A few words about how I became involved in steampunk, what steampunk means to me, and where I want to take my steampunk art.
Mar 252012
Conversational
Feb 242012
I have set up a new email newsletter! I’m planning to send a new newsletter every 1-2 weeks. It will summarize current projects, recently posted information and tutorials, and inform of upcoming workshops, shows, and other events, allowing you, my valued readers, to stay informed on my current events without checking an RSS or other feed every day. To subscribe to my newsletter, fill out the form in the sidebar or visit my Newsletter page and fill out the form there. I use a double opt-in system, so you’ll need to confirm the subscription from your email.
Feb 062012
One of the Yule gifts I received this year was a book I recommend to anyone who is interested in being a professional artist. It’s called “How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist” by Caroll Michels. Get it. Read it. Share it. My health problems forced me to stop taking sewing commissions, so I’m running with it. I have re-written my artist statements, created an artist resume, and begun preparing solicitation and promotional materials for possible future exhibitions. I have been practicing and experimenting, and researching ideal materials for framing with minimal cost and highest quality (specifically aquabords, clayboards, [...]
Jan 082012
My Health and Sewing Plans in the Coming Months Today I finally made some progress on the three active corset orders, cutting out all three mock-ups. The last time I was able to work on sewing was mid-November, due entirely to ongoing health problems that significantly impact my ability to perform physical tasks. I still don’t know the cause of my pain, but I am working with a new doctor who gives me hope of a diagnosis even if it’s by process of elimination. In the meantime, I am on new medication and managing the pain much better, and tomorrow [...]
Sewing Commissions Closed
Conversational, Corsets, Costuming, Custom, Drawing, Fine Art, Free Clothing Patterns, Historical Inspirations, Learning Tools, Painting, Ready-Made, Sewing, Shop, Shop, Tools and Supplies, Tutorials, Tutorials, Web Site Updates, Work in Progress, Work in Progress, Workshops, Workshops
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Oct 162011
To make a long story short, all sewing commissions are temporarily closed. I am working on the corset orders already arranged, and I welcome inquiries, but I cannot commit to new commissions at this time. I do not know when I will open my business to new orders again. The long story sounds like the Perils of Pauline. This is a vastly abridged version. I have been dealing with worsening chronic, often debilitating pain, which has contributed to slow turnaround of orders in the past few months. I have not had normal health insurance in years, but was able [...]
May 202011
Tonight I am delighted to announced that I have my own working computer again, so I will no longer be having to borrow time on friends’ computers to be able to do my email and make updates to my site. This means I can get back to work finishing the site updates and enhancements I started back in December, and I will also be able to work on tutorials again. I have a bunch of them that I want to write out for you guys. I’ll also be more reliably posting in-progress information, get back to the idea of Historic [...]
Mar 292011
The two weeks prior to Nova Albion I spent in a sewing hole, desperately finishing as many costume pieces for myself and my friends as possible. The finished pieces were only half of what I had originally planned, but I was very happy with how the pieces I did finish turned out. Tomorrow I plan to upload some photos for my portfolio and provide more detailed explanations of the two finished costumes. One of the planned costumes, which I did not even start, is a men’s steampunk Japanese outfit that I still intend to make at a future date. One [...]
Mar 192011
I am scheduled to be a panelist at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition, which is happening in Santa Clara, California, on March 25, 26, and 27. I’ll be in panels all three days, and also leading a facilitated discussion on corset making on Sunday afternoon. I’ve attended this convention each year it has occurred, including its first incarnation as Steam Powered, and it has been a wonderful event every year, growing along with the steampunk community. I couldn’t be more excited to be actively participating this year. . I have enabled a new searchable link library containing most of my [...]
Feb 282011
I am yet again forced to apologize for my lack of updates. Last week my computer died – a victim of core file corruption in Vista. I’ve been borrowing a friend’s computer to check email and such, but have not been able to edit and upload photos to update this blog. I am converting the computer to Ubuntu, so hopefully I’ll be back up and running like normal in a couple more days. (keep your fingers crossed for me) If you’re curious, the silver kimono is sewn and I’ve been playing with different designs on paper before painting the actual [...]
Feb 102011
If you see a 500 error, please just reload or try again. I am at the mercy of my host provider, and there is nothing I can do to fix the problem myself. I must wait for them to fix it. As soon as they have fixed the problem, I will resume posting. I have a lot of stuff ready to add, including some new tutorials and current projects.