Good Morning!!

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen! As most of you - but not all of you - know, I have been helping Carolena E Nericcio-Bohlman create a fun line of wearables that can be worn to dance class or cross over into your day and evening wear! This is the Bessie line of clothing that started with my Bessie skirt! This skirt was designed to be practically lived in and Carolena and I worked on some improvements to the design and then went on to make more great things to wear! The Bessie skirt was designed to be worn in more ways than I can mention here - I wear mine ALL THE TIME!!!!! I have been seen chopping weeds and digging in my my garden in my old one - and sashaying into a party in my newer one. It makes your butt look dynamic!! All the butts.......
What makes the Bessie Skirt unique is the way in which it is designed to be flattering on all bodies, and to be worn in many different ways. You can leave it down, or take one or more of the loops placed at the hem and attach them to one or more of three buttons at the hip line. You can wrap it around your body, wear it as a strapless dress, bustle it up in back or at the sides, or turn it into a pair of pants - I kid you not! 

And now we have the Choli Dress, which is also a smashing success! It has a built in choli underneath, is open in the back, ties in the back like a choli, and has buttons and loops so that it can be worn in a myriad of ways!

Come here to this link to buy your very own or to see more photos! Keep checking in! We are working on so many new designs and ideas! I can tell you one thing......Plus sizes are going to be offered for the Bessie Skirt ! The pattern is being graded as we speak! More is coming down the pike, my friends!!!! Keep Checking In!!!

COME SHOP HERE

I Hope You've All Partied Like Its 1999............

I made a Prince costume last Halloween. This was another fun project given to me by the wonderful Chris March. He has such great vision and we share that larger than life element that makes for good drama in a garment. ( Larger cant be large enough) We work really well together.  I was commissioned to make it as exactly as I could - according to client and designer specs - which was not so easy, as the original fabric for the coat is not made any longer (80's) and was very hard to track down.  But if I remember correctly, it was finally found in a fabric store located in New York, we got more than enough, and I did the best I could with the few good photos out there on the internet.  Chris found something fun for the matching pants and vest. I found good buttons at Stone Mountain and Daughter. The client is a die- hard Prince fan and he must be grieving heavily right  now. He had gone to such lengths as to purchase a copy of one of Prince's guitars. I listened to Prince music nonstop the whole time I was working on this outfit, so I was having a lot of fun.  I was dancing a lot around the studio in the wee hours. This was a project with good memories and now I'm saddened after Prince's  untimely passing, but glad for that point in time when I was immersed in the Purple One's Princedom. For many he was a big part of the soundtrack of one's life. His creativity touched us all.

I had almost forgotten about this project! Unfortunately, Prince's passing reminded me of it again. So I thought that I would share.  Supposedly the client  and his wife threw a three day Halloween bash and had an amazingly great revelrous time like it was 1999! ( as one should do when hosting a three day bash) I made his wife's costume as well, and have some photos somewhere that I'll post soon.

It always starts with a mock up. This was imperative since the client was living on the other side of the continent. But I would do it for someone living next door as well. It is always best to do this so that you get most of the fitting problems out of the way before cutting into the fabric. The collar was too high and I thought the bottom of the pants legs were a bit too wide, but the pants suited him and I cut the collar down a bit. I guess I could have cut it down more, but everyone was happy with it.  It was Halloween, after all. You always end up putting some of your personality and flair into a costume - isn't that why people come to you in the first place? ( and knowing what you are doing helps! )

I had never made a front opening like these pants have, and of course, there isnt a pattern for this that I know of, so I had to do some pondering on that one. Its sort of like a drop-down sailor pant opening - on one side - on the diagonal. With a zipper and buttons. I'm not sure if there was a zipper in the original Prince pants, but I wanted no accidents.
Everything fit him perfectly and he loved it!

I generally use the pressed out and well marked mock up as a pattern. If I think I'll use the pattern again, I'll transfer it onto paper. I used to keep everything.. But now I throw it out after a year.

I lined his vest and pants because that brocade gets pretty itchy and I wanted him to be comfortable as well as giving the body of the costume some substance. I like costumes to be made as well as one would expect of a nice garment.

 And this is what the coat fabric looks like with just a bit of light shining on it in the dark........

Can we put a hold on icon deaths for a while please?  But the message is clear: we don't know how long we've got this time around. So you had better make the most of it. And we should be supporting and loving our artists while they are alive and making art.
                                                              R.I.P Prince. You done good.

Marking Down The Things - And Just In Time For Halloween and The Fall Season!

Its still warm out here in this part of California, but Im feeling the Fall season coming on!
Ive been gradually marking down all the things that I wont be making any longer. Well, I'll make more slip dresses, but not in wild patterns. (I think)
And all these things would be cute for Autumn and Halloween parties!

Keep checking my Etsy shop because its gotta go...........message me there if you have questions!

And these dresses are adorable - and perfect for the Halloween season. Those colors: come on.............but great for other seasons as well.

The first of the year will bring changes that Ive been creeping towards for a while now! Stay tuned!

Christmas With The Crawfords

 Once upon a time, a long time ago, back in the 1990's, I was commissioned to make a long silver evening gown for a fun little holiday show in San Francisco called Christmas With The Crawfords. My friend Chris March was in the show and I was hired  to make a bunch of the costumes that he designed. I love working with Chris - we just click - I get what he's trying to tell me, and I understand the scale of oversize that he is famous for. I pretty much discovered this while working on the show with him back in those days. We worked together at the famous Beach Blanket Babylon,  hit it off right away, and he has been throwing fun work at me ever since. I also get a bit of leeway with design if this is appropriate and it always works out.

So I got the call with "do you still have that Joan Crawford evening gown pattern that you made?" Well...............I actually, miraculously  had part of it. And the rest was from memory and about 2 measurements. Really. My height - a guess at a bust and waist from former projects - and it had to be fitted. With super stretchy  fabric. Oh my.

But it turned out perfect as you can see. This is Joey Arias as Joan Crawford for the upcoming show. Perfectly stunning as stunning can be. As always.

Go see the show if you are in or around NYC this holiday season! You will laugh and be charmed!!

Tasha

Tasha was married on the coast with her little dog in the wedding party.

 Her five piece steampunk inspired ensemble was made of silk, dyed, distressed, and over dyed laces and tulle. Her silk dupioni over skirt was bustled up in three layers to be held out by the poufy ruffled petticoat. She wore a two-toned matching silk  corset with silver buckles and grommets at the hips and shoulders. The corset and skirt was piped in matching silk. Underneath it all, she was wearing my Fluffie Rufflie bloomers in dyed dove grey lace and cotton! We worked very hard to get this right because those perfect greens and greys were proving very hard to find in the right fabrics. The Peridot green came in from Thai Silks the wrong color (which may have been my fault -be careful with those color numbers when ordering!) but they graciously took it back and sent the right stuff. I made the groom a matching waistcoat and then over her dress, Tasha wore a dark green kinsale cloak from the Folkwear line that I made with silk/rayon velvet.

 She looked like she had stepped into some kind of time travel vortex when it was all put together. A beautiful bride, a beautiful wedding, a beautiful project!

SPRING SALE!!!

Hi Everyone! Im having a little Spring Sale in my Etsy Shop! You can have 15% off of anything listed in the store until Wednesday the 11th!

Let me know if you dont see your size! I might POSSIBLY have something in stock that isnt listed. Esp. the Sampants - sometimes I forget to relist when one sells!

Just use this discount coupon code at checkout:  15PERCENTOFFYAY

I Have A New Helper

.......................................................................Meet Maizy.

She was born on March 30th, likes to perch on storage things and clothing racks, attack my legs, play with tape measures, pounce on frothy fabric, nap in the sun, and entertain my clients. Currently we are making lots of new garment bags to put all the things in and away from kitten claws. And we have a huge time-out cage for when I need to work. I said I wouldn't do this again for a long while...............but I couldnt resist the face............

Catching My Breath

The last two months have been a whirlwind of wedding dresses, small production, and festival vending. And now that those particular projects are done and Ive caught my breath, I can focus on all the bridal and vintage alterations that are on my dress rack. But I had a few days to tend to my garden, play with my new kitten, and clean up my messy studio. As soon as the chaos is cleared, the shelves dusted, and the floors vacuumed and mopped, Im always able to launch back into the next project......which is a few cute, simple little costumes for a major beer company who need flyers and promo handed out during Pride. I cant believe its June already!!!!!!!!

Bessie Has Been Launched!

The Bessie Skirt - "Kathleen Crowley for FatChanceBellyDance®" - is now exclusively available online through the FatChanceBellyDance®  website! Regular and Petite sizes are available with a handy size chart to compare your measurements to! GET IT HERE!

I have been living in this skirt. It is easy to do just that. Its my go-to skirt for many occasions - or to simply go to the grocery store. You can wear it so many ways! I love being able to wear it with my torso covered and be able to wear it rolled down as well. When I was up in Seattle last weekend, for Cues And Tattoos and to visit my family, I just hiked this baby up in quite a few interesting ways to keep if off the wet ground. I didn't design it specifically for dancers, but as you can see, dancers are kind of my life - so you will usually see my work on dancers. But they look awesome on everyone - so go visit the website and get one of your very own! If you don't see your size, contact them and we will see what we can do for you - one size does not fit all and we understand that! And who knows.........maybe you will be inspired to get into belly dance!

 

Carolena Nericcio - Bohlman, founder and director of FatChanceBellyDance® has written a wonderful post on body image and the story of how this Bessie Skirt came to be. Read It Here!! I could not have written it better.

Other colors and variations of this skirt will be available soon - we started with black because black is what we all can wear - but other colors are coming! So stay tuned as we work our magick and bring you more elegant, fun, and wearable styles of clothing that you will surely love and wear for a long time!!!
Models in order of appearance:
Wendy Allen
Anita Lalwani
Kae Montgomery

Awesome Photography:
Sean Vallely (BlueFortySeven)

Karen's New Orleans Wedding

Karen, my last bridal client,  was just married only a week ago in a wonderful escapade through New Orleans!
They looked like they were having so much fun as they romped through graveyards and picturesque settings!
Hats off to the photographer who followed them around! I heard that everyone had a great time!

There were textures and layers and lots of silk for a beautiful Steampunk themed wedding! (there is our friend Kimberly on the left who introduced Karen and I - and has some fun pieces that Ive created!)

I built Karen a custom corset and matching bustle made of forest green silk. The corset had a contrast of a lighter green printed with Fleur-de-lys We also added covered buttons along the corset front and pocket. I made sweet little handmade flowers in green, white, and purple to embellish the bustle. And then I used the contrasting green as leaves to go with the flowers.

Under her bustle was a a skirt made of several layers of silk Dupioni in varying shades of ivory. And interspersed with the layers of silk, we added different fabrics of metallic gold and ivory.

We made the bustle and the underskirt detachable so that she could wear these things with other garments - which she did as she explored the city the next day.

She was so nice to work with - such a lovely person - It made me very  happy to see how she was beaming on her wedding day. Congratulations to Karen, Brian and and their family!

A Formal Introduction Of The Bessie Skirt!

 The Bessie Skirt! A skirt that looks amazing on all shapes and sizes! I don't think that its possible for anyone to look bad in this garment. I'm serious. They are designed to accent a woman's curves. Its that dip under the bum that makes it work on everyone! I know this sounds funny, but you just cant help walking around like a sexy siren in these things! One woman told me this weekend that she got a date the first time she wore it out. The words elegant, fun, sexy, powerful, and dynamic all apply to this skirt. Lots of loops and buttons give you numerous ways to make this design work for you for almost any occasion!

Last year, I was experimenting with this concept of a skirt that flattered everyone. I found that great weight of cotton lycra that holds its shape and has some body to it. I played around with buttons and loops for additional looks. I played with lengths. And then one day, Carolena Nericcio - Bohlman of FatChanceBellyDance, Inc, started telling me about this concept of a skirt that she had been dreaming of - and I showed her the one that I had been working on - and that was that. Magic! So between the two of us, we improved upon this design and named it after her mother, Bessie. And you know.......Ive always had a car named Bessie........Bessie s are good......the name Bessie stands for charm, dependability,  elegance, and a good friend! Its a win. So these skirts are available at the FatChanceBellyDance studio in San Francisco. They will be online soon, but until then, you can order one by  emailing them through their website at fcbd.com or popping into the studio if you are in town. Sizes are available in XS, S, M, L, XL - and in Petite sizes as well!!  I know these sizes don't cover everyone - so feel free to message me if you are hard to fit - or just tall like me!

I'll have other colors to offer soon, but we're doing basic black for the time being. Because black rocks. It goes with everything and everyone looks good in it!

I was just vending in Seattle at Cues and Tattoos - and these skirts flew out the door! I was basically living in mine. They are great for travel! They are great for dancing/performing in! They are great for going grocery shopping! All three of these activities were done in the Bessie Skirt! Get Yours Now!

The lovely ladies modeling these Bessie Skirts are from left to right:
Kae Montgomery
Carolena Nericcio
Wendy Allen
Anita Lalwani

Happy New Year!

I was very happy to see 2013 go away. It ended with a fast recovery from a long overdue foot surgery. And while I was super stoked to get this done, it also set me back. Being a self employed maker person, I always fall through the cracks for any kind of aid................so I got through it with the help of friends and family. I don't know how I could have pulled this off otherwise. 

And since I really had no time to be off my feet or luxuriate in self nurturing, I babied myself at first when I had no choice but to do so, and then went to work to push myself as much as humanly possible every single day. Doctor Chan was happy with the results of his surgery and was very please at my rate of recovery. He said it was above normal. Whew. So once I was on the mend, I had to work. And the race has been on ever since. I still have to put my feet up now and then, but I'm getting stuff done. And I have renewed energy and drive.

Ive got two wedding dresses in the works, some costuming, and mockups for a line of clothing that I am collaborating on with Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance, Inc... Patterning  is not my passion, but Ive got to do it myself right now. Its slow going, but every day I do something - anything with the patterns. Its all coming along. This is the Bessie skirt. More info and great photos will be coming soon. Its a good product. A good design. A good project. This is not the best picture, but they are amazing on a real body. This waist part can be folded over and it is both versatile and flattering. They are being sold at the FatChanceBellyDance studio - you can call the studio and order, or go in and try one on - you wont be sorry! (call first, though!) 415-431-4322. fcbd@fcbd.com

I'm also doing some experimenting with a fellow designer here in town. We're playing around with the refurbishing of hoodies. Not a new concept. But a fun one. We'll soon see what we can come up with and if its even worth our time. But if nothing else, Im getting some new ideas...............and we'll each have a new hoodie!

There are other things like this going on. You never know what project is going to be a hit or a miss. But it hones the skills and keeps me on my toes. Already I am far busier than I was at this time last year. It looks like we are all working on climbing up out of that rabbit hole  - very Alice In Wonderland like.

But you know............the phoenix thing.............we cant be stopped.

SKIRT SALE!!

Hi All! I have put my Rattie Tattie Skirts on sale until Friday October 11th! All that I have is what is currently in stock in my Etsy store. Im not sure when I'll be making more - so if you like one of these babies and it is in your size, grab it now! They are perfect for this Halloween season, but are fun all year long! There are three channels with ties for ruching and scrunching up and down in a variety of ways for a variety of looks. Most of my Rattie Tatties are sheer or have parts to them that are at least semi-sheer. They are fabulous for layering or wearing with leggings!
I hope you are enjoying this Halloween Season!

All Stocked Up.............And Ready To Go!

It was not by design, because Im not one to create merchandise specifically for the holidays, but in my sewing quest to fill some racks for a Pre-Playa sale (which was a lot of fun - thank you 5&Diamond!) and finish up some items that have been languishing on a to-do shelf, I have been able to stock my Etsy store with lots of fun and pretty garments that will be a great cross-over for the Halloween season! This little green lace skirt would be wonderful for a Christmas party as well. (It'll be here before we know it!)

These are fun to wear and very versatile - three channels to scrunch and ruch up for a variety of different looks - but I don't see me making too many more of these Rattie Tattie Skirts in the future. Maybe once in a great while, but this is all there is for now. Grab em while Ive got em!

Sparkly Fluff

So what do you do when you find a few yards of sparkly silver micro dot in one of your bins of fabric and you have a Burning Man Pre-Playa trunk show to vend at? Well, you make a bit of fluff to accessorize a leg with, thats what. Fusion Belly Dancers, Hoop dancers, Poi dancers.........these are great for something fun to wear with garters.......

                                                                                                                                                                                         

You can get yours here