a quick colour filled post

I had a very red week, resulting in the Rosalyn dress..
which is now available in the shop for adoption

the forest is starting to come alive again,
but it’s still very dark and sombre for the most part.
I’ve been surrounding myself with rich colours in the studio,
preparing for the flowers.

had a very enriching dyeing day

I’ve been splitting my time in many directions..
working on music alot and I hosted an epic
ALVA spring Equinox party. then I got sick!
trying to find the balance, as always.

Rosalyn!

xo S

the air is slowly starting to feel like Spring here,
but the forest is still muted and recovering from
all the snow. I’ve been making more portrait
missions the last couple weeks & now present you
with this beautiful capture of my dear sestra, Hali.

it has been great fun plotting and taking these portraits,
collaborating with kindreds & the forest.
I’m really looking forward to their evolution
through the seasons this year.

xo S

I just finished this dress makeover for the lovely Phine in Germany.
I think this is one of my favourite makeovers to date!

it was a great excuse to dive into my t-shirt trunks & rediscover
all the bounty there.. I love how using these faded vintage
shirts brought an air of history and weight to the dress.
you can just make out some of the words on the torso.
it reminds me of old buildings with the vintage painted
ads fading off into oblivion.

I cut the bottom of the original dress and
reincorporated it into the hem area, which created
a nice sense of colour balance with the top.

a lot of these pieces have been dyed, but some have just faded
and aged into perfect old farmhouse tones.

aand.. I remembered to take a before picture for once! take a look~

I do feel pretty proud of this one, mostly because I realllly want
to keep it, haha. which I think is a high mark of success :)

xo S

Greetings, from a quietly thawing forest..
this winter has been quite long and provoking.
it feels like so much has been
germinating in the dark~ inside & outside..
now we prepare for the resurgence of Spring.
I’m finally getting back to taking photos, of other
people, in my clothes and visions.

happy to share my first portrait in many years~
this is my longtime friend & muse Matthew
(aka Chains) resting between shadow and light,
in the forest where I live.

this marks the beginning of something I’ve long envisioned,
and a waking up/ Regeneration of sorts. I’m looking
forward to weaving together the many mediums
that beckon; in a more symbiotic way this year..
& it will also be lovely to collaborate regularly
with other magical earthlings again

xo S

just finished this epic leaf dress…
& it feels like a lil piece of my soul is mended :)
this piece was started about 9 years?! ago

it went through many dyebaths.. got started & stopped
& stitched & forgotten over and over again..
many times I just didn’t know where to go with it
and didn’t want to mess it up.

 there are quite a few pieces like this in my studio,
but this one became weirdly symbolic.. & mad!
it would glare at me every time it surfaced,
berating me silently for letting it sit in stasis
when it obviously was such an incredible gem.

 the last time I picked it up was about 6 months ago,
and I worked almost to completion, then cast it aside again!
this last week I felt so determined to finish it,
spent many hours stitching and having staring contests..
and am grateful to announce that it is
now complete and available for adoption!

this is a bit of a bridge for me.. I have felt conflicted lately,
as I’m ready to move forward in some ways and make
different things, less complicated things. yet there are so
many pieces from the past hanging out and haunting me
to be finished. this dress being finished feels like a milestone
which gives me permission to move forward, for some reason.

working on things from the past is so intense!
I have definitely never been doing this in some clever,
time considerate way.. when I look back at these pieces
with a clearer mind, they actually seem like giant puzzles
in which I’ve been working out my problems, frustrations, blocks.
I’ve been processing & working on my mental health through
art as long as I can remember.. even though I usually
don’t realize it at the time.

this dress is everything.. cotton, velvet, silk, lace,
coat lining, apples, leaves, green shoots..
dark soil, the smell of moss & ferns.
the meadows when the rain came back.
the pond with it’s mysterious shadows.
young plants, old plants, dying plants & unborn plants.

I hope for it to live with someone as a dear friend,
to run outside on summer nights, to pick vegetables,
to dance in leaf piles, to mesmerize children
& to charm the faeries.

xo
S

I just finished this special coat makeover..
it was a custom project for Copernicus,
the elven groom of the beautiful mermaiden Yuri.
She is the bride that my last wedding dress was made for.

their wedding is going to be held outside and the colours
are green, purple & gold. I’m so excited to see photos.
they are such a sweet and lovely couple!

this was really fun to work on~
I think green is one of the most invigorating colours
to work with, I feel more alive when surrounded
by these growing tones. my table was covered
with leaves for a day to pick out the perfect ones
for some elven epaulette action

this reminded me how much I miss making dapper elven clothes,
I’m excited to delve back into them this winter.

really happy with how it turned out.. I think it’s getting
a bit easier for me to not go overboard :)

onto the next! the shop is slim right now, and it’s
because I’m focusing on clearing out my studio home before
winter arrives! I’ll be spending so much time indoors
that it’s become a priority to make space in here.

I’m selling lots of relics, vintage, fabric & old projects
over in my ( garage sale ) on etsy. take a peek
periodically if you like my world/work and great deals!
you never know what will end up over there :)
I surprise myself sometimes and
I’m the one who collected all this stuff, haha~

xo
S

happy to introduce you to the latest wedding dress~
this was custom made for Yuri, a magical fae mermaiden in California.
she & her groom visited me in the forest for a fitting and
they are both such beautiful, bright faery creatures. they brought me
some lovely orange flowers. it was a really fun afternoon

my dressform and I got in a fight the morning of these photos, haha..
& the dress is pinned to fit it, so that’s why it looks a lil asymmetrical.

this piece took me about a month and a half (amongst other projects) which is probably the fastest dress of this caliber I’ve ever made.

honestly, this kind of sewing can be maddening! working with old fabrics, around stains, wear, with limited size remnants that are oft one of a kind is like putting a surreal patchwork together. half the time I feel like the Universe is communicating with me and the other half I feel like I’m utterly mad, playing divination with scraps.. desperately searching for ‘the one’ piece of lace to complete the puzzle.

this dress was different..
once I laid the map out of the shape and plan, it just
led me through and I didn’t have much stress or worry
about it being right. the perfect piece of fabric would
just show up at each stage, without a wild hunt.

perhaps the magic started with the underlayer.
the dress is built on a 30’s liquid satin gown turned inside out.
this is the best-feeling fabric I’ve ever encountered, like velvet
water on the skin. I was conflicted about using it, but the gown
had flaws and it seemed ready for reincarnation.
I think it’s also really incredible sometimes to turn the
lush side of fabric inward, so you feel it & really experience it,
vs. it being on the outside for everyone else to see.
this is definitely going to feel amazing to wear.

I was excited when Yuri asked for some purple thrown in, and flowers..
and for it to be a bit ‘extra’.. I love doing these flower explosions
and it was a great prompt. Often finding myself trying to rein in
the weirdness or whimsy so that my creations can find a home
in the modern world, but think I’m going to stop that soon!
it’s just not as fun

the back was so fun to plot.
I actually made this dress backwards, which is a first.
like, I finished the back first and then planned & stitched the front.
it’s prolly cause of the flowers..
I love when my sewing table is covered with foliage~

the bodice is an assortment of patchwork lace remnants
from damaged edwardian petticoats.. Yuri wanted a
trumpet silhouette, and the effect of it with the lace & the
lavender & low front ruffles gives me such a thrill,
it feels like many different eras at once, yet also new as well.
I think that’s one of the big goals of my sewing, and when
it hits that mark, I feel such a sense of completion.

the silhouette was a challenge for me, I haven’t done this shape much.
but I absolutely fell in love with it. elegant and sexy and teatime.
you will prolly see this shape showing up in my future dresses

the waist has lavender ties for adjustability.
I can’t wait to see this on her..
it was an interesting challenge to create such a form fitting dress
without stretch, that still flows right and is comfortable.
crossing my fingers I got it right!

my studio feels so still now that the dress is gone!
but it’s great.. I’ve already lined up all the next projects,
now playing catch-up and cleaning. there’s so much beauty in here,
I can’t wait to unleash it on yall :)

<3
S