk".

Day...I'm not sure what day we're on...Halloween Celebration Thing...ish.

2011-09-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, villains! These are my favorite! A license to yell at people? Yes, please. I always love going to visit the queen of hearts at California Disney, because she's not all sugary sweet to my kids. She's stern and sarcastic-even though she doesn't talk...she does it all with body language. Genius!

Our Queen of Hearts corset this year doubles beautifully as a Harley Quinn piece (from Batman....she's a terrifying character, and the fact that I keep getting requests for this corset slightly worries me....I mean, there is "queen of hearts" evil, and then there is THAT kind of evil.....eeeek!)

Realistically, for Harley Quinn, you should find two pairs of REALLY high boots, one red, and one black, and then wear one from each set. Hair in pigtails is a must.

Sorry, I totally lost track of what day we are on, but I SHOULD say that my Halloween Celebration will end this Friday, so basically I will shop putting out brand new costumes with photoshoots and videos, and I will instead be making more READY MADE pieces that can be shipped out immediately in all of the sizes. This has been far too big of an undertaking, and I didn't understand what I was getting myself into, nor do I understand how to get out of it. Anyhow, we have one more festival to do before Halloween ( www.lvrenfair.com) and then for the rest of October, I'll be making fantastic pieces for artfire and etsy, so if you're a procrastinator, you can pick up something splendid and I will ship it out the next day!

OH, Snap! Steampunk Princesses Part 2!

2011-09-23T05:48:00.001-07:00

Remember, we didn't want to take this rigid and unimaginative take on the Princesses, because I feel like if I had done everything completely literal, it wouldn't leave any room in there for my view point. However, I have seen many pieces of artwork that did steampunk style princess characters, and it was just simply the girl's head pasted onto a punked costume. The colors, the sweetness, and the memories weren't there at all. I LOVE the bold, bright colors in every princess costume, so I searched for a year to source fabric that I thought would work, and even then, we have VERY limited pieces of this fabric.

For the little Mermaid, I was absolutely NOT going to put together a seashell bra. However, I was looking up tips for pinup photography for one of our shoots, and I saw the 50's style swimsuits, with all the gathering at the bustline, and a light clicked on! The pleats mimic a seashell without being cheesy, and these are such gorgeous and face-flattering tops that they could work in places OUTSIDE of a mermaid costume. Bam! Now, my biggest complaint about mermaid costumes in general is that the tails on cheap costume store sets are always just these straight skirts made of tacky scaly looking sequined polyester with a bit of gathered tulle at the bottom. I originally tried making a corset with a big tail that came out of the back (more like my monster tails) but I still felt like it didn't get the point across quite right.

The green tail corset here not only has some GREAT curves and lines of interest, but we discovered that it would ALSO make a great costume for Tinkerbell or Princess Tiana! For the underskirt, I just wanted it to have an ocean feel, like she was gliding along the top of the ocean, so I just made a skirt that flared out to a longer ruffle around the bottom with the slightest train in the back.

Yay for this punchy blue! I was so thrilled when I found it! All you have to do for Cinderella is get the color and the puffed sleeves, and as far as I'm concerned, you've got it in the bag! I DID at this belt that has two fully functioning pockets sewn onto garter straps that can hike up the skirt. It's a separate piece, so it can be put into other costumes. The arm pieces I made for Marilee (the model) were measured by my...uh...more stout arms, and so they're a little loose on her, but if you get the fit right, these look sensational!

I hope that I've inspired you guys to 1. (let's be frank here) Buy the dang costumes. and 2. (more importantly) take these costumes and accessorize the daylights out of them. I love it when people purchase my corsets and then TOTALLY make them their own with jewelry they've made, big crazy hairpieces, funky hooker shoes....anything that speaks to YOU as a person. I just provide the launching pad, and I want you ladies to be the ones that take flight.

Disney Princesses-Part 1

2011-09-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

I loved this set of models, because they have such ENERGY! I'm pretty dang sure that if I tried to leap into the air, I wouldn't look nearly this cute! Anyhow, this is our first set of Steampunk Princesses, and they are all available in our artfire store in "custom-fit-to-you" options. When Halloween gets closer, we'll be listing tons of Ready to Ship ones for instant gratification!

These gals will also be included in our next magazine, which actually should have been printed already, except for the fact that transferring THAT much money (I may have printed...a small smattering of copies this time.....) apparently takes a while, thus they are still in the "almost going to possibly perhaps kind of be printed maybe" stage.

If any of you are wondering about the spats, the answer is "no"....at least until I have enough time to actually figure them out, which will most likely be never.

Wonder Woman (Please don't sue me, DC Comics)

2011-09-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, the 13 Days of Halloween might be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. *sigh* To purchase this sensational costume, as well as all of my other amazing feats, go to our artfire kiosk above!

Pink Flamingo Video

2011-09-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

Hey, to anyone in my family-we're not being mean to Drew! I promise!

Birds of a Feather-Sorry this is LATE!

2011-09-20T16:43:00.001-07:00

MAN, it's killing me to do a photoshoot, video, and pile of costumes each day, plus trying to keep up with my custom orders. I might be an idiot. It's true. Anyhoo, here is me.....

and a graceful swan.

and an adorable hoot owl.

America's Littlest Reddest Ridingest Hood

2011-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of our "13 Days of Halloween" Celebration!! Today is our reworked, revamped, and recharged Red Riding Hood Sets! The BIGGEST improvement is that these hooded capelets can be worn with ANY of our corsets, whereas the single hooded pieces from years past only had specific styles of corsets that they could be tied to. I still didn't want it to be a huge cloak piece, so I did a mini, circle-cut capelet. There are grommets on either end, so you could just tie it around your neck like a classic cloak and wear it with any of our underbust corsets, OR you can tie the actual piece to any of our corsets that have shoulder straps, like we've done here. I'm always thinking about making things more versatile for my customers, so that they can take every opportunity to wear these costume pieces.

Today and tomorrow (Sept. 16th & 17th) we're selling a complete base set for only $199! This includes the corset, the capelet, the "slain wolf" scarf, and the mini stagecoach skirt. I suggest finding some amazing tights to go with it. We paired this with the leopard print to give it a rock star edge and a bit of quirkiness, and the texture and look is just stunning in the end, like Natalie herself!

And please, for the love of everything good and decent, buy a pair of high-heeled hiking boots to go with this outfit! It makes SUCH a statement of power and intimidation!

My friend, Natalie, and I decided that we could REALLY show off the new batch of Red Riding Hood Corsets by doing a reality tv show. The irony is that I wouldn't bat an eye if I saw a commercial for an actual competition that was this idiotic. Our only regret is that we didn't to have some "America's Next Top Model" style drama where she ate my granola bar and I yelled the F-word at her......or not. Ours is better.

OH my heck, I forgot the behind the scenes pictures!

2011-09-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

I know most people don't like awkward pictures of themselves, but this is one of my favorites I've ever taken. Oh, and that's Drew on the camera...sorry that I showed the world your backside, Drew....maybe some ladies will enjoy it.

13 Days of Halloween, Day 1-"The Monster Mash"

2011-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of our "13 Days of Halloween SPOOKtacular Celebration!" (sorry, I HAD to throw spook in there. I know. I am ashamed.) First up is some fantastic monster costumes inspired by "Where the Wild Things Are". I purposely chose sort of muted colors that had the look and feel of the book, and I REALLY love how they turned out. And I mean, a TAIL on a corset? How bad-A is that???? These will be listed on artfire today www.damselinthisdress.artfire.com AND for today through September 16th, it's only $159 for the costume (skirt, corset, awesome monster hat)!! That is the introductory price, and after that, it will go up to $179.

We're coming out with batches of NEW costumes every day, BUT the catch is that I'm not going to tell you what they are, but there will always be a cheaper, introductory price on them. We'll also be running some promotions for the next 13 days, so stay tuned, pay attention, and buy awesome costumes that will knock everyone's socks off!

The 13 Days of Halloween

2011-08-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

In this picture, I was singing along to "I Can't Stop Partying" by Weezer.

I'm not even sure what the freak I'm doing making corsets. It turns out I should have been a professional pumpkin hat maker. I mean, the great thing is that there are so many colleges that have great programs for that field of work.

Okay, ladies! BIG NEWS! For the last half of September, we will be celebrating the "13 Days of Halloween" ( I discussed this with my customers on facebook, as it had originally started out as the 12 Days of Halloween complete with a "zombie in a bare tree". We decided to that lengthening it to the classic unlucky number was perfect.

Now, normally I would start this event right this second, because between you and me, I need those dang online sales to keep my family alive. Every time I announce a promotion, people wait until it's actually going, and my sales go stale. I totally get it, and I will try to be as vague as possible about HOW we're going to promote this celebration, just so everyone doesn't get TOO excited. It could be that I just hop on facebook and tell you ladies about a pair of tights that I think is awesome for Witch costumes. It COULD be that I'll list batches of the most spectacular, life-altering costumes you've ever beheld. It could be that I create a team of zombies and make them do my modeling for me (By the way, ONCE AGAIN, I'm truly sorry for how much you guys have to see my face. I DO live next to a former Disney World Princess, and I should have her over at my dang house every day modeling, because she's stunning. It's just so easy to pull off my muggle clothes and put on a corset.....)

Anyway, it will be awesome, especially if I can manage to NOT completely have a heart attack whilst preparing for our renaissance festival in Las Vegas. Ah, the Autumnal season is here! Those bags and wrinkles under my eyes are going to devour my face with their unsightly maws.

OH, by the way, if you're bad-A enough to be a pumpkin, I WILL be listing these pumpkin sets as one of the promotion days. There! I told you part of my plans!

Reno!!!!

2011-08-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends, we just signed up for the 69th World Science Fiction Convention!! If you live anywhere near Reno, you might want to come to our magnificent booth packed with corsetry!!!!!

http://www.renovationsf.org/index.php

What Does Your Corset Mean to You?

2011-07-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ladies!!! I'm getting the last few articles together for our next magazine, and if you want to be featured in it, you have a chance at a spot!!! Woohoo!!! All you have to do is send me a really fabulous picture of YOU in your Damsel in this Dress corset and write a really fantastic article on why corsets are awesome! If you have insightful, deep spiritual experiences whilst wearing a corset, bring it on! If wearing your corset saved your life when you got in a car wreck, I want to hear about it! (that one is actually true, believe it or not.) I DEFINITELY want a picture, and I'm looking for creative, honest writing. Oh, and one more thing.......

*THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST WILL RECEIVE $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO MY WEBSITE!!!

So, not ONLY do you get to be made famous by being put into our magazine, which is handed out to thousands of fans, BUT you also get free corsetry. Can't beat that. Here are the rules.

*All entries must be received by July 31, 2011 (I realize that this is QUICK, but I've got to get this magazine out!)

*All entries must be sent to seamstress@damseldress.com along with your photo, preferably in JPEG form, in a larger size format so we can get it clear, and not pixilated.

*You are agreeing to give me the rights to your story and your picture. If you're the kind of loser that wants to sue me over this later, then I'm not going to pick you ANYWAY, so THERE! I HATE legal language. I'm saying it straight here.

*A picture is required. Sorry, that that's the rule.

*No profanity or explicit sharing of your sexual lives. Keep that stuff to yourselves, ladies. Remember, it's a MAN that is my secretary!

*The reward you receive obviously can't be credited toward past purchases, and it can't be combined with any other offer. It's a hundred freaking dollars, gals. Just be grateful.

I think that's all. Now, I DO want you to remember that OUR INBOX WILL BE CROWDED over the next couple of days, so please have patience. If you could mark your emails as "contest entry" that would be lovely....that way we can tell what's what! Thanks, ladies, and HAPPY ENTERING!!!!

Love,

Michelle

WAIT! Truce!

2011-07-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Phew! I LOVE passionate women, and it looks like I have scores of them as my customers. Nice. It just proves that crazy people attract crazy people. So, it occurred to me that maybe I came off a little biased, considering some of the comments on my last blog, so I wanted to clarify a few things.

*I actually don't mind photo-shopped images. *gasp!* There, I said it. What I DO mind is the fact that we're only shown one body type in the media. I would be thrilled to see just a nice average size 10, even if they had painted out her zits. I think everyone thinks in extremes when this issue comes up, and everyone wants more "Plus Size" and "Curvy Girls". What about even just the ones in between? There's a crazy amount of stunning women out there in all shapes and sizes. Perhaps I should just grab ALL of my customers, and we'll storm Vogue and force them to photograph us in all of our glory whilst we wave donuts in front of them!!!

*I don't hate and loathe "skinny" girls. Well..I might be jealous of the ones that can throw down a chinese buffet, get ice cream afterward, and still gulp down soda. (That would be one of my best buds from high school, and I just described an actual girls' night out that we had.) and I don't mind them being in magazines....heck, they're in MY magazine. Like I said, I just would appreciate a good variety.

*Ohhhhh, smack down. Yes, some of you have actually come into my booth at renaissance festivals and called me out on the "variety" of women I have in my current magazine. EEek! Sorry. You should see what's happened when I've tried to ask different sizes of women to model for me. Honestly? I'm usually met with a bit of hostility. They either think that I'm being sarcastic OR they don't want to be a "plus size model". Yikes. I call things like I see them, occasionally to my detriment....but if you guys beheld how many women instantly freeze up and start spewing protestations when I tell them that they're quite pretty. For instance, at my festival this last weekend, I saw this woman that I sincerely thought was one of the most gorgeous creatures I've ever seen. With my eyes bugging, I went and took her hand, shook it, and said, "You're so pretty, you ought to be beaten." She pulled a face, denied my compliment in a mumbled something as she walked out of the booth. Okay.....so I guess I shouldn't have told her the "being beaten" part, but what about what happened LAST time I just said it simply??? I saw a 50 year old woman that reminded me of my mom, and while we were talking, I interrupted her sentence and said, "You should just know that you are absolutely lovely." She exclaimed, "Oh, I'm just an old fat lady!" and then...well...things were sort of awkward.

*Holy Love! Speaking of my Mom! She denies every single nice thing I say to her about her looks! What has gotten into us women???? I think we might be feeding the beast that we all complain about. Oh, that's a bad feeling.

*So, have I clarified enough here? I like everyone. Everyone is pretty. We should all be happy all the time. ;)

P.S. I like the angry posts, even if they're directed at me. They always give me something to dwell on as I sew.

A Day at the Gym with Michelle!

2011-07-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

*Click on the Picture to see the whole..uh...Picture.*

Well, I just got back from the gym. Yes. I did. Back from the gym. I think maybe the little "doo-dad" in my body that triggers the release of endorphins is busted. (Oh! Side note! I just looked up the work "endorphin" to make sure I spelled it right, and this is what it told me they were!-endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters.

Wouldn't it be AMAZING to talk like that?)

Anyhow, I really don't get this amazing "high" after I work out. I always come home from the gym feeling worse that I could have possibly conceived imaginable! I believe there are a few shadowy culprits behind my misfiring, malfunctioning endorphins. Number one, I ALWAYS end up working out right next to a girl like the one above. The city where I live must be the "Land of the Free, Home of the Implants" because there is an alarming number of surgically altered in dames in my vicinity. Now, before some of my customers start sending me angry letters, I want to make it clear that your body is yours, and my body is mine, and my only really firm belief is that we should take care of our bodies and learn to love them, and whatever actions you take to reach that level are your own. Yet, here is a little piercing snapshot into my insecure subconscious. This is a sample dialog from my brain.

Angry nagging voice: "Michelle, look at that woman. THAT is the kind of woman you want to be. No body fat, completely flat stomach, long lean legs, big breasts, busting your rear at the gym like a maniac! Why don't you look that way?

Me:" Well....uh....I don't have the build to look that way. I'm built like a coffee table with a long body and short legs. I thought I looked sort of okay today.

Angry nagging voice: You look OKAY today? You look like hell! Look at those love handles! You could hang a beach bag off of the side of them! Why don't you look like THAT LADY? SHE doesn't have love handles.

Me: Well....uh...that lady must only eat celery. (remember, the voice that I use answer the ANGRY NAG is sort of like the voice I use to talk to angry customers: timid and trodden down with a hint of guilt and lack of self confidence.)

Angry Nagging Voice: "Then Why don't YOU eat celery? You'd be A LOT happier if you were thinner. Thousands of other women have beautiful thin bodies. If they can do it, why can't you?

Me: *faltering* "I...just....like brownies so much" *This voice comes out in a breathy, defeated rush of sound.*

Angry Nagging Voice: "You're pathetic."

Me: "I know."

The funny thing is that NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY, I will never look like that woman unless I spend a lot more time at the gym, wear 5 inch heels every day, and get breast implants. I'm not even comparing myself to something that is achievable with hard work and sacrifice. I'm comparing myself to a woman that is an enhanced version of the human form. OH my heck, I'm going to get soooo many angry letters over this one. Oh, well, I'm voicing my opinion anyway! YOU ladies with surgically altered bodies get to look smoking hot every day, so don't step on me and make me feel worse than you already do. Your power over me is supreme, so just wallow in it. Yes, I'm insanely jealous. You got what you wanted.

Anyway, so at the gym, there's always the super hot girl working out in less clothing than I wear in the shower, and I'm sitting there looking like a swamp monster. That's another thing! Why do pretty girls NEVER sweat???? I know they're working out hard, or else how did they get those bodies?? However, there is no telltale sweat droplets in sight! What the devil???

I guess that's why I like corsets so much. It's still an "enhanced" version, but it REALLY is all ME. When I'm in a corset, I don't sit and compare myself to other women, which is OBVIOUSLY what I do every time I go out into public. I HATE the comparing and contrasting. I don't know why I do it. I should compare myself against a good version of myself. So, for instance, I could have a really attractive picture of myself hanging somewhere, and when I feel and look like poo, I could gaze upon the image and think, "I want to look like that." And then I would do it. And then I would feel good about it. It would be something that is personal, possible, and achievable. Heck, if all it takes is 15 more minutes of doing my hair and makeup, and throwing on a few more necklaces to look like the pretty version of me, then I'll DO IT! If all it takes is lacing on a corset, why not?

I think I'm going to start wearing corsets to the gym.

Hate Mail

2011-06-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

The picture above is a rare one for my company blog. It not only shows me IN MUGGLE CLOTHING, but it also shows a member of my family. Generally, I try to keep my kids nowhere near the business, publicly, because I KNOW that if I mention my kids and being a stay at home mom, people are going to think that their orders are less important than my kids. As a result, they would hesitate to order from me, because on a subconscious level, they're thinking that my kids come first, their orders second.

*sigh* Sadly, they are wrong there. Their ORDERS DO come first most of the time. They come before me playing with my kids. They come before me cooking healthy meals. They come before me washing my hair or getting dressed for the day. They come before me working out at the gym. I never imagined how much of my whole soul I would have to sacrifice into this business just to be successful. Everyone has to make money, right? Money makes the world go around. I couldn't have a place to live or food to eat or ANYTHING without the income. I'm grateful for the job, but I don't know how to disconnect it from my whole being. I'm so emotional about the whole entire company, and so passionate about every piece of it, that when something goes wrong, my insides just crumble. When people have a problem with their orders, they have a problem with ME as a person and my dreams and hopes and fears and insecurities. Thankfully, since my whole entire company works their bums off day in and day out, most orders go smoothly. However, I would say there is about 10% that we just SUCK at.

I generally can grudgingly appreciate failure, because it teaches me what to NOT do the next time. The strange thing with selling corsets, is that each order is as different as the customers themselves! Or rather, every woman is a completely unique entity with her own passions and pains, and so the situations with their orders will be just as vastly peculiar to her. This means that when I figure out how to correct one mistake, and I breathe a sigh of relief, the NEXT issue will be a completely different animal. I'll have one order where I just did not communicate on the same level as the customer, and so the end result will absolutely manifest that fact. I'll have another order where I think I was right, the customer thought they were right, and we were BOTH wrong. There's orders where crucial bits of information are missed, and there was no way for me to even KNOW that something was wrong.
These are all the orders that take tons of emails, lots of stress, tons of pattern changes and tweaks, and a tremendous excess of production time. After all of that work, I still fail my customers! I will literally go to bed at night freaking out about these orders and wake up the next morning worrying and obcessing. I spend crazy amounts of mental energy and physical excursion, and then still end up with customers that are unhappy (rightfully so.....).

I know.....just "take some time for myself" and "don't stress." Sorry, but when your clients are the ones that make it so you can pay your mortgage, you had better dang well put some of yourself into their requests! I've also heard sentiments similar to "That woman is a hag, you don't have to work with her." I completely disagree. From my standpoint, these customers are just people who have faith in me and my company, and believe that I have the power to make their corset dreams come true (Ooooh, corset dreams....). Because the customers don't spend every day of their lives producing these, and they have no idea how the actual production works, and so the requests and pattern changes that they are making seem very simple and reasonable.

I'm always so grateful for their faith in me, and I mistakenly take on these big projects, and I'm also too much of a weenie to CHARGE what that kind of customized work is ACTUALLY worth. These are all mistakes made by me, someone who leads with my heart, and not with my brain. The emotions take me everywhere, good or bad, and while it means that I do a lot of things really well, it also means that I do a lot of things absolutely horridly. When I fail customers, I always get this big hard knot in my stomach that feels like a honey badger gnawing on my spleen.

I suppose this whole narrative is coming about because I've received an uncommon amount of hate mail in the last week, and I DO want to make a public apology. This is a very hard job, BUT there is NEVER an excuse for making one of my customers feel frustrated, taken advantage of, ripped off, or just plain disappointed. We've had a very VERY hard year this year, with such huge business expenses coming up that even after doing 5 big successful festivals, the business sucked away all of my earnings. I guess I just haven't been at the top of my game, and I'm pleading with all of you to give me another chance and make sure you clearly communicate your needs so that I can better serve you.

Thanks!!!, Michelle

Adopt a Pirate Program

2011-06-23T10:12:00.001-07:00

This is me giving Milton some love.

I can't remember the names of these guys....I believe we had "Benford" at the end, and I know that Milton is the one with the pink face.

Sooo, this last weekend was a GREAT adventure! We did our first weekend at the NorCal Pirate Festival, and it was a blast and a half! I was feeling really stressed before we left, and instead of sewing corsets, like I should have been, I made up a large batch of these guys. Sometimes corsets get so monotonous and I'm so emotional about them that I HAVE to take some kind of break. Luckily, my sister and I spent our entire childhoods making our own stuffed animals and cartoons, and so these guys came naturally. I didn't even make a pattern. I just started cutting out squares and furiously sewing.

We hung these guys up on the edge of our booth and gave them really dorky names, and people LOVED them! I know, I know, everyone in Oklahoma is going to yell at me, because I told at least 20 people that I would never make these to sell. Well......I did. If I do them in large batches and listen to angry girl rock, I can sort of pump them out....though they still take longer than the corsets. ;)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who adopted a pirate OR a corset this last weekend. You guys really make this job fun, which makes up for the times that it destroys my will to live.

Pirate Festival Part 2

2011-06-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Pirate Festival Part 2: "Ashley Williams was out in Vallejo checking out all the sites at the Pirate Festival."

The Fabric Won in the End

2011-06-09T01:44:00.001-07:00

Well, well...Here I am at 4 in the morning typing a blog instead of groggily dragging my truck and trailer through the outskirts of Wichita, KS. I SHOULD be currently making my way to my glorious home base in Utah so that I can procure the luxury of sewing madly for 4 days before I pack right back up and make the 15 hour drive to Vallejo, California. You see, here's what happened........

I started out this week wanting fabric. I wanted more fabric almost as much as I want chocolate cake on a nightly basis (It hits 9 pm, and the moist, crumbly seduction occurs.). However, I declined, as I must with the majority of the cake incidents. "Cake, thank you, but NO thank you. We need to keep this professional." With the fabric, I told myself that we FINALLY made a decent profit from our last renaissance festival, and it would be foolhardy to go and spent the money I just barely made. We've had a hard year, financially, and it's NOT because of lack of business. My customers are generous, profuse, and loyal. It's just that when you have to upgrade to a newer, bigger trailer, figure out that your pathetic van won't pull it, and then upgrade to a more powerful vehicle...the money doesn't adhere to the bank account properly.

So, I still wanted the fabric. This whole week, I've been obcessed. "Should I get it? Maybe not. Maybe So. I wouldn't regret buying more. The customers need more fabric options on the website. People keep asking me for more colors. Screw people. Wait, those people pay my bills and I like them. I should get the fabric. We won't have enough money to drive home. Who cares? Surely some money will explode out of nowhere and shower down on my glorious trailer filled with a treasure trove of upholstery. Should I get more fabric? No. I shouldn't. I will NOT go and spend the rest of my profits on fabric. I've got employees to pay, kids to feed, and plenty of fabric already. I will NOT buy the damn fabric."

Today, I went and spent more on fabric then I spent on purchasing my car. You've got to SPEND money to make money, right?? Yes, yes. I was on a total fabric high. My entire SUV was literally STUFFED to the gills with glorious stripes, romantic damasks, pale feminine hues, lurid contrasting patterns, and decadent aquatic colors of the sea. The sun was shining on a sweet, successful afternoon. We were to go back to my parent's house in Missouri, where we've been staying for the month of May, pack up, and embark on our path to Utah.....a brisk and effortless 20 hour drive! We started to unload our vehicle, and load our trailer the rest of the way full. That's when we realized we had made a huge mistake.

Our trailer axle has a capacity of 3000 pounds. The trailer itself weighs 1,400, thus we're REALLY only able to put in 1,600 extra. Before we were even 1/4 through loading the fabric, it was apparent that the axle would not survive the journey. The round metal covers that protect the top of the wheels were pressing down onto the wheels themselves, burdening them menacingly. OH, poo. We tried loading part of the fabric back into the SUV, but it was becoming apparent that we could either take our children home or the fabric.......Hmm....weighing options. I do like my kids. ARRggg.

My husband, who is normally a well of optimism and calm, threw up his hands and stormed into the house, proclaiming that we needed a new trailer. He was right.

And here I am, going crazy waiting for the trailer sales places to open up so that we can go in and trade in our current trailer (Yes, remember that part at the first of the store where we had gotten a new trailer to upgrade from our last one. Well...we're upgrading again.) and hopefully get a double-axle trailer that is rated for 7000 pounds! Just imagine! 7 tons of corsetry!

Oh, did I mention that I woke up at 2 in the morning to the news that my sister in law is in labor? My mind is going at a hundred miles an hour....now if only my CAR was making that kind of speed along I-70 right now.

June Sale

2011-06-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

The picture above is me and my sister in our matching shirts. This was after a sweaty day of sawing down trees, loading wheelbarrows of firewood and hauling them uphill, and clearing huge piles of brush and undergrowth on their pretty spot in Ohio. You can see that I was stupid enough to still put on makeup for the day.

Phew. Between the deadly tornado hitting my home town of Joplin (My parents technically live in the country right outside of Joplin, but that's where we did all of our work, shopping, and family stuff, so it's definitely my home town!), having all of my weekends sucked out of my life by the festival, having my little 4 year old boy nearly snap a bone in his hand and have it swell to twice its size, traveling to Ohio for 4 days to see my sister, having out trailer tires give up on life, and sitting here waiting for my sister in law to have her baby (she's 3 days past her due date), the month of May REALLY was as bad and WORSE than I anticipated.
I'm so TREMENDOUSLY glad that it's over. I only have one more big festival this month, and then I get to take a much needed 2 month break from doing festivals. In that time, I'm planning on designing some insanely cool Halloween themed corsets, coming out with some limited edition styles of corsetry, and putting some new fantastic things on our website.
In the meanwhile, in my immense relief for having conquered May, I'm having a sale in my artfire shop where you can get 20% off your entire order through this Sunday (June 5th). This will also help me with my packing for the next show.....so it might be partly selfishness. Either way, I DO want to thank my lovely customers for helping this month be better. I am very grateful for all of your prayers and thoughts for me and my extended family members that had their houses destroyed, and I'm completely in debt to the lovely ladies that came in the last few sweltering weekends of the renaissance festival and cheered me up.

The Lusty Month of May

2011-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

How could it POSSIBLY be May again? I'm yawning just thinking about it. I'll be honest here, I feel like I've been hit by a truck....a truck that is ironically being driven by hot pink Peeps and Cadbury Eggs. I know I talk a lot about my ardent love for sugar here, and I'm sorry if you guys are sick of it, or if you think I'm an unstable emotional eater. I totally am.

So, back to the month of May. I'm going to ask a HUGE favor of everyone....and I hate asking for help, because I'm so proud. Here's the deal. I just need you to be nice and patient with me. I work every single weekend in May, and in the weeks between, I hurl myself back into the van, drive the 3 hours BACK to my home base, and spend all of the weekdays restocking for the show. I turn into an overworked, undersexed, overwhelmed, very hollow shadow of myself. It's extraordinarily kind and sweet of you ladies to encourage me to take time out for myself and to de-stress, but the ones saying that are never the ones that have orders on the line. Once again, I know what I signed myself up for, now that I've done this business for over 6 years professionally. I DO love what I do, but the month of May is NEARLY as hard as October for me. As you can imagine, October is a whirlwind of hellish deadlines, impatient customers, impossible requests, and...well....crazy people. May is more like the evil stepsister of October. She kicks me in the head and screams at me, demanding I shovel more coal on her inferno.

So...yup, that's all I'm asking. Just be nice and patient. I'm planning on trying a FEW de-stressing type things....hoping to pick up my guitar and relearn how to play. I'm debating on whether or not I want to haul it to the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival and rock out if there is ever dead time in the booth (which there WON'T be!) I also thought it would be cool to see if I could hula-hoop in a corset.

Oh, one last note! I worked 17 hours today, waking up a 4, skipping breakfast, and powering through until the evening, but I GOT TONS of your custom orders done! yay!!!

Spring Cleaning Sale..ish.

2011-04-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ladies! I leave in a week for the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, and I REALLY do not want to take our entire stock of inventory that is on artfire ALONG with my normal renaissance festival inventory (yes, they are different...don't ask me why!). Anyhow, we have some phenomenal things on artfire right now for ridiculously cheap...honestly. If you look at the website prices compared to these, you'll see that you could snap up stunning high quality corsetry for idiotic prices, really. So, see the little artfire shop widget up above? Go there and shop, and help me out. This is definitely the time to get it, because I'm about to launch into the busiest part of the whole year besides Halloween. There will be no more sales, promotions or kindness for months!

2-4 Inches:My Most Hated Phrase

2011-04-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

If there is one MAIN thing I've learned in this business, it's that women TRULY are all shaped COMPLETELY different. You can't say, "Man, she really broke the mold" because there was no mold to even begin with! That's the ironic thing about all of us having body image issues because we think we're supposed to look like the girls on the front of Cosmo...It is NOT physically possible to even aspire to that body! If your petite, small hipped and small-busted..sure you can get implants, but it's not like you can get height implants. Wait..do people get butt implants? I wouldn't be surprised. But, this is not a rant about women and their body image issues because of the dang media. That one is for later. This is about 2-4 inches.
I appreciate other corset vendors. I do. Lots of you make a stunning product, made with quality materials, quality spring steel, and well-shaped patterns. Your corsets are the ones that cost $400 for the cheapest one and go up from there. I applaud you, and I hope to one day be LIKE you. (Well..maybe not quite. I need to be me.) Now, to you OTHERS who think that just because your corset has 19 bones in it (notwithstanding the boning is the cheap, floppy steel from China that snaps in half when you bend it too far.), you are to be worshipped? I'm ashamed of you. And I fervently wish people would realize that when you're selling the EXACT same product (in appearance, at least) for $300 less..there is something wrong. You guys use the cheapest materials, the boning will ALL pop out within a day (which can happen to almost every corset out there, depending on how much pressure certain parts of your body put onto it.) and the fit is usually ATROCIOUS.

Yet, the quality Victorian Corset makers and the crappy ones ALL have something in common. When they have you measure for their corsets, they have you measure your waist, and then deduct 2-4 inches. TWO TO FOUR FREAKING INCHES!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You can see from my grossly exaggerated pictures above, all women are differently shaped. Futhermore, ALL women are COMPOSED differently. Yes, it's true. You thought we were all made of flesh and guts and sugar and spice, but guess what? You're wrong. I don't know what the medical reason behind this would be, but I KNOW that women aren't all made up of the same types of bones and flesh. I meet women that are the exact same size and body shape, but one of them will be so "squishy" that her waist will "corset down" 6 inches, and the other one would be lucky if she got her waist tucked in a measly 1/2". I meet women that LIKE their corsets to fit loosely, and I meet women who like their corsets SOO tight that I swear I can actually hear their organs gooshing around inside as I tighten them up. Some women are tiny in the waist, but when you get to their hips, you need to go up 3 sizes on the corset. Other women are small through the hips and waist, but have such a large rib cage that they need to go up a corset size to even begin to accommodate that. So HOW can these companies POSSIBLY expect a woman to measure her waist and then subtract some arbitrary number like 2-4 inches? That's A LOT of space.

OH, and AGAIN! Some women have worn corsets for years, and their body is naturally malleable and will pull in 8 inches, but there are other women who have never worn one in their life and would only be comfortable at all with 1 inch of reduction. Generally, plus size gals can pull in WAY more than skinny girls. I've LITERALLY met girls who were so small, but so firm that I COULD NOT pull in their waist at all with a corset. I have to go a size up on them, just because trying to lace them in is like trying to lace up a PVC pipe.

The MOST WRETCHED part about all of it is that most of the corset sites just say, "measure your waist" but don't give any instructions on how TIGHTLY to do it. I can measure my waist and get all sorts of numbers. If I measure my waist, I can get a vague 32 inches. I can pull the measuring tape SUPER TIGHTLY and get 26.5. I can pull it comfortably and get a 29. Now, imagine, if I were to pick ANY of those numbers and subtract 2-4 inches. None of those numbers would end up being the corset size I actually wear.

Which brings me to why OUR system of measuring your waist is so dang brilliant. I have you measure around the smallest part, (this is where the curve of the corset will hit you, emphasizing that houglass) which is usually about 2-3 inches ABOVE the belly button. This is a HIGH waist measurement we're talking about here. No one wears their pants that high unless their in serious "Mom jeans". When you measure, you will measure AS TIGHTLY as you can get it WITH YOUR BODY. This tells me how malleable you are. It tells me how much a corset would actually pull you in. It tells me what your waist really can look like if it's pulled in to the greatest capacity.

I have countless women who, bless their hearts, won't listen to me! They've seen too many of the corset websites, and so their take some weird measurement around where their hip-hugger jeans sit, and then subract 3 inches, because it's right in the middle of 2 and freaking 4. I make and send their corset, a beautiful specimen that is made to the exact measurement they told me, and they get it and throw a fit because it's the wrong size. Even worse is when they think, "OH, I don't want it to be too tight," so they measure loosely. It would be all fine and dandy if I made the corset into a cylinder, which would fit their ribs, their "comfortable" waist measurement, and their hips. But, when I get a number for the waist, I make that size. With that certain size, the HIPS and the RIBS will CURVE OUT from that, because that's how women are shaped. So, when you measure "comfortably," the thing will fit on your waist, but curve back out too largely for the hips and ribs.

Anyway, I hate the 2-4 inches thing. I hate it. I hope it crawls back into the stenchy outer circle of Hell from whence it came.

OH, on a happy note, ONCE AGAIN, 99% of you listen to me, measure correctly, and end up with a gorgeous fitting corset. I love you ardently.

The Best Ways to Mis-communicate and Thoroughly SUCK at Customer Service

2011-04-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

If you have never seen "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" I would highly recommend it. It's like consuming marshmallows and then having them sucked out of your eyeballs while listening to a never-ending mix-tape of Ice Cream Truck music. Why am I talking about Flapjack? I saw this exact episode the other day, and it brought me to tears. As you can see, he's holding a duck, and he's TRYING to make it into what he needs in his life, but it keeps quacking.

That's how I feel about customer service most days. I have all of my own ideas about how things should go, what the customers should get, and how to make a win/win situation out of every transaction. The customers oftentimes have other ideas. The grueling part is figuring out how to combine the "gluten" of expectations with the "butter" of abilities and the "sugar" of success all into one lovely batter to make delicious cupcakes that everyone can share!!

Let me start out by saying that I'm FAR from perfect at customer service. Many of you will be nodding your heads and thinking profanities about me whilst reading this. I'm sorry, that's all I can say. The POSITIVE thing here is that I learn from every mistake and complete failure that I make, which means I learn something new about 20 times a day. Rather than giving you a cute little list of "Ways to Make the Customers EVEN Happier!", I will give you a list of ways to blindly blunder and misfire when trying to run your own little small company. (Remember, I only know about running small businesses, so if you're some bigwig CEO reading this.....oh, never mind, why in the freak would you read this?)

The BEST ways to Mis-communicate and Thoroughly Suck At Customer Service:

1.Remember, you're ALWAYS right! :) (*sigh* The irony here is that "The Customer is Always Right" is...well....right. You won't get anywhere with protesting and sputtering out indignant declarations of omnipotence. SO WHAT if you know EVERYTHING about the company and built it from the ground up with your blood, sweat, and tears???? So WHAT if you design, perfect, and manufacture the product? They don't care if you spend 20 hours a day working, and then dream about the company at night, whilst they think about their order for maybe 10 minutes a day. It DOES NOT MATTER. They need to feel right, because that's what they're paying for. Let them have it.

2.Another way to suck? Pretend that you are self-employed because you wanted to be your own boss. Aahahahahahahaahha. Friends, I would like to welcome you to the reality of "self-employment". Rather than having one single boss to answer to, you end up having hundreds and thousands. The customer is the boss of you! If they're crappy at managing, belittle you, or make you feel like a pile of leftover McDonald's fries, they're STILL your boss. Now, gratefully, in my own company, the "crappy boss" is definitely the exception. 99.9% of my customers end up being marvelous bosses, but they're still ALL my boss, telling me what to do, telling me how and when to do it, and giving me deadlines and ultimatums.

3.Hope you'll get rich. wah, wah. wah. I'm fairly convinced that the only way you ever get rich when running your own small business is to find people who want to purchase your company for a large amount of money.

4.. A great way to fail? Try to take a vacation and get some relaxation. Unless you're in the mood to go and get a lobotamy, just remember, your company will NEVER leave your brain, especially if you work from home. You won't ever be able to "leave work at work".

5.Last way to fail? Think that you can do it all alone.
When I started this company, I was adamant about not ever getting to be a huge company. I LOVED answering 15 emails a day from excited customers about my 3 items that I had on ebay. Squee! That meant I could answer my mail in the morning, hop onto my sewing machine, and sew all of my pending orders in one day. Fast Forward 6 years. We get roughly 200 emails a day, I have a whole crew comprised of my family, over which I constantly crack the whip of injustice! I slave, sacrifice, and stumble over every day, and it's still not enough. If every part of each day was spent with all of my crew doing money-making things, it would be spectacular, but we spend a goodly amount planning, tagging, dictating the answers to emails that are just broad-based questions rather than orders, altering, reinforcing, photographing, packing, labeling, stressing, crying, yelling, giving up on life, eating Cadbury Mini Eggs, apologizing, comforting, inspecting, and getting beaten to a pulp. And then, the next day we get to do it all over again.

So, hopefully this didn't come off as too stressed out or bitter. It's been a HARD couple of months, to say the least. Every time I post something that's truly from my heart, I have a few ladies who find it necessary to write me nasty emails about how unprofessional I am. Bring it on, ladies. Bring. It. On.

Winners!

2011-03-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

The WINNER of the Pirate Coat Giveaway is LINDSAY MADER! When I chose her name, I wasn't even surprised, considering she had over 10 contest entries. Man alive! Lindsay! Anyhow, she will be getting that lovely pirate coat custom fit to her, and in her fabric choice! Now...I DID put a twist on the contest. See... I feel ABSOLUTELY sick to my stomach when picking winners, because I have NEVER won anything in my life, and I hate making other women into "losers" like I am. (Oh, come on! You guys KNOW you aren't losers, but most of you DO know how it feels to be hoping SOOO fervently for something and just KNOWING that THIS TIME you'll win......and then they pick the name of the popular girl that always wins. Dangit!!!)

So, in my overly soft heart, I picked out 6 more winners of consolation prizes. Winners of the $50 Gift Certificates to Artfire!
Anna Nurya Deprey, Jennifer Jackson, Cynthia E. Rodriguez, Karen Szymarek, Carin Boelman, Rhiannon Jones, thank you and congratulations ladies!
I'll be sending all of you emails, so look for them in a few minutes!

In the meanwhile, I DID have a great idea that made me feel LESS sick to my stomach and NOT quite as panic-attacky. I can take the names and the emails of you lovely ladies who entered the contest, and put you into a specific list in the database of my new website, and I can actually send you notes about promotions, clearance sales, and coupons before anyone else gets them. No, I'm not talking about annoying "newsletter" type crap that you sign up for. I got one yesterday from Victoria's Secret where the title read "Hello, Gorgeous! Take a look at our New Spring Selection!" or something patronizing and cruel like that. Please "Vicky", I KNOW that you may THINK you make women feel sexy, but every time I put on one of your bras and then walk past the 15 foot high poster of the 0% body fat, huge chested model that I will never look like, part of me dies! And SERIOUSLY? hOW COULD YOU make apron lingerie, but make it like a freaking mono-kini, which has CUT-OUTs right at love-handle level! I was so excited about the lingerie that looked like aprons, and I almost passed out in the store, and when I tried it on, wanting to pretend to be a super sexy 50's housewife to make my husband breakfast in bed.....well....I was pretty sure that all I would inspire was VOMIT in the bed. Freaking Victoria's Secret......grrr

Oh, my gosh. I need to get back to my company! Um....thank you SOOOO much, you guys. I would like to especially thank those of you who are so patient with me in the rare occasions that there is a problem with the order, and you let me fix it! You ladies are DYNAMITE, and you have a seriously special part in my heart!

WIN This Pirate Coat!

2011-03-23T02:46:00.001-07:00

Whew! I finally got the coat done! Our pictures of the Peacock Pirate Coat needed updated anyhow, and I was feeling vaguely slim today (I mean, I made cupcakes where the recipe used BLACK BEANS for part of the thickening and substance. Don't I SOUND like a skinny person...at least? Oh, I guess they still had a cup of butter. Anyhow....) Here are pictures, and here are the contest rules!

If you buy ANYTHING from our etsy or artfire shops from March 16th until the 29th, you'll be entered into a drawing (a real old fashion one where we put in strips of paper with your names on it, and I make my husband pull one out because it makes me too nervous!) to win this, and it is, INDEED, a $450 Value!!!!! Yes, of course, you get more entries for more things you buy, and this is a GREAT contest because, honestly, you're not competing against millions....or even thousands. I mean, I'll be honest, it would be totally tubular (when you read that word, sound it out in your head like some cocky skateboard punk from the 80's would have said it.) if I actually sold millions of things in two weeks, but I would CERTAINLY not be here writing blogs if I sold that kind of volume. I believe I would be on a private beach somewhere fretting over the calories that are still remain in the cupcakes.

Yes, you get to choose your color, and I'll make the thing to fit you! You can maybe make some small detail requests.....then again, maybe not. Basically, I'm just going to make you a luscious coat for free, and you don't have scads of competition for the drawing, so there!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I have a coupon code running until March 26th where you can type in "PIRATE" and get 15% off of your entire order. Pretty dang sweet. We'll be listing more and more things in the days to come, I'll announce the winner, take a break for several days (actually, it's NOT a break. I'll be making the 24 hour drive to Norman, Oklahoma for a festival!) and when I get home, I'll make you the coat, so it should only be about 2 weeks wait time as well!

okay, this is the "FINE PRINT" crap that I have to throw in here. So....uh...here goes. No purchase necessary. To obtain an entry form, e-mail me, and I'll give you a bunch of crap about why you didn't just buy something, and then I'll send you the biggest form you've ever seen in your life and make you fill it all out and send it to me through the mail to enter. This is open to the United States, Canada, and where ever else I might feel like sending something. If you live in another country and this contest will break your country's rules, don't enter the dang thing. I'm not going to research the contest rules of every country in the world to do this. Sorry. Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be. And if you're really going to win something for free and then sue me over some legal technicality, then you're a complete waste of molecules anyhow.

Say You Want a Revolution

2011-02-22T04:40:00.001-08:00

I was going to save this for my next magazine, but I literally COULD NOT wait to show this go you guys. This will be a really cool blog, because I'm actually going to show you how the laborious pattern-making process goes, AND I get to show you the final product, from start to finish.
Above, you can see my sketch. It's a Burlesque-Marie-Antoinette-Steampunk-Saloon-Girl-Punk-Rocker look.

Granted, these pictures are out of order, but they do show the patterning process well. What they DON'T show is the part where I threw down my scissors and sharpie marker, screamed, "I SUCK as a designer!" and storm upstairs where I lie down in my bed and read "A Prairie Courtship". These dang pictures make it look like an easy and calm process, and it wasn't.

This is where I'm trying on the part-way finished product. The issue is that I have to make a pattern that works on mannequins AND real human bodies. The mannequin and I are...um....not the same size, thus I usually end up making two patterns.

This is Irish Patterning Paper, and it behaves vaguely like cloth, so it's great for cutting and designing new patterns. What the pictures DON'T show is the part where it took me about 5 yards of this stupid stuff to get the mock-up pattern right, which STILL wasn't perfect. I would cut the pattern, sew it, put it onto the mannequin, realize it was a disgrace, and then draw marker lines where it needed to be changed.

Here's the initial mock-up of the jacket. It's still not QUITE perfect here, and I do make some changes in the patterns I end up wearing below.

Simply said....don't judge me because I possibly perhaps might eat frosting from a can while I'm screaming profanities at my mannequin, my patterns, and my sewing machine. There IS a good reason I'm not a size 0.

So, the "inspiration" for this new design is fairly unabashed. I LOVE the dresses from the French Revolution. I mean, HOLY SMOKES, everything here is just bursting with sensuality. Every time I watch the Scarlet Pimpernel, I just bask in the warm glow of luxurious bosomy bodices and tight breeches. And to look like Jane Seymour in this movie!

So, here would be a much more Damselified version, obviously not remotely period and a bit more hourglassy.

I'm wearing it with a pair of our bloomettes and one of the our new overskirts with the flouncy sides!

This fabric was SOOO splendid to work with. It's a faux embroidered silk, and I thought it had just the right blend of historical coloring and texture mixed with the beauty of the abilities possessed by modern machinery.

By the way, wouldn't you just beat someone up for this CHAIR??

There, you can see the bloomers. Keep in mind, I NEVER bare this much of my legs in the everyday world. If you ever meet me in person, whether I'm costumed or not, you'll most likely not see anything above my knees. Speaking of which, I LOVE how knobby and blotchy red my knees look under the tights. You can tell I liked to play outside as a kid.

Alternate Color Version! Woot! This one looks more like my original concept drawing above.

I do apologize that you guys have to see this much of me, but I've made peace with it by telling myself that I'm sort of like a SUPER nerdy, not as-talented-OR-evil-Martha Stewart. I have lots of lovely friends that I use as models, but it's SERIOUS work to get people over, put on layers and layers of hooker makeup and cinch them in. That basically explains why you see WAY too much of me. Anyhow, we'll be listing these jacket and corset sets on artfire later this week. Oh, by the way, the "jacket" is called the "Revolution Jacket".

Might Come Back and Bite You

2011-02-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

"Thou Shalt NOT Have An Awesome Design Contest"

For those of you who were watching and paying attention (thank you, by the way) you will have seen that I announced several times that I was going to have a "Design A Corset" contest for my company where I would let my brilliant and innovative customers share their best ideas with me for a chance to with the actual product they designed, custom-fit to them.

Well, I've been researching and thinking about this for weeks, and the more I talked to people, talked to lawyers and had loud, irate conversations in my brain, the more intimidated I became. It occurred to me multiple times that there would be a lot of aspiring designers that would be making submissions, and if these designers saw an element or aspect of their precious design at some point in time a few years later, they might get really upset....upset enough to take legal action.

I just dealt with a lawyer yesterday, and it was crippling to me and my emotions for the whole day. After I got my custom orders done, I laid on the couch and absent-mindedly ate heart-shaped cookies while watching Top Gear. Instead of going out for a romantic evening with my husband, I went to sleep at 7 p.m. The main point is, I don't like legal language.

That's the thing. If I were to draw up a contract for the Design Contest in order to NOT get sued, I would have had to deal with lawyers a lot more. I got a quote for $400 base to draw up that kind of contract. Considering the fact that I also happened to get my credit card number stolen yesterday, and some A-hole spent $3000 at a German Online Antiques Auction site, and I sort of don't have a whole lot of money right now, I REALLY cannot afford $400.

I'm not saying this to get sympathy, I'm not not being one of your classic passive aggressive bloggers, and I'm NOT trying to destroy your dreams. I just need to state the stumbling blocks on the path that was really fun to skip down.....until I ended up being gagged, tied up with old-fashioned spiral rope, and laid on the train tracks by a dastardly villain with a little curly mustache.

So, no Design Contest. BUT GUESS WHAT!!! I'm putting together pictures of a Pirate Coat that you guys can enter to win instead! The prize will be worth MORE than your custom designs would have even been, and I'll give you fabric choices and a whole lot of other awesomeness! It's going to be a SUPER-charged $600 coat with sleeve attachments, hoods, details, and more awesomeness you would have thought could be contained in one single garment!

THIS, is a contest I CAN have, and I will put together the rest of the details and let you know how to enter and what to do this next week! ;)

P.S. sorry for how depressing this started out
P.P.S. Sorry again.

Feeling the Love!

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yay! For Valentine's Day, we're having a 15% off sale in BOTH of our online shops!
www.damselinthisdress.artfire.com
www.damselinthisdress.etsy.com

Just type in "BEMINE" at checkout, and you can get 15% off of the whole entire order. Pretty sweet stuff there. Oh, and I shouldn't tell you this, but you'll ALSO get a really cute Valentine from us that is good for another $15 off of your next purchase.

Best Video Ever

2011-02-10T06:13:00.001-08:00

Thank you SOOOO much for bringing steampunk out into the mainstream world!

Broken, Lonely People

2011-02-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

With the festival season coming up, I've been thinking A LOT about how to improve the experience of coming in and buying a corset directly from me, the maker. I've been listening to countless audiobooks and podcasts while I furiously shove fabric into the sewing machine and try to beat my record time (this is a game I play to make sure that I'm able to produce large quantities of lovely corsets. I time myself on each piece, seeing how fast I can produce it while still keeping all of the quality present. )
Recently, I remembered a very significant incident that occurred this year at a festival. I was standing there, wishing Oklahoma would decide that humidity was NOT part of its soul, when a lady walked in, head bent down, not making eye contact. I walked over and asked her if she was interested in playing dress-up with me, and she gestured vaguely at one of the corsets that she was interested in. I grabbed her size, cut a ribbon and came over to lace her body. The second I got close and wrapped the corset around her, this unyielding stream of emotion came cascading forth. She started telling me about how she hadn't tried something like this on for years because she had spent so many years as a "fat-$%&" because her ex had stolen their daughter away from her and all she could do was sit on the couch and watch TV and eat to numb the pain. She pressed on with intimate details of abusive things her ex had told her, how she ended up losing the weight but still hating herself, how she was getting regular threatening texts from her ex's girlfriend, and how much she wanted that B- to $%$&^*^&. The woman divulged exact wording from these vile texts, what actions she planned to take, and information about how she and her current boyfriend were going to bring them down.

All of this came out while I was lacing the woman up. I was shocked into silence, which is a pretty great feat, and I numbly gestured toward the mirror in the booth so she could see herself. She gave it a quick, cursory glance, adjusted her breasts around, looked again, and then unlaced the corset and walked out. Phew! I felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer of emotional angst, suffering, negativity, and regret. I was extraordinarily grateful that it was the end of the day, because I was feeling so desolate that I could hardly go on. Thoughts were racing around in my head like mosquitoes on a muggy Oklahoma night. "Who WAS this lady and WHY THE DEVIL would she unload her life's story onto me?" "Who shares that much with a complete stranger? I'm not some understanding bar-tender!" After the depression, I felt really frustrated and bewildered.

Luckily, I talked to my friend Tony that night, who is beyond intelligent and the most perceptive human being I've ever encountered. I related the tale of the woman who let her mouth run like a wild horse, and he turned to me, looked me in the eye, and said, "Michelle, there are a lot of broken, lonely people out there who are just dying for some human connection. The second you touched her and got into her personal space, she probably just came apart and latched onto the first person who would listen." This stopped me in my tracks, and later became sort of a turning point for me. It made me consider how much we can touch the people around us, and how important it is to put positive energy out into a world that is so chocked full of negativity and sorrow. I was suddenly MORE than some dork dressed up in steampunk/renaissance wear playing dress-up all day with patrons. I could actually use my position to help people!

So, that is my goal for this year. If you come into my booth, I want to make a connection with you and make you have this wonderful, positive experience that sets the tone for the event. I would love to create a MEMORY with you, create friendships with you, and build trust. I DID have a customer who was very upset at me this year because she said she came up to the booth wanting to talk and I ignored her. Ooooh, I agonize over this on a regular basis! The fact that there was even ONE woman out there that came away from me feeling dejected just makes me panic! I know I'm human and I really do have some pretty crappy days at festivals, but I can be BETTER. Please, OH, please, if you attend a festival that I'm at, come and talk to me. I'm not scary at all, I promise. I know that we have LOTS of times when our booth is so packed that there's no way you could even squeeze in, but just wait a few minutes, and give it another shot!

I'm so excited to meet more of you this year at my events, and I hope that if any of you are "lonely" or "broken", you will come to me! I will put my arms around you (while putting a corset onto your body) and we'll heal together.

2011-01-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

These are my sister, Emma's adorable cards that she makes! You can see more unbearable cuteness at www.beaverrebellion.etsy.com

It's sort of "Meet my Family" week! I've been thinking a lot about all of them, and I miss them all dearly. I also figured that since I showcased my brother's creativity in the last post, I would let you guys see what my sister does. Me and my sister Emma (in the photos above) have been drawing and creating little animals for as long as I can remember. Both of us drew more pictures on our school papers than actually putting down answers. When I think of my childhood, I can sum it up into one word-Emma. We spent every second of every day possible with each other and stuck like glue, even through high school. We both sewed and created the most ostentatious and hideous clothing on earth, and proudly wore it to school. My sister would make these peasant blouses out of pretty, feminine and frilly fabric and then put these long tails on them that dragged on the floor when she walked. I would guess that roughly around 55% of our wardrobes were hand-made by us. My mom raised eyebrows several times, but felt that it was very important to let us express ourselves how we saw fit, as long as we were still modest and respectful looking.

Anyway, so you can tell that I love Emma beyond the heavens on earth. She has started trying to make all of here crazy little drawings into a career. We keep wanting her to write childrens' books, because goodness knows there's enough boring, poorly illustrated, crappy kid literature out there! If you look through her cards on etsy, and look at each individual character, they all have LIFE and personality! You get to know Emma just by looking at these goofy little creatures. They bring instant smiles to my face. For those of you who got my magazine (THANK YOU, by the way!) you will have seen some of her illustrations in that. She has a way of capturing emotions and translating them into drawings like no one I've ever seen.

I'm not writing this as a "Buy everything from Emma" blog, I just think it's really good for everyone to understand where I'm coming from as a person. Emma and I were wearing renaissance bodices to school before I ever even DREAMED of starting a company. I feel like Emma is an extension of my soul, and our brains basically function as one. We're both passionately creative individuals, and take our artforms very seriously. I just told my mom today that when you put yourself out there as an artist, you're just HOPING that people like what you do while being petrified that they'll reject you and move on. It's like standing on a stage completely naked and just daring someone to make a snide comment. That's how exposed I feel somedays, and I know that's how Emma feels about her little animals.

As always I thank you, the customers for supporting me, my family, and my dream. This is gut-wrenchingly brutal somedays, and the pressure of owning your own business and running the show is just as overwhelming as it is rewarding. However, I love the idea of the in-conquerable human spirit and being able to tacking things with a vengeance! I hope that translates in my work, and hopefully you can see that in my dear Emma as well!

Michelle
Damsel in this Dress Corsets

Home is where the Steampunk Is

2011-01-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

If you look at this house and want to live in it, I bet we would get along.

I know it's sort of unfair for one family to have so many awesome people in it, but my parents somehow managed it. I have brothers that have more talent in their pinky than I have in my whole body. There are days when I get sort of egotistical and feeling good about my corsets, and then I see stuff like this and think," Wow....or not?" My older brother makes these houses out of resin and then he and his lovely wife paint them to look like the magnificent specimens you see before you! If you're unsure of what their purpose is, I'll gladly educate you! There is a game called Warhammer, and LET ME TELL YOU, the guys that play it are SUPER HOTTIES! (I only say this because my brothers play it.) and these are miniature landscape pieces that are used in the game. There are cheap plastic landscape props you can buy, and then there is the high-end ones, such as these.
I'm MOSTLY excited because my brother Dana came out with his steampunk houses which are freaking adorable! (okay, I KNOW that I shouldn't use that word! I'm sorry, gentlemen!) and I want to buy one of each and just keep them on my mantlepiece......if only I had a fireplace. Anyhow, I just wanted to show you guys this and let you know that you're welcome to pimp it out to any of this type of gamer that you might know! :) Here's the website! Take a look at the other GORGEOUS little houses!
www.customkingdoms.com

It's 3:30 in the morning....do you know where your corset-maker is?

2011-01-20T15:46:00.001-08:00

This is me singing along with "Bleeding Love"

By the way, I was REALLY going to be a singer before I gave up that dream and became a corset-maker.

Just wanted to drop in a few notes here!

*Everyone that buys something from now until the end of February will be getting sweet Valentine's Day cards from us with coupons on them.

*I AM working on the "Design a Corset Contest", I've just been slightly sidetracked from it for the last week. I want to have all the rules up by the end of next week.

*Since we sat down and had a business meeting about how many festivals I was doing this year and what I needed for my inventory, we figured that ALL I HAVE TO DO is sew 700 corsets. Phew! Not hard at all. Especially since I have so little else to do.....I mean, doing all of the custom orders, keeping my online shops stocked with goodies, and being some vague kind of wife and mom? Sure, I can do it all.

*Which brings me to my next item of business. I just wanted you guys to know that I am seriously committed to this company. I have been faithfully waking up at 3:30 in the morning to get to work. I pretty much go to bed at 7 or 8, like a total loser, and then get up at that unearthly hour. The GREAT part is that I'm getting AMAZING things accomplished, because there's so many uninterrupted hours in there that I can work! The bad part is that I feel like a total slave to my sewing machines....but oh, well. 700 corsets won't make themselves!

*Therefore, if you guys get frustrated with me because I'm not performing at peak levels, just remember that I actually AM performing amazingly well....it's just probably not in the area you want me to be.

yay for corsets.

Damsel in this Dress FUN Facts!

2011-01-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me every now and then that you guys don't know the intimate behind-the-scenes details of the sensual and gritty Damsel-in-this-Dress underground! Whew! *Mops brow with some scraps of corset cloth.* I thought it would be fun to give you guys some fun insights into my company. Well....maybe they're not necessarily fun. They're sure as heck not fun for me somedays. Anyhow, ON with the facts!

*I started this company officially when I was 17, selling my goofy little renaissance bodices on ebay and taking my pictures on myself with a film camera. (One of my pet peeves is when I see the little bright orange dates on the bottom corner of a picture! Seriously, friends....I'm not a techie, but even I know that digital cameras are the way to go with internet businesses!)

*To date, I've sewn around 6,000 corsets since I started the company.

*The lovely cap-sleeve blouses that we make are sewn by my lovely mother and my great aunt, who is home-bound because my uncle has Parkinson's Disease. She gets to stay home and take care of him, and the fact that you guys buy blouses is what makes it possible!

*We have a second branch of the company run by my brother and his wife, who have the most adorable kids in the whole world. Both branches of our company make and sell the same high quality sex appeal-packed corsets on etsy and artfire!

*My husband's younger sister is trained to do the inside corset work on all of the renaissance festival inventory. She does lots of interior stitching, reinforcing, and quality control, and then hands the corsets over to me for top-stitching and finishing.

*The guy who grommets our corsets is a radiologist! His job got killed with the new health care stuff taking effect, so I hauled him into work for me. Oh, he also used to work a back-hoe and dig graves in the local cemetery. He knows how to do everything. He figured out a brilliant way to make new mannequins for us, and basically streamlines various parts of how my company runs to make us more efficient!

*The guy we just mentioned? Well, his wife works for me also. She lists items on etsy and artfire, takes photos of the mannequins in the corsets, and makes it so my life is ACTUALLY organized. My sewing shop was chaos before she came in and put the smack down.

*The skirts are sewn by my best bud, Natalie, who is so good at bustle skirts that it makes me jealous. She hires out sisters and friends to cut the skirts out for her, and we end up with gorgeous and lush products to sell!

*When you lovely ladies send me emails and etsy conversations, they get filtered through my brother-in-law, who is my personal assistant. Basically, he sits beside me with a laptop and reads aloud your questions, concerns, rants, praises and body issues. While I'm busily sewing, I gently and lovingly dictate answers for him to reply. (Okay, that may be an exaggeration....I yell...a lot. I'm a passionate artist!)

*Oh, I almost forgot! My husband still does all of the cutting. He is the reason that all of the fabrics that have patterns line up symmetrically in the back. Without precise and careful cutting, the sewing and fit isn't as good. If you ladies ever see him come in the booth at a festival, you ought to take his hand and shake it. His support, love, and patience is the whole reason my dream is even a reality.

*Our magazine is done by my husband's cousin, who is simply adorable and is a freaking genius at photoshop. She does a lot of our ads and marketing type jobs.

*It IS good to note that all of these people aren't working every day all day for me! Man alive! What a MACHINE that would be! Nope, we try to organize, see what needs done, and do it.

*Tonight, we're having our "First of the Year" meeting where I talk about the goals of the company, how we can improve ourselves, how we can create synergy. (YES! I used the ultimate business-lingo word!) We're going to discuss how to better serve the customers, how to better communicate with each other, and how to basically be the best costume company there ever was.

The bottom line is-the reason this is all possible is YOU GUYS! It has been such an amazing blessing to serve so many intelligent, quirky, independent, gorgeous, thoughtful, and grateful women. It never fails to amaze me how loyal and kind you ladies are! I get at least two emails a day that are nothing more than encouragement and praise! I mean, MAN ALIVE! I'm sort of a pissed off drama-queen that doesn't deserve to have such customers, and yet there you are! You are literally the reason that my family is staying afloat. In fact, you're the reason that 5 or 6 whole familes are surviving! I am just feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, and I wanted to make sure that all of my help got some credit as well. I know it seems sometimes like I'm the only one making all of this craziness happen, but I am NOTHING without my friends and family AND, of course, my customers.

I LOVE the fact that facebook allows us to connect with each other. It was very early on when I realized that we weren't just a company selling corsets. The thing with corsets is that suddenly I'm connecting to a more personal side of the customer. It's not just clothing...it's confidence, sexuality, self esteem, and above all, a weapon to fight off those feelings and thoughts of self-loathing and the perils of "pudginess." Corsets empower you to look in the mirror and connect with the woman you see there! Suddenly, that woman is seductive and sanguine. I can't even COUNT how many times I've had women come into my booth hating on themselves and their bodies and then walk out as people that I don't recognize compared to the original.

The clothes we wear REALLY do have the power to transform us. Think about how you feel when you put a pair of knee-high sexy boots! I know that I personally feel like I have power over ever y-chromosome within 100 miles! And....good night! This has gotten long! Uh...more later.

Adventures in Bloomers

2011-01-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, here's my effort at some bloomers that DON'T look like baggy-crotched pajama pants trimmed in lace. They fit more like yoga pants with ruffles. I made these ones out of stretch fabric, so they're actually SUPER comfy. I WILL be listing some pants in my artfire shop, but I haven't graded the pattern for all sizes yet....I'm only up to about a size 14, and I'm honestly not sure how to shape the pants for the sizes above that. Seeing as I've been pumping out mainly corsets for the last 6 years, I have no idea about pants....so I'm thinking about offering a few "trial" bloomers for more curvy gals. If any of you want a pair of bloomers, and you have magnificent hips, then let me know! I really need people to try out the patterns and give me feedback! ;)

Last Day of Holiday Sales on Etsy.

2010-12-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hey, Friends! To wrap up our week of spectacular holiday deals, we're having a sale on Etsy today. We've got tons of cute pieces that we'll be listing throughout the day, so shop early and shop often.

All you have to do is type "25OFF" in the discount code box at checkout. Do yourself a favor and shop from the comfort of your own home today, while everyone else is out being crazy. You've earned it!

$25 Corsets Today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so obviously not ALL of my corsets are $25, but I do have a nice little pile of Wench Corsets AND Victorian length Underbust for that ridiculous price. It's good to understand that I literally am not making any money at that price (and this is not some used-car sales tactic). With the ridiculously nice materials and fabric I use, this barely covers the cost of making it and doesn't even pay me a cent for my time. Either way, grab them quick. Even if one isn't your size, wouldn't it make the best gift ever???? And at less than half price for quality hand-made-in-the-U.S.-by-me???????? Wow! ;)

The corsets are on artfire, so here you go!
www.damselinthisdress.artfire.com

I'll be running other awesome Christmas Promotions each day until Dec. 21st. Woohoo! Just watch for what they are!!!!

$5 MAGAZINES TODAY!

2010-12-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hey! Today on artfire, our magazine is ONLY $5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REMEMBER, with every magazine, you get a coupon good for $15 off your next purchase, so it's basically like I'M PAYING YOU $10 to take my awesome magazine.

Magazine Features:

*Never-Before Seen pictures of our new Fairy Collection for the Website
*Step-by-Step instructions on making some really fantastic costume accessories
*Great tips on putting together whole entire costumes based around our corsets
*A really swell article about dressing tastefully for Halloween
*Great items from other small businesses on etsy

If ONLY it works

2010-11-30T05:22:00.001-08:00

I know I've been telling you guys about this for months, and IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!! I couldn't be more proud of this thing! Sure, there's some goofy little typos and repeats and one mis-spelling, but it's sooooo awesome!! The greatest part about the magazine is that you can FINALLY show people what steampunk is. We have a stunning steampunk photoshoot in this thing, with large full color pictures on every page! I also show you how to make swell wristcuffs (I do GOOD PATTERNS, where I actually take pictures every step of the way so you can see what I'm doing!!) in our "how to" section, and I even review beauty products that I've purchased off of etsy!!

Okay, now for the best part *drumroll, please* EVERYONE who buys a copy of the magazine will also get a coupon in the magazine that is good for $15 off your next artfire purchase and 15% off of you next etsy purchase!! It's like I'm giving this dang magazine away....in fact, I'm paying YOU to get it. I know, it's a crazy world...

And now for my plea- Uh..I won't lie, I dropped a BUNDLE of cash to make this magazine happen. It was LOTS of stress, blood, sweat, and tears...oh, and profanity. The REASON I wanted to do this magazine was because I felt like it would pick up where my blog leaves off. Where the blog only has a few pictures and a little article, this has hundreds of pictures and lots of articles! Where the blog can only be read and accessed online, this little magazine can be hauled around in your purse and you can show it to friends and EXPLAIN to them why corsets are so stupendous! But, MOST OF ALL, I actually want to create a magazine that is about REAL women, REAL small companies, and REAL products. I'm not going to be telling you to buy covergirl mascara because they happened to buy an ad in my magazine that they paid $30,000 for. I'm not going to tell you how to drop 5 pounds in 2 weeks. I'm not going to SHOVE the same useless drabble down your throats that you get EVERY freaking month in EVER other womens' magazine!!!!

My magazine is going to be filled with articles and brainwashing yourself back into LIKING your body. I figure, we're all in this together....us women. It's going to be about taking back your sensuality and wielding it as a powerful weapon! It will be about seriously resetting your self esteem levels and finding the same inner confidence that a sexy corset would give you! I'm SOOOO excited about the things coming up, but I DO need the first run of magazines to make me enough money to do the next ones. Please, please oh, please, help me out here. It's only 10 bucks, and I REALLY feel like you get a good product for the price. Show your friends, tell your neighbors. All of that awesome stuff.

Black Friday

2010-11-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

Just a few updates! I'm listing tons of Black Friday stuff today, so you can see what will go on sale before it does! However, if you want the best selection and you REALLY want one of these corsets badly, it would be best to purchase it at full price and not take the gamble (I'm serious here. I'm not saying this just to take your money. I have LOTS of customers waiting anxiously for this sale.)
Here are a few promotions we'll be running for the morning of Black Friday!

*The first 20 people to make a purchase after 6:00 am Mountain Time will get a 20% off coupon that is good for etsy, artfire, and my new website (it's launching soon! We deliberately pushed the deadline back for various reasons!). They will also receive a FREE COPY OF MY NEW MAGALOG (which happens to be finished, at the printers, and shipping to me next week.)

*EVERYONE who spends $300 will get a $50 gift certificate to our shops! And yes, if you are amazing enough to spend $600, you would get TWO gift certificates!

If that's not incentive, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS! Oh, and one more CRUCIAL note. There will be a WAAAAYYYYY better selection on artfire than on etsy. Artfires fees are cheaper, so we can sell the stuff for a better price and still make our money!

So...is Santa sexy?

2010-11-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

My sister, Emma, and I were talking on the phone today trying to figure out how Santa made his way into the lingerie world. So.... the executives at Victoria's Secret were sitting around in their board room at the oversized table throwing around ideas when one of them gasped, straightened his glasses, and exclaimed,"I've got it! Why don't we base some lingerie pieces on a fat guy that only works one night a year??? No one believes in him, he lives on a diet of cookies! He's the poster child for sex appeal!" All of the other men in suits shook their heads up and down with furrowed brows and said, "Yeah, it's perfect. Just the stuff women love."

Maybe it's all because of that damn "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" song. It's all cute and funny when you know that the allusions to the man in the red suit and pointing to DAD dressed up as Santa, but when you're an ignorant little kid thinking about her mom ACTUALLY macking on Santa...it's not pretty. If mom was going to have an affair, why the crap would she pick him? I hated singing that song as a kid at our Christmas concerts. There's me, this awkward little freckled thing standing up on the back row behind the girls with stiff red flocked velvet dresses and large bows in their ringlet hair. Their overbearing, controlling parents are on the front row video-taping them (by the way, none of those girls could carry a tune in a bucket) while I concentrate on not locking my knees and wondering about what Santa could have possibly said to get my mom to kiss him. Eeewwww.

So, back to the subject at hand. If I show up in my bedroom with a sheer red baby-doll dress trimmed out in fur and a novelty Santa hat, am I going to make my husband's cheeks rosy and put a sparkle in his eye? Honestly, it might work..... as long as there was a large patch of white fur right over my stretch marks and love handles that will never ever melt off no matter what I do. But still, if I'm dressed like Santa, won't he automatically think of a fat guy? No, wait! MAYBE the key is that he thinks about how fat Santa is and then looks at you and realizes how great your body is in comparison. Ooooh...I can see that working.

The real point here is that I'm going to put together some GENUINELY sexy red corsets that will have fur-trimmed pieces that are REMOVEABLE so you'll have a sexy red corset that you could wear for Christmas and afterwards. Also, I wanted to make some very cute and flirty elf inspired outfits, which is why you see me and my daughter in the hat up above. I wore this hat for about an hour and a half today while sewing, and I've got to say-I love the dang thing.

Thus, if you have any great holiday corset ideas that you are wanting to purchase, let me know. I'm not going to spend TOO much time on it, because I'm still unsure about how many women actually dress up in festive sex wear for Christmas.... ***Trying furtively to think of some way to make a bad pun on Santa, sex appeal, and Ho, Ho, Ho....***** Meh, I give up.

Black Friday

2010-11-13T10:18:00.001-08:00

Okay, this is to all of you who have been looking at my corsets for years and HAVEN'T PURCHASED ONE! First off, let me thank you for being a stalker. I too, practice stalking some VERY cool etsy pages, so there's no shame in this daily ritual. I am also guilty of just drooling over things and never actually clicking on that button to buy them, so here goes my sales pitch.

We will be having a SERIOUS sale the day after Thanksgiving this year. You can get beautiful, high quality, handmade corsets at 30-60% off, PLUS we have some seriously cool "door prizes" for the first 25 people who snap something up starting at 6:00am Mountain Time. The corsets I'm selling are all brand new, and the only reason they're being discounted is because there might be limited quantities of them left in stock, OR the fabric they are made out of has been discontinued. We're also trying to use up small scraps of fabric, so there will be awesome patchwork corsets as well as freaking amazing patchy skirts.

There is seriously NO BETTER TIME to get something from our company than on the weekend of Thanksgiving. Get gifts for your friends! Get lingerie for your husband. Get a corset to wear under your clothing for back support! JUST DO IT! (hey, it worked for Nike...)

Oh, and if my faithful clans of friends/customers could also pimp me on their blogs and facebook pages, I would much appreciate it. ;)
Michelle

TWO PROMOTIONS!

2010-11-09T13:28:00.001-08:00

No, I'm not talking about job promotions. I'm referring to the two COOL events we have going on in our artfire and etsy shops! For the next couple of weeks, I'll be featuring some beautiful new corsets as part of our Winter Steampunk Collection (You can see two of the looks on me and my lovely sister, Emma, above!). I've got some sweet new designs that are very rock-star-steampunk-militia looking. *drool* On ARTFIRE, we'll be having our Ugly Corset Sale! Well, honestly, most of them aren't really ugly. They're just fabrics that haven't been as popular (because they're not freaking black or red.) OR they are fabrics that are only left in small scraps. I'm selling the corsets at about $20 to $50 cheaper than I would at festivals. I'm not "marking them up" and then "having a sale" on them either. I want them to move out of the shop, FAST.

so, take a look at the marvelous offerings. If my blog is working properly, you should see a mini-window for artfire along the top, and a side window for the etsy shop. Keep checking etsy all of this week to see the neat Steamunk Corseted Jackets and just really dang sexy stuff. If you have a quirky, odd side of you, go and check out the sale on artfire!

Thank you tremendously for all of your support. I'm working on some SERIOUSLY good ways to thank you guys (It will most likely be some sweet coupons only for the blog readers and facebook fans)

A Brief Conversation with Halloween 2010

2010-10-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

So, I had a conversation with Halloween 2010, trying to figure out what he had against me. I mean, I worked my REAR off trying to make sure all of the ladies of his night could dress in the most high quality seductress costumes available, and STILL he tries to murder me in cold blood. I have been SOOO tired and stressed out for about two months that I think I'm just a pale shadow of my normal vibrant self. It may have something to do with the diet of cookie dough and pre-Halloween candy that I shove in my face as I sit rigidly at my sewing machine, pressing through the pieces of fabric and hoping that my tears won't stain the corsets and that my angry profanity-filled outbursts won't be embedded into the fibers. I might be a little worn because I've been waking up at 4:30 every morning and VERY LITERALLY working until 10 each night.

Now, I'm not complaining about the number of orders. That was pretty dang awesome. I think what has ended up killing me is that we get sooooooo many emails. And, bless your hearts, some of you might have been slightly more understanding about the weight that I'm under. Well, me AND my Midwest Branch. We're small companies, plain and simple. We stay this way because I honestly like feeling a personal connection with the customers and I LOVE being the one who sews all of their custom orders, and I'm really genuinely excited for most of you to get your corsets and put them together into fantastic costumes. It's also nice to work with people who appreciate good craftsmanship and understand what work is put into my pieces. However, when you multiply the normal number of pleasant customers by 20, then things start getting out of control. Your emails start sounding angry in my head when I read them. Here's an example.

Customer: Hey! I was just wanting to check up on my package and see when it would arrive!

How I read this same email- HEY @$^%*$!!! WHERE THE H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICK IS MY $%^&*&** CORSET? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? I'M YOUR ONLY IMPORTANT CUSTOMER AND I DON'T GIVE A DANG ABOUT HOW TIRED YOU ARE OR ABOUT HOW YOU ALREADY GOT THE CORSET DONE AND SENT IT OUT YESTERDAY, 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE EXPECTED TIME! I WANTED IT A WEEK AGO! YOU SUCK, YOUR PRODUCTS SUCK AND YOU CAN BURN IN H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICK!

I'm not even joking here. When I'm this overwhelmed with orders and I've been working this hard, I get really irritable and emotional, completely taking everything said the worst possible way and feeling judged, inadequate, stupid, imperfect, and idiotic.

Now, in my defense, I DID hire extra help. I don't actually answer the emails (that's my brother..he dictates, I answer, he types.) and I was FINALLY humble and beaten down sufficiently so that I could ask for help from some of our neighbors. They have literally saved our life, making my sewing shop so it doesn't look like a bomb hit and organizing, grommeting, and helping with shipping. All the same, I just take everything sooo personally with this company. It's an extension of who I am and what I stand for, so if anyone is ever upset or disappointed with me or my products, it just grates on my nerves. I sit there and sew and stew and am nearly driven out of my mind. It's worse when I get emails where the people REALLY DID want to guilt-trip me and put me down. Those ones play as a constant track in my head, over and over. I can promise you, I never forget them.

Basically, I just want Halloween to be over so I can stop feeling guilty for not being perfect. How could I try SOO hard and still fall short of the mark? Poopy.

On a MUCH LIGHTER note, I have a REALLY great promotion coming up in the 2 weeks. We're trying to clear out fabrics to make room for more!!! We'll be headed to the LA fabric district and we're planning on buying massive amount of fabric so you guys can have new selections, colors, and patterns! But, that means we have to make room, and we have such profusions of little pieces of fabric that just need cut up and used into corsets. The reason most of these are still kicking around is because they're sort of...ugly. So, I'll be having an "UGLY FABRIC CORSET SALE!" YAY!!!! (funny thing is-I LOVE most of these fabrics.) We're making some hilariously ironic and swell steampunk corsets out of the ugly fabrics. You guys will love them!

Jackets of Feather Flock Together

2010-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-09-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

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.

NEW Halloween 2010 Collection!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a true A-hole here. I'm only showing you ONE picture from my new Halloween Line. the rest of it will go on etsy VERY soon the minute we have multiples of each size of each costume made. Moreover, we're working on our magazine AS WE I WRITE THIS! We're putting together all of the pages of the spread, so you can REALLY see the costumes and how we put them together. I'm putting together tutorials on doing FANTASTIC accessories! I want to have this magazine published and done SOOO bad, but it is A LOT of work.
Anyway, you'll be seeing lots of this stuff in our etsy shop. We want TONS of ready-made and ready-to-ship stuff on etsy so you guys can start purchasing like crazy fools! AnD ooooohhh, our Alice in Wonderland collection is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life! I want to be Alice, even though I'm a buxom brunette!
Friends, I've got GOOD stuff for you. It's all because I love you so much.
Michelle

Poo! Halloween is Already Killing Me!

2010-08-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

*these are pictures of my new and magical way of using scraps. These look SOOO good at little bustle pieces. I'm still getting up the courage to wear one out around town as a cape, like the mannequin is. ;)

Just a few updates and facts here for you guys
*We are on a 2-3 week waiting period for corsets right now. This doesn't mean that I take 2-3 weeks to complete one piece. It means that I'm working my rear off and driving myself into the ground doing about 100 orders in 3 weeks. It's important to understand that I take your custom orders as they come in, and generally there is about 30 corset orders before yours. The only way to bump this up is to pay the $35 rush fee, at which point I basically just give up several hours of sleep to make your corset quicker.

*We have two big festivals coming up! One is the Shrewsbury Renaissance Festival September 11-12th, and then we have the Portland Pirate Festival September 18th and 19th. I will neither be taking any orders, nor answering emails at this time. We'll be traveling and on the road, and I hate trying to answer emails when there's literally nothing I can do about them seeing as I'm hundreds of miles from a sewing machine.

*Before you contact us to check on the status of your order, it's good to do a few things: 1.see if you've received a paypal shipment notification along with a tracking number( Sadly, we've found that these emails go largely ignored.) and 2. Count the number of days it's been since your order. We are generally EXTREMELY good at getting the orders out right in between the estimated waiting time (so if it's 2-3 weeks, we generally get your order out at 2 1/2 weeks time). 3. (THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!) Please don't text me from your phone to my email with a note saying, "Hey, just wondering how things are going." That would require me to somehow know your phone number, your name, and your order off of the top of my head. I'm pretty brilliant..but not quite THAT brilliant. When you contact us about an order, tell us what the item was! Order numbers don't do a dang thing. You can't look them up on etsy (at least as far as I can tell.) We need specifics, dates, fabrics, sizes. Everything. That will speed things up tremendously!

*Not to sound like a poo-head, but for the love of everything good and decent, don't contact me the DAY of your event wondering where your package is. We've only had this happen a couple of times, but it's extremely stressful and unhelpful to both parties. We are a good company with a good reputation, and we want to keep that, but there have been times where we just weren't informed that the customer needed a package by a certain date, and the customer contacts us either the day before or the day OF the event. If you give us the heads up about 4 days in advance, we can ACTUALLY do something. What is more is that we WANT to help you.

* I really don't want to sound like such an ugly muffin here, but I'm trying to change things, reorganize orders, revamp the website, prepare for Halloween, prepare for two festivals, and somehow be a good mother, wife, sister, and friend in there. Since most of you only have 1 order to worry about, and I have hundreds, just be sure to be patient and kind and communicate clearly. I WILL say, I have been known to give out free costume pieces to the customers who were absolutely lovely and supportive and bright rays of sunshine. It doesn't mean everyone will get something, but if you are exceedingly kind, the good karma WILL come back to you.

Let me know if you guys have any questions.
Michelle
Damsel in this Dress Corsets

I'm bringing Fairy back

2010-07-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

Hey friends! Just one picture from our new photoshoot for the website! This is a revisit to an old pattern that I'm going to try out again. It's my fairy corset, with fabulous detachable little curly shoulder straps. Thanks to some awesome models/friends, we've got a massive batch of breathtaking pictures for you guys to view on the new website and in my magazine (YES! in the works!) Sorry for all the teases and "we're coming out with this..but not yet!" stuff. I'm so absolutely tired at the end of every day just trying to keep up with custom orders that trying to do extracurricular activities like working on the website and magazine make me go into panic mode. However, I'm working! You'll get them soon!

YAY FOR SALES!!

2010-07-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm having a sale in my etsy shop on select wench corsets from the last festival! They are 30% off or more, and I've got some dang good ones!! Here are just a few samplings from the sale that's going on in our etsy shop! www.damselinthisdress.etsy.com

Oooh, brand new with tags!

Okay, this corset, ESPECIALLY needs to go to the right person. You know how some people can wear animal prints and just look smoking hot?? Imagine this with a pair of black tight pants, super high heels, and a ruffly, flirty top. GRRRR

Special Occasions and Me

2010-07-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that even though I have profusions of edibles in my pantry and fridge, I strangely still had nothing to eat. I've noticed the same thing with my closet...the whole thing will be decidedly impregnated with apparel, and yet I can't find a single thing with which to bedrape myself. My theory is that they are all engaging in illicit breeding, producing hoards of extra useless figures with which to fill the space so that I will not feel the need to purchase anything else. After all, competition is bad.
So, back to the original story. I didn't want to go to the grocery store in my smeared day old makeup, my ratty hair, and my t-shirt covered in threads from sewing. There is a truth universally acknowledged that if a woman looks like crap at a grocery store, she will inevitably meet the most inconvenient people and embarass herself unfathomably. I ran up to my room to throw something on, wash my face, and make myself look presentable. Gazing into the mirror, it became apparent that I needed to cleanse the old makeup from my visage and don some more. As I was pulling my precious jewels of the cosmetic world from my bag, I thought, "Okay, I'm not going to put this or this one. I'm ONLY going to the grocery store. No one cares." So, with that mindset, I commenced with the applying of the basic essentials. Then a thought hit me as I looked at my little vessel of MAC Sketch Eyeshadow....."Why DON'T I care about looking good?" "Who CARES if it's JUST the grocery store. I can either go to the grocery store feeling like a harried, bland, housewife, or I can stride confidently in, feeling beautiful and fresh like a woman who should be admired by the shelf stockers and flirted with by the cashiers!" Feeling a surge of morale boosting determination, I dumped my makeup contents back out and took the mere 5 minutes to finish making my face and skin look radiant, my eyes look smoky and sultry, and my outlook on life sublime!
I wonder why I always tell myself to "wait for special occasions" to turn the volume up on the glamour? When I know that I look stunning, I act stunning. Think about the last time you looked smashing! How did your day go? How did you treat those around you? How did it feel to get ready that day? Were you excited? Did you want to show yourself off to your friends and family? Did you hope people would notice and compliment? Did they? When I physically take the extra few minutes to pamper myself, it is a concrete token of my regard for myself. It means I believe I'm WORTH the extra time and effort. I don't have to wait for special occasions to use that super expensive makeup. I don't have to wait until a date with my husband (I'm lucky if I get one of those every couple of months) to wear that super sexy top. I can get up tomorrow 5 MINUTES earlier, and that five minutes will change my whole entire day.
Thus, tomorrow is a special occasion, ladies. Make sure you're dressed for it.

OH, the PAIN

2010-07-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have never broken up with a boy in my life. I was always the breakee, being told encouraging, but firm messages like "You're a great girl, just not the one for me." "I love you, but I'm not in love with you." I suppose that having a strong personality and an Austen sense of romance can obliterate nearly any shallow high school relationship. Oh, plus I wasn't going to have sex with them, which then took any of my chances with men and squished them like a cockroach. I still tried, desperately, believing that there must me a man out there somewhere who wasn't terrified of me. However, by the time I was 18, I feel that I was pretty much a pro at being rejected, having my heart shattered, writing extensive aching love songs about it. Oh, the hammered and fraying Mead spiral notebooks that possessed the depths of my stinging soul!

I know for a fact that God sent me Tyler because he knew that I would be a bitter old maid at the ripe age of 18 1/2. The difference here is that I met someone who was ready for marriage, which is what I had been ready for since age 4. Not to say that Tyler wasn't a little bit wary at first, because I'm a very passionate person who can fall in love in 10 seconds flat. He worried that I fell in love with all men that quickly, and that he wasn't any exception. Oh, boy, is he the exception!

I'm not one of those people that needs to "find themself" or is "confused about how they feel". Those sentiments don't even compute in my brain. I see something, and I go for it. I know how I feel instantly, and I arrange my actions accordingly. How can anyone POSSIBLY not know how they feel??? It takes like two seconds. "Hmm...this man makes me feel alive and wanted and cherished. He understands my hopes and dreams, my aches and woes, my physical and emotional needs. Do I love him? Yes." Easy as pie. Although..actually, pie is not that easy. Hmm....easy as ramen noodles.

Okay, so now that we've established that I fell ardently in love and got married, we should assume that the pangs of rejection haven't plucked the strings of my inner harp. Yes, I don't get rejected for much. Wanted to have kids? Got two. Wanted to start my own business? Now I'm kicking butt at making corsets along with my husband. I'm a hard worker, and I believe almost anything is impossible if you've got the inner drive.

Last night after shooting off a few measly fireworks with family, and going through about 35 boxes of sparklers, we went to check our mailbox, having forgotten to get the mail earlier in the day. There was one letter, addressed to me, so Tyler handed it over. I looked at the envelope and saw that it was from the SteamCon in Seattle that I had applied for. My heart leaped a little and I thought, "Swell! I can start designing more steampunk corsets to take to this thing in November. I cannot wait!!" I hurriedly ripped it open, and my brow creased as the check for payment of the booth space fell out. What the...., and then I read the very polite rejection letter telling me that there were "many wonderful applicants" but "just not enough space for them all". OOOh, ouch. And WHAT THE DEVIL! We make the coolest steampunk corsets ever! And on their website, they state that they have twice the amount of space they had last year.... OH, it's like the faces of every boy that ever successfully got rid of me are looming over me, all holding identical letters to this one and shaking them in my face as they laugh. I've got a hard pit in the center of my stomach that is not at all different from the hardened and grotesque knot of heartbreak. I'm just depressed. I'm so spoiled with fulfilling my dreams as a result of hard work and determination that when I DON'T get something that I tried for, I feel like I must be a failure or something.

Whew, so I'm trying to decide whether or not I should let it roll of my shoulders or if I should make up the most amazing and professional looking application of all time and confidently apply for a place at NEXT year's show. Oooooh, but then I would get a letter that says, "Please, Michelle! We love you, but we are not IN love with you." "You are a great girl, but......"

picture my daughter took

2010-06-30T20:17:00.001-07:00

My little 4-year old daughter took this picture. It was originally so dark that you could only see the mannequin sort of rising ominously out of the blackness, but then my husband lightened it up, and it turned out to be this great grainy grunge looking picture. Good job, Brynn! I sure hope that kid wants to be a corset-maker when she grows up. *cross fingers*

On another note, THANK YOU THANK YOU for the comments you've made on making my new website a better place. I do plan on splitting the corsets into sections: Renaissance, Pirate, Fantasy, Steampunk and "Customize your own". I wanted to do corresponding photos that really had the flavor of each genre. The only thing I'm worried about is that some customers might see a corset in the "steampunk" section, and think, "Oh, I can't wear that to a ren fest, because it's steampunk." But, SURELY, no one would be that dumb, right? *crosses fingers, and knocks on wood.* I didn't want this massive jumbled page with a million pictures of corsets to load, where it wasn't neatly organized into categories, but I do want people to be able to see the scope of my work, and all the designs I have kicking around in my head. Hopefully they're intelligent enough to realize that, with these types of costumes, they can be worn for almost any occasion, as long as you're creative enough with the other pieces and accessories.

The big difference between lots of my customers is how they put these things together. I have a lot of customers at ren fests who just wear the blouse, bodice, and skirt with nothing else. While it's pretty, it's very "typical bar wench" to me.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have these women who purchase elaborate hats, pouches, brooches, pantaloons, shoes, tights, belts, bracelets, rings, necklaces, bras, hair accessories, panties, and makeup to match their corset exactly. It's pretty phenomenal to see a woman that lavishly adorned. It always makes me proud. I, myself, have taken about 10 years to finally figure out how to put renaissance outfits together. It takes a LOT of little details to make a look complete and stunning. THAT is one of the things I'm planning on putting in my magazine/catalog.....Oh MAN! It's our next project after the website is done, but this thing is going to be so awesome! The more I think about it, the more excited I get!

My magalog is going to be the ONLY one out there that actually empowers women, rather than degrading them and subconsciously making them lower their self esteem. Seriously, the next time you are in the grocery store, and you look over the features in the women's magazines, see if you can spot any of them that encourage you to love yourself and make the best of yourself. OOOh, boy...I'm getting long-winded and I didn't mean to. I can't go into this here, but just know that my magalog is going to be splendid! It's going to have articles about throwing away your sweatpants and busting out the push-up bra. It's going to talk about getting back in touch with the romantic "damsel" inside of you, rather than the frazzled "let herself go" mom or the 20's something girl who is pissed at men and dresses like it. I just think that if women were able to EMBRACE their femininity, and wield it like a weapon, there's no telling what we could do or accomplish. And it doesn't really happen because of BIG things....it's all little, daily occurrences that shape you and mold you into a powerful woman. I'll try to help you guys, AND ME, find those. ;) So, on that note, let me know what you would like to see in a magazine. Really dwell on it, and tell me about how you want to view yourself, and how you want to feel. I think that, together, we can amass this army of corset-wearing seductresses.

Free Preview

2010-06-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

OOOOh, I'm feeling super excited for everyone to see our new website! We're going to have better pictures, views of all the corsets on both the models AND mannequins (sometimes it's really beneficial to see something on a mannequin as opposed to a girl that you personally don't care for. I mean, I know there's plenty of passive aggressive women who revel in hating me, yet still read my blog....strange.) We're going to set it up so you can actually ORDER off of the website (wow! What an idea!!!) and all of the custom orders you want to make will be handled through the website, which will have options galore, ideas for putting together killer outfits, and as much info as I can cram into it! All of the "in stock and ready to ship" corsets will be on our etsy and artfire stores, and so if you're wanting something quick, we'll have a feed to those sites.

I REALLY think everyone will adore the new site, blog about me, write songs about me, peer pressure their friends into purchasing corsets from me, and will yearn ardently for my autograph........(I really don't have that big of an ego, guys. Wait....maybe I do.)

With that being said, if you guys can think of anything that HAS to be on the new website, PLEASE let me know! My whole company is built around what my customers tell me to do. I'm always stubborn at first when I get good ideas, but eventually I shackle my pride to the inner tube of defeat and float it away on the river of despair.

Basically, Moving is....poopy

2010-06-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Bleh! Sorry about what an absolute state of wretchedness the company is in right now! I'm halfway moved, the workshop is halfway finished, and we're halfway surviving! We are on the home stretch, and I'll be showing you pictures of our lovely new workspace that we're beyond excited about!!! Anyhow, we just barely had a sale on etsy, but we're sort of extending/changing the sale because I've still got these random lonely bodices at my old location, and I want to send them out in packages, rather than move them! Anyhow, I'll see if I have any more orphan items at the old place, and I'll be listing those too!
Thanks for your patience and continued support! You guys are simply the most amazing, stylish, sexy customers ever! I promise, you will get rewarded with the most amazing improvements you've ever seen!!!
Michelle

24 Hour Crazy Pre-Move SALE!

2010-06-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have some inventory that I would rather sell than move. Does that sound familiar? So, until noon Central Time tomorrow, I will be taking 20 percent off all my pre-made bodices on Etsy. It's a win-win situation: you, the customer, gets a fabulous corset at a great price; and I, the craftswoman, can send some bodices to good homes with minimal worries. How awesome is that?

Please allow me a few minutes to go make the changes, and I'll be listing more throughout the rest of the day today. Watch for titles with the word "SALE" in them. If you pay by noon tomorrow, I can ship tomorrow. Remember, the sale does not apply to custom orders, since I have to move all that equipment anyway!

So, what are you...a 16 inch waist?

2010-05-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

Amber, I hope it's okay that I borrowed this off of your facebook. I just wanted to my blog readers a quick look at 2 things: 1.Look at my awesome corset. It's all florally and pretty, but then it has bullet casings sewn around the whole entire bottom, front and back. There's nothing like a drunk sweaty guy at a ren fest reaching for your bum, touching it, and then mumbling, "your cartridge was coming out. " Heck yes for THAT pickup line. 2.It's really good to note that I customize my corsets for me. I have spent 5 years beating my waist into submission (not in the creepy 'waist training'/ reshape your inner organs/wear corsets for 23 hours a day kind of crap, but just wearing well built waist whittlers!) and I'm squishy enough through the waist that I can do a pretty dang good optical illusion. Now, if ONLY I looked anything like this in real life (Oh! Side note-check out the song by KT Tunstall "If Only" It's such a brilliant song and I often rock out to it whilst slaving over a hot sewing machine.) Anyway, back to my corsets for me-I had no less than 3 humans of the male persuasion ask me if my waist was 16 inches. MAN ALIVE! If you guys have a measuring tape kicking around, go ahead and see what 16 inches looks like. It ain't pretty. I just adored the fact that such a question was posed to me! It's sort of like how I have people ask me AT LEAST 25 times a day if I'm going to "put my knee in their back and pull" while I'm lacing their corsets....FRONT lacing corsets.....if you have a vivid enough imagination, go ahead and picture me lacing up a muggle up the front, while pushing my knee into their back....awkward.
Okay, back to the mind-numbing inventory sewing. By the way, I literally cannot apologize enough for how sloppy the month of May has been for my company. I've done so many stupid things with custom orders that I'm pretty sure I have several lifelong enemies. Working on the weekends, and then furiously sewing every day all day in between has not been conducive to good customer service, quickly filled orders, or happy customers. We ARE going to launch a STUNNINGLY amazing website, complete with a shopping cart, new fabrics, new bodices, and new...newness this summer. You guys will love it. I have sooooo many great things planned.

Sorry, sorry, sorry

2010-05-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

To My Customers- I'm extremely sorry for the unprofessional way I behave on my blog and I will strive to be a lot more.....passionless in the future. I shouldn't vent into the universe and just expect it to go well. I do need to change my attitude and just deal with my personal stresses in a more closed-off way.

Crappy Boning Expo 2010

2010-05-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

You may be seriously confused at what you're seeing. First off, why in the freak is that stupid look on my face? Second, what the crap do I have on my body? (Am I committing adultery with another corset besides my own??)Third, why is this corset awkwardly chopping the line of my breasts in half and squishing my extra jigglies out of the bottom (although, you can't see it very well.) Here's the story. I was at my renaissance festival this last weekend, and a lady came in wearing this "corset" (if you can even call it that.) On her, the boning in the back looked like the side of a lasagna noodle and looked as slithery as a snake. Plus, she said it was really painful. We quickly got her out of it and into one of mine, where the relief was palpable, and the sex appeal went up 60 points instantly!

She asked if anything could be done with this one. It's one where the corset was advertised as being a "steel boned" corset....which is technically true because it DOES have two pieces of average steel up the front. However, the rest of it is boned with about 10 or 12 horrible wobbly plastic bones. Look at the picture up above! That is me folding half of the corset up! That is NOT a good sign. I'm always trying to preach this concept to my customers-Just because it says it is boned in 40 places doesn't mean that those forty places will end up holding you in and looking good. There's even varieties of steel boning that are completely useless, in my opinion. I could go on and on about this subject, but I need to finish this up so I can keep sewing more corsets for this weekend.

Anyway, so here's the back. It was uncomfortably short, making my love handles poke out the back in an exaggerated manner, and the boning just bent all to heck (as you can see in the pictures below). The seams in this were very straight...as in "NOT CURVED" like a woman's body should be. And....oh yuck! I never had any idea my hair looked like that from the back...oh boy.....Anyway, the other thing is that when you have something laced up your back, it puts a tremendous amount of strain on it. Now, granted, I have been having serious back problems all week because I've been so stressed out and tense, but this corset honestly made my back hurt worse.

Bleh! Look at this! It bends side to side and in and out away from the body! I'm about to take this to my sewing machine and perform surgery on it and see if new life can be breathed into it, but no matter what I do, it will still be a fairly unflattering pattern. I didn't feel like a seductress in it....I felt sort of cheap and "blah". I'm not sure how much this corset originally cost, but I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 to $100. It has a tag proudly sewn in that states its origin as "China". Am I surprised? Not really.
I'm not saying everyone has to purchase my corsets (although, it would be REALLY swell if you all did.) but PLEASE don't go for something like this. It will give you a bad taste in your mouth for corsets and you'll end up thinking of them as uncomfortable booby traps (yes, pun intended.)

The "When I Care Days"

2010-04-26T16:13:00.001-07:00

Ever since I started this company, I've had the good fortune to deal with many splendid small suppliers...however, I've also dealt companies who would have done better to hire a pissed-off weasel for their customer service department rather than the person I dealt with. Admittedly, I DO understand being on both ends of the customer vs.company spectrum. There have been orders where I "dropped the ball" soooo horribly that I can't understand why my house hasn't been burned down. (Uh...don't get any ideas...you LOVELY customers.) And I have had my supplier companies let me down so horridly that I've never forgiven them (when you actually have to chase the UPS man down to get your package...well..it's a long and hideous story, and it really was the company's fault.) I've striven to forgive and forget most of the wrongs that have been done to me from small companies, because I honestly understand looking through papers, seeing a little note on an invoice, and having the insides of your stomach clench into a hard mass as your realize, to your horror, that this was supposed to have been made and sent yesterday and you haven't even started on it.

My sister-in-law, Jill (who I will be talking about more in one of my future blogs, because she actually sews a good deal of the corsets you guys are wearing!) is the one who invented the phrase "When I Care Days". This means that when you get quoted a timeframe for a product, you have to take into account that some of those "business" days are also "When I Care Days" and some of them aren't. Hmm...Let me see if I can explain. So, we ordered *a certain item* from *a certain company* and we CERTAINLY needed it badly. The company told us it would arrive to us in 3-5 business days.....2 weeks later it still hadn't gotten there, and we had to humble ourselves enough to darken the door of JoAnn-The GREAT Fabric Whore of the United States. When we have to pay retail price for our materials, rather than wholesale, our profits go down a good 500% and suddenly we're not able to pay our mortgages. Thus, we hate JoAnn.

Anyway, back to the "When I Care Days". It's sort of a formula: for every day they quote you, you must take into account how many of those days will be "When I Care Days" and then adjust the time accordingly. If the company doesn't give a dang that particular day...or the next. Your package is not going out. If they look at the invoice and panic, SUDDENLY, it's a "When I Care Day". If the customer calls yelling and screaming and demanding things, it becomes a "When I Care Day" *(oh, a note to you customers who do this to any company. The employees all make fun of you behind your back.)

Our new goal with our company is to make EVERY DAY a "When I Care Day". We're figuring out better ways to handle the orders, we're TRYING fervently to get our website all set up so you can actually just click through and order the corsets...you know...like any other company! And we do discuss constantly how we can be a better company to work with (Oh, by the way, "WE" is me (Michelle); my husband, Tyler; my brother, Toby; his wife, Jill; and then my friends, Natalie and her husband Dave. I DO understand why so many companies have "When I Care Days" only occasionally, because it's DANG hard work to care every day. I lose sleep over the dang company. I neglect MANY important things in favor of the company. Eventually, we'll get there, but for now, we're still a work in progress.....and today was a day we cared.

Steampunk Artillery Corsets

2010-04-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm SUPER excited, because my dad and brothers are having a big clay pigeon shooting day next weekend, and I get to reap the rewards of all the leftover shells from their guns!! Sweeeeet. I'm planning on making a corset especially for me that has bullet shell loops sewn around the whole entire bottom, so I'll look so bad-A that EVERYONE will run in fear from my beauty and power!!

I love corsets that make me feel like I should star in either a Disney cartoon (of course, as the Villainess) or in a comic book as a super sexy crime-fighting babe.
Anyhow, if you guys want to purchase one of these corsets, go to my etsy site! I just listed them!
www.damselinthisdress.etsy.com

FABRIC SELECTION!!

2010-04-09T14:47:00.001-07:00

I know, I know! It's taken me forever to get anything done with my fabric selection. I'm having to make do while I'm out here in Missouri for the spring season of ren-fests. I know that I don't have a massive selection, but I DID just post most of what I have on etsy for your viewing enjoyment. However, if you try to purchase these, I'll throw a complete hissy fit. (etsy wouldn't let me list them as "free"....in fact, they had to cost more than 20 cents....so I put 50 cents....but seriously, I KNOW I'm going to get some blessed soul who thinks they're getting all of these fabrics for that price. *sigh*)
Here they are!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44462254
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44461600
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44461099
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44459145

Little Cropped Jackets

2010-04-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

When I decide to create a pattern, generally it continues to haunt me for the next several weeks. This one, in particular, is the one that's plaguing me at the moment. I've seen piles of these little jackets being sold on etsy, and it's occurred to me many times that they would look spectacular with corsets, and make the pieces more versatile. I also liked them because the bolero/cropped jacket dresses up anything you wear with it, including the red t-shirt I'm wearing in these photos.

The problem with these is that it's a hard pattern to grade. No, not "grading" as in-"I give this an A+!" but grading meaning drafting the different sizes. My biggest pet peeve about the clothing industry is how they grade their patterns. Take for instance, a t-shirt. You have the smallest size. Done. Now, you need a medium. They just take the pattern and add an inch to the side seams so it's wider...same with the L...same with the XL. By the time you get to an XL (my previous size before I worked my rear off losing this weight) the shirt is wider than it is long. To make it bigger, they've simply added inches to the side, because that's the easiest thing to do. Meanwhile, they never stop to think that, as women get bigger, generally their chests get bigger. If you have a shirt that is the width of an XL, but the length of a Sm, you get a shirt that absolutely turns you into a stump and can even show your belly. That LENGTH has to first go over the breasts, then back down the hill to the stomach...depending on your cup size (I mean, MAN ALIVE! If you're a D cup, it goes out 4 inches, and then back 4 inches downhill to get back to the tummy....that's 8 extra inches!) I found these shirts that were labeled as maternity t-shirts by this company that makes long stretchy tees. I held up the maternity ones next to the normal ones, and they looked the same to me, so I asked the salesgirl about it. She said, "Oh, the maternity tees are 3 inches longer in the front to accommodate the belly bump." Okay, great.....but.....wait! Why aren't all shirts slightly longer in the front to accommodate the breasts???ARRGGG

My dad is a carpenter and builds houses beautifully, and he's been blessed with a great gift of being able to see 2D things and put them into 3D. I think I got a bit of that from him, because I see womens' bodies, and I really try to consider the flat pattern pieces that need to mold around their 3D shapes. When I grade my own corset patterns, I actually mentally use my customers as fitting models at festivals. Since I'm in my booth, trying the corsets on hundreds and thousands of different body types, I'm constantly making little post-it notes in my mind about the pattern and how I can change it when I get home. My most helpful customers are the curvier, plus size crowd .Oh, how I love you women with curves! You've taught me more about pattern making than ANY class could have. I've learned how to make armholes roomier, but also taller and differently shaped. I've learned to put more of a drastic waist arc into the patterns, because your waists can "corset" down more inches than the little skinny girls out there. There's about a million other little things that you just wouldn't ever stop to think of unless you were trying the corset on the actual woman. Most of my patterns are still in slight revision stages here and there, but if you purchased a corset from me 4 years ago, you would definitely notice DRASTIC improvements.
Anyhow, so these little jackets are my next baby. I'm trying to make a crop of them to take the my festivals in May so I can try them on the real women, LISTEN to what the customers have to say (I really do take into account what you guys think. You're all my clients.) and then make the pattern as well fitted and flattering as it can be.

Ripoffs and Cheap Knockoffs

2010-03-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, it makes me mad enough when someone rips off my designs that I poured my heart and soul into, and they take them and has them cheaply made in China, BUT it makes me EVEN MORE FURIOUS when I see it happen to a good company that I work with and adore! See how blatantly HOT TOPIC stole this design from Gypsy Lady Hats? The dang hat is probably made of the cheapest, lowest quality things possible, and it will most likely not even stay up on your head and will flop down and look like bum. ARRGGGG I just hate it. I hate it so much that I'm blogging about it when I'm supposed to be leaving on a 24 hour trip to temporarily relocate my entire company to the Midwest for the spring season of ren-fests. My husband is packing our stuff, and keeps coming into the computer room and saying (very kindly and patiently) "Uh....so, will you be done with that soon?" He definitely understands because he's the co-owner of the company, and when we were dealing with cheap knock-offs, he was just as pissed (although, he's an eternal optimist and tried to point out all of the good things that come from having someone steal your work.) He did make some good positive points, mainly that-when someone makes a cheap rip-off, suddenly your items are elevated to "designer" and "couture" and all of those fancy words. Suddenly, you're name brand, and the other people are the obvious lower class, cheap trash.

I think the part that really makes me ill is that people will see both the Hot Topic knockoffs of these hats and the China-made Damsel knock-offs, and some of them won't know the difference. These people are going around giving our companies a bad name. *sigh*

You know, I had some foundation from Covergirl, and I really liked it because it was actually pale enough for my skin, and it was 5 bucks. However, I was noticing that after just a couple of hours, my skin would start looking patchy, and by the end of the day, you couldn't even tell I was wearing makeup at all. I finally buckled down and purchased a $35 bottle of foundation from MAC, and LET ME TELL YOU! I put on a light layer, and my skin looked flawless, creamy, soft, radiant, and even-toned. After 14 hours of walking around Disneyland in 80 degree weather (bless you, spring temperatures!) I still looked like I had flawless skin (mind you, my skin is oily, I have really red patchy cheeks, and I'm sort of...nasty). This lesson is taught to me on a constant basis, and I really hope that I'm starting to learn the value of a well-made and honest product from a company you can trust.

So, I'm asking you lovely people to join me in my campaign against Hot Topic. I mean, let's face it....they're the company who helps high school kids pretend that they're unique....just like all the other Hot Topic kids. It's very "mainstream nonconformist". Shame on them. I think we should all have t-shirts and buttons made. Sweet.
Oh, wow, I need to hop into the van and get going. So long!

meet me...I'll autograph your corset

2010-03-10T15:45:00.001-08:00

Hey, first off, I love all of you who comment on my blog, and I'm going to make it up to you, I promise! You'll see....
If you want to meet me this weekend in Sonora, California (*that is...provided those "WONDERFUL" people at the CA state tax commission fax our seller's permit to the festival..otherwise, we're stuck in California with a trailer full of bodices...roadside bodice stand? maybe?) I'll be at the Sonora Celtic Faire, and I'll be there signing corset from 1-3 pm. haha, no seriously. no.....SERIOUSLY. I have a lovely signature that looks like it was illustrated by a chipmunk that just downed a rockstar energy drink. (rather...some erratic loops, jagged edges, and perhaps maybe an "M" at the first)
Michelle

The pros and cons of working with a passionate person

2010-03-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm an emotional thinker, and I know that. My older brother always affectionately told me that I have no settings between 0 and 10, meaning that either I'm a completely happy bright person, or I'm a dark ray of depression and woe. I've tried for years and years to become a more stable, logical thinker and to channel my out-of-control emotions into positive outlets. I married a naturally optimistic, easy-going, resilient man and he definitely helps keep me on track, yet lately I feel like kicking cans of jello through windows while screaming out profanities that no one even ever thought of while shoving chocolate down my face and crying miserably. The other day, as I was screaming obscenities into the universe, I grabbed a pair of scissors and just made several gashes in the corset I had just finished. I know this all sounds like the acts of a serious lunatic, but maybe that's what I am. I just have such a huge amount of pressure on me lately, that I feel as if I'm moving through putty as I walk to my sewing machine.

My lovely customers make orders, and they only have that one order on their mind. They're excited about that order, and hope that the package will show up in the mail soon. When I get the orders, especially when they all come in huge batches, those orders and customer needs play in my mind like a nagging, disappointed soundtrack on a continuous loop. When I go to sleep at night, they're still there...all of the things I need to get done, all of the demands, all of the deadlines. When I wake up at 5 in the morning, they're playing louder than ever. This is one of the reasons I hired my sister to answer all of my emails and etsy conversations, because I would read them, and the whole entire emails would play in the background of my head, not just their orders. Plus, there's that unfortunate passion that I have about the product. Someone would ask me why I used fiberglass rods, and instead of saying, "Because they make for a great product and will never bend or break." I would launch into my theories about good posture and how I searched for months to find someting that I thought would be suitable and meet my needs, and how my brother was making his foam-padded battle swords with fiberglass rod cores and how I figured that if the rods could stand up to repeated literal beatings, then surely they would hold a woman's stomach in and onandonandon. I'm so passionate about what I do and everything that goes into it, that it melds into strong emotions, and those inevitably come pouring out when I write. If any of you ever get emails from me and think,"Wow, that was very abrupt and to the point!" that's because it was dictated by me, but simplified and typed out by my sister.

So, back to the whole issue of me needing anger management, I just wanted to make a formal apology if I've pissed any of you off, or if I've offended you, or really let you down. Just today, I told a customer I would not take her order because it was stressing me out so badly with all of her needs and emails, and she didn't exactly seem too happy. I tried to explain that I was leaving for a festival in 4 days, and then traveling for the whole last half of March, but I guess really, at the end of the day, you guys just want your corsets and you don't care about my stresses and come-aparts. That's fine, and I understand more than you know, because once again, when you launch into all of the reasons you want a corset, along with all of your body issues, along with your deadline for your event and your budget needs, those go right into the playlist in my head and continue in the loop until your order is done and sent off.

I guess the moral of the story is that there are great BENEFITS to working one-on-one with your bodice designer, and there are great DRAWBACKS. It's really great that you can explain your needs to someone, tell them about your body type, give them measurements, and vent a little to them, and they will take it all in, really consider and work the order over in their minds, and put all that passion into a lovely quality piece made just for you. It's a good thing that you can lose weight, have a corset that doesn't fit and send it right back to the maker, who will alter it and ship it back and then it will fit perfectly. Imagine doing something like that with a pair of jeans you got at JCPenney. Imagine going in a year later and saying "hey, the button popped off because I've worn these so much, so I was wondering if you could replace the button and also maybe take them in at the waist and hips?" They would look at you like you were a crazy person. However, I get those kind of requests all the time. I just barely altered a bodice down for a woman who had dropped 30 pounds. She sent it to me, I altered it for $10, and shipped it back to her the same day I got it in the mail. I loved hearing her story about how she had lost the weight, and I applauded her efforts and expressed my amazement at her fortitude.

I just hope you guys can remember that when you're getting a product from our company, you're not working with some nameless faceless robot of a seamstress. There's my face...right up there. I'm a human, and I'm trying soooo hard to be the best I can be, but lately I am in over my head, and I'm acting out emotionally. Please forgive me if I haven't processed your order like a big company would, but also remember that the big company won't give a damn about you tomorrow, and I will, with passion.

interview

2010-03-02T06:23:00.001-08:00

Hey, here's an interview with me. It's pretty swell!
http://www.kraftythoughts.com/2010/03/march-artist-michelle-owner-of.html

2010 Renaissance and Pirate Festivals

2010-02-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here's the list of festivals we will be at in 2010. This list is certainly apt to change if aren't able to make it to a festival for some reason.
*Sonora Celtic Faire, March 12th-14th, Sonora, CA www.sonoracelticfaire.com
*Norman Medieval Fair, March 26th-28th, Norman, OK www.medievalfair.org
*Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, Every Weekend in May, Muskogee, OK www.okcastle.com
*Rogue Renaissance Fantasy Faire, July 10th-11th, Medford, OR www.roguefaire.com
*Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire, Sep. 11th & 12th, Kings Valley, OR www.shrewfaire.com
*Portland Pirate Festival Sep. 18th &19th near Portland, OR www.portlandpiratefestival.com
*Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival, Oct. 8th-10th, Las Vegas, NV www.lvrenfair.com

it's POSSIBLE that we might add a few more, but this is all for right now. I know you guys ask us constantly about doing some of the huge festivals like TRF or MDRF or a host of others, but I can promise you that it's not going to happen unless I'm somehow able to purchase little vacation homes with built in shops for cheap..oh, plus I need them to be 10 minutes away from each renaissance festival. *sigh* I really would love to go to every festival ever and meet all of you guys.
Michelle
Damsel in this Dress Corsets

Rogue Renaissance Fantasty Faire

2010-02-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

All right! Listen up, everyone in Oregon, California and Washington! There's a new Renaissance Festival right near Medford, Oregon that is going to be absolutely unbelievable awesome! The main reason, of course, is that DAMSEL IN THIS DRESS will be there with our booth jam-packed full of amazing corsets. The other reason is that they have the Seattle Knights, which is basically the neatest jousting show to watch EVER (at least in my opinion) and they are going to do a lot of tremendously cool things with the festival that will make it superb! It is July 10th and 11th, 2010 from 10pm to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. We are so excited about this fair that I feel butterflies in my stomach! I love the state of Oregon more than I can say, and so a chance to go there is something I will jump at!! If you guys care about me at all, make it a priority to go to that festival! You won't regret it!!!
www.roguefaire.com
Michelle
Damsel in this Dress Corsets

LOOKIN' GOOOOOOOOD

2010-02-22T19:41:00.001-08:00

Let's talk about a FANTASTIC example of the right way to wear these things. Friends, this is how lovely you can look if you measure right, listen to me, and buy my corsets. ;) Hotness Level-10

One More Note

2010-02-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I just can't word statements correctly or what, but we're not accepting any custom orders (that means ordering through contacting me on email, AS WELL as contacting us through etsy and trying to get a corset like something we've made. ) for the month of March. When March ends, OF COURSE, we'll be glad to take your orders. It's just that we're so busy in March that if you ordered something from us, you wouldn't get it until April anyhow. If you guys have any further questions, PLEASE contact me at seamstress@damesldress.com and I'll be glad to answer you! (or rather....my personal assistant will be glad to answer you, because that's what I pay her for!)
Michelle
Damsel in this Dress Corsets

More From the Thrift Store

2010-02-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here's some more resurrected suitpants, for your viewing enjoyment.

This pair of pants wasn't big enough to get two corsets out of..crappy. It is so awesome!

Now, THIS pair of pants was wretched. It had 6 pleats across the front....*shudder*

IMPORTANT NOTICE

2010-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

Take note everyone! WE WILL NOT BE TAKING ANY CUSTOM ORDERS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH. We have two big renaissance festivals that month, and a great abundance of traveling to do. I literally cannot DEAL with trying to take orders, trying to create inventory, and being on the road for a week solid, as well as doing 8 grueling days at festivals. . If you contact us with an order in March, I'm unfortunately going to have to turn you down, because there's no amount of money that I can be paid to deal with that amount of stress. Please get your orders in early...in other words, if you contact me wanting something on February 28th, I'll still tell you No.

On a happier note, we will still be stocking our etsy shop with ready-made, ready-to-ship items that will be fantastic and bring you much joy!
Thanks!
Michelle

Bustles, Bustles!

2010-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

HOLY FACE! It occurred to me that several of you had asked to see pictures of bustle skirts on actual human beings, as opposed to just mannequins, and I completely neglected that! I'm sorry! Here are some lovely pictures of these stunning girls that I practically forced into my corsets so I could get pictures. Anyhow, just like the corsets, the bustle skirts look much better on human beings that give them LIFE and VIBRANCY!

The really swell thing about bustle skirts is that they flatter LITERALLY every body shape. No matter what size and shape your hips and bum are, they will make you look super sleek and thin in front, and then you'll have this insanely beautiful backside!

If you ever want to REALLY piss me off, just ask me "But, Michelle, won't this make my butt look big" OR "Michelle, I have a big butt, so I don't need any more help." ARRGGGGGGGGGGGG. That's not how it works! If you have a big bum (I don't like the work "butt"...mostly, it just looks so stupid...what a dumb collection of consanants and vowels) the bustles really camouflage and conceal anything you might not like about your backside. They don't make your "butt" look "big" (ewwww, I sound like I should be writing either a rap song or some tacky country song) but they just make you look like one of the magnificent specimens of female perfection from the Victorian era. Man ALIVE, those women were hot...and they were more covered up than almost any fashion era I can think of.
On a completely different note, thanks for all of your posts on my last blog! Just a clarification-"loving" your body isn't saying, "Oh, I'm good and I don't need to change my habits or eat differently." Loving your body is about taking care of it and cutting down on the ridiculous self-loathing that we all seem to indulge in.
Oh, and ONE MORE THING completely off subject. If I published a small, but beautifully photographed magazine/catalog that basically glorifies my company as well as etsy, would any of you be interested in purchasing my little publication? I figured I would include good coupons in every edition, and I would probably only publish about 4 times a year, and I would just sell the publication through etsy and artfire. I would do features on putting together outfits, how to make simple costume pieces to go along with the awesome stuff you buy from me, how to throw a good steampunk tea party, and other random articles that come from my MIND! Basically, it would be like my blog, only more awesome (if you can believe it) with tons of photographs.)
What do you think? It would only be about $5 or something. ??????????????????????

Creating Peace Treaties with Our Bodies

2010-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Profanity. Now, I have no excuses for being overly emotional and moody. You see, I've been blaming these things on my weight and body image for the last several years. I started out as a pretty hot girl when I was married....certainly not skinny, but not chunky. I gave birth to a crazy little mini-version of me 9 months and 20 minutes later, and then promptly got pregnant again 7 months after that (I called my husband and bawled for 2 hours about how much I didn't want to have another kid and how it wasn't fair that he had seduced me when I wasn't prepared.) As you can imagine, these things took a toll on my body, as well as the fact that I love to cook, bake, and fondle all manner of food. So, I spent the next 4 years promising myself that I would be COMPLETELY happy and satisfied if I just lost 30 pounds. I wouldn't be back to my high school self, but at least I wouldn't have my well-meaning customers complimenting me on having a "plus size" model (or...me in corsets) on my website. (It was one of those staggering moments of truth...sort of like seeing a picture of yourself or stepping on the scale. Bleh.) Anyhow, I managed to lose about 27 pounds, so I'm pretty much to my goal....the only problem is that I still look in the mirror, and see exactly the same flaws as I saw before (see picture above.) I honestly thought that once I lost weight, I would suddenly change into this completely confident gutsy woman that WOULDN'T compare herself to other girls (mostly airbrushed ones) and always come up short. And it's REALLY really idiotic, because there's no reason that I should have this mindset.
I've been endeavoring to brainwash myself into a more positive emotional realm. I decided that perhaps if I made some kind of promise or "peace treaty" with my body, then perhaps I could work my way into the kind of girl that could do a strip-tease for her husband (Holy FACE, what a horrific thought). I surmised that perhaps I could look at my legs and be GRATEFUL that they work well and function properly, rather than looking at them and cursing at them in my head for all of their transgressions!)
I feel bad, because I constantly preach to my customers about appreciating all of their amazing physical attributes, and finding the part of their body that they LOVE, and playing it up. When I hear girls complain about their bodies, I always chastise them thoroughly and tell them that I'm going to either smack them or lace their corset so tight that it punctures their spleen. Yet, here I am, just like one of my customers....filled with all this PROFUSE shameful self-doubt. From the moment I started making corsets, I knew that I wanted to make this into a journey for myself. I wanted to see what heights I could climb to, and what people I could connect to, but I have been intensely interested in pushing the limits of all of these female body image prisons and seeing if I couldn't bend a few iron bars.
About a year back, I was working my REAR off trying to lose weight, and I thought all day long about my body and how much I hated it and how hungry I was and when my next meal would be. One of my good friends called me to touch base, and I was telling her about working out for an hour a day and trying desperately to eat all of that "fun" diet food, and how I wasn't making any progress and I was irate at my body. She said, "Michelle, why would your body do what you want if you are FIGHTING against it? Maybe if you and your body were on the same side and you were working together, you could do what you need to." She had a really good point. I was completely at war, which is where the idea of a "peace treaty" came about.
So, I'm asking all of you to make some kind of peace treaty with your body. If that means that you tell your body that you love it and purchase a corset for it, then so be it. ;) I'm going to work on this too, and let's see if we can change the world.
Michelle

The "Where Would I Wear This" Question

2010-01-17T09:42:00.001-08:00

Hello Friends! This is me-Michelle, and I'm here to talk to you about wearing corsets on a more daily basis. As I've traveled around the country attending renaissance festivals, I've noticed that most of my customers are really closed into this little mental box where they can only wear this type of garment alongside a peasant blouse, some manner of skirt, bloomers, and usually a pile of those dang raccoon tails (will someone remind me of what they mean? The period nazis told me that in the renaissance times, people wore them to keep the fleas off of them, thus the fleas would "flee" to the raccoon fur that they were wearing.....however, to me that seems like wearing high heels made of pork chops so the rabid, angry wolves will eat the pork rather than your feet....?...???). Anyhoo, no matter how many times I urge customers to just wear them with jeans, they always give me that look ...the same kind of look you would give a sales girl trying to sell you sugar-free, calorie-free cheesecake that makes you burn off a pound for every piece you eat. You just don't believe them worth jack.

Here's my basic equation for wearing your corset and not getting nominated for a contestant on "What Not To Wear" (By the way, that show has helped me lose weight. I watch it while I work out on the treadmill, and since it's an hour long, I get an hour of fast-paced hill climbing every single day! My favorite episodes are the ones where the girls are REALLY resistant and think that the professionals are full of crap. I get really angry and probably burn more calories while watching them!). So, (drumroll) it's just like you see in the pictures-1 pair of awesome jeans+1printed or plain button up shirt+ 1 corset from Damsel in this Dress +1 pair of sexy high heels to match the corset. Throw in a funky bold necklace, and it's like you have serious style, courtesy of me. ;) I got this fantastic shirt from Express, and MAN ALIVE, they have well-fitted button up shirts. If you've never tried one, I would highly suggest giving it a shot. They have lots of well-placed darts through the shirt, and even a bigger-chested girl like me, who likes to wear beautifully shaped bras, can wear this shirt and not having the stupid buttons gaping. Anyway, I did want you guys to know that I have three different colors of pinstriped suiting, all in subdued hues, and these make for EVEN BETTER day-wear corsets, because those muted tones make them less ostentatious. I will be making corsets out of the pinstripes I have, and putting them on etsy within the next week or so, and you can check them out! Thanks for your support, and thank you for helping me make the women of this world get more in touch with their sensuality and femininity!
Michelle

Yay for Wedding Dress Training!

2009-12-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

Holy Love! My days of sewing wedding dresses and all of the training in that field finallly paid off in a very direct way. See this corset? yeah, I didn't do a dang bit of embroidery on it. I purchased this lovely bag of appliques (well, that's really a fancy word for patches. You know, like the little grunge patches that the hot topic crowd ironed onto their back-packs....at least in my day, they did. Yeah, class of '04!) from the greatest source from trim in all the land ( www.cheeptrims.com If you guys EVER need some swanky ribbon or lace, buy it here! Granted, you DO have to have a minimum order of $65, but I promise, it's not hard to get to that point! I've gotten lovely and lush wide lace for 3 cents a yard!). Buying patches/appliques is great and all, but figuring out what to actually do with them poses more of a problem. I think I'm really stuck in a creative rut lately, and I can't figure out how to make my corsets even cooler. I lay awake at night (hmm..no, actually most nights, the second my head hits the pillow, I'm out.), struggling with this demon of a "writer's block" and wondering what I can do next. Anyway, back to the appliques. This little zip-loc back of appliques got spilled all over in one of my drawers so it literally turned into Michelle vs. "Finding the applique in the Needle-Stack" because that stupid drawer was full of needles, cast-off buttons, and really odd little trinkets that I confiscated from my mother's sewing room. I finally gathered up all of the rebels and took them to their base (the ironing board) and decided that I would iron them onto something, even if it meant I looked like an over-creative 13-year old wearing blue jeans encrusted with the carnage of an exploded garden. Then, I had this bright light click on in my head! "Ah, I'll just make Tyler cut out some totally white bodices (that way I wouldn't have to try to match the reds or the greens of the vines) and I would just strategically place the appliques on the corsets just like I did to many wedding dresses when I was sewing the wedding dress bodices for Gowns by Pamela (OOOh. www.gownsbypamela.com) Anyway, here is my wedding dress applique-placing talents, for all to see.
In the meanwhile, back to that writer's block thing-I've had this idea kicking around for a looong time....what if I held a contest where people designed their own corsets and submitted them to me, and the winner would get their corset made for them for free, plus I would do a line of exclusive corsets from that pattern and sell them for a limited time! My only issue is that I don't know jack about legalities of things like that....would I have to make up some contract that's as confusing and garbled as our health care bill, and then make someone sign their pattern idea to me??? If so, that's too much work, and the idea sucked anyway. Let me know.
Michelle

ONLY 2 MORE DAYS TO ENTER!

2009-12-29T16:54:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder! There's only 2 days left to purchase something and be eligible for the drawing for the pirate coat!! I just added some sweeeet new items and will be adding more tomorrow! PLUS (shhhh! Don't tell anyone) I'm giving away additional prizes, but I'm not going to say what they are...but they're actually GOOD.

What??? A FREE Pirate Coat????

2009-12-16T05:30:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! Okay, we have something SPECIAL going on! Anyone who orders an item out of our etsy shop from December 20th to Dec. 31st will be entered into a drawing to win one of my corseted pirate coats! That's a $350 piece, absolutely free! It will be customized in your size and your fabrics that you choose from my stock. If you buy two items, your name will be entered twice, three, thrice, and so on! This won't be one of those contests where millions enter, and one will win, you've actually got a REALLY good shot at this. ;)I'll announce the winner on New Year's Day and notify them of their upcoming joy! Thanks for all of your support and love that made 2009 an awesome year for our company!!!

The Empire Strikes Back

2009-12-08T19:39:00.001-08:00

I typed in "steampunk clothing" in a google search the other day because I wanted to see what other crazy things people were coming up with, plus..let's face it-I wanted to check out my competition. I call it "market research" although to some (mainly my husband who is upstairs trying to contain the pure enthusiasm that emanates from a 3-year-old and a 4-year old) it may look like I'm just wasting away in front of the cold glow from our pitiful little monitor. As I was perusing, I came across this belly dance troupe that had done a simply splendid job of collaborating a lot of various pieces into their steampunk belly dance outfits. The somewhat rusty gears in my head started churning along, and I had this heavenly inspiration to introduce a whole entire line of MIND BLOWING empire waisted corsets. Visions of sultry little spiky bra like pieces, chopped off business vests, and "come hither" underbusts danced in my head. I went immediately to my whiteboard where I make the cutting lists for Tyler, and started listing, describing, and drawing all of these styles for him to cut out.

It's a really good thing that Tyler cuts all of the corsets that you ladies wear. He's not only exceptionally talented at laying out and cutting patterns (yes, there IS an art to it. Any of you who have ever had to cut out your own pattern should know!) but he's also extremely precise and HE is the reason that the designs on the seams in the back and front line up with such flawless symmetry. He does, however, have one single fault in this field....he can't B.S. cut. See, when I cut patterns, ESPECIALLY different and new designs, I completely free-hand and use my brilliant intuition to make those 2-D shapes that will turn into exquisite 3-D shapes when they're all sewn up. I have practice, and I'm simply skilled at it. Tyler cuts exactly what the pattern tells him, and cuts it ONLY how he has been told to cut it, which is why all of my sewing ends up being so easy..because all the pieces just FIT together.

So, when Tyler woke up and forced himself down into our freezing cold dungeon of a sewing shop and found a cutting list with all of my "inspiration" he probably wasn't too happy. I sat and drank my peppermint herbal tea and exclaimed that I was going to have a wonderful feature in my etsy shop called "The Empire Strikes Back" in which there would be an array of absolute eye candy empire corsets! I still had a faint glimmer of the vision that I had had the night before!

However, that glimmer flickered, shot out a few sparks, and died. I started sewing the dang little half-corsets and they took LONGER than the full length corsets! Plus, all of my ideas that I had ended up being a little bit more challenging to do in real life than they were in my head. I got more and more depressed, the more I forced myself to push the renegade fabric through my unwilling sewing machine. "Well, this is complete crap!" I thought. "I can't sell these for the same price as my full length corsets, because they're only half the length! People will be expecting the price tag to follow suit!" If any of you think that the primary reason I'm sewing corsets for a living is because I'm passionate about historic costumes....think again. I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and I want to make money while I'm being this stubborn. In the end, it's all about the money, and if I'm not making the money, I'm not paying for the $2000 I just dropped on really swanky fabric the other day....and thus starts the vicious cycle...no money, no fabric, no corsets....no money, no fabric, no corsets. So, needless to say, the empire DID, in fact, strike back. It struck me right at my weak spot....the love of money. Alas, you won't be seeing a beguiling collection of new empire corsets on my etsy shop this week. You might see a trickle of a few neat little corsets, but it won't be a thing like my original vision....unless you guys are positive that there's a slough of girls gripping their keyboards in sweaty anticipation of the chance at purchasing 20 empire waisted corsets for over $100 a pop.

PLEASE PULL YOUR BLOUSE DOWN!

2009-11-28T06:02:00.001-08:00

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE PICTURE ABOVE? Holy Face! The neckline is all the way up under the chin, and EVEN the breasts of a MANNEQUIN look baggy. Bleh. People, I want to address an issue that's very near and dear to my heart. Now, I KNOW that all of you rennies (avid renaissance festival goers) are already aware of how to put on a corset or bodice. You pull it on, lace it, and then pull the neckline of your blouse down, as well as reaching in and pulling your breasts up into the best possible position. However, I think that there's some of you who are note quite familiar with all the adjusting that needs to go on in order for these to look fantastic. See below, for the proper way of wearing these.

Phew! It's like a ray of light and angels singing! Perky! Even on a stiff mannequin made of packaging tape, stuffing, and a lot of swearing (yes, I make my own mannequins. Do you really think there's a mannequin manufacturer out there that would make them this beautifully shaped? nah. I'm awesome.) All I did was pull that neckline down. The corsets should be tight enough that it will hold that neckline RIGHT where you put it. Now, paired with a good bra (see more previous post) and you're going to look absolutely seductive. Yes, I'm tell you to pull your dang blouses down! This is coming from a mormon conservative girl, so you KNOW that I MEAN IT! ;)

On another note, thanks tremendously to all of you who purchased on Black Friday. It was a huge success, and the first 15 sales (you know, the awesome ones who got 20% off coupons) all happened within the first 2 minutes after 6:00 (I felt REALLY bad for the lady who was all excited and hoping she had been one of the first 15, and she had just barely bought her corset at 8:30. Blast!) I only do sales like that about twice a year, because....well, when you're selling stuff that you made yourself for THAT cheap, you're not really making any money. You're just barely breaking even on the costs that it took to make all of that stuff. But, the cool thing is that both times I've had these sales, I've had TONS of people purchasing that are brand new to etsy, so they're not only being introduced to the magnificent world of corsets, BUT they're also joining the fantastic marketplace that etsy is. So, thank you again..and pull your blouses down.
Signing off.
Michelle

THE REALLY FREAKING AWESOME BLACK FRIDAY SALE

2009-11-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends! It's Michelle! Just some more info about the Black Friday Sale on ETSY-We're thinking we'll start it at 6 am on Friday morning and running it until 10 pm friday night. I'm going to list piles and piles of corsets from my inventory over the next couple days. They will all be starting out listed at their normal prices , and then suddenly and magically, all the prices will drop on Friday. You'll be able to get wench corsets for $35 to $39 and Vixens from $59 to $79! Granted.....I won't be making jack for profits, but I thought it would be A REALLY COOL way to get people to buy corsets who normally couldn't afford them, and then they can become converts.
Oh one last thing! I'll be sending out coupons that are good for "20% off your next purchase" to the first 15 people that buy something from me on our Black Friday Sale!

*PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS!! USE THE MAGICAL TOOL OF THE INTERNET TO PIMP MY BUSINESS!

The GREAT Bombshell Bra!

2009-11-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hey, normally I wouldn't support a company that plasters soft porn all over their shopping windows in a family environment like the mall, BUT I have to give it to Victoria's Secret-They've made the best bra I've ever had...ever. It's a new bra, and it's called the Bombshell. It has the perfect amount and shape of padding, because it makes you look SERIOUSLY perky, and gives you the most amazing cleavage of all time. We all know that I fully support garments that shape your body and make it look as lovely as possible, and I think all of you are aware of how adamant I am about wearing bras with your corsets. (Seriously, no corset maker can make a corset that's built with a good bra...not even me. Why the freak would I want to put molded cups and underwires into my bodices, when I could let good bra-makers do it, and then I could make a lovely piece of clothing MADE TO FIT OVER IT???) Anyway, if you want to look phenomenal in your corset, PLEASE purchase one of these bras. If you're above a 38D cup size, I would HIGHLY recommend the molded cup plunge neckline bra from Cacique, sold at Lane Bryant.

I'm DANG SICK of women coming into my booth at ren fests and saying that they can't wear underbust corsets because they don't have the breasts for it. That's B.S. We have a wealth of amazing bra makers at our fingertips, and if you're saggy and baggy, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!! HOLY NIGHT! I had to pester my own mother into wearing sexy, molded cup push-up bras, but when she finally got them on, she looked 10 years younger. I have an 87 year old great-grandmother, and her little chests are still WAY up there, because she's worn the right bra all of these years (granted, she actually has little permanent indentations in her shoulders where the bra straps have been digging in all of these years, because she tightens them all the way!)

And to all of you who still refuse to wear a good bra or a bra at all with your stuff, you can disagree with me all you want, but I'm still the sexier, perkier one at the end of the day. People, you have the power to look amazing. Now, GO AND DO IT!

Meanwhile, I'm sitting here in a lovely leopard print bra, and I look fantastic.
*sorry to any men that read this blog. You shouldn't have had to sit through this rant.

This is me Crying Tears of Shame

2009-11-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

I just had a girl on etsy asking me if I would make hoods to hook onto her corsets. Because I'm a kind and obliging individual, I told her I would be glad to make the hoods and asked her to take pictures of the fabrics she currently had the corsets in, so I could match them exactly. She sent me 3 pictures, and they were all of the knock-off guy's corsets. My pride has been seriously wounded. Just when I had finally made piece in my heart! I read this big article about forgiveness and about how when we let things go, we unload great burdens that are weighing us down. I realized that I had so much hatred for this company, and it was just poisoning me, so I told myself that bit about flattering being a sincere form of...admiration...what is that quote? OOOoh, imitation being the most sincere form of flattery. Thus, I figured that, with how much he's shamefully copied me, he must adore me more than my husband does! He must think I'm an absolute GODDESS to imitate my creations that much. MAN ALIVE! Anyway, and I decided that, for the people who want a costume to wear to one single event, and they don't mind if it feels cheap (just like the ones that come in packages at the Halloween Store), then he's a marvelous company. He gives the people what they want, and they don't have to fork over their well earned cash. I decided that it was cool that people could "look" like one of my dang sexy customers from far away. Neat. It's almost like they could belong to our club of awesomeness, and they didn't have to go through initiation.

Wow, I'm off subject. I just wanted to say that I'm working through the cycle of forgiveness all over again....(I still get angry every time I see a cheaply made bodice out of my patterns.) and maybe I never let go of my bitterness in the first place. Dang.

I actually like Ugly

2009-11-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

So, we've gotten to the end of the year, and we're trying to calculate how much supplies we have, and what we are in need of so that we can continue onto next year full force! The other goal that we have it to use up all of the little yard or half yard pieces of fabric that we have folded in neglected stacks on our shelves...oh, and we want to use up the ugly fabrics. Ugly, you say? Why the devil would someone make something ugly? Well, I've come to a realization-not everyone likes the same things that I like. This particular notion struck me when I was dealing with one of my customers last week (I believe you know who you are. I'm not mad! Just flabbergasted!) and she didn't like ANY of the fabrics that I had had in my booth at the Las Vegas Festival, nor did she like anything on my website, OR anything on the two fabric websites that I referred her to. And I had this horrid little mini-attack of....well, I don't even know what it was. It's just that there's all these people that go onto American Idol and brag about how all of their family and friends tell them that they can sing SO well, and then when they get up onto the stage, they screech out some painful pop song, all of America sits at home and laughs at them, and Simon tells them it's rubbish. Why was no one honest with them????Furthermore, what if I actually pick ugly fabrics, and no one is freaking telling me!!!????

I posted these pictures on purpose, because this is a good example of a fabric that I KNOW is awesome, and I actually DO KNOW that lots of other people won't exactly fancy it. I like the look of textiles that appear to be some nightmarish carpetbag gone wrong. I like really horrid olive greens and colors that look like the only appropriate place for them is on tacky kitchen appliances from the 60's or 70's. However, when I pick fabric for my company from which I will make corsets, I take some very serious things into consideration. First, I strive to cover all of the most basic colors-Black, red, blue, green. Those seem to be the ones that are easiest to match. I've noticed that when there is an "in between color" like puce or chartreuse, people aren't nearly as drawn to them. Second, I try to reflect on the countless emails that I've received that have requested something specific (I would say 80% of the "color request" emails I get are asking for purple.) or a specific pattern. Thus, when I shop, if I see a purple (which happens about once a year) I pounce on it and purchase the whole bolt and whatever else they have.

Which brings me to my next point. I know that some of you get frustrated because I don't have exactly the fabric you want, and I'm a complete slacker when it comes to updating my fabrics page on my website, but let me take a moment to defend my honor. When I'm shopping for fabric, I usually have to have several thousand dollars in cash that I stick in my bra and walk into the shop with. Cold Hard Cash speaks so poignantly and bluntly. I also have to purchase THE WHOLE ENTIRE BOLT of fabric to get a good deal. There's not a fabric store out there that is interested in providing me with 4 and 5 yard pieces of a vast selection of fabric, and letting me have them for wholesale price. Now, when you're in the wholesale world, a bolt of fabric can be anywhere from 50 to 70 yards. EVEN if I had something magical happen, and I was able to obtain the gorgeous quality upholstery fabrics for a mere 7 DOLLARS A YARD, that would still end up being easily $420. In the end, I have a lovely fabric, but I still just have one color option. (Oh, by the way 7 dollars is a splendid price, and if I were to just purchase a few yards, the retail price is more like $20. Ouch. Goodbye, profits.) So, let's do some quick math.....actually let's not. Math is boring. Let's do some B.S. estimations. So, even if I wanted a barely reasonable selection of 8 fabrics on my website, I would have to drop $4000 to meet that end. Do you guys understand what I'm saying? I hate to tell you, but I'm not exactly that rich.

Back to the main subject...sort of. We trying to save up the money to get new fabrics, but it may be a few months. I may have to give up my great love for fancy cheeses and MAC makeup, so I can actually afford it in the end. I do want to promise you that we have a lot of splendid things coming up this next year for our company. I am learning something new every single day about how to run things more smoothly, how to make a better product, how to deal with customers in the best manner possible, and how to get where I want to go with my dream. All of your advice and input has been absolutely crucial in developing this company, and I promise to continue to listen to you guys, because I actually think that, in your case, "the customer is always right."

Halloween 2010 Pre-Planning

2009-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I'll be honest with everyone. This Halloween season kicked my rear. I've never felt more inadequate, stressed, defeated and beaten as I did for the whole month of October. I never want to repeat another month like that in my life....EVER. It wasn't the volume of orders that we had (good glory! I'll never complain about that!) or the two festivals that did it to me. I think we just need to figure out the best way to take orders so there's as little confusion and frustration as possible. I've talked about this with the midwest branch of my company (my brother and his wife) and we decided that for next year, we would have a "rewards program" so to speak for customers that followed some guidelines we're going to come out with. It will be based on things such as-how early they order, how quickly it's paid for, and how and when you send us the measurements for custom orders. For instance, next year, near the end of September, we will feature lots of really fantastic Halloween costume corsets, HOWEVER, the price on the items will go up each week until Halloween, when they will be at the highest prices that we would ever sell our items at. The reason is that the procrastinated orders nearly killed us. I totally understand procrastination, I'm guilty of it, and I'm trying to purge it from my life, but we're just saying that we're going to REWARD the smart girls who plan ahead. So, essentially, you could pay $100 for a corset at the end of September, of you could pay $140 for the same corset at the end of October. We'll also be sending out really fantastic coupons along with the early orders, so you can get splendid discounts on your next purchases.
I'll be coming out with an official list of "guidelines" for getting customer perks, but we want you guys to know that we're not just doing this to save our own skins. I'm trying to make it so when people order from us, it's pleasant, painless, well communicated, and that you guys end up getting a perfect product and looking spectacular. And I'll let you in on a little secret. There's lots of odds and ends type of corsets laying around my sewing shop that haven't been listed on etsy or artfire for whatever reason. When I get customers that I really like working with, I generally look around my shop to see if one of those corsets is the same size as the one I'm sending them, and I'll throw in a free corsets. I know there's a handful of you who have been beneficiaries of totally free corsets, and I want you to know that it's because you made my job easier and were just beautiful to work with.....oh, and I happened to have another corset in your size (that's the biggest factor).

Oh, one last note, completely unrelated! Lots of you have noticed that we haven't been listing on ebay. We're really trying to run our business without having to do business through them. They are not a seller-oriented website, and when we give them 16% to 18% of each of our sales, and they still aren't willing to work with us ...it makes us feel that maybe we don't want to give them our money. I might change my mind on this, because ebay has been a good way of promoting our business, but they have also been, for the most part, a great big corporation that doesn't give a dang about little companies like me. Bleh. So, PLEASE check out our artfire and etsy stores. We purposely put better stuff on there anyhow. ;)

Faire Cancellation

2009-10-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

Guys!!! I know you'll all hate me, but I had to cancel my festival in New Mexico. We got home from our last festival, and I literally just do not have the inventory to do a show properly. I'm tremendously sorry to any of you who were planning on coming there to meet me! We're hoping to possibly do it next year, but this year, I would completely shut down and never sew anything again if I over-worked myself that much. *sigh* Next year we'll be more prepared for Halloween. next year. next year.
On a happier note, I have a lot of my leftover inventory that's going onto etsy and artfire!
michelle

I wish I could make more for Halloween

2009-09-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

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!!!