Tribal Fest 2012 The Year Of The Unicorn

Its that Tribal Fest time of the year again, folks, and I'm pretty excited! This year's theme is the "Year Of The Unicorn". I have to say that I am fairly ignorant of what unicorns stand for. I always understood them to symbolize purity and goodness. Little girls are obsessed with them. Unicorns make me think of light colors and pretty ponies, so Ive made a few frilly little cholis in honor of the occassion!

I'll be sharing a booth with Medina Maitreya Designs! Medina will be selling her gorgeous belt and bra sets.
Here are a couple photos from a previous Tribal Fest of the amazing stuff she makes: 

I'll be selling Cholis for the ATS and Folkloric ladies! There will be velvet Sampants, Rattie Tattie Skirts and a few other fine goodies! Ive done my best to give a better fit for a tried and true dance choli design - so you will have to critique my efforts!
Come check us out at the new Peace Park vendors' section behind the Labyrinth!

We will also be carrying Sandi Ball's High Beam Bindis!

For all the  info: go here!
Every year it is held in the same place - in beautiful Sebastopol. Chuck and Kajira produce this event every year and every year they outdo themselves! Its BIG and CRAZY and you will see the Greats and Up and Comings! Check out the town. There are lots of shops and eateries! Take a drive out to the ocean when you need to take a break from all the tribal fabulousness! And of course, come hang out with us!
I hadn't planned on attending this year. :( Life was just getting in the way and Ive stepped back to take a break ) But when opportunity comes knocking, you gotta go for it! So I'm busy here in my studio: sewing away and getting as much done to fill our lovely tent! I'll be near all my designer girlfriends. I'll be meeting new dancers and hanging out with old friends - I cannot wait!
XXX

Now that Ive had time to step back and adapt to this stupid economy, Ive started to get inspired again. Im inspired to make myself a new wardrobe is what Im inspired to do! I would like one of each of these dresses to wear to work and then I would like one of each in black for all those cocktail parties that I'll go to again one day.

Its a new year and it could happen. 

So today, instead of what I was supposed to be doing, I pulled all of my boxes and containers of patterns out of storage and put them up in my studio where I can  see them. I dont think they are exactly great to look at, but they are my library and where I find a lot of my inspiration.

This is maybe a third of them. I'll have to start weeding through them and maybe selling the ones that I dont like any longer.

Collecting patterns has been invaluable to me since I am not a professional pattern maker. I can take an existing pattern piece and tweak it and grade it, but to start from scratch is a nightmare for me. Whatever works, right?

Sometimes I just like the line of a design for the most part, but would make changes - like I would narrow down this sleeve a bit. Its perfect for a Steampunk overcoat!

Happy 2012!!

Just a little post to recap my feelings about the previous year: no time is ever wasted. No experiences are ever wasted if you learn and grow from it. A year is just an increment in time to mark off accomplishments and events.

That being said. 2011 kind of sucked. Yes, good things happened - great things! I learned how to make a good loaf of bread just to name a few............

but the year pretty much bit it. I saw it coming. I grew a few more grey hairs. I adapted.

And now I'm focusing more on things that really matter to me: my family, my friends, my hobbies, my sleep.

The business end of things will always be there ready to be reved up when I want it to - I'm in the middle of a big revamp (including this blog), which for me is time consuming and slow going. But will be well worth the effort in the end.

Time marches on and as my father told me once (and I hated him for it - but sometimes what else can you say...........) "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Happy 2012 everyone! The message is clear: if we are not kinder towards each other  -  If we don't raise each other up -  if we don't become a better species - there is going to be a lot of lemonade to be made.

Happy Solstice!

An Atheist Christmas Card

I just couldn't resist..................Happy Holidays everyone!

Solstice always marks the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one. Just as I'm soooooooooooooo  very excited to see the start of longer days again, I'm also excited for the new year. Last year was one of letting go of things that do not work for me any longer. What used to be fun and exciting became old and weary.  When I rev this business back up again, its going to be run very differently.

This morning while I was commuting to work, all these ideas popped into my head. Ideas for things that I had wanted to make and had forgotten all about. So I formulated a plan for a little creative piece - or series of pieces that I had wanted to do. Things I had not had the energy or time for before. And my heart was full again and excited for a new season and a new year!

As you have probably figured out, I'm taking a time out from making clothes to sell. Because as the world seemed to change overnight, my business was not viable for much longer after that. When I was offered a part time job stitching corsets in the city, I jumped for it! So now I stitch and daydream and work with some remarkable women all day long. And then, after a day of being citified, I get to come home to my studio where I can see the stars at night.
Its a good life.

I will still be taking on alterations and custom work! I have sewing students lined up for after the holidays! So do not hesitate to contact me!

Happy Holidays everyone! It doesn't matter what you celebrate or how.................or who stole what custom from the pagans............it just really doesn't matter anymore. Just be kind to each other. If we all were committed to taking care of each other, the world would be a much better place to live in.
kc.costumecouture@gmail.com



    

Lets Be Thankful For All We Have

The Fluffie Rufflie Pattern Results

I really want to see what everyone is making with my Fluffie Rufflie Patterns!
Marci Turner-Holcombe sent me this photo of the Fluffie Rufflie Dance Pants that she made for Forever By Your Side - Belly Horror 2011!

This is a lovely photo by Stereo Vision Photography!
Please send me photos and I'll put them in my Facebook Album! I REALLY want to see what you come up with!! Its pretty exciting!!
Thank you Marci!
XXX

Happy Halloween!

I dont usually make Halloween costumes, but I am making some things for dance perfomances soon, so Im pretty much too busy to go out and celebrate any spooky stuff. However, I'll probably go out in the back yard and burn old papers and stuff in my firepit and talk to the ancestors a bit. Thats more fun for me anyway.

Here are some little vintage Halloween images that I nicked off the interwebs. Enjoy!

Thinking About Christmas................For Your Lovely Neck

Every year, I am reminded that I am never in seasonal retail mode - this  means  that I don't have a bunch of merchandise made and ready for the spirit of holiday shopping. Its just not really how I roll. But I did make some pretty scarves just in time for  that buying frame of mind (and you know we cant escape our need for retail therapy even if we cant heavily engage in that pastime quite as we did in days of yore.........) And maybe you will need one of these for your fabulous holiday outfit!

I hope you like them as much as I do! In fact, I want to keep every single one! (this is the curse of my job)

Stipes and L:ace for your lovely neck!
Multicolored Loveliness to wrap around your neck and ward off the winter chill!

I cannot throw away my scraps of beautiful fabric! I feel that this is a huge waste - it is especially so in the garment industry - and I like to use every bit of material that I can, so when the bins of extra bits start overflowing, I take a few days off, get out my rotary blade, and start cutting out shapes and sections to piece into lovely concoctions for your wearing pleasure!

Doing this makes me feel that I'm having less impact on the environment. Textile production is a huge detriment to the health of our planet. Insecticides, dyes, chemicals go into our water - which is partly why we take our business overseas................nice. So I do sometimes feel terribly guilty for participating in the creation of this mess. But we all want clothing and pretty things. And it cant all be sustainable. So this is me - and you - doing our part. By using all the fabric that I purchase and not just some of it, I feel that I am not creating as much waste. And sometimes certain fabrics wont be found again. Ever. So I want to put it all to use and be as resourceful and as respectful to our home as possible.

I like to use my softest knits and laces to be worn around the neck! These are always pretty long, can be used for a simple accessory to accent your wardrobe, or to actually be used to keep your neck warm! Ive seen them used as a hip adornment in belly dance as well! This scarf is made of the circles that were cut out of the middle of bias flounces as well as larger pieces of pretty fabrics! They have been reinforced down the middle with a soft knit lace. They are durable and will last a long time. They make great Christmas presents!

Pretty, functional, fun, and as Green as I can get.......win

~This particular scarf is about 81" long!
~Ivory , black, white, Grey and pink stripes in many different knit fabrics - we've got some lace, some polka dotted tulle and cotton!
~Most of the tattered ruffled edges are unfinished but will not ravel and those that do ravel a bit will just add some texture to the mix!

Please convo me with any questions or email me at kc.costumecouture [!at] gmail.com before purchasing!

Kathleencrowley.etsy.com
Thanks!

A Lovely Bride

I love this photo of Whitney Alley Barrenger. She bought this dress from me for her wedding - and she is just adorable in it! Congratulations, Whitney!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

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

Cute Rattie Tattie Skirt For Halloween - Or Whenever!

 

The ladies seem to be liking these skirts, and I had been eyeballing the sizes from a draft pattern all this time, which was getting old (and not very efficient), so I finally graded the pattern for XS - to XL. Now I can just cut without giving the size a lot of thought and can now focus on details. I can make larger sizes, so email me with your questions! 

These are all sheer black lace right now - because I happen to have a lot of that at the moment -  and because tis the season.............but I do have a couple more brown ones coming and some navy and red. (because I was feeling creative)

You can layer them one over the other or wear them with other skirts, pants, dresses, shorts and Leg Ruffles!

Here is a video of TigerLilly from Scotland wearing a black Rattie Tattie for her Tribal Fest performance. She is lovely, and works the music wonderfully - the opening bagpipes get me every time!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

The Coat That Ate My Weekend

OMG - when it rains, it pours! Not only did I get to make a corset last month for the new Chix 6 show opening soon in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, but I got to make a coat a couple weekends ago for Lady Gaga, of all people. Like I said: when it rains, it pours. I was so super excited - I cant even tell you how excited I was - and I couldnt really talk about it until she actually wore it. Because you know how showbiz is. They could have not liked it and axed the whole thing. Happens all the time. Then after I made it, I started a new part time job, where I have to be - you know - humble, so I couldn't really keep jumping up and down in glee any longer. But I'm still pretty happy about it.

What happened was that not 5 minutes after interviewing for a job (that I started that next Tuesday) and while about to head out to the fabric stores for my usual perusals, Chris March got ahold of me and informed me that Lady Gaga's people had just asked him to make her an outfit for her gig at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.. Well, he is in the middle of costuming Chix 6 and getting ready for the premiere of his new tv show airing October 4th, so he only really had time to design a coat and hat and make parts of the coat. He couldn't construct the whole thing in that short of a time frame. He had remembered a coat that I had made years ago and asked if I would be into reproducing something like that. Well, FUCK YEAH. (pardon my french for you polite people).

They said they wanted Pleather. I think that is kind of a broad term for anything leatherie looking. They wanted it to be lightweight. But Chris and I both agreed that anything vinyl would probably be heavy and uncomfortable. And I think it would stink. Literally. Some of those upholstery vinyls could work, but they have that awful odor. And I didnt even know if there really was  a such thing as "pleather" anymore. But I said that I would go to Fabric Outlet and have a look. What I found was a black doe suede that had a great wrong side that I thought would be perfect.  I sent him photos, he ok'd it and I just happened to have cash in my pocket. How fortuitous was that. And I bought a lightweight lining that I didn't really like, but I didn't want the coat to be too heavy and there wasn't much to choose from. It really just had to look good for a flash when she dropped her coat.

Chris sent them a photo of my coat, I drew a sketch of what it might look like so that they would all know that I wasnt sitting here smoking crack, and he sent them that, and in three days I gave them the coat I got hired to make - made with plenty of fabric to play with if they needed to make changes - and knowing full well that they were going to embellish, alter, and maybe redo parts, which they did. I did a good job with the fit. I dont think they had any problems with that.

So for almost three days I holed up in my studio and worked on this thing. After I finished the corset for Chix 6, I copied my old coat and made a new pattern according to her measurements. Some of them didn't make sense, so I had to figure that out. They may have been taken for a specific outfit. Who knows. We made several changes. It was looking too Regency, so I slashed the shoulders, built them up, and gave her more of a normal sleeve so that we could have big shoulders to support the armor that Chris sent me to add on. The collar needed to be redesigned and so I made a new one according to Chris's specs. I didn't have time to add any studs as it had to be sent out by Monday.  There were a couple things that took up some time in the construction - but its all a blur now.  Oh. The ballast went out in the lights above my work table and I was working on black in very dim light, but that's how things work around here - you never know whats going to happen, but I always manage to get things done somehow.

Her team shortened the coat and they may have changed the back a bit - its hard to tell in the photos, but they actually managed to make it look more like the sketch - Good team work!

And thank you to Lee Kobus of Fool Proof Studios for racing me over to Fed Ex at the very last minute to put this baby on the truck to Ms. Gaga!

 She came out on a giant motorcycle covered up by a giant fringie hat, danced around a bit, threw it off and that was that for my part of the show. What a blast! Of course, like with every single project I do, I swear I'll never do it again, but all mothers say that after they give birth, dont they? Yet sometimes we do it again. I do it over and over and over again. This was the biggest deal that Ive had the opportunity to participate in. I hope with all my heart that she has Chris make more things for her because if anyone can carry out her over the top fabulousness, its Chris March.

May the fun never end!

Watch MAD FASHION this Tuesday night - October 4th!