Welcome to the gallery of my past works! This section displays some of the pieces I have made in the past, with a small description for each one. I will continually update this section as I create new and interesting pieces. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about anything displayed in this gallery. I’d love to hear from you!

 
     
   
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Summer Tree Bag

I toyed with the idea of this bag in my mind for several months before creating it. I thought it would be interesting to separate the leaves of the tree from the branches by placing them on two separate layers. This approach gives the finished pouch a great deal of dimension. The leaves of the tree are attached to the closing flap of this pouch, so the entire piece creates a complete composition. The bag is made of uncut cotton corduroy, with a wool tree appliqué. The leaves of the tree are made of the same corduroy, but they are cut across the grain of the fabric for a difference in texture. I appliquéd the leaves to a burgundy wool before applying them for an extra splash of color, and to prevent them from fraying. The sides of the bag are made of the same brown wool as the tree trunk, and trimmed with burgundy wool to match the outer edges of the leaves. The lining is made of cotton twill for stability and durability. A button hidden under the tree leaves securely fastens it closed. I chose the colors for this bag to represent the richness of summer.

 
             
   
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Fairy Tree Bag

This bag is one of four, which I made to display in the art show at Lunacon 2009. I wanted my bags to be functional, yet still individual pieces of art. In other words, I wanted people to notice the picture first, and the bag second. This bag is another take on the “Summer Tree Bag”, but sewn with non-traditional colors to give it an ethereal feel. The dupioni silk background represents a rain shower, with which the light gray wool used for the tree trunk contrasts nicely. I stitched the wood grain of the trunk with blue thread to tie the color scheme together. The leaves of the tree are made of iridescent silk, which was appliquéd onto a deep aqua blue wool background. Each leaf is accented with a Swarovski crystal rhinestone. The side gusset is made of the same wool as the leaves, and finished with a scrolling wave design for visual interest. All of the bias tape was made by hand, and the bag fastens with a hidden rhinestone button located under the leaves. The bag is finished with a cotton lining, which matches the aqua wool nicely.

 
             
   
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Howling Wolf Bag

This bag is one of four, which I made to display in the art show at Lunacon 2009. I wanted my bags to be functional, yet still individual pieces of art. In other words, I wanted people to notice the picture first, and the bag second. This bag shows a lone wolf howling at the moon. It is made of linen and foiled linen, with a decorative quilter’s lame cotton for the side gusset. The stars in the night sky were created with Swarovski Rhinestones in crystal, auroras borealis, and black. The moon is an extension of the flap, and when the bag is opened, the entire night sky is displayed. The wolf appliqué is made of a cashmere blend wool, which gives it a furry texture that resembles the wolf’s coat.

 
             
   
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Dragon Hide Bag

This bag is one of four, which I made to display in the art show at Lunacon 2009. I wanted my bags to be functional, yet still individual pieces of art. In other words, I wanted people to notice the picture first, and the bag second. This bag represents a dragon’s hide. I individually created the scales by appliquéing iridescent silk onto green wool. There are almost 40 scales on this bag, so the process was quite laborious! The scales were then satin stitched onto a dark purple linen background. The side gusset is finished with a diamond design for added interest. All of the metallic green and gold bias tape was made by hand, and nicely coordinates with the overall color scheme. The flap is made of silk noil and dupioni silk, and represents the fiery breath of a dragon. The bag closes by means of an elastic loop under the flap, and a gemstone button that nicely matches the colors in the rest of the bag. The lining is deep red cotton, and printed with a scale design to continue the theme.

 
             
   
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Lake Town Bag

This bag is one of four, which I made to display in the art show at Lunacon 2009. I wanted my bags to be functional, yet still individual pieces of art. In other words, I wanted people to notice the picture first, and the bag second. This bag was inspired by my love of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”. In the background, dupioni silk creates the illusion of sky and water. A large mountain looms over the water, and a town sits in the foreground. The flap of the bag is shaped like puffy clouds, and a hand-painted button shows a red dragon aloft in the sky. The mountains are made of suede cloth and wool. The town is made of wool, with a linen dock jutting into the water. The under-lapping window appliqués in the buildings are made of a shiny yellow satin, and create a sense of depth with their bright color and shiny texture. The bag is lined with a mustard-colored cotton to contrast the overall blue color scheme on the exterior. The side gusset is made of the same mustard cotton, and finished with three rows of decorative stitching.

 
             
   
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Renaissance Rose Girl

This costume was created for a lady who sold roses at my local Renaissance faire. She requested the color scheme, and asked that I create an outfit within the acceptable rules for Faire working attire. The shirt is made of textured cotton, and has an elastic neckline so it can be worn at different levels of modesty. The underskirt is a cotton blend herringbone weave, and the overskirt is a textured cotton blend. I created the different tiers of the overskirt to represent the leaves on a rose. The bodice is made of a textured green denim, and finished with cotton bias tape. The tabs on the bodice serve two purposes- they help cover the gap between the skirt and the shirt that often occurs with period clothing, and they make the bodice more comfortable by preventing it from digging into the waist. The hat is made from the same herringbone fabric as the underskirt, and lined with satin.

 
             
   
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Fantasy Pageboy

This costume was quite a challenge in design for me, since it was for a faerie-themed fantasy costume party, but the wearer didn’t want to dress as a faerie. We finally decided he should dress as a sort of upper-class servant character. The coat is made of dark blue upholstery fabric, with cuffs and appliqué work of a decorative tapestry fabric. The puffy shoulders have an inset panel of the tapestry fabric. It is lined with mustard yellow cotton. I couldn’t find frog clasps that I thought were appropriate for this costume, so I made the ones on the front of the coat from gold cording. The shirt is made from cotton broadcloth, and has a jabot, which buttons behind the neck. The breeches are made from a woven chenille upholstery fabric, and fasten in front with a square flap closure.
 
             
   
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Knight of Malta

This client sent me reference pictures of a statue that he liked, and asked me to recreate the statue’s costume for him with a few changes. The surcoat has ¾ length sleeves, side slits, and a detachable cloak. It is made of eggshell colored linen and lined with heavy weight crinkle cotton. It is trimmed in red cotton bias tape to match the Maltese cross appliqués on the front and back. The cloak is made of crinkle cotton and lined with cotton broadcloth. It has a white Maltese cross appliqué made of linen. The cloak buttons onto the surcoat at the shoulders. The pants are made of linen, and lace at the calves. I also made leather bracers to match this costume, which are also in this gallery.
 
             
   
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Maltese Cross Bracers

These bracers were created to match the Knight of Malta costume in this gallery. They are made from leather, and hand-tooled and dyed. I applied an antiquing stain to the leather after dying them to darken the recessed areas, and then finished them with a glossy leather sealer.
 
             
   
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Sweet Amaryllis I

This costume is one of three that I made for the renaissance faire band Sweet Amaryllis. The ladies in the band wanted coordinating costumes that reflected their own personal style. They chose the color scheme, and gave me an idea of the types of elements that they liked. This costume features a flowing striped jacquard underskirt with a scalloped linen overskirt. The bodice laces on the side front seams, and is made from the same striped jacquard as the underskirt. I cut the front and back sections of the bodice at an angle for visual interest. The body of the shirt is cotton broadcloth, and the sleeves are embroidered organza. The sleeves split up to the elbow for ease of movement. A glass pearl adorns the ends of the sleeves, and the bottom of each scallop on the overskirt.

 
             
   
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Sweet Amaryllis II

This costume is one of three that I made for the renaissance faire band Sweet Amaryllis. The ladies in the band wanted coordinating costumes that reflected their own personal style. They chose the color scheme, and gave me an idea of the types of elements that they liked. This costume has a front-lacing bodice with a large peplum. I cut the front and back panels of the bodice at an angle for visual interest. The linen skirt has a wide decorative stripe across the bottom to tie it into the color of the bodice. The embroidered organza sleeves of the shirt have a small ruffle at the wrists.
 
             
   
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Sweet Amaryllis III

This costume is one of three that I made for the renaissance faire band Sweet Amaryllis. The ladies in the band wanted coordinating costumes that reflected their own personal style. They chose the color scheme, and gave me an idea of the types of elements that they liked. This client didn’t want a bodice or corset, because she felt that constrictive clothing would inhibit her playing. Therefore, I made her a feminine tabard over a linen underskirt. The tabard has decorative appliqués on the front and back made of the same embroidered organza as the short puffy sleeves. It laces up the sides. The shoulders and the bottom of the tabard are finished with glass pearls.
 
         

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