Happy Halloween Part Three

The grand finale of the Halloween merriment at Baisebeige Studios is the Bag Lady Bus Tour. This is the second oldest AIDS fundraising charity in the United States and has raised more than $1 Million dollars. This was the 30th anniversary of the event. Click on the link below to see Coby Palmer, creator of the Indy Pride Bag Ladies, recollect about the event.

COBY PALMER ON THE INDY PRIDE BAG LADIES

Coby Palmer is my esteemed client Miss Blossom

who is known on the bus and throughout the entire city as Queen Mother Blossom. You know she had to wear her crown with this year's gown. In honor of the Bag Ladies on the Half Shell 30th anniversary, she chose to wear a blend of creamy whites and plenty of pearls.

This gown was made from upcycling two dresses with additional fabrics added. One dress was a dress so old that it would be considered vintage. The only salvageable part was the section of the skirt covered in fringe and beaded corded lace. The center section of the vintage lace was in good condition and could be removed from the old dress bodice intact. A new dress bodice was spliced onto the reused skirt with overskirt attached.

The overskirt is two layers of identical shape but different volumes of glitter dotted tulle and chiffon. The tulle is gathered into the seam and the chiffon is pleated and gathered into the seam. The skirts were attached to the bodice with the consideration of the overall visual effect dictated by the vertical placement of the original lace. Luckily the lace was almost exactly long enough to extend up to the new neckline. We had some pretty vintage bead fringe on a satin ribbon that perfectly covered the gap. Judging from the overall appearance of the garment, assorted sizes of vintage pearl beads were added by hand to the bodice.

There was a little trickiness to the splice because the skirt was about six sizes smaller than the new bodice. The size difference was corrected by pleats and gathers on the bodice and enlarging the skirt with a gusset at the center back. The zipper already attached to the bodice was reused and extended down into the skirt. The overskirt system has an opening concealed by pleating at the center back. I was able to avoid putting a seam down the center back of the train.

Little bits of elastic helped finagle the dress splendidly together.

The first stop of the Indy Pride Bag Lady Bus Tour is Monument Circle, the heart of Indianapolis, for a photo opportun

ity on the steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was exciting to see three large tour coaches driving onto the Circle. I can remember the very old days when there was one chartered city bus with the destination sign reading BAG LADIES!

Just like the old days, the interior lights are on so the big hair and sparkling jewels can be seen by on-lookers. These girls like to make a spectacle of themselves!

Here's what $1 MILLION dollars of FUN raising looks like and the party has just begun. Queen Mother Blossom looks just stunning in her gown front and center where she likes it best. That's fine with me because there's nothing I love better than a great idea that makes tons of money and is tons of fun to do. It's also very cool to see Blossom style inspiring the younger Bag Ladies. They have all come a very long way from their shopping bags stuffed with thrift shop dresses. We all dream of a day when AIDS is curable and the Bag Ladies will retire from service but we praise and bless them for being here now.

Here is another view of the dress. I am just al

ways so relieved when the ones that have to fit properly do fit properly. It was also good to see that the actual three dimensional placement of everything was as good as it was in theory. While I was taking these photographs, someone in the crowd was just gushing positive comments about the dress. I couldn't resist and had to say, "I MADE that dress." I got an unexpected hug from a stranger and a sense that one of the attractions of the event IS the wild costumes. This supports my theory that when you know the contents of your psyche and express that through behaviors including dress, you become a more radiant and powerful version of whom you are completely!

THIS STORY HAS A POST SCRIPT!

Queen Mother Blossom was recently spotted at a high society party in Indianapolis and she was wearing this lovely dress! This picture was in the Indianapolis Star Talk of Our Town society news column on (Queen) Mother's Day 5/8/2011! Her loyal dressmaker is thrilled!

Happy Halloween Part Two

Getting my Etsy shop open and getting a clue about marketing an online retail store were the first tasks of the season. I chose to start with my decorated masks because they are familiar and because they connect with the season. I tested my system of connecting the merchandise with a blog post with additional information about the merchandise, created an online source of materials in an Amazon.com store for the convenience of blog readers wanting to try making decorated masks and actually transacted an Etsy sale! I learned how to promote both my product and my content. I even had the unexpected opportunities of being included in treasuries happen.

I feel confident to put my shop on autopilot for awhile and shift my attention back to the sewing room for the annual ritual of costume making. In 1985, Coby Palmer, Indianapolis floral designer, asked me to make his Halloween costume and I do remember saying, "yes" but do not recall saying "until death do we part!" In 1980, Coby founded the second oldest HIV/AIDS fundraising charity in America, Indy Pride Bag Ladies, which was all of the assistance in our state at the time. In the late 1980's the Damien Center opened to provide programs and services designed to empower persons to overcome the challenges encountered when living with HIV/AIDS, so they can remain independent and productive. The two organizations partner to raise funds in October and a new event called, The Grand Masquerade was launched. This image is from, 1988, the first year of this event. This is where you meet my client, Miss Blossom!


Miss Blossom is a true product of Coby's psyche. My client is a flashy, red-haired sassy Southern belle of a babe with definite ideas about dress. First and foremost, she HAS to have the biggest dress at the party! It's a big plus for me that she knows her way around a fabric store. The truly fascinating aspect of her wardrobe is these clothes are upcycled from vintage clothing. This dress was built out from a shift which became the lining of this costume.

The party theme this year was The Sorcerer's Spell and she wanted to be a pink witch. We upcycled a long black dress and maroon cape for the occasion. It looks like she and her girlfriend are having a grand time! But, the party's not over! Next weekend, the Bag Ladies have a very unique fundraising event and you'll get the "low down on that big gown" after that party's over. She has to make an entrance with the element of surprise and, well, I have sewing to do!

Etsy Networking

[AUTHORS NOTE: Instructions on to make decorated masks and a link to supplies you may need are found in my earlier post Happy Halloween Part I below!]

I made my first Etsy sale yesterday and I can officially say that my dream of having an Internet retail business has become quite real. I committed to this many months ago when I registered myself as an Etsy seller and bought the proper licenses to do business. I am, however, not a naive person who believes that you just put stuff for sale somewhere on the Internet and magically wake up wealthy!

I spent a lot of time studying models of Internet businesses created by computer programs and made my own real business based on that. I have an Etsy shop and I am able to drive business into the shop by my social networks and blog. I also have monetized my blog and my Twitter account for secondary income. I also studied Etsy marketing in specific. Today, I tested this theory with very favorable results!

I relisted my Etsy merchandise which is a powerful marketing tactic. This keeps my merchandise nearer to the top of Etsy searches and therefore more likely to be viewed and purchased. The first things I put in my Etsy shop are masks and a collar which I categorized as fantasy merchandise. Because Halloween is rapidly approaching, there is an increased demand for these items.

Shortly after being listed, I received notification that the mask above had been included in an Etsy treasury called "Undiscovered Beauties!" What a lovely title! The treasury had been created by another new Etsy seller, laceratedpixie, to help other new Etsy sellers get a first sale. I couldn't let her down and this is great content! I posted it in all of my social networks and was in the process of making new posts after a few hours lapsed when I discovered the post in Twitter had been retweeted! I was in the process of writing a thank you tweet when another tweet proclaimed the piece had sold! Wow! This was exactly how I envisioned my marketing would work.

I am very grateful for laceratedpixie independently executing an idea to help other sellers. This is an ideal way to do business. I believe there is enough for all of us at Etsy and we will gain so much more by cooperating than by competing. Apparently many others share that vision and the Everything Etsy Blog has started a new social network called Etsypreneur. It is an experiment and already positive results are showing as we support each other. As each individual shop grows to be the best version of itself it can be, the whole organization will radiate an increasingly positive image. I am looking forward to a wonderful and long relationship with Etsy!

This story has a post script! The new owner of the mask sent me a lovely thank you message with a big surprise! She had posted the image on Indiana's biggest environmental website, A Greener Indiana!