further along

Well, things have been a little different around the emporium for the last few months. Our proprietor volunteered with a local theater production company as their box officer during the month of June. She’s also been sorting through the stash of fabric and notions in addition to working at a Full-Time Day Job for a great company that let her take two entire weeks off to go back to the East Coast for a birthday gathering for her mother. All of her older sisters were there for an historic group visit and lobster-and-clam-bake.

While she was there, she worked on her sister’s organic farm and attended an all-school reunion for her junior high school, the same school that her grandmother attended, in the town where her mother grew up. She also got to sing in an impromptu rock band who called themselves the Ad Hocs– at the reunion dinner for this organization. The school gathering was attended by more than 150 former students and instructors. The building is now owned by another school but this is the place.

In the meantime, things have changed a little with regard to product sales via the online web site. We’re taking orders but are mostly doing in-person sales and repair jobs; doing our best to complete projects that need completing. Please stay tuned for availability of products. And feel free to drop a note anytime.

 

Happy Mother’s Day and Costume Convention mini-report

We are pleased to share with you a Mother’s Day holiday feature post on one of our sister-sites, Overdressed For Life, by Moya Stone.

The Emporium proprietor was at Costume Convention 30 during Mother’s Day weekend in Tempe, Arizona, with the members of the Wench Posse from North Carolina, Washington state, the District of Columbia and Minnesota. It was fabulous to meet everyone in person and be able to share the fun, live, not just in photos e-mailed and posted on the internet.

We celebrated winning awards in the Masquerade by going to a local pub, hearing live music, dancing and enjoying the nightlife in the college town of Tempe.  Our group presentation won a blue ribbon for Judge’s Choice and four of our members won individual ribbons for tailoring. We also met several incredible costumers from Idaho, San Diego and Vancouver, Canada! They received the “Spammy Award” – entitled Go Big Or Go Home — from the MNSOC (Minnesota Society of Costumers.)

Our ringleader, Laura Ulak, has written at length about our shenanigans that weekend over on her blog, called the Eleonora Project.

In the works are plans to attend both Gallifrey (the Doctor Who convention in Los Angeles) and Costume Con 31, next year in Denver, CO. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Maker Faire!

cupcakes at Maker Faire
cupcakes at Maker Faire

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costume collaboration & materials exchange

Here’s some of the friendly costuming pals who joined us at A’s place for a day of sharing fabric,  patterns & books; doing some bodice fitting & alterations; and general mahem. This was the highlight of my week. Oh, and Mia and I brought cookies, fruit and sandwich fixings and Helena brought homemade banana bread. E. brought delicious appetizers. A good time was definitely had by all:

Deborah, Sahrye & Mia
Deborah, Sahrye & Mia
Our hostess (A), E. and Pig's roommate, Heather
Our hostess (A), E. and Pig's roommate, Heather

I did not get any photos of Claudine or Helena. And thanks to A’s family, we were able to descend upon her house and take over every available work surface, even the floor, with a lot of laughter.  We plan to get together again in the next month for another day of resource sharing, collaboration, enthusiasm and humor.