Sew Curvy Competition

Oh no!  It seems that I am unable to purchase my signature black boxes which I pack my corset kits in.  Apparently it has become impossible for manufacturers to purchase black board economically, and as my boxes are thoroughly eco friendly (no plastic coating or other un-biodegradable nasties) I am unwilling to source a more 'shiny' alternative.  I can get the same box in brown or white, but they seem a bit boring to me, and they don't go with pink ribbons so well!

SO, we're having a little competition, and here is the prize:

It is the new (ish) book by Velda Lauder, Corsets:  A Modern Girls Guide.. It's a lovely little handbag sized book all about corsets, but most specifically, those delicious creations by one of the UK's leading corsetiers Velda Lauder.  It was her corsets which inspired me to start making them for myself, and now for other people.

Inside, there are sumptuous pictures and the information  starts in the historical beginnings of corsetry right up to 'modern' corsetry against backdrops of high fashion, couture, burlesque, and fetish.  Is right up to the minute - including details from London Fashion Week 2010.  

There are pictures and words about other famous designers, their corsets, and their clients - here's one of Kylie Minogue in a space age style silver corset by Jean Paul Gaultier.

So!  Get your thinking caps on people.  This book will be sent to the person who can think of the best alternative idea on how to package my very popular corset kits.  Here are the rules:

• I need to be able to package my corset kits in a way that makes people feel 'special' when they receive it. A gift for themselves or a gift for someone else.  My current package includes the black box, pink ribbons and pink tissue.  In other words,  if you were to buy a corset kit containing all parts required to make a corset, how would you like it to be presented?

• The packaging needs to be pretty, light weight, inexpensive and eco-friendly - all parts need to be either biodegradable, recyclable, or re-usable.  It need not be a box, but I do not want to use plastic and I need to be able to use my labels so that people know what they're getting.

Competition is open to anyone where ever you are!  The best / most original idea will win.

Closing date is Friday 22 July.  Enter as many times as you like, using the competition form on my website here:  Sew Curvy Corsetry: Competition

Please spread the word! The more entries the better.

A historical moment

I have resigned from the day job .. HURRAH!!!!

I have decided to focus 100% on Sew Curvy

I have new supplies for the shop and big expansion plans!

and ...

I am going to start making corsets for a living.

I am going to become a full time corsetiere!

Isn't it exciting?!

I have spent years consternating over suitable names for such a business, and suddenly, the other day I settled on one I'd never thought of before and quickly bought up the  domains.

I have so many ideas my head is BURSTING!

I am learning Dreamweaver in the final weeks of the day job and so should be able to build and manage my own websites which in itself is an exciting design project.

seeds have been planted

On the home front, the greenhouse and all the pots have been cleaned and de-cobwebbed, the compost is ready, the seeds have been bought (from The Real Seed Catalogue), the windowsills are laden with pots, and my chickens are laying again!

Everything is so exciting!!

Books and Studios

Well there are a few pieces of news to tell and i'm going to give it all to you in one hit .. Are you sitting Comfortably?

First of all and most excitingly ... I have a BOOK CONTRACT!!  Yes!  I have been asked to write a book!  It will be an e-book, it will be about 'how to make a corset' and it will be published this time next year.  I am ridiculously excited.  It's going to be like one of those books in Harry Potter - it's going to have videos in it!!

Second bit of news ...  Mr M has finally had enough, and suggested that I move out  ...  At the same time as he was deciding this, I was thinking about focussing on only a couple of things, namely how to make corsets (see above) and making corsets ...   Don't be alarmed, we're not talking divorce!

I'm getting a STUDIO!  The best part of this is that I had thought about it but not dared bring it up, and then Mr M suggested it on account of my 'stuff' taking over the house .. so ...  He thinks it's his idea!

There's a studio complex near here, and I'm on the waiting list.  I don't mind waiting until spring because the contract costs a fortune so I'm saving up, but after that, the rent is reasonable and should be quite manageable for my little business.  Keep your fingers crossed for me won't you?

Did I mention that I am ridiculously excited??!

The other bits ... I've been interviewed.. i've done a few, two for Sew Magazine, and one for Craft Business magazine .. You can read the full transcripts here on my website.   I think the "My Sewing Room" feature in Sew looks particularly cool!

The other feature is a bit ironic... You see, i've appeared in lots of magazines in my time, for one reason or another ... the last one was Marquis magazine and on the same page as Dita von Teese .. I know!  I was photographed at a club, and she was photographed elsewhere, but there we were, on the same page ...  Now, I'm on the same page as Lady Gaga in Sew Magazine - who'd have thought!! 

The funny thing is, that I was wearing Latex a long time before anything Gaga! (No I don't have a meaty dress.)

And the most exciting piece of news for you dear readers, is a giveaway!  

I am giving away a £40.00 voucher for Sew Curvy to celebrate a year in business.  It's a bit late (long story), but there we have it ... It's on Facebook too, but I have been inundated there by "professional compers" (see here for details) ...  I'd rather keep it between us if you don't mind, so if you fancy a voucher, just leave a comment here, and I'll do a draw with you, and the genuine sewists from my facebook page, on Saturday morning 2 October.

Milestones

Today is a pretty momentous day in The House of Marmalade for a couple of reasons.  Both quite astounding really...

Firstly, it is my birthday!  I have been in business for a whole year today!  

 Sew Curvy Corsetry is One today!!

And what a year it's been!  I'm not rivalling Richard Branson's salary or lifestyle, infact, I haven't made any money at all because every single penny has been ploughed back into the business.  However, I have made lots of new friends, contacts, and business colleagues through the year. 

I have over 500 lovely Facebook fans (with some of the coolest names ever it has to be said!), 732 Twitter followers, and quite a few lovely lovely customers who I have been delighted to correspond with, and package up beautiful things for.

I have pushed my personal creative boundaries way beyond anything I would have thought possible,

... and in more ways than I could have thought possible! 

I have also, through all of the above, had so much inspiration coming from so many directions,  that it feels as if my head is permanently bursting with good ideas, and I hope to realise some of these over the coming year.  First up, I need to move out - but more on that in my next post.  

The other astounding thing that has happened this very day, is that this blog, The House of Marmalade, has been placed in a list compiled by an organisation called Cision, who work for media professionals (PR/Marketing/Journalists) to compile special lists for reference in specific topics.  And so today, in the 'Fashion' section, The House of Marmalade is listed at number 5 in the Top 10 UK Vintage Clothing Blogs category.  I know!  The Top FIVE!! I am just completely flabbergasted (there's been alot of that going on lately around here!)  Click HERE to check out the other lovely vintage blogs!

So.  Tonight, Mr Marmalade and I will be celebrating with some of this I think!  And here's to the year ahead, I have so many many plans!

Corset kits

I have been very busy with my Corsetry Kits and supplies, which are flying out of the door, I guess intime for the wedding season.  I have been buying stock, adding things like trims to the shop and finding lovely new wholesalers who are supplying me with  new fabrics and patterns a'plenty!  

Latest acquisition on this front is some unbelievably good value cotton Coutil fabric - this is a traditional corsetry fabric - in white.  It's 100% cotton, herringbone weave, and a whopping 160cm wide which, at £7.99/metre means that this coutil is the best value I can find anywhere on the internet - and it's in my shop!  If there are any wedding dress makers out there, this is the stuff you need for making your inner corsolettes!

I have also been designing a logo for my business.  I can't afford to pay a proper designer, so i've been learning Adobe Illustrator with the help of this book, which has been fantastic!  

I wanted my design to look a bit like a tattoo to give it a modern edge, using the colours of my website, and the colours inspired by this mood board ..

Simplicity corset with gores and gussets

I have finished another corset! This is really only a 'pretend' corset - a test piece made from 'scrap' fabric which I used to test a new pattern and for photographing different parts of the corset making process in order to make tutorials for the website.

However, despite the fact that it's not a proper corset in terms of the fabric used, I'm really pleased with it. It's made up from a new Simplicity pattern which I was a bit dubious about as the picture on the front of the pattern envelope isn't half as nice as the finished product in real life. There are some lovely lovely lines on it and it is a very simple corset to make up once you've got the hang of the gussets. (I'm writing some additional pattern instructions to go with my kit).

The reason this corset is easy is because there are only 4 main pieces - 2 each side - when you consider that some have as many as 20 pieces you see why it's 'easy'! The simplicity of the design means that this corset could easily be made up in a lovley patterned fabric because the minimal number of seams would not detract or distort the fabric design as much as one which has 20 or so seams. It also means that the corset is not as 'restrictive' as other corsets as there are not so many bones in it.

I now have 5 tutorials on my website. Do pop over and have a look if you have time, and let me know if they look easy to follow and inspirational.

I have received a few positive responses to the seed swap post and will post further details tomorrow.

Brown Paper Packages

I've been taking delivery of things for my new online shop..

There has been much excitement and many things to unpack, organise and examine..

Boxes to be ticked, tutorials to be written, and webpages to be built...

And much much photoshopping ...

But I am nearly there - Hurrah!... And I shall reveal all very very soon...

How to bend your boning!

Anybody would think I hadn't been doing any sewing around here - but I have I promise! Nearly all my sewing time has been taken up with Miss L's Dress the last few throes of which have had me nearly weeping over my sewing machine. Note to self: NEVER sew with that kind of silk again. It's like sewing fresh bubblegum. Boo hoo. It's the hem that's had me in hysterics. I've conquered the outer, but now have to tackle the lining hem. I've been putting it off but I know I have to face up to it soon.

Another problem was the boning. It's one thing to shove flexible metal bones into a firm structured and strong garment like a corset which is built for boning, but quite another to sew round the curves of bubblegum. Suffice to say, that if only i'd know how to do this before today:


It's a peice of riglene boning, heated and shaped. I had no idea! I know you won't want to see it in situ, but this is a perfect replica of one of my own curves!! All you do is iron the boning (use paper on top to protect the iron) then quickly shape while it's warm. Keep doing this until you get the required shape. Brilliant!


The red sash which goes with the dress has had me develop a nasty case of obsessive compulsive disorder. I'm sure i've got the cleanest hands in the village, and I"m sure there are still dirty marks on it! However, the colour is such a perfect red and it's dupion silk, much easier to sew that bubblegum silk. I'm very pleased with how it's turned out - despite the dirty marks. (Only joking Miss L!!)...

Many things in The Marmalade House have been causing consternation this week.

Poor old Eggy and Peggy have a nasty case of Red Mite. I've renamed them Pick and Peck as that's all they seem to do at the moment. This weekend, it will be on with the protective chemical suits and in with the disenfectant. I've been spraying them liberally (as per the instructions) and they seem to have perked up a bit. If you've never heard of red mite, read Jane's
cautionary talehorror story here.

It seems that those red mites aren't the only bugs in my garden ... Look what i've discovered in the greenhouse!!


Apologies for the wobbly picture - there was a spider web in my hair! eeek! ... These are EGGS. Cabbage Whites have discovered my secret stash of sprouting brassicas. So after further examination I'm going to have to seek out and destroy all of them before they hatch. This happened to me unawares last year. One day I had cabbage seedlings, the next day I had cabbage seedling stalks.

Have you heard the wasps scratching your fence yet? Listen. They are building their nests. They have been scratch scratch scratching my shed. They eat wood you see. Then they regurgitate it, and make it into paper. Nobody has yet discovered how they do it. They have signalled to me that it's time to keep my sewing room doors firmly SHUT. Humph.

I have a new best friend who's been taking up the rest of my time.

What's fearsome and loathsome about Mr Site I hear you say? Nothing! Nothing at all. I've been having lots of fun with him and I'm VERY impressed with the package - if you buy it from Amazon there's £40 off the Pro version which has search engine optimising tools and a super fandabidozee shopping cart system. Really good value for money and i've heard that he's putting lots of smaller web builders right out of business because what Mr Site does for £99, they do for hundreds ... and hundreds. Trouble is, I now have a rather larger shopping list to contemplate. Mr Site told me so. Jimmy might never get to university at this rate, but on the other hand, the risk might pay off and we'll be able not only to send him to college, but to buy him a round-the-world ticket too. Fingers crossed eh?