My sister!

[ariastar]

Well, pseudo. I don't know where else to put this, so I'm sticking it here. I made this for her to wear to a costume party and just wanted to share pics. She's in Florida, though these were taken in NC.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20-%20Christines%20White%20Robe/Stage%20Version/Roo/16.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20-%20Christines%20White%20Robe/Stage%20Version/Roo/14.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20-%20Christines%20White%20Robe/Stage%20Version/Roo/9.jpg

[ariastar]

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20-%20Christines%20White%20Robe/Stage%20Version/Roo/15.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20-%20Christines%20White%20Robe/Stage%20Version/Roo/18.jpg

I ended up staying home doing things. Dressed as a pirate. Like make fillet mignon.

[nextgenxbox]

Hot. Reminds of that one chick from Star Wars.

[_sorrow_]

That is an awesome dress, although i dare say it looks like it would be challenging to walk around -- unless of course, she has some man-slave :D I'm not offering myself up for the position, but maybe NextGen will.... :p

[masherscf]

I was thinking she looked like some sort of Jedi. Does she have power over the weak-minded?

[samureye]

I want a bathrobe! How much?

[tokenuser]

Aria - I did some snooping. Did you do all the work on those dresses?
Damn you've got talent.

[terminalsikosis]

Do you know how many shirts you could have made for little children in africa with all the un needed cloth?!?!
Joking, its a nice dress.

[ariastar]

Hot. Reminds of that one chick from Star Wars.

That is an awesome dress, although i dare say it looks like it would be challenging to walk around -- unless of course, she has some man-slave :D I'm not offering myself up for the position, but maybe NextGen will.... :p

HAND OF BEFORE I MAKE YOU EUNUCHS. She's 16.

[ariastar]

I was thinking she looked like some sort of Jedi. Does she have power over the weak-minded?

LOL, yes.


I want a bathrobe! How much?

Depends on the fabric chosen. Silk, velvet, satin, or terry cloth. Prices vary.

[ariastar]

Aria - I did some snooping. Did you do all the work on those dresses?
Damn you've got talent.


Thanks. :) Except for the vintage dresses, which are authentic, yes, I made the rest. And I don't use patterns either. I've got a registered business in California doing this. I'm working on a new website as I have the time.

[ariastar]

Do you know how many shirts you could have made for little children in africa with all the un needed cloth?!?!
Joking, its a nice dress.

At 20 yards of muslin in that robe divided by a yard per shirt, 20 shirts for little children in Africa.

This is based on a gown/robe in the stage version of Phantom of the Opera.

[tokenuser]

Thanks. :) Except for the vintage dresses, which are authentic, yes, I made the rest. And I don't use patterns either. I've got a registered business in California doing this. I'm working on a new website as I have the time.I bet you make a killing at the Ren Faire. You wouldn't be in the SCA would you?

[ariastar]

I bet you make a killing at the Ren Faire. You wouldn't be in the SCA would you?

Speaking of ren faire, here is me at the ren faire a couple months ago. I only had three days to work on that dress, in addition to working:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Scalamandre%20Renaissance%20Gown/DSC02743.jpg

more pics (on my dress form) and variations as parts are reversible (http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Scalamandre%20Renaissance%20Gown/Finished%20Gown%20Variations/)

I'm not part of the SCA right now, though may be in the future. The problem with ren faires is that people don't want to pay what things are worth. My fabric for my gown retails for over $3,000. I won't make something for someone for less than $20/hr due to my skill level and experience, but a lot of home-crafters with very basic skills will charge $5/hr just for a little spare pocket money. They have a high number of clients, but their work is shoddy. I refuse to lower my standards (cuttong corners saves time/cost, but results in lower quality) or my pricing, already low compared to the $40/hr that I was charging (and getting!) 5 years ago.

Most people who go to ren faires and guy garb there are the casual attendee who doesn't care to buy court wear, and therefore don't care to spend hundreds, if not thousands, and if you make stock to sell, you've got to have tons of garments to fit just about every body size. Stock adds to the cost as well. Most major enthusiasts will either make their own or have it made for them outside of the faire.

My sister's gown took 20 yards of muslin at $2.99/yd and 40 yards of lace at $1.99/yd (wholesale pricing and I don't pay tax due to my licensing), plus about 15 hours. $139.60 for the fabric and lace alone, not counting thread, needles, etc.. It's not so easy finding someone wanting to pay even $139.60 for something. If I were to charge just my state's minimum wage (I think $6.25, it's already at $233 and some change. But I usually charge by the project. $400 for this. It's HARD to find people who will pay this for something custom.

These days most of my projects are either for people I know or when someone contacts me wanting something made. I'll have a new website up sometime in December, but it won't be my main focus in life.

[tokenuser]

I'm not part of the SCA right now, though may be in the future.I sympathise. I do stained glass work (leadlight and copper). I had thought about turning it into a business, because it is something that I really enjoy, but people don't appreciate the value of the work you do as a craftsman - and they are skill that are being lost.

Like youself, just the cost of materials rack up the price. Then there are labour charges. Unfortunately, we aren't creating mass produced knockoffs using substandard materials in a Mexican sweat shop. Quality products require quality materials, and time/skill.

I'd post some of my work, but unfortunately, I mainly give away most of my projects as gifts, and I lost my photos (digital) that I had stored on a CD ... somewhere :(. I am working on a pair of panel lamps at the moment for our bedroom - I might post photos when they are done. then we have some sidelights for our entry way to complete. I actualy got my wife interested in this, and she enjoys is as well. I am trying to get the time to work on a version of this (Van Gogh - Lilies) (http://www.paletaworld.org/dbimages/3548_1.jpg). I have the panel designed, just need time to buy glass, and build the damn thing.

BUT, back to you ... the Ren Faire dress is amazing. With your red hair against the black velvet, I am betting you got a lot of comments :D

[ariastar]

I sympathise. I do stained glass work (leadlight and copper). I had thought about turning it into a business, because it is something that I really enjoy, but people don't appreciate the value of the work you do as a craftsman - and they are skill that are being lost.

Like youself, just the cost of materials rack up the price. Then there are labour charges. Unfortunately, we aren't creating mass produced knockoffs using substandard materials in a Mexican sweat shop. Quality products require quality materials, and time/skill.

I'd post some of my work, but unfortunately, I mainly give away most of my projects as gifts, and I lost my photos (digital) that I had stored on a CD ... somewhere :(. I am working on a pair of panel lamps at the moment for our bedroom - I might post photos when they are done. then we have some sidelights for our entry way to complete. I actualy got my wife interested in this, and she enjoys is as well. I am trying to get the time to work on a version of this (Van Gogh - Lilies) (http://www.paletaworld.org/dbimages/3548_1.jpg). I have the panel designed, just need time to buy glass, and build the damn thing.

BUT, back to you ... the Ren Faire dress is amazing. With your red hair against the black velvet, I am betting you got a lot of comments :D

The problem is that people are in the Wal-Mart mentality. Always looking for the lowest cost without taking into consideration the real cost. Something's not a bargain if it is made from cheap materials and falls apart quickly. Non-sweat-shop-labor does cost more as well, and for something custom made, add in the time for a custom pattern, be it a gown or a piece of glass. Cutting out a star in cookie dough using a knife to get that custom design takes more time than using a cookie cutter to get something like all the rest.

Last month a lady offered me $75 to make a dress for her daughter. The materials needed would have been about $85, and it would have taken about eight hours, but I went low in pricing and countered with $150 total (sewing is relaxing, and I needed to relax), but that was too high for her, even after I told her the cost of fabrics.

Labor and skill and the time to obtain those skills are extremely undervalued. It seems that people would rather pay less and have the sweat and tears of abused sweat-shop laborers subsidize cheapness.


Back to the dress. I was asked to join the ren court for next year based on it. :) I don't have my head piece on in thar pick either, but it's amazing how little space it takes to use 1,000 beads. With rare exception of using cotton, I only use silk. Nothing completely synthetic. Not no way, not no how. Since I get silks at a wholesale cost that is actually LESS than synthetics, there's no reason to use rayon or polyester or nylon. The most irritating thing to me is that velvet is never made from 100% silk. Anywhere. It's always got at least some rayon. The velvet I use has the highest silk percentage that can be found, and is shipped directly to me from and overseas mill. Yes, I go as far as to direct import fabrics if need be to obtain the hightest quality.

What would-be clients value this at? And when labor is added in? Less than the wholesale cost.

You know, last Halloween (2005) a woman in southern California ordered this dress (http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/VictoriaRoseDesigns/Titanic%20Jump%20Dress/Lewie%20Bella/) for her granddaugher (the girl in the photos), and paid $500 for it. People pay for for children's dresses (usually) than for adult things.

[masherscf]

BUT, back to you ... the Ren Faire dress is amazing. With your red hair against the black velvet, I am betting you got a lot of comments :D

Goddamn, she does look spectacular in that dress.

I do like dress-up. You should see me in my academic regalia. Unfortunately, I have to rent it every year. I'd pay some real coin to get a personal set made for me.

[masherscf]

People pay for for children's dresses (usually) than for adult things.

Not me man. I hate paying more than $30 for a dress that my daughter doesn't wear more than twice. My wife's mother made her christening gown and the material and pattern cost some absurd amount. Of course, it can be passed around. My wife's mother also hand-wove a Nantucket basket cradle for her as well. She's very crafty.

[tokenuser]

I do like dress-up. You should see me in my academic regalia. Unfortunately, I have to rent it every year. I'd pay some real coin to get a personal set made for me.My wife got the cheapest academic robes she could get away with - she figures if one of the leading professors in her field can get away with it, so can she.

Of course, she prays it doesn't rain each year at graduation :) ... cos she knows that stuff is going to run.

The irony is she hates graduation ceremonies. She walked to get her BCompSc (novelty factor), but didn't do the formal thing for either of her Masters, or her PhD ... and now she has to go to 2 graduations each year. Makes her want to cry.

[masherscf]

My wife got the cheapest academic robes she could get away with - she figures if one of the leading professors in her field can get away with it, so can she.

Of course, she prays it doesn't rain each year at graduation :) ... cos she knows that stuff is going to run.

... and now she has to go to 2 graduations each year. Makes her want to cry.

My Dad got rained on the first year after be bought his. The doctors tam shrank 2 sizes.

Tell your wife I sympathize. My own commencements were boring enough...

[ariastar]

Goddamn, she does look spectacular in that dress.

I do like dress-up. You should see me in my academic regalia. Unfortunately, I have to rent it every year. I'd pay some real coin to get a personal set made for me.

Thank you!

and


Well, if you want a set....

Most garments are made with fabric that is not pre-shrunk because you get more out of unshrunk fabric than pre-shrunk. I pre-shrink everything possible, even if it's meant to be dry-cleaned.

[masherscf]

Thank you!


T/U and I can say nice stuff like that because we're married (not to each other) and mostly harmless.

[ariastar]

T/U and I can say nice stuff like that because we're married (not to each other) and mostly harmless.

I'm not marries, Engaged twice, never married. :)

And mostly harmless? Where's the fun in that? :p

[masherscf]

I'm not marries, Engaged twice, never married. :)

And mostly harmless? Where's the fun in that? :p

The fun is not getting Bobbitted (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorena_Bobbitt) while I sleep. But, I see your point.

[tokenuser]

I'm not marries, Engaged twice, never married. :)

And mostly harmless? Where's the fun in that? :p<sigh>

Nothing wrong with being married. I recommend it to anyone at some point int heir lives. I was 32 when I got married, my wife was 30 ... and we had lived together for 5 years before that. We tell people we got engaged and were married two weeks later ... makes the story sound better than lived together for 5 years, proposed in Florence, married in Rome ... actually that doesn't sound too bad either, just not as spontaneous :)

My wife doesn't mind me looking over the menu, so long as I only eat at home.

Being semi domesticated has its advantages as well - were else can you find a plumber, electrician, and pest exterminator at 3 in the morning? Automatic coofee maker - it gets made while she is showering. Chauffeur - drives her to school each day - cos parking on campus is a ***** and we only have one car.
Cook - yeah, I cook (and enjoy it).

Hmm - so far those are advantages for HER.

Masher ... whats in it for us again??

[masherscf]

<sigh>
Masher ... whats in it for us again??

The Shocking and Unbelievable Truth of the matter! (http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3846156a4560,00.html)

[tokenuser]

I was expecting baby photos :)

[masherscf]

I was expecting baby photos :)

I won't disappoint you!

http://static.flickr.com/107/285001443_2b7931b3eb.jpg