Shew is an understatement!  It is with tears of joy that this project is complete, but tears as the final product left my studio last night!  This bride wanted extravagant and that is what she got.  She wanted a "peacock" skirt with lace bodice, 3/4 sleeves and a neckline to showcase her assets.  

As I worked the math in my head, I knew I would need yards among yards of chiffon.  I placed my order and immediately began working when it arrived.  So I cut, and I cut, and I cut.  Chiffon is one of the easiest fabrics to cut in this way.  If working with the right scissors, the fabric will just glide away.  But it was never ending........and that was just the beginning......

In between cutting the chiffon, I would work the base of the dress.  Draping just how I wanted the dress to fall.  So really the basic construction was ready to put together.  HOWEVER, I still had to actually put all those pieces of chiffon on the dress.  The first try of the chiffon skirt did not give the dress as much dimension as I had hoped for.  So I decided to add a little bit of "poof".  I enlisted one of my sons to cut squares of tulle, which I also placed in each square of chiffon, to give it this textured look.  

No doubt my own curiosity had it's own consequences.  As I worked the skirt I kept wanting to pin it back to the dress form.  Let's just say, my back now feels the regrets of that curiosity.  

In the end, all the hard work was well worth it.  I had a fabulous gown for a fabulous bride.  I finished the dress off with a corset back, a scalloped neckline trim and some acrylic spray.  

Stay tuned for more photos of this dress.......and the mini version that was made for the bride's daughter!
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Sigh of relief!  There is no hesitation when I say that I have outgrown my workspace.  I absolutely LOVE my job and the work I do, but I as any working parent, I am a mother first.  And lets say, having 10 children, the children can very easily pull me away from work.  Plus, having my work space in the house (no matter which room we have tried), is a little more than a hassle.  

I am so thankful and blessed to have the new studio to work in.  And even more great, it is within walking distance of my house.  And this space even comes with a separate space for the kids to have!

This new studio has 1100 sq ft and will give me the opportunity to create openly without having to put designs up as I work.  I will be able to display workbook photos, keep sample sale items on display, and have an inspirational wall!  And best yet, I consultations are so much easier without having to shuffle the kids somewhere else.  

So come visit me at my new studio at 1122 West Tipton Street in Seymour.  Bare with me as we spend the next few months organizing and cleaning up in between orders and creative inspiration.  Ha!  Creative inpiration......that is such a phrase for an artist!  It never stops and having these open walls and work space, I have so many ideas!  And yet, as any artist, there is also creative chaos.  In the coming days I am sure you will see various inspirational drawings and photos going up on those blank walls!  

  

The workroom can be a stressful place.  We all know those famous words "make it work", and it seems like I hit that place with every piece I make.  Many times I will hit a wall, and just need some energy.  Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!  But what works more than coffee, is getting pictures from clients and hearing reviews.  If you know anyone in the small business world, make sure you let them know how they are doing.  Give them reviews, show them photos, and best of all....SEND THEM REFERRALS!   I promise these things will make their day.  It does mine.  I doubt it is just me, I doubt it is just mothers, but no matter how good we think we are at our job....we hesitate....we doubt ourselves.  Happy Clients keep us moving forward.  They keep ME moving forward.  

Many people think they can't help a small business, or maybe they think the small business does just fine without it.  Being in a small business, marketing can be hard.  If we want to keep costs low, we can't spend much in marketing costs.  We rely on YOU to help grow our business.  So if you buy from a small business, or use their services, make sure you tell people about it when you share a photo on social media.  Tag them.  Request that your friends know them.  When you stop sharing posts...stop commenting on pages....stop re-tweeting posts.....the doubt starts to settle in.  

For Infinite Possibilities, I may not have exactly what you need right now.  You may not see a wedding, prom, pageant, or costume party in your near future.  But one of your friends is probably looking!  
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Thank you Krissy for sending the pictures of your beautiful flower girls!!

A kid in a candy store, no doubt!  I walk into a fabric store, craft store, linen store....they are all the same.  I want it ALL!  I see the possibilities in the fabrics.  I see unusual trims being manipulated into fabric.  

One day, I was walking in Hobby Lobby and saw this Victorian looking fabric with soft roses.  I walked on to get whatever supplies I needed that day.  As I kept walking, I walked by the display of tulle rolls.  My eyes went to the rose colors I saw in the fabric I had recently passed.  I started thinking of how elaborate a ball gown skirt would look patterning these rolls of tulle into ruffles.  I placed them side by side in my cart and got extremely excited.  I knew I would need plenty of tulle, so I filled the cart with several of each color.    I then went back to the fabric I saw and started pairing them together.  
I don't think a whole day went by before I started creating this design.  I was too excited.  I was ruffling the fabric through my machine over and over.  I just placed the piles of ruffle in one big bin.  I kept thinking, "ruffles, ruffles, oh my!".   Then, I cut a simple A-line skirt and went to work.  I never even placed the dress on the form until it was complete without embellishment.  When I started thinking of how I wanted to embellish the dress, I looked around my work room.  I saw some scrap pieces of organza that were left from some Christmas dresses I had made for my daughters.  Then I remembered a tutorial I had seen about burning scraps of organza to create a rose. I decided to give it a try.  Soon the dress and accessories became this.....

If you like this gown, or the idea of this gown, send me a message to create one for you. 

It is hard to believe how long ago I started sewing.  Actually, truth be told, I was only 14 when I started.  Now I am.....well, lets just say........several years later, and I still dream up new ideas 24 hours a day.  I can't watch a TV show without critiquing what they are wearing.  I go to Disney World and dream of making dresses inspired by the houses on Main Street, USA.   I never thought I would be doing this for a living.  For several years, I dreamed of being a criminal investigator, due to my love of Stallone movies.  But after spending 10 years in the U.S. Army, and becoming a mother, my passion for leaving the home to work wasn't so strong.  I would sew my children's holiday wear and their costumes, and friends would encourage me to start designing for a living.   I would laugh it off.  The first time I decided to give it a try, I was amazed at how quickly it developed.  I soon was sewing around the clock: little boutique outfits for my friends, and even people all over the country.  Just a year later, the kids would get so excited every time I received an order for another country.  Paris, Canada, Ireland.....Later, people started asking me to make their wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.  I realized quickly my passion was more for design than the actual construction of sewing.  

Today, I still sew the boutique outfits, and you will find some hanging around for purchase.  I mean, even I can't pass up some of the most adorable printed fabrics intended strictly for little kids.  But now, my family is growing up.  Although I have 10 children, five of them girls, they are getting older, and they have their own styles developing.  I am inspired by them every day and look forward to the new creations I will make to meet their styles.  

So where does this take me in my design career?  Dreaming.  Inspired.  Focused.  I want to create for the individuals.  I want to be the one behind the scenes of those attending a special occasion, a costume party, or even their dream vacation.  I love the delight in a bride's eyes as I work through her wedding gown.  Or a little girl requesting a costume of her dreams (that change from year to year).  I want to be the one that helps a woman or a young girl who doesn't fit off-the-rack sizes and wants something special to wear.  I want to continue to be inspired by things like table cloths and curtains and play in my work room to create something that to me is art.  Maybe it isn't what everyone will want to wear, but it may just be something that will stun someone else.  That to me is what I am passionate about.  And why I am so thankful I have been blessed with the talent and the option to have a career I love.