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Saturday, February 24, 2007
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Things have really been moving and shaking here at Lovely Creature. Since visiting my family in the beginning of January, so much has happened - changing and shifting all over the place. The first big thing is that I no longer do bookkeeping - instead I am teaching sewing lessons pretty much full time at the Sewing Arts Center, where I have my corsetry studio. I do private, one-on-one lessons during the day and teach classes in the evening and I LOVE it!
Sewing Arts Center
3330 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
The privates are very interesting, because many clients have a project that they are working on and we figure out how to progress when they are stuck. Fantastic! I have had very few folks who are not terrific - mostly if you are paying for private lessons it's because you want to be there. The classes are mostly beginning sewing: first class, drawstring pants - second class, a-line skirt with zipper and darts - third class, a fitted bodice dress with an a-line or pleated skirt. Picture below!
Corsetry has taken a bit of a break while I settle into this new role. Now that it's all up and running on it's own, it's back to the corsets! Here is the latest one for the lovely and talented artist Suzanne Forbes:
I'll be making her an underbust as well - red brocade for the front & back panels and black satin coutil for the rest - so pretty! How lucky am I to be working with such awesome and nice people! I'll also be gearing up for another photo shoot, I hope to have some of the standard-sized overbusts done in time. One of the models is a bigger curvy lady so I'll get some pics of the new size 30 and up waist cincher too. Grade, draft and sew! Grade, draft and sew! Get moving! Here's one more:
It is so incredibly satisfying to be teaching as my 'day job'. It really just smacked me on the side of the head, after reading "The Success Priciples" by Jack Canfield over my break. Usually, I'm not too big on self-help books, but my doctor/yoga instructor Mela recommended this one to help me figure out all the business stuff cause I was REALLY stuck with my business plan. It was so obvious! I'm starting to branch out a bit and take clients from other areas as well. I met a wardrobe stylist who was hired for a magazine shoot in Costa Rica - the job required that she be able to alter the clothing by hand so I made her a little sewing kit & taught her how to do it. It works out for both of us because she can get better jobs now and write me off as a business expense. Then there is the fun of developing classes - the 1950's dress class is underway and going well. In this class, students learn a lot more about fitting than they do in the previous classes. We do some flat patternmaking changes, and we do some tissue-fitting. Fun!
I'm thinking already about next semester and some new ideas - a 'Skirtworks' class where we learn how to do different hems, add a lining, do some applique, that kind of thing. Sewing is the new knitting, apparently. And I get to TAKE classes too! Russell will be teaching an heirloom sewing class and I'll be taking one of Becky's quilting classes. The quilters just look at me and shake their heads - they know already that I'll become obsessed immediately. Like I need another obsession!
As always, feel free to contact me for fitting appointments or just to chat at 323-301-6645 or at shbat(at)lovelycreature.com (got to stop those spambots - of course change the (at) to the symbol @ before mailing me!)
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