Shae Dress and variations

I'll be making variations on the Shae dress and collect them here. To check current stock, go to the Etsy-shop. You can also pick your fabric on my Facebook page and follow instructions there.

Shea green striped cotton short

SOLD

Shea Gold tiedye crashed satin

For Sale on Etsy, Yealie and the webshop

 - - - - - 

Shea Pink tiedye crashed satin

SOLD

Dutch Comic Con - 2015

What: Dutch Comic Con
Where: Utrecht, Jaarbeurs
When: Saturday-Sunday, March 28-29, 2015
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For the first time ever there was going to be a Dutch Comic Con. We have our smaller cons with specific themes, but a full blown Comic Con never really happened. Most happen at our neighbour countries (Belgium, Germany). We had one go with EpiCon, which didn't turn out so good. With this news last year, people got very excited. This needed to happen and the support and need to go there grew like crazy.

Up until last week the growing pains started to show. There were some issues with guests not coming and the lack of communication. They had a very busy last week ahead to tie things together. I'm not going to point fingers on what could have been the cause (some things were just out of their control, like personal reasons, other offers and the power failure on Friday on the airport), but it was a first time for them to run an event on this scale. And with every event you make mistakes, you learn and fix that the next year.

Overall
Long lines and massive crowd when I walk in around noon. Strange way to handle a space like the Jaarbeurs. Some things were clogging up the crowd and then there were so many void spaces where nothing happened. Lots of murmur noise (can't be helped in those big halls). I went out around 14:00 and got back at 15:00 again. A lot of the crowd was gone and it was much better. I could finally find friends, stands, see the cars, buy a drink and that's when the fun really started. Good vibe, happy people and if something did go wrong somewhere, I never noticed.

Artist Alley
Actors had very nice booths for autograph line up, but they were a bit in the dark. There was a void space occupied by the lineup cords that could have been used better. Just a few tables with artists and no clear sign on who they were. It looked shabby and I found it an insult for the artists. They deserve a spot like the actors. From what goes around, the photo booth wasn't that spectacular. I was too broke for the photo booth, so I don't have a personal experience with that.

Stage
The hall in which they located the stage for Q&A, the COSplay competition and The Misfits was way too big. The stage was too low to actually see something. It would be nice to place some plateaus for people to stand on that don't need a front row view... but just a view. I couldn't see anything of the COSplay competition.

Commercial Stands
I don't like crowd hugging. The commercial stands were packed together and so was the crowd. If one person decided to halt in the flow, everybody had to halt. You just couldn't move towards the tables and check the merchandise. This got better after 15:00.

Highlights Stands
I picked 3 stands for a little spotlight.There was so much more, but I couldn't grab all the flyers and cards.

* * *

Found out they were there. This is where all my comics come from and they sometimes even know better what I do and don't have.
www.hetgeleteken.nl


* * *

Canvas Warriors have All Stars (I'm a big fan of Chucks) and make marvelous artwork on them (also on request). I fell in love. Asked them for Starscream and they want to do that. I just need to save up.
www.canvaswarriors.com




* * *


Grindhouse Horror tees from own design. Really loved the dark and gritty.
www.ultratrashstore.com









* * *


Utility
Signs and notifications: The overall signs were clear and visible. The detailed signs (like which row you need to line up in for your ticket, which artist/actor is in the chair, the one floor map) were not. I doubted if I needed better glasses.
Access for disabled, wheelchairs and buggies: Till 15:00 it was a hell for them to stroll around in the dealers alley. There was no way that if they were there early to have a good time. Jaarbeurs did supply wheelchairs for those who need them.
Toilets: There were enough toilets with no lines. The Jaarbeurs keeps it clean and neat. Big plus.
Resting: The amount of places to sit was fairly low. In the void spaces people just sat on the ground to rest their feet, but you could expand some of the tables and chairs.

The Crowd
The concept of a Comic Con is unknown to the Dutch Public. Paying for an autograph or a picture sounds weird to them. They need to get used to it. The COSplay on such a big commercial event was not as huge as the US counterparts of comic cons.
.
Again next year?
Yes. I will go. I will now avoid the dealers alley till the crowd is gone and pull up a chair at all the Q&A's. Unless they make some improvements in dividing space. Already heard they will have more space next year, so that's a good sign.

Samalla Stand in the future?
It was, according to the stands I talked to, a very good day saturday. Their minds were blown. I don't think I could handle the crowd, unless I would have enough manpower to keep things up.

Signing off
Miss Ess
(Mary Jane Misfits)



More media
http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/dutch-comic-con-het-kind-komt-je-naar-boven [Dutch]

Benson

A decade or more ago I was on LiveJournal. It was the blogging place to be and I was very active. I met a designer named Benson. Benson was a cheerful, inspiring guy that made me push through into fashion. He always made me smile and we had the most silly and lovely conversations. I knew he was sick, but that never stopped him.

I lost track of him when I stopped at LiveJournal. Lately I've been thinking about him a lot due to the start of a sewing-competition here in the Netherlands. We used to talk about both joining up for Project Runway.

Today I read how things went for him the last 10 years. He fought, he won, but now has other battles. The worst battle is that he lost his gorgeous smile.

There is a fundraiser happening to get his smile back. Benson being Benson and not agreeing on charity for him lost this battle to his friends. We are getting your smile back! You, of all people, deserve that!

Sadly, GoFundMe asks me for a credit card. Which I don't have. So hereby I do what I can and share this fundraise.

Help Benson Smile Fundraising

There. Hate me all you like, Benson. I still love you.

Kisses from Sam.

Nala

About 4 weeks ago Nala had difficulty with walking properly. It looked like she had an infected toe and after a vet visit it was cleaned up. They gave me an antibiotics to clear out the infection and I hoped that was that. But a week later she still wasn't ok and the vet took a swap for the lab. Last week I heard she had cancer. To be sure if it was just her toe or not, we made one x-ray and found a tumor in her lungs. At this point she didn't eat, drink or wash herself anymore. Options to keep her alive were more like options to keep her suffering. On Monday I had to say goodbye to one of my kitty-children.

I saw Nala be born. I nursed her, because her own mommy didn't know what to do with her children. I took her and her brothers in when they were 2 years old, because it got too crowded with kitties at my friends house where they were staying. I know her for 16 years. She was a diva, ninja and my little ball of fluff. She snuck into my workshop without a sound to crawl on my chair or in a box, just to be near me. She never cared for catfights in the backyard, she just smacked the intruding cat right in the face to make them bugger off. She played with her nails out, making me have to take care of small wounds on her brothers. Everybody loved her at first sight, for she had this pretty long hair and adorable look. But she could be very mean and had the stare of death if a stranger was left alone in the room with her. And I loved every part of her.

I miss her a lot, but little kitties grow old. I'm still checking if she's in her chair and still see her sneaking around in the corner of my eye.

I'm getting a lot of support from friends and family, because they know how crazy I was about her. I'm very grateful. I'm glad I had the chance to say goodbye for a full weekend with cuddles and kisses. Slowly picking up my work again.

I'm running a bit behind with everything. I'm sorry, but I'll think you'll understand.

Costume review: Aquaman (2016 Concept art)

So this picture of Jason Momoa has hit the internet. It's a concept art for Aquaman and people are indifferent about it. It doesn't show a blond and blue eyes californian beach boy, but a gritty and rough Poseidon.

I'm loving it. I've never been a fan of that blonde twat. This is what a man of the sea looks like. But where did that blondie came from anyways? Why did they choose for that appearance in the first place?

I did some research on Aquaman. When was he introduced and what did he look like and cross referenced it with the meaning of certain looks of that age. He first appeared in Fun Comics #73 in 1941. This is an American comic. Americans held the blond hair and blue eyes high in standards of perfect beauty. Aquaman was a mysterious man from the sea, and no wonder he had to look just perfect. The haircut is a superman haircut in blond. This is what the girls dreamed about and the men wanted to be.

If that blond hero would rise from the sea in this time period, we would see him as a slick politician. Or a dweep in a funky leotard. No one would bat an eye. Think for a second what a man of the sea with such passion for it would feel like. We're polluting his home, we're killing his palls and after all this time having a chat about it is too late. I would be pissed. And taking in consideration that the old fashioned Californian beach boys hold no leverage anymore against the rough manly man about what is best for nature and sea life, here comes Jason Momoa. Bad ass, rough cut, Poseidon inspired motherfucker. If he would rise up on the beaches with that look in his eyes... people would think twice before taking a selfie with this dude and post it on instagram.

I absolutely see what Zack Snyder did there. I praise him for it. New era, new ideals. I'm a big fan of the gritty approach. If people still want that blond twat, go back to the comics or the cartoons.

Feth

the one and only Feth

A long time ago, A dear friend of mine had a familiar on a LARP event called Feth. It was a leprechaun with a big mouth and an annoying voice. He was feared and loved. He had two handdolls to play Feth (and sometimes more then one of the creepy leprechauns... one was usually enough, two made you run like hell). He once told me he wanted to change one into a drow-leprechaun (because we all need an annoying little guy with an even more evil twitch).

Sadly, he lost one of the dolls in the woods. We thought it was lost forever, but after a few years we found his head back. His hair and body (which was cloth) was all gone, but his head (wood) was intact.

Fet and his new Brother

Now the other doll already got a new outfit from me. A bit of a classy wizardly outfit for Feth to show off. How come I got the doll? Long story. I once played a character as backup from the same homeworld and asked if I could take Feth along. It was funny how people that knew him were semi happy to see him (and then held on to their gold-pouch and excused themselves to get away from him). I have the head too and I wanted to make my friends wish come true. I used it to make a Feth-drow.

Now Feth and his new brother are home. I'm glad he was so happy to have Feth back. Things will be a lot less chaotic without the two crazy leprechauns running around the house.

Happy Birthday Sebas.

Pictures made by Sebastiaan.

COSplay: The thin line between copyright abuse and fanart

As the title explains, there is a very thin line between copyright abuse and fan art when it comes down to selling my own handmade cosplay outfits. You can make everything for yourself or your friends and show it to the world, but selling it as a company can be very tricky. There are some licensing companies that have the 'dips' on creating and commercially selling costumes or parts of costumes. No license means your bootlegging and actually you are not helping the fandom. Licensed products means a part of the money you spend on them goes directly to the company that made your hero happen and feeds it so it can go on and on. Giving into bootleg means your money doesn't go to what you want to support.

But I really like to make cosplay!

Now truth be told I do twist and turn it into my own creation and mix it with periodic clothing. But what if I want to use logo's and such? I can't sell that, but I can recreate the outfit without logo's. Or I find the licensed versions to use in the clothing. I want to support the fandom and yes there are big and very rich companies behind them that probably already have enough money, but they also check the popularity by looking at their sales. They can't check bootleg. Next to that, bootleg can be punished severely. If I'd have to calculate a lawsuit into my items, it would become un-affordable.

So what should I do?

I, personally, am not going to stop making costumes for myself. I will go all the way. What I can sell from that costume as made to fit, will be the blank parts. Everything that does not immediately links to something that could be licensed. Next to that, with every character I create, I will sell licensed items.

I am a fan, I support the fans, I want to help the fandom grow.

Licensed Merchandise on Samalla.nl 

Restless

I slept horribly.

Now that is not really something I would write about here, it's more a little tweet or facebook announcement for my friends. But now it's here, because of the reason why I kept twisting and turning in my sleep.

I miss designing. Now I do design a lot of things and that is not really the problem. The problem is that I have so many ideas, drafts and outrages things on paper and in my head that don't see the light of day due to several factors:

1. Commission overload. I'm making to the costumers wishes withing the costumers budget. With a 100 euro more I could really put my signature in the designs, but that's not what the commission demands.
2. Lack of budget. I see so many beautiful materials I'd love to cut but cannot afford.
3. Lack of time. When there is an event I'd love to show one of my designs, I don't really have the time to get it as I wish to make it.
4. My downgrading mindset. There is this marketing voice in my head that I need to make it sell-able.

Due to this I cannot really say what distinguishes me from other corset designers and historical sewing companies, other then my great personality.

So some limitations that doesn't make me cross the line from comfort base to signature base kept me awake at night. I like doing the straight on historical sewing. I even learned a lot from it and I'm still learning, but there is a monster inside of me that wants to get out.

The monster needs a plan.

I'm going to hold off any new big commissions. I'll do the corsets and I'll do the commissions I already said I would do, but the rest of my sewing time goes straight into my monster. I'm letting go of the 'wouldn't prices scare them off' or 'is it sell-able as it is'. From everything I have designed, most want it a bit different anyway.

Now the budget issue. I will have to start on the materials I have now (which is a lot) and since a month or so I retail licensed merchandise. It will have to do.


Back to what I was and felt comfortable with. That girl in fashion academy that never went into the mainstream of the class.

Let's see how well I sleep tonight.

Art for Art: 17th century weddingdress

I personally don't give to charity. Donating money that is. The problem with donating money to charity, is that only a fraction of that money goes where it's supposed to be. Or they have no clue on what to spend it and buy promotional shirts. That bugs me, because I want to give to the people in need, and not to the bosses that run the show. Because it is a show. A charity fund is a company. It has an office and employees. Some volunteers. Promoting your charity costs money, employees cost money and, what has been hot topic around here a lot, the bosses cost a crazy lot of money. I won't pay for his villa, I want the full 100% to go where you promised me it would go.

So, I'm not a greedy little bastard that doesn't want to give. I just look around to see where I can actually help and see the result. Now I'm not the type that jumps on a plane and help protesters, nurse babies or builds new homes. But what I can do is help something close to my heart and home what is in dire need.

There was this call for help I saw via via on FaceBook: Wanted: A dress somewhat like this for a theater performance. Looking at the dress, I wanted to make it. And I could make it. So I contacted them. I'll make the dress and just want it back after the performances are over. This is my charity this year. Art and theater are very much down on funds and we need to help each other. They have the dress they need, I got a bit of promo.

Now I don't have a lot of money to go around myself, so the dress wouldn't be in historical correct fabrics. That would cost a fortune. But for a stage dress I could use modern fabrics. I went for aqua satin and black taft silk. Looking for the gold details is hard outside of Christmas season for a reasonable price. I found something similar in shape, just not as grotesque. The lace/embroided collar and cuffs were a challenge too, but I got some embroided finish and voile.

Report on Grachtenfestival Amsterdam 2013

This dress could be viewed on the Theater over het Ij festival and Grachtenfestival
The play is called 'Lege Dagen' and is directed by Kasper Kapteijn.
Performing actress is Nadia van Vuuren

The dress was sold after the performances.

Trending: New set of players, old set of rules

Those of you that have visited my Dutch shop on www.samalla.nl know that next to my own brand Samalla, I sell items from wholesellers. I try to mix and match with what I like to make and somehow present to you a package off wedding, costume and fanfic items. It's sometimes pretty hard to mix and match everything and make it a complete story for my costumers. Because a weddingdress stands a bit far from a jumpsuit for Marvel's Phoenix.

There is something I need to get off my chest. It has to do with the Wholesale companies. Yes you, wholesellers, pay attention!

The market has changed. Brick and mortar shops fade. The big ones fall hard and the small ones silently disappear. It is sad that strolling through your favorite shops is ending. What I noticed in Hoorn (small city in the Netherlands) is that the shops make way for restaurants and specialty shops. And tattoo parlors, but it's a harbor-city, that's not surprising. People buy online. Why go out in the rain for your most wanted goods if you can buy it all online? You scroll in the shop, no one there to bother you. If you want to think it over, you bookmark it and it's all a click away. You save gas and parking money, or a public transport ticket and maybe just pay shipping costs. Even for weddingdresses this is the case.

The new players of the game in retail. They have been there for a while and more are coming.

What I noticed is that terms of the wholesale companies are still those of the brick and mortar shops. I'm not going to mention specific wholesale companies, but some might recognize something. I'm going to sum op a few reasons why some wholesellers don't do business with companies like mine.

You must spend a minimum amount of xxxx euro
I get that. But asking an amount I don't see back within a month is just ridiculous. I know there is just as much work on filling half a box when you fill a whole box, but you're asking me to fill 3 boxes! I like your product and want to see if my costumer likes the product. If they do, then get me 5 boxes! I'm not going to spend all the money I have for the next 3 months on a guess. Help me out a bit here. Charge shipping, really not a problem.

You must have a brick and mortar shop
Well, if you're only selling to those shops, your numbers will go flatline at a point. I have a brick and mortar workshop, in which I receive costumers that made an appointment? Ohw, it doesn't count. But that bridal shop that only opens her doors for costumers with an appointment does count.

If you buy from us, you can only sell bridal
I can understand you don't want your brand to be seen with something that is not in your taste, but I think in this economy you have to be able to open up a bit more to the opportunities given. Your competition won't hesitate. But, all up to you!

We will need the official papers of that you are a company
That's very oldfashioned. It used to be that you had to ask for official paperwork to proof to a wholesale company you were allowed to buy tax free. These days there is the internet. You should try it. If you go to the company registry site (www.kvk.nl for the Netherlands) crosscheck my number and name, you have all my details in screen. But instead you want me to pay extra money for papers, because you seem to like paperwork. This is what stops a lot of 'new players' to deal with you and move on to the next one. I once asked why they didn't want to check online. It was to 'keep my details safer'. Yes, details that are public on the internet do get safer when printed on paper. I'm lost on this one.

We don't do business with shops that are in an xx-km radius of another dealer
Ok. That dealer seems to be an online shop. So am I. Ehm. I don't even know what to say. Internet is the same street now?

The last one I got, I'm not going to mention. It was a special kind of something. I'm not allowed to talk about it even. Still trying to process that one in my brain.

Now I have to mention that the most oldfashioned way of dealing comes from Dutch Wholesale, so Dutch shops are forced to look abroad (yay for Dutch economy dropping...).

And before any wholesale accountmanager reading this thinking 'she doesn't know how things go around here', I used to have your job. I learned that catching a big fish is one good meal. Once the fish decides to leave, you'll be starving. Little fish tend to stay around longer if you treat them well.

Marievonne

#1
So the dress has been dyed bright blue. The sunburns are gone and it now has a bit of a tropical feeling to it. I'm not sure what to think yet. The buttons got the same colour, which I was going for. You can still see the flower pattern. I'm just wondering if the white (now headache blue) bias was such a good idea. It now needs lots of ironing to get back into shape.

After ironing it, I see the bias didn't survive the long in the water time. Even though I always preshrink my fabrics before I even use them, the vintage cotton and the new cotton lining shifted in shape. I'm not that happy about the outcome and I'm going to hang the #1 dress on my door, to maybe fix it another time, due to the time-table I have before 7Gates.

#2
The black and blue dress is also encountering some issues. The self made pattern of the corset was great around the chest this time, but not around the waste. So what I made is in the 'finish when you have time' section. I still have a black underbust ribbon corset I could use, if I don't get around making a new corset.

Now since I'm all into clearing out fabrics from the workshop with the Marievonne dresses, I seem to have a talent on picking the most impossible fabrics these weeks. The shiny black and blue fabric is nice and soft... and not cooperating one bit! I'm trying to make a short chemise from it, but the darn thing kept slipping away. It's all sewn together now and I'm waiting for some ribbons to tie it all together.

#3
The last dress was already half finished. It was supposed to be the Wedding dress  which I redesigned at the last moment due to blue velvet shortage. It's a red 'raw satin' basic skirt and top. The reason why I didn't start off with this one, because I thought the whole design wasn't flowery enough. Having all these issues with the flowery fabrics in my other dresses, I think I'll test my luck on this one :).

I'ts a bit of a travelers dress. Red is Marievonne's colour (coat of arms, hair) and yet she is a girly girl, her family is a practical one. The whole dress can be worn for other things and the overdress can be used with other skirts. Just like the first and second dress, they are a bit transformable. Just match them around to make a whole new look. When I'm selling these dresses, you can buy them in parts, so you can just get whatever you like and leave what you don't.

7Gates 3.0 Dress #1 and #2

#1 front

#1

Finished up the blue and white dress, still need to figure out what colour I'm going to paint it. And if I'll wear a corset under it. I fitted it without a corset and it's good without one.


I was going for a not too flashy dress. Having the jacket part on really put an accent on the bum and hips, which I didn't really expect. It looks a bit floppy on the dolly, so as soon as there is a real life picture, I will show you.

The buttons are something I had laying around. They have a nice vintage look (and probably are) and I'm curious about what they will look like after the dye.

#2

#2

Now the second dress is up. The black basic skirt and busk and boneless corset (still no supplies) are done. Now I still have some shiny blue and black flowered fabric. It's going to look like a very heavy dress for a spring event, but a bit of drama is never bad ;).

Now I'm still thinking about the shape. I think I'm going shoulderless on this one.

7Gates 3.0 Dress #1

At the moment I'm making 3 different dresses at once for just one character of 7Gates: Marievonne. She is a sweet yet spoiled little girl who has got everything she wants and want even more. I played her before on the 7Gates wedding event in this dress, which is currently up for sale on Etsy. All dresses of Marievonne will be up for sale eventually, since she has a new dress every day (I know I'm going to be sorry for this).

7Gates has a 17th/18th century theme. That is actually a lot of styles you can pick from. The only thing I need to keep in mind is to be after Elizabeth and before Victoria, and you'll grab towards Tudor or Victorian pretty easily.

I like making dresses like this in pieces. Making the top and skirt separate improves your own movement and comfort. This first dress has an off-white cotton skirt, a blue and white overskirt and a blue and white jacket. I'm still waiting on bones from my supplier, but I'm going to try and make an off white overbust corset with it. I made a black one on a new made pattern and want to see how that fits before I cut out another one.

The blue/white cotton with the floral pattern is vintage. I really like it, but it has a few sunburns in it. I was thinking to dye it all when I am done. It would take care of the sunburns and make it a bit more rich. I just don't know which colour would be better. Petrol, old grey, or go crazy with a bright blue or green?