My fabrics were always my own hand dyes – I mean if you’re going to do it, I figured I’d do it all. Besides with the fur-kids help, I’d usually end up with some rather unique patterns on the fabrics; a cross between furry tails and my planned (yeah right, planned) effects.

I’d use linens, cottons, and poly blends; several kinds of salts, wintergreen rubbing alcohol, and hand-applied dyes. I’ve never gotten into vat style dyeing, I apply my dyes to the fabric one at a time with a brush or some other hand technique.

Then we get to the beads or fancy threads – sometime both. Hand sewn beading effects: seed and bugle bead patterns, bead fringes and rayon cording. Decorative threads: candlelight, heavy metallics, sliver, and yarns couched in seams and over specific sections.

I played. A lot.

Mostly I created two-piece garments, a jacket and skirt with a plain blouse as to not detract from the outer garments. The one rule I adhered to, mind you this was my rule – not any of the competitions, was that the garment had to be wearable, not what I considered a costume.

I needed to be able to wear it out in public and feel comfortable. It might be only for a really nice evening out, but it was still completely wearable. I quite simply did not want to put forth all that effort, all that time, to not be able to wear it in a real world situation. I need to enjoy my creations, not hang them in a garment bag forgotten.

Well after about four years of competing and not winning, I asked one of the judges why. If there was a techique I was messing up, I wanted to know!

Nope. The response was my pieces were technically wonderful, but not ‘flashy’ enough. My one hard-fast rule, doomed me to a non-winning status.

So what did I do? I decided to stop competing and sew for my own enjoyment instead. And you know what? I haven’t regretted that decision once.

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