Free Shipping For USA customers!!!!

I'm offering free shipping within the United States through Christmas!  Ive been up to my eyeballs in private custom projects and don't have a lot of new things in my Etsy shop yet, but maybe free shipping will help you out if you have been on the fence about investing in one of those adorable vests or slip dresses!  I don't really do the Christmas retail thing. The stress is not pretty. I cant handle the buyer's remorse and the trouble that this causes me. And it ONLY happens at this time of the year. I would love you to buy me out, but I cant do all that pressure thing. Its ugly. Use discount code FREESHIPPING at checkout when you make your purchase!! Its always lovely to know you are wearing my creations!

What have I been up to?? I was commissioned to make a pretty little Alice in Wonderland dress for a sweet young thing who always has to wear costumes on stage that are falling apart. Chris March sent me the lovely baby blue moire taffeta and the ideas and I whipped her up a cute little ensemble. He provided her with the apron, petticoat, shoes, and stockings. Lucky, lucky lady! I hear she is over the moon!

Ive been making a couple corsets and doing lots of alterations and vintage repair. Hand beading, moving and replacing zippers on delicate fabrics. The things that I really enjoy doing...........I am a total clothing doctor, no doubt. I need a doctor's bag and a smock!

But I indeed did make myself a bit of a linen smock dress, actually. I am so in love with the linen right now. Total love affair going on! So easy to throw on and not be too hot or cold.  Its perfect to meet clients in or go fabric shopping. I just love it more than ever!
Ive been making a new robe for Joan Crawford to wear in Christmas With The Crawfords. Go see it if you are in the NYC area this holiday season! I made the little blouses in this flyer. LOL

And now I am working on making new merchandise and a fashion show for ATS Homecoming in January. More to be announced about that soon. Oh - so much more to be announced...........

Whew.

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!!!!!!!!

Aprons For One Of The 70 Best Restaurants In The World!

Last October, I was commissioned to find materials and create some oldie worldie looking aprons for a new Restaurant that was opening up in my favorite town in the whole wide world: Port Costa!

The aprons turned out really cute. The old time look and fee of the Hickory fabric that we found suited the time travel image that the owners of the Bull Valley Roadhouse were trying to convey. We made about 8 of these aprons for opening night and a few months later, they had become so busy that they needed more. But on returning to the source of the fabric purchase, I found out that someone had come along and bought up the rest of the roll! This is not unusual and kind of the story of my life, but I couldn't believe it. That bolt of fabric had been lying around the warehouse for years! After we got our 15 yards, the rest sold immediately. This happens to be how things work, I guess. I somehow , often manage to arrive at the scene of a burgeoning trend.

So I spent hours finding a source for more of this Hickory. This is the old workhorse fabric that the early train engineer's overalls were made of. This was a very utilitarian fabric that is still being made in the U.S.A but is mainly used now for designer jeans. It isn't found in most retail outlets, so a bit of finagling had to be done. But we got our fabric.

And now my favorite town in the WHOLE WORLD is now home to one of the 70 best new restaurants in the WHOLE WORLD according to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. Now how cool is that????????
I knew good things were in store for that town. And I'm here too, in the cute little town next door! So make an appointment to come out and see me and we'll make an appointment to go do brunch if you come out on a Saturday or Sunday. I fear it might be hard to get in sometimes, but we'll figure something out!

I'm so happy for Sam and Earl - the owners of this fine establishment! Not only are they extremely creative, but they are two of the nicest people that Ive ever met.

See you soon!

Finally Some Curtains..........

Its that time of the year when sunlight floods into my studio and I feel exposed to the world without curtains. I have been in this studio almost two years and have never been been able to get more than some lace scraps and borrowed Christmas lights up in the front widow above the door. Ive been waiting for the right fabric and the right hardware and could never decided just what to do with it.

But yesterday, being July and all, I just had to take those lights down and get on the ball with this. I needed more of a feeling of privacy and I just had to get the thing done. So I measured the area, took some fabric that was hanging off the wall, borrowed a rod from the back room, dug out a bunch of those little cafe rod clippie thingies, pressed out that fabric and got to it.

I would have rather had something more dramatic and romantic as a window treatment, but maybe I can accomplish this in another two years or so. (just kidding) In the meantime, Ive got a nice white brocade keeping out prying eyes and giving me some privacy. It doesn't look great, but it doesn't look too bad. It doesn't fight with anything. It gives me some peace of mind until I put up better curtains (I actually need a taller ladder to do something nicer, so that's next on the list)  and I didn't hurt myself putting them up.

I am continually hearing people these days lamenting the price of sewing lessons and workshops. Well, my dears, those people deserve a living wage as well as you do. There are online classes and there are books and there are people who teach at lower rates also - so if you cannot afford for someone to come out and measure your windows and then make drapes that hang properly and create a pleasing ambiance for your environment, go make your own! YouTube is chock full of tutorials and little classes! You might not have as much fun as you would have in a hands on class, but you can learn useful things. There really is nothing more satisfying than having made something with your own two hands! Not only will you take pride in your accomplishment, you will understand what it takes to make something and to make it well. And hopefully you will understand that people with skills need to be compensated well for those skills. We don't just wiggle our noses to make it work. There is some expertise involved and lots of overhead. We all need to earn a decent living.

Ive got some info here about classes that I offer. Please email me if you would like to learn some sewing skills that you can use to get that great feeling of accomplishment! My prices are very reasonable and I like to laugh - so we'll have a good time as you learn!

hmmmmmmmmm.................as I look at this photo, I see now that I'll need that taller ladder soon. Ive got ideas.....................shirred short shears (say that 5 times really fast!) on two thin rods in the back and I want to replace the short upper curtains with drapes that go to the floor and puddle over the already puddling drapes - not practical - and who cares! And I need to find a chandelier, but one of those HUGE  paper lanterns would do.

Old Califronia Charm

Usually when I set appointments for the weekends, I try to have people come in after noon. Its not because I need to sleep in. I give myself a morning or two to come hang out in Port Costa to have coffee, cornbread, and hang out with friends in  Earls' storefront cafe! There is a lovely community of diverse people here. People from all walks of life happen by. I have had conversations with tourists visiting from other countries, new neighbors, old neighbors, and Ive even found old friends from back in the day that disappeared. This is one of those magical places where you just end up and keep coming back for more! It has the flavor and vibe of an Old California - a time we'll never have again.

A few weeks back, I wrote a post about some pillows that I had made for the Burlington Hotel .  I call it my Pet Pillow Project. This hotel is a true hidden and relatively unknown gem of the San Francisco Bay Area! The hotel really should be recognized and preserved as a landmark. Through the efforts of a wonderful group of people, this old lady is being spruced up and revived. I am so pleased that I get to help in my small way with this sprucing up - for I love this old lady with all my heart! Port Costa is pretty popular on the weekends. I'm very sure that soon, this area is going to be visited quite a bit more!

My photos cant quite convey the charm of this place or the work that is going into it, but come by and take a look, have some strong coffee and cornbread, have a beer over at the Warehouse Cafe, peek into the windows over at the Theatre of Dreams, stroll through a little town that is surrounded by wild countryside and farm land, and walk the tracks along the Carquinez straits................and then if you plan ahead and let me know you are coming, you can drive back through Crockett and come visit my studio! Perhaps you'll end up going home with a new pair of Sampants! Perhaps you'll find a treasure that you cant resist!

Chix6 : A Very, Very Adorable Musical

I was commissioned to make a little corset a few weeks back. It was to be worn by Molly Tynes in Chix6 - a new musical about some super heroines - totally cute and I really wish I could see it! The costumes are great, of course, because they were designed by Chris March.

This is what it looked like in my studio:

She wanted some of the cute fluff taken off and we had to be really careful not to have anything that could catch on her silks. She is also super bendy, so I could only put some spiral boning on the side. But I would say that it looks super cute on stage and everyone is happy with it! Making a specialty corset for performing will often require some changes to the usual way of making things. The trick was to make it look corseted without the boning. Not too difficult and I kind of cheated by playing with the side seams in order to make "bendy boning".

Ive only seen this video and a couple ones on youtube, but I like the idea and I hope its a super success! Go see this if you can!

Sewing Lessons At Last

I know that Ive gone on a few times about teaching sewing lessons  at some point this year. And the fact of the matter is is that as more and more people struggled with this %$#%^&%^$ economy, I ended up struggling more too. Because when you stop buying, the artists and local businesses suffer. But whatever...........Ive survived and made a purse out of a sow's ear so to speak. Im not out of hot water yet, but I'll be ok. Because as you know, you cant keep a good woman down. But I got a bit distracted with that struggle there ...............so now here we go...............

Instead of buying tables and new sewing machines (you dont want to start out on my current ones), Im letting you know that I am available for one on one instruction on the weekends. You drag that sewing machine out of your closet or out from under your bed and I will show you how to use it in my studio. With this comes all my sewing resources available online and in various parts of this country. Maybe even overseas as I find them. And maybe you will find some inspiration in my costuming library!

We all want clothes. We want to decorate our homes or dress our kids. And many of us cant justify some of those wardrobe and costuming purchases any longer. But if you have the patience and the aptitude, you can learn some basics and start from there. You can learn to make some fun things. Being creative is very important - especially in these times when its easy to get depressed or frustrated. My spirits always rise when Ive made something with my own two hands. It gives you a sense of accomplishment!

Available lessons and prices are posted in my pages section to the left.
Basicly:
***Three hours of beginner basics for $55.00 using your machine.
***Three hours of Industrial Sewing Machine lessons for $75.00 using my machines.
The investment in new skills and mastering that machine can take you far!

Here is a great little blog that I just ran across! I stole some of her images!
And here is some oldie sewing machine info..........


































And for those of you who want to learn to sew and do not have a machine, you can get cheapo ones to start with at Big Lots and Target. Im sure Costco and some online shops have some bargains for you. Search the thrift stores and the garage sales - but just make sure that they work or that you can get them fixed at a reasonable price. There is no need to go out and get a fancy sewing machine unless you are sure you need one!

 It just doesn't have to be that complicated!

Oh, and my Fluffie Rufflie patterns will be available again soon. I got a little side tracked!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

America

No matter how you want to look at this country, its an interesting one. Everyday we realize that things are not as we thought they were. I just read recently somewhere online that there is a thought that the Druids came over to America and intermarried with the Natives here.Sorry - I have no idea where I read that and I should have bookmarked it.  It said that the Druids and natives in South Dakota became the Lakota. Im sure the Lakota would have something to say about this  - and you cant believe everything you read online - but the fact that the Vikings were here long before Columbus was but a myth not too long ago. We pretty much know they were in fact here wandering around and probably intermarrying with the natives.So who knows......maybe the Druids DID come over and have been here a long time. That would be very exciting. They had to go somewhere, now, didnt they, since Cesar insisted on exterminating them. (Those Romans ........)!  I guess what Im trying to say is that this has always been a country of immigrants. Even the native people who were here thousands of years before the white man, came from somewhere else. And who knows who or what was here before them.

Oh - HERE it is - it looks like someone made it up or heard it said - but its a fun thought - hope it pans out to be true one day. This would be a fun twist on history!And to be honest, its a fascinating subject, but I am very ignorant of  a great deal of knowledge on the subject - well, we all are, since there is very little that has been passed down. It all died when they died. Just not into much revival stuff..........unless it has to do with costuming.

We need to get over all this illegal immigrant bullshit and start respecting anyone who risks their life to come here and work for shit wages doing the shit jobs that nobody white wants to do. We all complain about no jobs, but I see house cleaning jobs all over the place listed on Craigslist.. Put your gloves on and start cleaning toilets if you are out of work! Get thee into the sweat shops! Its good honest work and having done it before, its not going to hurt you if you are fit. (except wear you down to the bone and break your back) Do something useful and take back those jobs that these immigrants are taking away from you, you idiots. And lets take care of those horribly paid workers, shall we? The child of one might be smarter than you and be a future president.

So back to Druids. I know very little about their spiritual practices.Ive never felt comfortable donning robes and standing in circles.(Like I even know what Im talking about )  But  I say more power to any group who trys to recapture the old ways. Maybe not the human sacrifice part, but even I, who tries to be a more loving and humane person these days can see the wisdom in putting rapists, stalkers, and pedophiles in wicker baskets.

Well, if I were Queen.......................
Happy Independence Day to everyone who actually made it to the U.S. and survived. I hope it was worth the effort. Some of us seem to have forgotten what we've got and don't want to share.And just remember that you cant do what you want in a lot of places in the world. This dreamland country of ours is flawed and going down hill fast. This Rome is burning........the powers that control  us are insane and watching it burn.........but if we all pull together, we can douse the fires and make this country strong again. We can have our dreams here.

Put on those gloves and lets get to work!

The Black Lotus Clothing Subzero 2011 Fashion Show

 About a week or so ago, I was fortunate enough to participate in the last Black Lotus Clothing Fashion Show sponsored by the Subzero Festival in San Jose. It was a lot of fun and Christina Molcillo's - and Katherine Summer's clothing blew me out of the water. But I was proud of my little presentation! Here are some photos taken of my models. I love how they turned out!

 Models in order:
Lucie Tuan
Isa Shisha
Frojan Baggins

Photos:
Raymond Van Tassel Photography
Fotografica Delfino
Makeup: Dusty Paik

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Sneak Preview Pattern Cover

Well, I have a ways to go before I actually can get these patterns printed up the way that I want them to look  - but Im so excited about the drawing that Katherine Summer did for me, that I just have to squeal with excitement, jump up and down, and show a sneak peek!!!!!!!!!!!

I 

Isnt it pretty? Damn, she's good!!!!!!! What talent! Im so lucky!!!!!!!!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

P.S. 

The Fluffie Rufflie Dance Pants tutorial is up here in my "pages" section - hope it helps! XXX

Mini Steampunk Bustle Skirts

The word "Steampunk" gets tossed around a lot these days and
Gets misused.
But what other category would you put a bustle in?
I think these are the cutest little things!
Im planning a little photo shoot soon so that I can put these on a real person.
They sell much better in real life, and while they still look cute on the hanger,
They look even cuter on a body.
But Ive got these up in my Etsy store and I would love to sell you one.
These are the sizes that I have left.
Email me if you would like a size or color that I dont have up for sale.
And yes, they enhance your derrier - they were made that way.
Thats what a bustle effect does!
kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

I Love Doing Alterations (I really do!)

Ive been lucky through word of mouth to have a few very pretty wedding dresses to either make or to alter this season! I'll post more photos as soon as I can get some, but I just want to let you all know that I LOVE doing alterations! I dont know why. Many simply hate it, but I find it very satisfying to take a piece of clothing apart and put it back together either to make it look like it had never been altered, or to change the direction of the gown/outfit.

I love this for several reasons: because its so hard to find things to fit off the rack, because I find it fascinating how garments are put together,  because I always learn something new when I alter a garment, and because I love it when something fits - when a garment transforms you. I learned much of my tailoring technique by being fortunate enough to take apart and put back together again  Haute couture clothing. Some of this was found in consignment or vintage clothing stores. Some was worn by the Hollywood elite. Some was worn by certain SF personalities..........


At any rate, please bring me your wardrobe that needs updating. Bring me your wedding dress that needs taken in, let out, hem up or down, bustle added, whatevs..............I do a great job, have reasonable or comparable rates, and am located in the East Bay, 15 minutes north of Berkeley, Ca. Easy to get to by car and easy to find.

I love making Wedding dresses from scratch also. Lets not forget the specialness of your wedding day, and how this garment that you wear symbolizes your new life together. Celebrate any way you like, but if you decide to come to me for your dress, I will pour my soul into it. I specialize in the off-beat bride who likes to do things her way and not necessarily the way her mama did things!

Moving out of San Francisco has put me in the position of starting over in a way.  Maybe not the best timing because of the economy, but maybe it was. At any rate, My city clients hate to cross the bridge, so I am reaching out to you East Bayers and you Napa/Sonoma  folk. I have a fabulous studio to work out of, I was born and raised here. I'm back home. I'm ready to roll!

  These are dresses that I recently altered. The above is from the current BHLDN website. I put some boning in the bodice and took some of the poufiness out of the skirt and lining. On the dress in the bottom photo, I took off the scratchy glass beading under the arms (why would you do that to someone - its going to rip the flesh from your underarms eventually!) and bustled up her train with vintage buttons.

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Joyous Easter Tidings - She Has Risen From Her Bed

 Happy Easter Everyone!

Crockett is a quiet town anyway as rule - except on every Sunday evening when the neighbors across the way have a beer bash  or when my neighbor next door starts drinking and turns his speakers up full blast at 3am  ( hey, its the wild, wild west out here)  but on the holidays, nary a peep is heard at all.  So Ive taken the cue and sat around in my pajamas all morning and watched the sun filter through the newly leafed out tree in the backyard. The giant Salvia bush is full of fragrant blooms and my backyard is slowly filling up with all the great, leafy plants that my assistant, Susie Bianca, keeps bringing me. I'm pretty happy here as I settle down and settle in! Maybe I'll add on a few years that the city living took from me.

Im sending some Mark Ryden inspiration your way on this tranquil morn. Gotta shake this tranquility up a bit. Cant take these Christian holidays full of stolen pagan traditions and imagery too seriously!

Sorry some of these are fuzzy - I just took them vaguely from the internets. Enjoy!

1/1/11 Happy New Year!!!!!!

There is much a brewin in my humble little Sugar Shack. Its true, I live in a Sugar Shack! How many people can say that????????

The winter days are long and often gray and bleak, and the outside of things can  appear dismal and not very exciting right now. But its whats on the inside that counts - and I count my blessings and my lucky stars every single day. Here is where I will start to be more creative in the new decade and where I will focus on making this world a little tiny bit better if I can.

Thank you one and all who have supported me and shown me the path and the means to my new studio - my new place to stretch out and let my creativity take wing!

Ive got plans. Plans to make my Sugar Shack cuter and more pleasing to the eye. Plans for promotion, plans for patterns, plans for new designs - maybe new directions. Plans for a new little computer, a decent camera, a roadworthy car - plans to expand both in the physical world and the spiritual. Plans to get you out here to visit if I can and have a little studio party. (Can I say "plenty of parking"?)

It just doesn't work to have one without the other, now does it. And when both combine, we have creativity. And being lost in your creativity is to experience the Divine.

Enough of the New Age sentimentality: I'm just feeling inspired!

And in the meantime, I still need your support. All independent artists do. Please don't forget us after the holidays as this is usually our down time and life must go on as usual.........bills and rent to pay.....food and materials to purchase. Local artists and artisans (and I'm speaking for all of us) need support to keep making and doing nice things for the world. If we cant stay afloat until easier times, some may have to go work at MacDonald's. And I shudder to think it. We all suffer when this happens.

If you read this far, I'm offering you a 10% off coupon code for anything in my ETSY store during this weekend of new beginnings! Just enter this code at checkout and it will do the work for us both. (Yay!)
HNY2011

Happy New Year Everyone! Happy New Decade! Happy New World!!!!!

                                 
kc.costume@gmail.com

Hunkering Down For The Winter

 Salome's Suitcase (the design collective that I am proud to be a part of) put on a wonderful fashion show at Ariellah Affalo's Shadowdance this last Saturday evening. Pictures will be out soon and I'll be putting them here as soon as I can.

As usual for me,  a big evening or weekend of vending requires a day or two of down time afterwards. Coupled with a fashion show, and I'm left just beat. But I was so wound up still after the day of our show, that I rearranged my whole studio! Its not perfect yet, but I'm ready to receive callers, KCCC is available to take on new commissions, I'm inspired to continue the process of getting out orders, and this lady is all ready to hunker down for the winter and stay warm and cozy. I want some wedding dresses to work on this winter, so I have been doing a bit of advertising. I'm hoping that with my studio conveniently located between SF and Napa, I can attract some business from all over. Its perfect! I'll make you tea!

Shadowdance was great - I didn't see much of the show as I was running around backstage, but all of our models were just wonderful. Jessica Cowan from Crops and Bobbers in Crockett did the most amazing hair and makeup - our show was fiercely elegant. Everyone pulled together, worked well together as always, and I could hear the jaws drop to the floor when the music started and the models walked their walk. Mission accomplished!

Halloween is over, winter is on its way, turkeys will be roasting in the ovens before we know it and Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye!
Its time now to start working on my patterns. I will be debuting them at Cues and Tattoos in March.
I'll be vending at the SF Edwardian Ball in January. Ive got new merchandise to make and fabric to buy! Ive got stuff to do!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kc.costumecouture@gmail.com
Model: Unsinkable Molly
Photos: Kristine Adams