This is totally silly. But I like to think of all the things I’ve made over the years as little bits of me, wandering around, spreading cheer and adding a bit of pretty to the scenery…
At Steampunk festivals, renaissance faires, pirate festivals, and more!
And when I make new things, I always daydream a bit. Who will have the pretty thing that I’m hand crafting right now? Where will they wear it? I think of how it feels when you’re out in public wearing something amazing, and someone stops you and says “OMG I love your costume!” and I smile.
But now, all those chances to prance around in costume have disappeared. I hope they’re returning soon. I hope that all the amazing vendors that support these events will weather the storm, and be able to jump back in once things open back up. But to expect that everything will return exactly to normal once this is over is – well, a bit delusional.
Pre-pandemic, I was heading in a direction that I’m not sure about now! I was going to steer away from weddings in favor of ready-to-ship costumes. And now, after having several months where brides were my only customers, I’m second guessing that decision.
I’ll be frank. I love making custom wedding dresses. I discontinued them only for practical reasons. The main one being that I haven’t been able to figure out how to earn a livable wage while making them!
Why? A couple reasons. One: I am an eternal optimist. It’s a great thing when it comes to my mood – but not so great when it comes to estimating sewing time on a new design (or even a design that I haven’t made a zillion times yet.)
Two: I am an exacting perfectionist. Lol again, it’s amazing for the quality of my work! But not so great for custom sewing. The slightest mistake (even one a customer would never notice) will be unstitched, and re-sewn. It’s even fairly common for me to throw out a custom project (or sell it in my store) and start over again to be sure the one I send to the customer is 120% perfect.
You can probably imagine that this results in amazing, gorgeous gowns, made unsustainably!
But I need to (and I want to) offer them again. I know that my over-the-top fancy dresses are what many of you love most about my designs! And when someone tells me that I’ve made their dreams come true (in making the perfect dress for their special day) it really is the BEST feeling.
So, let me announce (drumroll please):
But there are a couple caveats. The first is that I won’t be able to accept every request that comes my way. Custom gowns will be very limited – to the tune of exactly one per month! I am only one insanely perfectionistic seamstress, after all.
The second caveat is: Custom gowns will cost more than they used to. I think many of you will still find them to be awesomely affordable – I tend to design things with a high pretty-to-cost ratio!
And that’s all I can say for now! I’ve gotten rather backed up in my sewing schedule over the pandemic, so I’m currently booked thru the beginning of August. I should hopefully have more information on custom made gowns available by mid July.
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