SeamsLikeMagik.com

New Year!

2011-12-18T13:39:00.002-07:00

2011 was busy for us but Seams Like Magik was the neglected child! Things are looking up for 2012. We expect to be at more events and are working hard on new inventory. I am so caught up in Steampunk and Victorian that I haven't made anything else lately. I am finally catching up on the back orders and will be taking orders again in January 2012! So if you have been waiting to get something, contact us at info@seamslikemagik.com .

December is filled with Christmas and holiday fun. There will be new body art, travels, filking in the Tri Cities and who knows?

We are still shipping items. In January, use the code IREADYOURBLOG when you call or email your order and you will get free shipping! We have Victorian hats and goggles, vertically and horizontally striped socks, belly dance shinies, and more. let me know what you want and I'll send you photos.

2012 Schedule: Still in flux but this is the plan!

February 17-19, Radcon in Pasco WA http://radcon.org/ Looking forward to this!!! Jane will also be spinning in the lobby while Lizz dresses our fans in the booth.

April 5-8 Norweson at Seatac WA http://www.norwescon.org/

May 25-28 Miscon in Missoula MT http://www.miscon.org/ Hopefully :)

June 25-26 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire http://www.yemerriegreenwoodfaire.org/ Hopefully :)

October 26-28 Steamcon in Seattle http://www.steamcon.org/ Woudl like to but time, time time is a possible problem

November 2-4 Orycon in Portland OR http://www.orycon.org/orycon34/

2011-06-07T19:30:00.002-06:00

Wow, the year is changing sooooo quickly. I (Jane) have a new mundane job and am on assignment out of state, so won't be doing some of the previously planned events. Lizz is still doing what she can but the pavilion is outside of scope. As of today, the only event we will be doing in the remainder of 2011 is OryCon. I am VERY sorry I am missing Greewood - but this is the way it is. Hope to see you soon
Jane

Schedule for 2011

2011-03-06T20:33:00.002-07:00

Here are the events we've locked in for Seams Like Magik. We still have several more under consideration but staffing etc are being worked out. If you want us to come see you somewhere email us at info@seamslikemagik.com

APRIL 2011
4/21-24 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/

MAY 2011
5/20-22 May Crown, Barony of Wastekeep, Kennewick, wA
5/27-30 MisCon, Missoula MT http://www.miscon.org/

JUNE 2011
6/25-26 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://www.yemerriegreenwoodfaire.org/

OCTOBER 2011
10/14-16 Steamcon, Seattle (Seatac) WA http://www.steamcon.org/

NOVEMBER 2011
11/11-13 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon, http://www.orycon.org/

No Crown for Seams Like Magik

2010-05-20T22:21:00.000-06:00

Very sorry, we won't be at Crown this weekend
Jane

2010 Plan for Seams Like Magik

2010-03-14T19:30:00.003-06:00

ALL-NEW 2010 PLAN
SEAMS LIKE MAGIK!!

We are doing a much reduced schedule this year so we may not be at some of our favorite events. And of course, we have not gotten confirmation or maybe even applications for some events so we show them as planned only. But are ever hopeful :)

APRIL 2010
4/1-4 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/ confirmed

MAY 2010
5/21-23 May Crown, Barony of Wastekeep, Kennewick, WA confirmed
5/28-31 MisCon, Missoula MT http://www.miscon.org/ Planned

JUNE 2010
6/26-27 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington planned
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

JULY 2010
7/16-18 An Tir Coronation, Vulcanfeldt confirmed

AUGUST 2010
7/30-8/1 SpoCon, Spokane, WA http://www.spocon2009.com/ planned

NOVEMBER 2010
11/12-14 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon, http://www.orycon.org/ planned
11/19-21 Steamcon, Seattle WA http://www.steam-con.com/ planned

The spring weather has been stupendously inconsistent, so I know for sure it is spring. Warm, cool, sunny, rainy, and of course windy. There are flowers popping up and it is a good time to live in eastern Washington!

Life is short !! Break the rules! Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truely, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.
til we meet again
Jane

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T17:53:00.008-07:00

NEW YEAR NEW SCHEDULE

January 29-31 Ursalmas, SCA Barony of Aquaterra, Monroe, WA http://aquaterra.antir.sca.org/

February 12-14 Radcon, Pasco, WA
http://www.radcon.org/

Busy winter with lots of changes coming in 2010. Seams Like Magik will be going to fewer events and not travelling as far. As we shift our inventory, there will be some great bargains in our booth, so be sure to come visit us. Well, plus, we like to see you and talk with you. :)

I have loads of photos to upload and truly hope to get that done this year - my resolution for 2010!
Stay warm and come visit with me,
Jane

The end of 2009

2009-11-20T21:58:00.003-07:00

November 27-29 ORYCON, Portland OR, Science Fiction. www.orycon.org/orycon31 Guest of Honor - Patricia Briggs www.patriciabriggs.com

see you there!

The end of the season, need to catch up on many things. Life has been full of roadblocks this year. Nothing but blue skies ahead, as the Dempseys say.

oh no the schedule is missing!

2009-09-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

Well dang, kinda busy around here. WRFF is over and I am buried deep in things to do, moderated by periods of frenetic activity. I think the fire marshals set a strange precedent of creating things for me to do.

In September, we are planning to be at SCA Barony of Wealdsmere's Border War near Lake Couer d'Alene. October we'll be at Baron's .....Tournament, can't remember the full name just now, but it is with SCA Barony of Wastekeep at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.

Coming also in October - SteamCon!!! and then Orycon in November!!! The fun never stops.

And the biggest news - Corsetry 101 has been rescheduled for the Tri-Cities November 13-15. Details coming soon to, well, here!

I will post things later, soon. Honest. Especially links to all of these fine events. And maybe with fewer exclamation points!!!

Summertime Fun

2009-06-29T21:57:00.004-06:00

It's summertime and the living is .... well, very busy. Here is our schedule for the next couple of months. Haven't quite figured out all of the logistics yet but I am working on it.

JULY 2009
7/2-5 An Tir West War, SCA, Gold Beach OR
http://www.antir.sca.org/Upcoming/index.php?aaa=b
7/17-19 An Tir Coronation, SCA Barony of Three Mountains, Estacada OR
http://www.antir.sca.org/Upcoming/index.php?aaa=b
7/22-26 Seadog Nights, Lebanon, OR
7/31-8/2 SpoCon, Spokane, WA http://www.spocon2009.com/

AUGUST 2009
8/1-2 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Buckley, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/8-9 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Buckley, Washington
8/15-16 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Buckley, Washington

Many thanks to the very wonderful Barony of Thousand Eyes who helped me with many, many things at Uprising. Lady Helen and her lord, Shane, Audrey and Ken - I wouldn't have been there without you. And deep appreciation to Amanda and Mary Jane for their help. Thanks to Aggie and Jen for the turkey meal, and Mani for the fabulous!! dutch oven lasagna and apple cake with scrumptious sauce. Malynda and Phil and little one - we missed you and are very happy for you.

The weather at Uprising was changeable, so there was something for everyone. Some wind, some rain, some cold, some sunshine. Long drive home, barely time to repack and off to Greenwood Faire.

Ye Merry Greenwood Faire was wonderful, as usual. Sometimes we forget how very many hours it takes to stage such a fun and well-organized event. Many thanks to Marjorie and her hardworking staff. They even managed to keep the weather in check! The temperature was 15-20 degrees cooler than last year. Many friends stopped by to say hello and get a hug. The new fans and straw hats were popular and left our booth for new homes. SCA fighters, belly-dancers, Commedia Del Arte and more!! Saturday night we had the traditional dinner at Red Lobster. I am informed by a reliable source that it is now an "ancient" tradition since the first one was more than five years ago. I did get out for walkabout of the Faire on Sunday and picked up a few new Victorian costuming books. My passion for Victoriana is approaching obsession. LOL - I say that like it's a bad thing? Carol and William - thanks for helping and sticking with me for a very long and strenuous load-out.

Hope to see you soon
Jane

Seams Like Magik Schedule Update

2009-05-06T19:12:00.006-06:00

MAY 2009

5/22-25 MisCon, Missoula MT http://www.miscon.org/

JUNE 2009

6/5-7 Medieval Faire, Port Gamble, WA http://www.medievalfaire.org/

6/17-20 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,
Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/

6/27-28 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

Photos from Steampunk University in March and NorwesCon, Easter weekend.

COMING SOON - Trip report for Jane's fabulous week in London, UK!

SteamPunk University and Class Reschedule

2009-03-21T16:19:00.002-06:00

I am on my way to SteamPunk University and Seattle, ready for some fun costuming. While in Seattle, I'll be stocking up on even more items for Norwescon and SakuraCon. Lots of fun accessories - the UPS guy is going to be busy in Ritzville. Look for new items - kimono and obis, animal ears and tails, Victorian hats for men and women, leather cell phone holders, arm covers, gloves, coolie hats and big fans!

The "Make Your Own Victorian Corset" class, scheduled for March 27-29, has been rescheduled. For various reasons, it is just not going to work out for next weekend. For those of you who have sent in your deposit, you will be given the option of rescheduling or a full refund of your deposit. I am looking at dates in May or early October with possible locations of Ritzville, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Portland or Seattle. I have had requests for all of those locations and more. Let me know if you have a preference - email info@seamslikemagik.com and tell me where you want the class to be!

See you soon,
Jane

Where Is Seams Like Magik?

2009-02-25T10:07:00.005-07:00

Our preferred method of travel!!! Well, okay not for the longest trips. How many of these would we need to get everything to the Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire? This Bactrian was found in China by my sister. Did I mention that a camel in the Tampa Zoo - a dromedary - was adopted for me at Christmas? Thanks Mary!

MARCH 2009
3/7-8 An Tir Kingdom Arts and Sciences Championship, SCA Barony of Wastekeep,
Pasco WA http://www.wastekeep.org/events/a&s2009.php

3/22 Steampunk University, Seattle WA
http://nwsfsnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/steampunk-university-press-release.html

3/27-29 Make Your Own Victorian Corset, Ritzville, WA http://seamslikemagik.blogspot.com/

APRIL 2009
4/9-12 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/

4/10-12 Sakura-Con, Seattle, WA http://sakuracon.org/index.php

4/ 17-19 Starfest, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

My hard-working kids at Orycon 2008. And me. He's not really unhappy, he just hates to have his photo taken. And yes, that is one of my newest custom corsets on Lizz!

Make Your Own Victorian Corset

2009-02-22T23:23:00.006-07:00

Jane Campbell, Corsetiere/Designer/Engineer, is offering a corset-making class in March 2009. Sign up today to reserve a seat in this limited class. This is a full weekend course and you will leave with a custom corset that you have made. A complete corset kit is included with enrollment AND you will receive a custom-fitted pattern for your corset.

The Course: Two days of intensive instruction, with examples and all corset materials provided. Choose a corset kit, cut it out and put it together. Detailed guidance for each step, with examples and hand-outs to ensure success. Learn about fabrics, boning, busks and grommets.

The Corset: You have admired the Seams Like Magik corsets but wanted to make your own. Learn how we do it, get a customized pattern for you, AND take home a beautiful long-lasting Victorian corset. These are full-steel, lined, hour-glass corsets, reinforced with boning channels and overstitching. Jane develops patterns based on the 5-piece Victorian and customized for your body type.

The Corsetiere: Jane Campbell, Corsetiere/Designer/Engineer, is the owner of Seams Like Magik. She has been sewing for over 40 years and designing and making Victorian corsets since 2003. Her engineering career includes more than 10 years at Kennedy Space Center. Her corsets and other wares are found at Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire, SakuraCon, Norwescon, Radcon, Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, June Faire and many other events. Learn more about Jane and Seams Like Magik at www.seamslikemagik.com.

What You Get: Corset kit (value $75.00) – fabric and lining, spring steel precut ½” boning, steel busk, boning channels, and more. Corset pattern customized for you. Meet other people who make and wear Victorian corsets. Personalized, hands-on instruction. All meals and beverages are included. Professional tools provided include grommet setters and pressing equipment. Cost: $450.00/person

Where: We are keeping the costs down by holding it in Ritzville, WA, convenient to I-90, a short drive from Seattle, Spokane or the TriCities. Free shuttle service from Spokane Airport. Local motels available at incredible low prices.

When: March 28-29, 2009, 8AM-6PM. Special corset presentation and social on Friday, March 27, 7PM.

Bring with you: Sewing machine and basic tools (list provided). Intermediate level sewing skills recommended. Wear comfortable clothes for fittings. Be prepared to look fabulous!

Information: Check out http://www.seamslikemagik.com/ Events Blog for more information and updates. Email info@seamslikemagik.com for an application or if you have questions. Call Jane at 509-492-6246 or mail your requests to Seams Like Magik, PO Box 462, Ritzville, WA

99169.

To the people who need a cloak clasp repair as Radcon was shutting down - email me and I will arrange to do it!

2009-01-20T11:55:00.005-07:00

CHOCOLATE & CORSETS

Have you or your friends always wanted a corset?
Want them to drool when you walk by?
Need to surprise that special person in your life?

If you think corsets are old-fashioned and uncomfortable, these fantastic steel-boned corsets will change your mind forever!

Thursday January 22, 2009
Eat chocolate, try on a corset, check out custom bras
Ritzville Computer and Internet
107 W Main, Ritzville 659-4060

~ 6:30-8:30 PM Seams Like Magik will be at Ritzville Computers with corsets in a selection of sensuous fabrics and a variety of sizes so you can try on one of their terrific corsets. All corsets will be available for purchase or you can order a custom corset.
~ Special Guest PJ Jacobsen Custom Fit Bras: Round out your wardrobe with a custom fit bra that will give your clothes the look you want!

Every size and shape can be enhanced

The best support available on the market!!

~ 7:00 PM Corset Basics Presentation by Jane Campbell, Corsetiere – Everything you always wanted to know about corsets. Corset myths and history, corset construction and styles, how to fit a corset and more!

SEAMS LIKE MAGIK

Custom designers of Renaissance, Medieval, Asian and fantasy clothing
Call (509) 492-6246 or email info@seamslikemagik.com to arrange a gift certificate for a corset for that special someone. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Happy Snow Year to all

2009-01-08T11:40:00.007-07:00

SEAMS LIKE MAGIK

EVENT SCHEDULE

These are the confirmed events only.

Stay tuned for additions or email Jane at info@seamslikemagik.com

It is finally melting here and I may be able to move the trailer in a day or two if this continues.

JANUARY
1/23-25 Ursalmas, SCA Barony of Aquaterra, Monroe, WA
http://www.baronyofaquaterra.org/events/ursulmas/u2008.html
FEBRUARY
2/13-15 RadCon, Pasco, WA http://radcon.org/news.php
APRIL
4/9-12 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/
4/10-12 Sakura-Con, Seattle, WA http://sakuracon.org/index.php
4/17-19 Starfest, Media Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

These are my two foster cats - with me until they find a forever home. See more information about them at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WA52.html

December Sales

2008-12-10T18:08:00.015-07:00

SEAMS LIKE MAGIK

DECEMBER SPECIAL

$5.00 FLAT SHIPPING RATE ON

SOCKS, GETA, TABI, VICTORIAN HATS AND GOGGLES

ANY QUANTITY, MIX AND MATCH ITEMS

STRIPEY SOCKS

100% cotton, over the knee. Limited to stock on hand, colors as shown. Solids in red, pink, light blue, black, navy and purple.

$8.00/pair*
$15.00/2 pair*

TABI AND GETA CLEARANCE

TABI - MADE IN JAPAN

Black or white. Sized in inches, 7-12", 1/2" sizes available. Not all sizes available in both colors. Email or call Jane (see below) for assistance in finding your size. 100% cotton with slip-resistant soft soles and hooks in back.

Size 7"-8" ONLY $10.00 Great for kids

Size 8.5" and up NOW ONLY $20.00
Originally $26.00

GETA - AUTHENTIC WOODEN ONE-PIECE
JAPANESE CLOGS

Black or red, L or XL. These are normally worn with about 1" of your heel hanging off the back. $20.00*

VICTORIAN HATS AND GOGGLES - STEAMPUNK !

VICTORIAN RIDING HAT - black with red satin roses in front and black spidery veil in back. One size. $22.00*
COACHMAN'S HAT - Black, one size. $22.00*
GOGGLES - Chrome-look with smoked glass - $13.00*
GOGGLES - Brass-look aviator with green glass - $13.00*
GOGGLES - Chrome-look aviator goggles with dark glass - $13.00*

Send your wish list, phone number and shipping address to info@seamslikemagik.com. Jane will call you with a total amount for debit/credit card processing by phone. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover accepted. Your shipment will go out the next business day.

Or email info@seamslikemagik.com for more information. Or call Jane (9am-9pm PST, M-F) at 509-492-6246 for details or availability.

*Washington state residents add sales tax, determined by where item is shipped to.

All card processing is through a secure wireless connection. Your card information is entered directly, never stored or written down.

Winter Clearance Sale

2008-11-17T15:30:00.002-07:00

NOVEMBER 2008
11/21-23 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon .
http://www.orycon.org/

SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS

BUY YOURSELF SOMETHING FOR CHRISTMAS

PAMPER YOUR S.O. FOR SOLSTICE

GIFTS FOR YOUR KIDS

SEAMS LIKE MAGIK - ORYCON SPECIAL

30 % OFF
Hats

Boots

Shirts

Geta and tabi

Goggles

40 % OFF
All Harry Potter
Skirts
Chinese coats&dresses
Silk kimono for men and women

Silk dresses and tops

50 % OFF
Renaissance skirts

Cotton skirts
Fans, parasols

60 % OFF
Fairy wings and skirts
Silly hats
Large selection of odds and ends

We are clearing out our inventory and changing our focus. If you take it home, we don't have to.

Baron's Ball Added

2008-10-01T09:52:00.002-06:00

Revised Schedule

We've added Barons Ball, which has a longer name I am too lazy to look up. New event for us but sounds like fun! We have new cloaks and silk dresses/tops/kimono, in larger sizes. Stop by and try something on or just chat.

OCTOBER 2008
10/3-8 Barons Ball, SCA Wastekeep, Pasco, Washington
http://www.wastekeep.org/calendar/displayevent.php?id=659
10/24-26 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

NOVEMBER 2008
11/21-23 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon .
http://www.orycon.org/

Revised Schedule

2008-08-19T18:34:00.004-06:00

This summer has been "interesting" and filled with many adventures. And changes and challenges. I am about challenged out, so give me a hug when you see me!

Below is the latest scoop on our schedule. Unfortunately, we had to withdraw from Acorn War. Hope to see you soon!

This shows our new sign - I made it myself! And it is red. Red is good. I like red. One dragon two dragon white dragon purple dragon. This photo is Uprising, Barony of Thousand Eyes. Many many thanks to the person who captured and returned our white dragon. He escaped on the wind Saturday night but is happy to be home and reunited with his brother.

AUGUST 2008
8/23-24 Sun Valley Renaissance Faire, Sun Valley, Idaho

SEPTEMBER 2008
8/29-9/1 September Crown, SCA, North Bend, WA http://crown.porte-de-leau.org/index.html
9/12-14 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
9/19-21 Mountain-Con, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah
http://mountaincon.org/

OCTOBER 2008
10/24-26 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

NOVEMBER 2008
11/21-23 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon .
http://www.orycon.org/

Summer Fun

2008-07-28T09:34:00.002-06:00

Upcoming Events for Seams Like Magik

AUGUST 2008
8/1-3 SpoCon, Science Fiction Convention, Spokane, Washington http://spocon.us/
8/7-11 Autumn War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of Blatha an Oir, Randle, Washington http://autumnwar.daveandcarrie.net/index.htm
8/23-24 Sun Valley Renaissance Faire, Sun Valley, Idaho

SEPTEMBER 2008
9/5-7 Acorn War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Shire of Mountain Edge, Willamette Mission State Park, Oregon http://mtedge.antir.sca.org/events.html
9/12-14 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
9/19-21 Mountain Con, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah, http://mountaincon.org/

OCTOBER 2008
10/24-26 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

NOVEMBER 2008
11/21-23 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon .
http://www.orycon.org/

Sad announcement

2008-07-16T21:16:00.006-06:00

Revised Schedule for Seams Like Magik

JULY

18-20 An Tir Coronation, SCA Barony of Wastekeep, Richland, WAhttp://www.wastekeep.org/events/coronation2008.php

AUGUST 2008

CANCELLED Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Belfair, Washingtonhttp://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/ CANCELLED

1-3 SpoCon, science fiction convention, Spokane WA http://spocon.us/

7-11 Autumn War, SCA Barony of Blatha an Oir and Barony of Stromgard, Randle WA http://autumnwar.daveandcarrie.net/index.htm

The Washington Renaissance and Fantasy Faire (aka Gig Harbor) will not be held this year. Below is the announcement released by the Faire explaining the difficulties and the plan to resume the Faire next year.

More to add soon - need to get ready for Coronation!
Jane

Dearest Friends, Family and Supporters,

It is with our deepest regret that we must announce that the Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire, planned to be held August 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 2008, in Belfair Washington has been cancelled.

Due to challenges with the permitting process and after a meeting with the Department of Natural Resources yesterday and a meeting this morning with the Mason County Commissioners, we have not and will not be granted our permits to run the Faire this season. We have done everything that we could have done and have exhausted all avenues to make this event happen on the new site this year.

We offer our deepest and sincerest apologies to all that this cancellation will affect. We understand that plans have been made, tickets have been bought and travel plans have been arranged in order to attend the Washington Renaissance Faire.

It is our sincerest hope to work with the Mason County Commissioners, the Department of Natural Resources and the Planning Commission for Mason County to resolve these challenges satisfactorily in order to re-open the Washington Renaissance Faire in August of 2009 on our new site in Belfair, Washington.

Thank you all for the support and love that you have offered us over the past 11 years and know that you have our deepest gratitude for your support both now through these trying times and in the future as we grow and prosper.

Sincerely,

Ron and Teresa Cleveland and all the

Washington Renaissance Faire Staff

It seems like.....

2008-06-06T22:36:00.010-06:00

Email Jane at info@seamslikemagik.com

Seams Like Magik
PO Box 462
Ritzville, WA 99169

Telephone (509)492-6246 10AM-10PM PDT

It will seem like we are at the following events this summer:

JUNE 2008
6/18-22 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,
Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/

6/28-29 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

JULY 2008
7/3-6 West An Tir War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Gold Beach, OR
http://www.phmoms.com/westantirwar
7/12 Ritzville Blues Fest, http://www.ritzvilleblues.com/
7/18-20 An Tir Coronation, SCA Barony of Wastekeep, Richland, WA
http://www.wastekeep.org/events/coronation2008.php

AUGUST 2008
8/2-3 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Belfair, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/9-10 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Belfair, Washington
8/16-17 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Belfair, Washington

At one time, we had hoped to be at Denvention 3, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Denver in August. Alas the summer was too full of other fun and it is not to be. sigh. I have very fond memories of not sleeping and having loads of fun during Denvention 2. Does anyone else remember the splash the Front Range L-5 Society made at D2?

I haven't really quit whining about not seeing Adam Baldwin in April but I bucked up and packed up and busked up and went to the Utah Renaissance Faire and Fantasy Festival, fondly known as the URFFFFFFFFF. Country Rhoades and the Henna Grrrrlzzz were there to entertain and delight (and feed me). It was my first year at this two-week faire and their first year in a lovely rural location. Above and to the right are several of the many people who left the faire in our garb. You people are making it hard for me to keep the racks stocked and I love you all for it!

But the weather in Utah!!! Wind, rain, dry, more wind, thunder. Monday morning, the Faire looked like this.

One of my friends has suggested our motto should be "We have STUFF" and we do. Here I am selling stripy over-the-knee socks (from Basketman). Come see our fairy skirts and wings, pirate hats, viking helms, boots, fans, cavalier hats, parasols and more. Plus new cloaks every week, Irish dresses, chemises, long Tudor gowns, pants, skirts and pirate shirts. Well, mostly every week. Sometimes I get tired :)

Last week, we ventured over to Port Gamble for another new event (for us) - June Faire. Although it is definitely a medieval faire, the young man at the top of this page, sporting one of our parasols, seems to have stepped straight out of Steampunk. June Faire was also on a new site with all of the usual things. Sharon worked like a trooper but says she still had fun - thank you Sharon!!! And Mike and Anne popped over on Sunday and helped with breaks and loadout - thank you thank you! Whew, what a job. I was ready to sleep when I got home and I did! Could we have some summer weather pretty soon? I am really glad I got a new sub-zero sleeping bag.

Hope to see you soon

Jane

Public Relations

2008-04-16T17:58:00.003-06:00

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE !!!!

Seams Like Magik will NOT be at Starfest. Short story - took my van in for minor adjustment, they found a problem with a bolt, no new bolt available until Friday or Monday. So, no travel to Denver, no Starfest, don't get to see Jayne. boohoo.

As a consolation prize, we are offering free shipping on imported kimono and Japanese footwear for the rest of April. I'll get some photos and prices up soon. These are gorgeous cotton yukata, made in Japan in some larger sizes for both men and women. Limited to quantities on hand. If you were waiting to catch me in Denver, now is the time.

On a happier note, the Drea Leed workshop in Eugene, OR was fabulous wonderful I loved it! I learned about research and "things", inspected some beautiful garb up close and personal, thumbed through an extensive collection of books (drool bibs not provided), met fun and fascinating people and ate tasty food. Ms. Leed has a wonderful site with information on 16th-17th century clothing www.elizabethancostume.net/. She shared stories of her adventures at museums, talked about bodies and corsets, and pointed us at source materials for making our own items. I am inspired and ready to make myself a new outfit. Many many thanks to Costume Talk http://costumetalk.com/ for hosting this and Drea for presenting so much fascinating material. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their workshops, I highly recommend making time for it. And of course, I did buy a book. And put together a long wish list of other books. sigh.

REVISED SCHEDULE

MAY 2008
5/9-11 Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire, Millcreek Hollow, UT http://www.utahrenfest.com/
5/16-18 Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire, Millcreek Hollow, UT

JUNE 2008
6/1-2 Medieval Faire, Port Gamble, WA http://www.medievalfaire.org/
6/18-22 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,
Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

THE CAMEL IN WINTER

2008-04-02T19:18:00.011-06:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule

(subject to insanity without notice)

APRIL 2008
4/12-13 Drea Leed Elizabethan Clothing Workshop http://costumetalk.com/
4/ 18-20 Starfest, Media Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

MAY 2008
5/9-11 Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire, Millcreek Hollow, UT http://www.utahrenfest.com/
5/16-18 Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire, Millcreek Hollow, UT

Radcon was fun!!! Duh. Radcon is always fun. Kaia, Tim, Morris and the tentacles flew in from Denver, Jessica flew in from Seattle, Sean and Scott drove up from Corvallis. And those were just people who helped me. Many of the usual suspects were at the Red Lion. Unexpectedly the Washington State Liquor Control Board decided we needed more rules, more supervision and possibly we were terrorists. Oops that's a different agency I guess. Anyway, the party atmosphere was subdued but much fun was had. Many of you came through the booth, things exchanged hands, hands did things and hugs were shared. These two young ladies spent some time trying things on and look lovely in Chinese dresses. In between working and parties, I had several meals and slept. Some. Enough.

Morris had adventures without me and somewhere out there, I am told there are photos of Morris partying. Poor innocent Morris. (Well, sure, but I haven't had him very long.) I hope to tell you more about Morris and his amazing feats of derring do, soon. He will be with me on some of my travels so do be sure to stop in and meet him.

Dr. Dave brought some of his own wine, made under his direction and it turned out to be very fine indeed. Or should it be Dr. Dr. Dave now? I forget what was decided. Perhaps the Mighty Bhagwan can rule on this. As it happens, my wine glasses haven't been unpacked since I moved - maybe from Oregon? Who knows. The glassware didn't hurt the taste. OK purists - enough! Maybe it did, but we did what we had to.

After Radcon, we were off to Vancouver, BC. What a wonderful city! Fascinating architecture, terrific multicultural food and shopping. We wandered around Chinatown, the Punjabi Market and other urban centers. Three days weren't nearly enough and I plan to return soon. Granville Island had several fiber arts studios and we visited them all. And the pastries at the market - delicious. Second time through - still delicious. And yet another round - still delicious! We also found what is possibly the largest Pocky store in North America (see above). At least I hope it is - shudder! And fabric. ooooh! And trim. Yay! I bought myself a very cool salwar kameez. Well I had to do something about the pants problem! And that would be a story for another day.

I loved this bridge! We spent our last afternoon relaxing at the park. the views were spectacular and the weather was perfect.

As a grand finale, Kaia, Tim and I stopped at the Spokane Falls and park just before they climbed on the big silver bird. It had been a few years since I was there and I had forgotten how spectacular they are. If you are anywhere close - go take a look! We watched the skaters for awhile and I recalled some of the highlights of the Spokane World's Fair in 1974. My oh my how time flies. My goal for this spring is to get some more photos of the same sections and raceway during spring runoff.

See you soon I hope,

Jane

Mountain Daylight Time

2008-02-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

SEAMS LIKE MAGIK EVENTS

FEBRUARY 2008
2/15-17 RadCon, Pasco, WA http://radcon.org/news.php
2/19-22 Vancouver, BC FUN FUN FUN

MARCH 2008
3/13-16 Anime Oasis Nana, Boise, ID http://www.animeoasis.org/
3/19-23 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/
3/28-30 Sakura-Con, Seattle, WA http://sakuracon.org/index.php

APRIL 2008
4/ 18-20 Starfest, Media Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

Somewhere along the way I missed updates on some of the cons I did last fall. After NDK and Spamalot, I headed west to Salt Lake City for Mountain Con. For this trip I rented a Uhaul trailer, smaller than my trailer, which allowed me to leave all the camping equipment, RenFaire clothes and pavilion parked in Denver. Yay for better gas mileage. On the way over the plug for the trailer worked loose and wore itself out on the pavement in Wyoming. So there I was in Rock Springs, replacing the plug and cursing the wiring. The good news is - I had the parts, the tools and the knowhow and I did the replacement myself in maybe 30 minutes! A far cry from my first trip ever with the trailer, stuck in Rawlins, Wyoming trying to find parts and assistance. Or on the way to Anime Oasis last year, with the parts and some of the tools, not quite sure what to do, but rescued by a knight of the road. See, even I can learn.

Driving through Wyoming, I was listening to "Bold Spirit" by Linda Hunt. This is an amazing story. Do you realize that in 1896 Helga Estby and her daughter walked, yes walked, from Spokane Washington to Salt Lake City and then on to New York City? The most astonishing part of the tale is her family's reaction to the story and the eventual rediscovery of their adventure. I listened to accounts of how many pairs of shoes they wore out as they followed the railroad tracks across Wyoming, while I drove past those very same tracks. What an appropriate choice for this trip.

MountainCon highlights - Gareth Wang and "Done the Impossible". When "Star Trek Voyager" first aired, the planets aligned for me and it is one of the very few TV serials that I have seen in sequence when new. So Janeway, Chakotay and crew have a special place in my heart. Ensign Kim has aged wonderfully well and it made me quite tingly all over to see him. Remember if it rhymes with rang it's wrong.

Do any of the rest of you have nearly uncontrollable impulses when you see Storm Troopers? I always want to do "knock knock is anyone there?" on their armor. But I am thinking that may not be a good idea. Do Storm Troopers have a sense of humor?

The maker of "Done the Impossible" was also around all weekend and I bought an autographed copy and a couple of gift items. (Watched when I got back to Denver and loved it!!!!) Question for the day: Where is the nearest Shindig? Question for tomorrow: Can I go? Other weekend highlights were seeing folks I met at Conduit, chatting and having a good time with my hosts Mary and Dave. When we loaded out, the rain came down! Naturally there wasn't room to park under the roof cover and we had to stand in the water and load the trailer. Mary labeled this the "loadout from hell", but that is because she wasn't with me a few weeks later in Iowa. More on that later maybe.

Final advice: Evil cheesy corn is hard to find in some stores so buy it when you find it. Paula and Michael started this and I wish I knew how to finish it!

New Year Brrrrr

2008-01-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule (finally)
We are still adding some smaller winter and spring events - check back for updates

JANUARY 2008
1/25-27 Ursalmas, SCA Barony of Aquaterra, Monroe, WA
http://www.baronyofaquaterra.org/events/ursulmas/u2008.html

FEBRUARY 2008
2/2-5 Buying trip, Seattle area
2/15-17 RadCon, Pasco, WA http://radcon.org/news.php
2/19-22 Vancouver, BC

MARCH 2008
3/13-16 Anime Oasis Nana, Boise, ID http://www.animeoasis.org/
3/19-23 Norwescon, Seattle, WA http://www.norwescon.org/
3/28-30 Sakura-Con, Seattle, WA http://sakuracon.org/index.php

APRIL 2008
4/ 18-20 Starfest, Media Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

Finally, a schedule, you say! I knew I was going to events and you were pretty sure but now it's official.

It has been too darn cold to type. And when I was warm I was having too much fun. teehee. Ritzville has had many cold days in a row and much snow, at least for us. My heating system has been experiencing technical difficulties resulting in me spending too much time on my knees peering into the firebox with a flashlight or running out to shut off a breaker or reactivate said burner. Does that seem right to you? And cold, there were waaayyy too many hours of being cold. Hopefully the latest repairs solved the problem. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Other news this winter. Hmm. Well maybe the news that's fit to print anyway. I am getting acquainted with some new suppliers in the Northwest, found some great new tops and some Loli skirts. I've made several trips to Portland and scouted around while I was there. Also found a great deal and restocked on linen, so expect to see some new linen items. I started working on a new dress, for me I hope, mid 18th century. Not sure where I'll wear it, but I just wanted it. And the usual work goes on for custom orders, costumes, weddings and miscellany. Restock meanders along - there will be new cloaks, new dresses yada yada yada.

I have had some visitors, connected with some old friends, joined some evenings of gaming - I love Settlers, Power Grid, Nuclear War and Ticket to Ride - and unpacked and did housely things. I have a library again! Books I haven't seen for five years are on shelves and I stop and caress them as I go by. Lovely, lovely books. I hosted a sewing and gaming day at my house. Many people sewed while I gadded and talked and admired. We popped up to the Spocon winter event and listened to writers CJ Cherryh, Jane Fancher, Deby Fredericks, MJ Eng, Vicky Mitchell and... my brain ran out. Anyway great fun to see folks in the middle of the cold.

As a change of pace, I am learning to spin. Nope, not at the gym. Apparently there is some kind of exercise equipment or whatever that is also called spinning? Like SitnSpin? Who knows? After several misunderstandings, I want to emphasize that I am spinning wool into a reasonable facsimile of yarn and it would be a stretch to call it exercise. It keeps my hands busy but lets my imagination run free which is always a dangerous, I mean interesting combination. The yarn mostly seems to like being yarn and agrees to stay in a yarnly shape, which is good.

Enough news - email me and tell me what you are doing. I am going to try to remember to sign into chat once in awhile also. Oooh - and phone - I love to listen. Well, and talk too. BTW if you haven't guessed, I am rested and ready to do! Things! Many Things!

Look, now there are photos too

2007-12-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

ON SALE TODAY - CUSTOM CORSETS AND JAPANESE FOOTWEAR

email info@seamslikemagik.com or call (509)492-6246. Next day shipping available

Oh my. This has been a painful experience but I have persevered. For some reason, the photos did not want to load and it has taken 5-10 attempts and multiple log-ins to finally get these on this page. Whew - time for some hot spiced stuff. And yes, mulled wine may not be my first choice but it is acceptable. ;)

Geta, with red or black thongs

Tabi Socks, white or black

GOTTA GET GETA

2007-12-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a blog page near here - the Seams Like Magik event schedule for 2008. And yes we will be at Radcon in 2008!

TAKE YOUR FEET TO JAPAN

While the rest of you is home enjoying the holidays

Treat your feet to authentic Japanese footwear

Our prices have never been this low

Buy now and avoid the rush at Anime Oasis, Sakuracon, NanDesuKan

Sale December 12-31, 2007

Geta Normally $30.00 NOW 1/2 PRICE $15.00

Tabi Normally $30.00 NOW 1/2 PRICE $15.00

Tabi socks Normally $14.00 NOW $10.00

BUY ALL THREE (OR MORE) AND TAKE ANOTHER 10% OFF YOUR ORDER. That means you can have geta, tabi and tabi socks for ONLY 36.00 + shipping. Flat rate shipping on geta, tabis and tabi socks during this sale - $5.00 per order. USPS shipping.

Geta - Japanese wooden clogs, authentic, carved from a single block of wood. With red velvet thong, in large only. With black velvet thong, in large or XL. Traditionally sized so your heel hangs a bit over the back.

Tabi. Not quite a shoe or a sock with the traditional split toe. Usually worn indoors, leaving the geta at the door. Cotton with soft sole and hooks in back. Authentic. Imported from Japan. Tabi sizes are in inches, 6-12, whole inches only, not all sizes available. Choose black or white.

Tabi sock/ liners. stretchy nylon socks with split toe. Wear these alone or with your tabi to protect them from body oils and sweat. Authentic, imported from ? Black tabi socks are available in large or XL. White are available in medium or large.

Payment and shipping information as detailed in the 11/29 posting. Email info@seamslikemagik.com for photos or more information.

Holiday Bazaar

2007-11-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday December 1 - AAUW Holiday Bazaar 1o am - 3 pm http://www.aauw-wa.org/branches/ritzville.html in Ritzville WA at the school. Look for SEAMS LIKE MAGIK and other vendors, a Scholastic book sale and lunch.

Gifts for your wizards!!

HARRY POTTER

Licensed Accessories

SALE 12/1-7/07

20% OFF STUDENT GEAR

SCARF - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Hogwarts all house. Regularly $25.00, now $20.00

TIE - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff. Regularly $25.00, now $20.00

STOCKING CAPS - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff. Regularly $12.00, now $9.60

STUDENT HAT - LARGE Regularly $20.00, sale $16.00

QUIDDITCH GOGGLES Regularly $10.00, now only $8.00

10% OFF HOGWARTS STAFF ACCESSORIES

SORTING HAT PUPPET Regularly $30.00, now $24.00

PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL HAT with checkered band and feather Regularly $30.00, now $24.00

MADAME HOOCH, BLUE VELVET HAT. Regularly $30.00, now $24.00

DUMBLEDORE WIZARD HAT Regularly $30.00, now $24.00

DUMBLEDORE Tassel HAT Regularly $30.00, now $24.00

MadEye Moody moving eye on elastic band. Regularly $5.00, now $4.00

Limited to stock on hand. Shipping and handling $7.0o. Free shipping on orders over $50.00, USPS. All orders will be processed in the order received. All orders must be received or postmarked by Dec 7, 2007 to qualify for discounts.

The ordering and payment options are listed below. Yes I know I should have a shopping cart but I still prefer sewing to paperwork! Maybe next year. But I really want to make an effigy corset and play with some Civil War patterns and make hakama and cheongsams for larger sizes and...... Thanks for your patience and support
Jane

Email info@seamslikemagik.com to request an order form

OR email a description of what you want, your name, shipping address and phone number and we will call you.

OR call 509-492-6246 (9am-9pm PST, Monday-Friday).

Credit/Debit cards accepted by phone only, same day shipping. Do not email your credit/debit card information to us.

Check or money order (ships 5-10 business days) - send list of items, your name, shipping address, phone number, and payment to:
Seams Like Magik
PO Box 462
Ritzville, WA 99169

Into the Great Wide Open

2007-10-14T21:44:00.000-06:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule

OCTOBER 2007

10/26-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/org/

NOVEMBER 2007

11/16-18 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon . http://www.orycon.org/n.org/

11/30 Poetry contest ends. Contest rules in 8/1/07 posting, "Gig Harbor Is the Place To Be"
DECEMBER 2007

Watch this space for mail-order specials in December and January !

Here I am, home in Ritzville for a brief time, with lots to do in that time. Since my last post, the van (mka Earnest) and I have covered nearly 4,000 miles, did four events in four states, got rained on more than once and had some adventures! And now it is time to share some of the adventure, one event, maybe one week at a time.

I got up early to leave Ritzville, really I did, at 5 AM omg, first stop Denver and NanDesuKan. I have developed an appetite for audio books (it's Odan's fault, I mean thanks Odan) and am trying some new things when I drive. I choose things at the library which I would not ordinarily read, with mixed results so far. For the first leg of this trip it was "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak, set in an Australian city, wonderful imagery, very strange, exceptionally strong voice, somewhat disturbing yet uplifting, highly recommend.

On the way through Montana, I picked up some caramels. Please note this was not a stop, more like drive-by looting. I did some horsetrading with my cousin, who works at Bequet caramels, near Bozeman. My reward was a restock on my supply of yummy caramels. Check out http://www.bequetconfections.com/ for chipotle caramel or Celtic sea salt caramel. Yes they ship these. I am going to try and have some at MileHiCon and Orycon so you can do the taste test yourself. Thanks Greg and Pam!

My plan was to stop in Casper for the night, but there were no rooms at the inns, there or in Douglas. I finally crashed at a rest area for a few hours before heading into Denver. Thanks to Bonnie and Bill, I had a place to stay, plus they had several shipments of new "stuff" for me, including geta and tabi. And Kaia picked up new dresses and fabulous new short Chinese jackets in golds and greens so we had plenty to tempt you at NDK. As you can see, Natalie was unable to resist one of the new import yukata to wear with her custom corset. Kaia and Natalie - you are awesome!

NDK, what can I say? I had a new silk kimono jacket to wear, and lots of new kimono for all of you. It was wonderful, I hugged many friends, we sold all kinds of stuff, I found some time to play during the Con (oooh, v fun), got fed by Fred and John, learned many interesting things from Scott (let's talk again soon!) and in general thoroughly enjoyed and wore myself out. These are two of the many people Seams Like Magik dressed at NDK. I love my clients - you are all so much fun! Uhh, just in case you are wondering, no we didn't take pictures of the people we undressed. At least I didn't. Did you Natalie? Kaia, was it you? Nope, see, no evidence exists. What happens at Seams Like Magik stays at Seams Like Magik.

But what would a con be without Men in Kilts? These two are from Anime Central (http://www.acen.org/) in Chicago and as you can see, they indulged one of my passions. What nice people! Aww who cares if they were nice, they wore kilts. What great guys in kilts! Thanks for being such good sports. I can't believe you let me do that.

If any of you out there want to work for me at Anime Central email me at info@seamslikemagik.com . If I can find enough staff I am going. Sure it's a long way but it would be an adventure.

Next on my sked - SPAMALOT!!!!!! There are not sufficient punctuation marks to describe how much fun this was. Old skits melded together, new songs, Las Vegas glitter - I laughed until it hurt. Good friends to share the fun with, this night had it all.

Life is full of surprises, not all of them good. But sometimes, surprises are fabulous and we get calls from those we least expect, out of place and out of time. You know who you are - thanks. See you again soon.

Stay tuned for Did the Impossible - went to MountainCon, Salt Lake City. And stop by to visit us at MileHiCon!

Jane

Into the Rising Sun

2007-09-09T23:58:00.000-06:00

New arrivals - we have tabi and geta!!!! Otherwise known as Japanese socks and wooden clogs. Come see us early at NDK and get first choice. We have both nylon tabi socks and authentic cotton tabi. And if you haven't seen our new kimono and yukata - made in Japan - you really need to come try one on. They are made of wonderfully soft fabrics with traditional prints. Not to mention I have been sewing up some scrumptious fabrics into kimono.

Fans - fans - fans - biggest selection of fans for all price ranges that we have ever had! And 6 kinds of parasols. We currently have an excellent selection of Kommando Kilts (yes, ALL men should wear kilts and I can help you with that) and both knee-high and thigh-high boots (mmm black leather, nice). I have also restocked our licensed Harry Potter items - hats, scarves, ties, goggles, eyes and more - to go with some robes I whipped up.

Seams Like Magik Schedule
SEPTEMBER 2007
9/14-16 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
9/18 SPAMALOT, Denver

9/21-23 MountainCon, Salt Lake City, UT http://mountaincon.org/
9/28-30 Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita, Kansas, http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/
OCTOBER 2007
10/6-7 River Cade Kingdom of Riverssance, Sioux City Renaissance Festival, Sioux City Iowa http://www.river-cade.com/riverssance.cfm
10/26-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/
NOVEMBER 2007
11/16-18 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon . http://www.orycon.org/
11/30 Poetry contest ends. Contest rules in 8/1/07 posting, "Gig Harbor Is the Place To Be"

DECEMBER 2007
Watch this space for mail-order specials in December and January !
Sadly to report, none of my photos from Kumoricon are redeemable. The Dealers' room was in the parking garage and the lighting and flash just did not work. As compensation, here are the photos of my Utah client who demonstrates why you might need more than one of my corsets. In spite of heat and a few glitches, Kumoricon went well and we stayed busy. My favorite Sean (that same old Mom's prerogative) came and helped and several people I met last year also helped during breaks and meals. Thanks y'all!!. Sean and Scott again did a record load out and voila - back home again.

Not much time at home and life has been fraught with complications. Against all odds, the sewing machines are running at high speed and the trailer is reloaded for the next 4 weeks. 4 weeks, 4 cities, 4 events. Wow. Whose idea was this anyway? I am now counting down the hours and checking my list twice, or thrice, or more, before driving into the rising sun this week. NanDesuKan and Denver - here I come! Highlight for September - SPAMALOT! If you are there on opening night, Tuesday, look for me with the large group of boomers being silly. And yes, as a matter of fact I can walk that way.

Come try on clothes with me soon,

Jane

Once Upon a Time in the West

2007-09-07T23:01:00.000-06:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule

SEPTEMBER 2007

9/14-16 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/

9/21-23 MountainCon, Salt Lake City, UT http://mountaincon.org/

9/28-30 Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita, Kansas, http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/

OCTOBER 2007

10/6-7 River Cade Kingdom of Riverssance, Sioux City Renaissance Festival, Sioux City Iowa http://www.river-cade.com/riverssance.cfm

10/26-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

NOVEMBER 2007

11/16-18 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon . http://www.orycon.org/

DECEMBER 2007

Watch this space for mail-order specials in December and January !

So I was over on the other side of the mountains, within spitting distance of Puget Sound, and imagine this - it rained. On the other hand, the Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire (aka Gig Harbor Ren Faire) was mostly dry with moderate temperatures during the day. Nights were definitely on the chilly side, in the 40's. Note to self - take bed warmer with you next year.

Has it ever occurred to you that the westernmost points of the USofA are the closest points to the Far East? sigh. We are so very Eurocentric. But hey - the Euro clothes during the Renaissance were to die for. Forget Manolos, give me beaded and embroidered European - any European - court dress any day. Not to say that Asian court dress was anything but scrumptious during the same period. What's not to love with silks, satins, brocades and gemstones?

My favorite Lizz (moms have these prejudices) came up from Corvallis to help and brought the helpful, well-dressed and useful Nik (shown above). Joyce drove in from Montana and worked hard throughout the Faire - please come back next year Joyce! Lela and Jeanine helped out and Jeanine brought a crew to help pull down wet canvas after the Faire was over. Thanks to all of you. And thanks to Elna and Bob and Arlene and Dave for showers and battery recharges. Did you know marine batteries can be used for sewing machines but not ironing?

WRFF is full of wondrous things and creatures. We were next to the Pirates - Boom! - and were delighted to see them do their stuff. I love cannons as much as the next girl, but I will admit they are raaather loud when you are only a few feet away. Many friends and acquaintances stopped by for chat, hugs and new wardrobes. And I made new friends. And the kilts! Ohmyohmy - I helped men in and out of kilts and accoutrements for three wonderful weekends. I just love our Kommando Kilts.

The Faire periodically sent around a tax collector and Brute with a large chest. He was very .... brutish and leathery with metal and studs and wearing black and well... brutish. I tried to get hauled off for non-payment of taxes but my subtle (LOL) ploys were all in vain. All that lovely brute strength came in handy when he came back to help tear down and load up - thanks and come back anytime.

At night I saw some spectacular meteorites and had some scrumptious seafood. The local produce stand had cherries, peaches, tomatoes, artichokes, blueberries and a wonderful vanilla melon. Stella at Pappa Thorir's next to me provided some much needed coffee one morning. We all feasted on turkey legs and roasted corn one night, delivered right to our pavilion and very yummy. Then there were crepes, sarsaparilla, lattes delivered in our time of need and I think I remember OD'ing on Ben and Jerry's at some point. So many pleasures to be found at one Faire.

Fabric is so much fun! It can be even more fun when a person finds just the garb to make them feel like royalty. This photo pretty much sums up why I do what I do. WRFF was fabulous. The merchant coordinator is a delight to work with and very well organized. Okay, I can't resist. Yes Santa there is a Virginia. And I can't imagine WRFF without her.

Don't forget the contest - see rules below.

GIG HARBOR IS THE PLACE TO BE

2007-08-01T11:42:00.000-06:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule, subject to change
AUGUST 2007
8/4-5 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/11-12 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/18-19 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
SEPTEMBER 2007
8/31-9/3 Kumoricon, Portland. Oregon http://www.kumoricon.org/
9/14-16 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
9/21-23 MountainCon, Salt Lake City, UT http://mountaincon.org/
9/28-30 Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita, Kansas, http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/
OCTOBER 2007
10/6-7 River Cade Kingdom of Riverssance, Sioux City Renaissance Festival, Sioux City
Iowa http://www.river-cade.com/riverssance.cfm
10/26-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/
NOVEMBER 2007
11/16-18 Orycon Science Fiction Convention, Portland, Oregon .
http://www.orycon.org/

Come see me at Gig Harbor! I am looking forward to being on the other side of the mountains and seeing friends and family. This is me (duh) at Greenwood. I had a lovely spot under the trees, near the jousters (fans herself), looking over the river.

I lost a month somewhere and July is officially over. Ye Merry Greenwood Faire was extremely hectic – many many heartfelt thank yous to Greenwood/Radcon security for stopping by and helping, for bringing me a helper, for everything!!! And to my sister vendor who came over and offered help. And to Edgar and Sue and John and Jordan for coming to tear down. It looked pretty dicey for awhile there, but I survived. Sorta. Mostly. I think. I love dressing people up and these two were no exception. It was hot and dry, drink lots of fluids!

Remodeling is … interesting… dusty…sweaty…and sometimes necessary. My brother and his buddy came over from Montana in July and did “things”. Corset bench, new floor, storage attic in shop, racks for trailer, new shelving, repair storm windows, the list goes on. In the midst of all this Seams Like Magik did their first ever Ritzville Blues Fest and what a blast that was!! Ritzville was transformed, people came from all over, the music was incredible, the food was tasty and hey, we sold things too. My brother is planning a repeat next year for the Blues Fest. So, thank you Ritzville, for enticing my favorite carpenter to spend time at my place!!

Contests, what contests?? Here is one for you, inspired by my newest t-shirt with “one Quark, Two Quarks…” on it. Finish the following ditty by adding more lines. Find Seams Like Magik at an event and give Jane a copy of your verse, with your name, address, email. Worthy entrants, the first 11 worthy entrants, will draw from the prize pot. Define "worthy" you say. Okay, worthy means you have to try, like by adding more than one word. This is not for the Nobel prize. The prize pot will contain $100.00 worth of Seams Like Magik gift certificates, in $5-25.00 increments, redeemable for merchandise, good for one year. The BEST entry – the Grand Prize Winner - will receive a $50.00 gift certificate. Contest ends at Thanksgiving 2007, winner will be announced here. Any and all entries may be published here. Seams Like Magik respects your privacy; your name and personal information will not be shared or sold without your specific permission.

Finish this ditty!

One cloak, two cloak
Black cloak, brown coat.
This one has a________

I am looking forward to seeing what y’all do with this! My email may be unreliable while at Gig Harbor, so call me if you need anything. 509-492-6246. And remember to stop by and try things on, fondle the fabrics, fondle the proprietor, check out the fabulous new dresses and skirts (before they are gone).
Happy rhyming,
Jane

Help Wanted

2007-07-24T16:59:00.000-06:00

Help wanted at Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire, Gig Harbor, WA (west of Tacoma). If you would like to see the Faire, or if you are going to be at the Faire and would like some extra cash, or if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass this on.

I have several needs; I pay $7-10/hour depending on how much physical labor is involved. I will also pay your camping fee if you decide to camp at the Faire, and your gate fee. I provide bottled water, sunscreen and time for breaks, meals, and seeing the Faire. I can also provide garb if you need loaner garb for the weekend. During the open hours of the Faire, helpers must be in period garb and make a reasonable effort to speak and act in period. Sure we run wireless credit card machines, but we are part of the entertainment! One person could fill all of labor needed, or I am perfectly willing to use helpers for shorter amounts of time so you can have more fun at the Faire.

Friday Aug 3 - muscle to help erect a 17x17 canvas pavilion, with all the accompanying stakes, etc and with unloading my trailer. Hours 9 AM-4PM? 1 or 2 people.

Saturday and Sunday August 4-5, booth help. General assistance in the booth, adjusting merchandise, assisting customers, running occasional errands. 1 person, possible need for second person.

Saturday and Sunday August 18-19, booth help. General assistance in the booth, adjusting merchandise, assisting customers, running occasional errands. 1 person, possible need for second person.

Sunday evening, August 19 - muscle to teardown a 17x17 canvas pavilion, with all the accompanying stakes, etc. Also packing up merchandise and reloading my trailer. Hours 5 PM-9PM? 1 or 2 people.

There is no water at the site, so campers should be aware there are no showers or drinking fountains. There are portable sinks and portajohns; cheap showers can be had at a campground about 20 minutes away. More information on the Faire at http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/

Seams Like Magik makes custom Renaissance, medieval, Asian and fantasy clothing. We also supply imported clothing and accessories, including boots and hats. Contact Jane Campbell, info@seamslikemagik.com, or (509)-492-6246 (9 AM-10PM PDT). We have recently relocated from Denver to Ritzville, WA.

RISE UP SINGING!

2007-06-25T21:54:00.000-06:00

Gee wouldn’t that be a great name for a song book? LOL

Back from Uprising and what fun it was! I hardly know where to start. Truthfully, I am so bad at starting, I left for Idaho about 4-6 hours late on Tuesday and ended up driving most of the night. Thank goodness for books on tape or the boredom would be excruciating. And I am a natural night owl, so it wasn’t much of a hardship. Curious thing – there are no rest areas on I-15 between Montana border and Pocatello. Does that seem right to you? Needless to say, I didn’t party Wednesday night but slept soundly. zzzzz

The new site for Uprising is flatter and easier to get to. After a couple of years of Mudrising, the warm sunny weather this year was very welcome. Garath and Epona helped me set up the new pavilion. It’s big! It has tall walls! It has many many pounds of canvas! The ground was soft and the stakes took a good deal of finessing to get everything upright. But it is lovely and went up quite smoothly with minimal “darn we should have done x first” moments. Yay. Thank you milord! Your assistance and that of your lovely daughter in set up and tear down was greatly appreciated. It was worth every cookie!

And there I am – wearing my new bodice and silk chemise.

Some of my favorite Uprising experiences were repeated. Byron brought by one of his famous hedonistic handmade chocolate cherries. Mmmm yummy, if only it could last longer. The stars every night were really spectacular. I know, I’ve seen all of them before, growing up in Montana, but I forgot how many there are and how thickly they populate the Milky Way. Sigh. I want to go. Unfortunately, I somehow left without the usual camel from the Henna Gurrrrrllllzzzz (hope I spelled that right). I am bereft! Besides much metal on heads and beautiful garb, Uprising brought New and Wondrous Things. Sometime on Friday I witnessed a strange and horrifying site. I was told this is the Pink Valkyrie and entourage. You be the judge - new - wondrous - strange - horrifying - just plain wrong? Is anybody still surprised my head buzzed and I forgot things? I mean really – pink?

I took new cloaks and bodices with me and sorted and counted and helped people try things on. I had bodices to lace and cloak clasps to sew on but didn’t get around to most of that until late Saturday. Somehow the Japanese and Chinese items were put on sale and folks took the opportunity to outfit themselves. I had interesting conversations about Samurai and Japanese wear through history and learned to tie hakama (finally!). At least three Samurai warriors left looking mighty fine and more than one maiden donned brocade.

Country Rhoades sponsored filking and campfire companionship each night. There are some fine voices in Artemisia! The entertainment was poignant, mournful, bawdy and funny in turns, as filk should be. I didn’t get names for all the entertainers, so will not try to list them. I would like to point out that “Black Widows in the Privy” did not make it easy to see to needs late at night. We did some rhyming and ended up with an unusual idea for a t-shirt. Email me for the complete rendition of "See Jane". We drank some Copper Camels, tried some wonderful homemade mead and sampled sinfully tasty black raspberry tequila. What was also really wonderful was a session in human touch I, well, received is a weak word. It was all very public and fully clothed, but thanks to the Spanish gentleman for a truly unique experience. And for letting me practice my own technique. Mmm. The filking also morphed into some Gordon Lightfoot, one of my old favorites, so I came home and rooted out my CD’s and am listening to him now. I love beautiful voices.

Saturday night was windy windy windy with more than one of us up in the wee hours checking pegs and ropes and not getting much sleep. On the plus side, I was up early and packing and tearing down well before my natural inclinations would have gotten me out of bed. Garath and Rusty helped dismantle and load. Thanks Rusty and John and (blank) Jennifer? See you next year.

Did I mention there was a lot of canvas? And it was windy? Dropping the roof was more than a little exciting and nearly resulted in airborne Artemisians. On the plus side, that same wind pushed me north and homeward with some of the best gas mileage ever with the trailer in tow. I stopped at Jan’s café in Lima, Montana for lunch and yummy homemade sour cream raisin pie.

In July I think I am going to have a couple of contests and give away some gift certificates. Be sure to check back here to find out how to win. My mind is tending towards a poetry contest and some photo identifications.

And now for something completely different! Spamalot is going to be Denver in the fall and we have tickets for opening night. Rose – you rock! It opened in New York City a mere 10 days after I was there buying fabric and the poor scheduling by the producers really irked me. But now all will be redeemed and much happiness is in Ritzville tonight.

June 30-July 1, Saturday and Sunday – Seams Like Magik at Ye Merry Greenwood Faire in Richland Washington. Come check out the new bodices, restocking on white chemises (there weren’t any, fancy that), some new linen things, lots of boots, the carousal of cloaks, summer weight kurtas and flirty embroidered skirts. Of course returning engagements for breeches, pirate shirts, goofy hats, parasols, fans, Irish dresses, and more.

See you there!
Jane

See Jane Work, Work Jane Work

2007-06-10T17:15:00.000-06:00

Seams Like Magik Events (Subject to change)

JUNE 2007
6/12-17 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes, Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm
JULY 2007
7/14 Ritzville Blues Fest, Ritzville, WA http://www.ritzvilleblues.com/
AUGUST 2007
8/4-5 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/11-12 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/18-19 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington

SEPTEMBER 2007

8/31-9/3 Kumoricon, Portland. Oregon http://www.kumoricon.org/
9/14-16 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado.
http://www.ndkdenver.org/2007/
9/21-23 MountainCon, Salt Lake City, Utah http://mountaincon.org
TBA Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita, Kansas http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/

It's true, I do work at times on something other than a sewing machine. I have a laptop and I am not afraid to use it. I use it for email and blog (well just this one mini blog) and tracking inventory and ordering new things. Every quarter I use it for calculating resale/sales tax amounts due to the revenue departments of various states and municipalities. But that is a whole different rant uh I mean topic. Lazarus Long had some apropos comments in his Notes. Oh and can you identify the geek tape holding my glasses together? What did you expect? You can take the engineer out of the refinery but you can't take ... well heck this isn't going to scan but you get the idea. I need more hours in the day, then I would find time to go get new glasses. Or maybe I would just do more sewing.

Memorial Day weekend, Seams Like Magik was at Conduit in Salt Lake City, one of the friendliest conventions around. However, I really need some help on the quantum mechanics thing so I can get more stuff into small spaces. If you can name all of the quarks, I have a place for you on my staff. For the trip to Utah, I cheated the gasoline prices and left the trailer at home. Everything fit into the van - honest!

Several of my clients came by to show me their costumes, including this one - cloak, corset, skirt! Fabulous dahling! Sadly I somehow got home without photos of another of our corsets, but she has promised to rope her hubby into getting me some pics to post.

On Saturday, I presented Corsetry 101. It was scheduled opposite the Chocolate hour, which naturally led to a discussion of the compatibility of corsets and chocolate. I maintain that one cannot live without the other, but if I have to make a choice I am not giving it up! We ran out of time, so if you have a corset question I didn't answer, be sure to email Jane at info@seamslikemagik.com. Or if you have comments on this blog - let me know!!

No presentation is complete without visual aids and I am usually willing to demonstrate the proper removal of a corset. And of course, tightening or donning a corset also. Of course. You have to put things on before you can take them off.

I stayed with friends from Montana and our uni days. Thanks a bunch for food and bed and tech talk! My friends also treated me to some fabulous food. My fave was Rodizios's Brazilian grill with its many new treats for my taste buds. They offer a buffet full of unusual side dishes along with roving BBQ spits. Each table has a little signal cylinder and when you have it positioned correctly (I never did quite get the hang of it but was allowed to eat anyway) the guys come by with food on BBQ spits and offer slices of delicious grilled things like sirloin and pineapple. Yummy!!! For entertainment, we read the autographed plates on the wall and found we were in such august company as Rulon Gardner, Linkin Park and best of all - Darth Maul. Sometimes the sheer synchronicity of life astounds me.

BTW - the Jazz played a block from the Conduit hotel and won on Saturday night. By then we had moved on to sushi and were safely away from the crowds. Yes call me a coward, I can live with that title as long as I don't have to fight my way through basketball fans during playoffs. Drink beer with them, maybe.

Across the street from the sushi was a condemned building that was the site of a massive community art project. All visible surfaces, inside and out, were decorated and soon to be destroyed, in the finest traditions of transient talents through the ages. People were hanging around and drinking wine and continuing to paint. Much fun.

The week after Conduit was full of socializing. Does that make me a socialist? John Galt where are you now? Relatives stopped on the way back from Montana, friends from the Tri-cities, also someone with a nifty new project who bought me dinner not once but twice (thanks - but next time…). Kind of a unique concept, a project that doesn’t involve a costume. The week ended with a full day of recreational sewing, which translates as something new for me to wear. Woohoo!

By a series of fortunate events, two of my sisters will be in South America this summer – Chile and Peru – with a niece planning Brazil for the fall. In order to chat with my very long distance sis, I have been assimilated and am becoming IM proficient. I have always favored telephone calls and actual voices but it is true, resistance is futile. As I might have guessed, simultaneous conversation results in some “odd” communications. As a side benefit, I have other new IM friends to play with! Although phone calls are still excellent and will definitely remain in my repertoire. Guilty pleasure for today - I must admit I like to dress my avatar - go figure.

Last week was cloaks cloaks cloaks! What would you call a group of cloaks? A clutch of cloaks? Nah, doesn’t quite flow. A cloister of cloaks? Hmmm, too sedate. A caravan of cloaks? Reminds me of camels but not quite right. How about a carousal of cloaks? I have a carousal of cloaks to keep you and your special someone warm and dry during those brisk mountain nights.

I also have new silly hats, a goodly stock of leather boots, some new leather sporrans to go with the Kommando Kilts, and new skirts and bodices. Stop by and try something on!

Hope to see you soon.

Jane

The Merry Month of May

2007-05-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

Hmmmm, got interrupted by "things" and didn't get this posted before I left for Conduit, but here it is anyway.

It's May and according to the song I should be out gathering ... mmmm you know ... whatever. Instead, my life has recently been disrupted by plumbing problems. To think that a superior sewer like myself should have to halt her life to get a sewer fixed! (groan) Unfortunately the line from the house to the main need to be replaced. Fortunately, it wasn't very far and not very deep. Unfortunately they couldn't start for several days - Monday afternoon. Fortunately that gave me a guilt-free (well mostly) excuse to spend a weekend away from home without working. Once again I was welcomed to my home-away-from-home in the Tri-Cities - thanks guys! We took the opportunity to watch some Firefly and cheer for the Hero of Canton and ogle Captain Tight-pants.

Saturday was spent at the Desert Fiber Arts Spin-In. I had a wonderful time - potluck lunch with tasty treats, lots of kinds of fiber/wool/spinning things and many spinning wheels. I practiced and am becoming uh maybe not proficient but "better" at making thread from wool with my drop spindle. I think my favorite for the day was watching flax spun into thread on an antique linen wheel. sigh. Someday I will be able to do that. I also bought some scrumptious fibers to try out, resisted buying some of everything I wanted, and am making plans to try out the inkle loom with some of my own yarns. Resistance was only possible because no camel fiber was for sale.

Next I made a flying trip to Portland for Mothers' Day before going home to watch them trench my driveway to find the sewer line. The Columbia River Gorge was lovely - probably the loveliest time of year - all green and budding and blooming. The wind was howling up the Gorge and slowed me down a bit but couldn't stop the sunshine and beautiful vistas.

Turns out the old line had a z-shape. Interesting but not something I recommend you try at home.

Back in Ritzville the weather has turned beautiful. I am sorry to have to admit that my productivity has suffered. Well I would be sorry if I weren't so happy to have warm sunshine! I step onto the porch to check the weather and end up spending a couple of hours cleaning up and planting in my yard. I mean to go back in and sew. Honest! But the sun and greenery beckons from beyond. I love spring and summer! There is still a lot of work to do but my yard is starting to take shape out there. Many thanks to the Thrivent volunteers who came and helped with weed pulling and whacking.

The other wonderful thing about spring and summer is fresh food! I am living near the asparagus capital of the USA and am able to buy it by the side of the road. Asparagus is soooo easy to roast. Just snap the tough bottoms off, rinse the stalks and lay them in a single layer in an oven-safe pan with at least low sides aka roasting pan. Drizzle infused olive oil over it - my favorite is cilantro or maybe rosemary. Possibly garlic. For more yumminess, crumble feta cheese on top of the asparagus before roasting. Roast/bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 F. This is done when you can poke the asparagus with a fork. I like mine somewhat al dente, if by any chance you ever roast some for me. Serve hot or cold. Roasted asparagus makes a tasty snack and adds flavor to salads anytime. Now I'm hungry!

No new photos to post but here is the link to photos of the wedding I kept telling you I was working on - http://homepage.mac.com/cvinson2/charlescat/. Very lovely and the fabrics are so sumptuous. Thanks to Cat and Charlie and photographer Cara Vinson for letting me share these photos.

Now I need to go finish up a few things to ship tomorrow. And sort out things for Conduit. And deliver some skirts. And load for Conduit. Oops - let's not forget to review the Corsetry 101 presentation and make sure the laptop and backup file are ready to go.

See you all soon!
Jane

Mi Casa

2007-05-16T15:28:00.000-06:00

MAY 2007
5/25-27 Conduit, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah. http://conduit.sfcon.org/. Saturday at 4 PM, Jane will be presenting "Corsetry 101" at Conduit. Come learn about the myths, legends, history and construction of corsets and why corset making counts as three-dimensional design engineering. (Check Conduit program for confirmation of time and room.)
5/25-27 Opus, Denver, Colorado. Look for Seams Like Magik in the Fashion Show. Sorry we won't be in the Dealers' Room. (Cloning turned out to be...mmm....like having a split personality.)
JUNE 2007
6/12-17 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington. http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm
JULY 2007
7/14 Ritzville Blues, Brews and BBQ Fest, http://www.ritzvilleblues.com/
AUGUST 2007
8/4-5 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washingtonhttp://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/11-12 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/18-19 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington

May turns out to be my "At Home" month. I hauled everything out of the trailer and the van... and the house and.....everywhere else I had stowed things. I set up all of the racks and sorted and hung and tagged and sorted again.

Although I love historical recreation, I must admit that mixing historical eras and/or fantasy is one of my guilty pleasures. Above, I am wearing a Victorian corset in Chinese silk brocade with an Irish leine and (unseen) a black embroidered Middle European skirt (for my Hungarian/Magyar roots). Oh yeah - and modern spectacles and those Northwest standards - Birkenstocks. And...under everything....hmmmm.... maybe that's enough information.

Once I had everything out it seemed a shame to just repack, so on May 5 and 6, Seams Like Magik held an Open House in Ritzville. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo (and because I like them!), I made fruit salsa, corn salsa and guacamole to go with the chips, breads and veggies. mmmmhhhhmmmm. Several of you asked for the recipe for the fruit salsa. It is one of those things that never turns out the same, and rarely even starts with the same ingredients so feel free to experiment. But you know that is kind of my life motto!
Saturday was also the Ritzville Quilt Show and many of my new neighbors stopped by and chatted. Thanks to John for guarding the food while Sue and I made a flying visit to the quilt show. Wonderful display - colorful, detailed, whimsical, elegant - so many beautiful quilts!

Sunday was quieter and I had time to drink fresh ground French Roast (no adulterants, thank you) and work on my daily double of crosswords before I resumed tagging and sorting. In the afternoon, I found some willing victims and we played dress-up. On the left are some of the new hakama paired with vintage kimono and haori. Putting it all together reminded me that I really want/need a lesson in obi, cords and other kimono accessories. sigh. soon.

Next on my list was completing two custom corsets and providing lessons for wearing. More fun! Life is so entertaining if you give it half a chance.

Please note the subtle but clever insertion of camels into the photos. Although it may be too subtle to be clever in this size image.
Stop by and see me soon!
Jane

info@seamslikemagik.com

Fruit Salsa - Camel style
1 cup each of 2 or 3 kinds of fruit, cored or pitted and chopped - mango, peach, papaya, strawberry, pear (??), kiwi, pineapple, blueberry, oranges, etc. Fresh is best but you can use frozen or canned. I usually use whatever is in season. If using canned fruit, drain juice first
2-4 large crunchy apples, cored, chopped fairly fine, peel left on - Braeburn, Granny Smith, Gala or similar
1-5 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped. Use gloves and don't touch your eyes! Canned, diced peppers may also be used.
1/8-1/4 cup kirin (rice vinegar) apple cider vinegar may be substituted
1/4-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4-1/2 cup orange juice
1/4-1 tsp cardamom
tomatillos if you have them, chopped
This is a great recipe for a food chopper or processor. I use a hand chopper which sometimes frightens the neighbors but is great for stress. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl or storage container. If you want to control the zing, set aside some of the jalapenos to add later. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 2 hours - overnight. Taste and adjust cardamom and zing again before serving. The jalapenos will taste stronger after marinating.

Serve with large, crispy tortilla chips. Don't be surprised if your guests load each chip with lots of yummy salsa. Fruit salsa can be stored in the refirgerator and is usually pretty good for a week. It is also great with quesadillas, grilled or baked fish and with pork tenderloin or chops. Use your imagination and add the salsa to other dishes for new taste treats! Remember - feel free to experiment!

Back to Boise

2007-05-07T21:36:00.000-06:00

UPCOMING EVENTS - have questions or comments? Email me info@seamslikemagik.com

MAY 2007
5/25-27 Conduit, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah. http://conduit.sfcon.org/. Saturday at 4 PM, Jane will be presenting "Corsetry 101" at Conduit. Come learn about the myths, legends, history and construction of corsets and why corset making counts as three-dimensional design engineering. (Check Conduit program for confirmation of time and room.)
5/25-27 Opus, Denver, Colorado. Look for Seams Like Magik in the Fashion Show.

JUNE 2007
6/12-17 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,
Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

JULY 2007
7/14 Ritzville Blues Fest, http://www.ritzvilleblues.com/

AUGUST 2007
8/4-5 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/11-12 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/18-19 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington

I don't think I ever got a chance to write about the spectacular custom chain mail headpiece I got last year. Bruce with Maillestrom really did a terrific job. It is anodized aluminum rings in fire tones with camel jewelry added. Hey you knew there had to be camels somewhere! This is me we are talking about here.

In March I went back to Boise for Anime Oasis. It wasn't snowing (much), but in the middle of Oregon, just as dusk was falling, I lost my trailer lights. So I pulled into the well-lit small town downtown and got out the toolkit. I can only say the move did not help the organization of the toolkit. Many thanks to Tim, long-haul trucker who took pity on me and offered an extra set of hands and a fresh brain and helped me get the lights on so I could continue to Boise. Late but I got there.

Mike provided lots of help to get me unloaded the next morning and sent over Kai-chan and Dee, who helped watch the booth so I could have lunch - thanks to all of them. Anime Oasis once again proved to be the highest concentration of energy at a con. Lots of costumes, including the concatenation of fannish style below in pink. Jeremy does a terrific job of pulling all this together and I guess next year there will be an extra day to satisfy the Idaho anime-niacs.

Last, but not least, on the right is another style statement from one of my personal favorites. Most of you know her and know why she is so much fun to have around. She's wearing a fuzzy purple ear hat by Kaia and red glitter sideless surcoat made by her mother.

I need to get back to work but will try to post again next week. I still haven't figured out how to avoid spam classification when I send out email updates so those are NOT being sent. Truthfully I haven't taken time to research it yet. The fabric calls and I must go!
Hope to see you soon!
Jane

And then it started snowing

2007-05-02T23:16:00.000-06:00

COME VISIT US AT ONE OF OUR UPCOMING EVENTS!

MAY 2007
5/5-6 Seams Like Magik Open House in Ritzville, 10 AM – 4 PM each day. Stop by and chat! Have a bite to eat, I am doing Cinco themed snacks. Come around back to the shop building and keep me from talking to myself!
5/25-27 Conduit, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah. http://conduit.sfcon.org/
JUNE 2007
6/12-17 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington. http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm
JULY 2007
7/14 Ritzville Blues Festival, Ritzville, Washington

April was ummmm hectic/schizo/busy. We started the month with the cloning of Seams Like Magik at Norwescon and SakuraCon. We all survived and some fun was had. I totally forgot to take photos, but hey, you can't have everything. The staff shared some great meals, some great confusion and we all survived.

I can never say thank you often enough, but in my mind there is no doubt Seams Like Magik could not flourish without help from friends and family. Kaia and Tim, Thea, Lizz, Terri, Sue and John, Thread Girl (aka Jessica), Dee - you all made it possible to be in two places at once and I think you are all still speaking to me. You've helped me before and you are wonderful!!! Thank you. Many others have helped other weekends and I couldn't do it without all of you.

Back in Ritzville, I finished up some fabulous wedding garments. The fabrics are sumptuous and the trims and embellishments set it all off! Bride, groom, groomsmen and bridesmaids - there is a whole lot of thread here!

I am pretty sure I slept sometime before I hit the road again. 400 miles from home I realized - no clothes racks. Costumes - check, mirror - check, tool kit - check, corset samples - check, laptop - check, racks - back in the shop. So I made a quick stop at my Denver supply house, bought three new racks and proceeded on. Starfest had Leonard Nimoy as a guest this year and the crowds proved he is not forgotten. The booth was busy but I had lunches with friends and slept as needed. Traded Firefly quotes with some Browncoats and picked up a quark t-shirt. Oooooh and I was the happy receiver/participant of some most excellent hugs. mmmm, gotta love it.

Did I mention I was in Denver? And do you remember what happens in Denver? Yup, as I loaded up to head north, it started snowing. Big fat heavy flakes, low visibility and wind. Ironically, by the time I hit the Montana border, I was north of the storm and it was clear and sunny. Montana was green and .... well, warmer than the last time I was there. Visited some college buddies (started to say old college buddies but none of us is completely happy about that tag), lunched with my Grandma, visited with more family and cruised scenes of ... uh ... old times. Some say I had a misspent youth, but then there is the other adage about not letting opportunity pass you by! And Carl promised not to tell too many people.

In Bozeman, I happened across a wonderful shop with cottons from the 1700's-1950's. Reproduction Fabrics, look for their web site, they have some really fabulous patterns in quality fabrics. They are right next door to the Yarn Shop with weaving and handwork supplies. And.... next door to a mineral/rock shop that had the most cunning stone mortar and pestle. It followed me home to be used for grinding fresh spices and currently sits next to its older sibling, the herb smusher. Rounded off my trip home with the obligatory stop at Wheat Montana for yummy bread and lunch in Missoula. What a wonderfully leisurely week.

More news later - must get ready for the Open House. Cooking, unpacking inventory, rugs on the floor, you know the drill.

SEEMS LIKE....

2007-03-29T16:49:00.000-06:00

Seams Like Magik Schedule

APRIL 2007
4/5-8 Norwescon, Science Fiction Convention, Seattle WA
http://www.norwescon.org/portal/
4/6-8 SakuraCon, Anime Convention, Seattle WA http://www.sakuracon.org/
4/ 20-22 Starfest, Media Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO http://www.starland.com/

MAY 2007
5/5-6 Open House in Ritzville, 10 AM – 4 PM each day
5/25-27 Conduit, Science Fiction Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah. http://conduit.sfcon.org/

JUNE 2007
6/12-17 Uprising War, Society for Creative Anachronism, Barony of One Thousand Eyes,
Firth, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
6/29-7/1 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington.
http://home.comcast.net/~greenwood_players/index.htm

SEEMS LIKE…

…January and February went awfully fast. Interstate moving is “interesting.” Snowstorms, plumbing, power issues, stowaway cat, anything to keep the boredom away.

My van – still in Colorado and the trailer - not moving yet either

I am sorta mostly unpacked. Key items are missing and long lost treasures have been “found” – this is real life after all. But I have high speed wireless, so life is good. In the midst of the chaos, I hit the big double nickel and celebrated at Red Lobster with friends. And sewed. Like the old adage says, the corsets must go on. And those chosen few who put them on tell me they are glad I kept sewing through chaos.

February was a full month. I stirred up some goodies and fed them to Ritzville neighbors at our Open House while everyone fondled fabric and tried things on. In the evening I was joined by a birthday girl and her family and yummy yummy homemade cake. On Sunday we really got the camera going. Are these guys having fun or what?

Next was Magickal Winter Weekend in Portland – very soothing and I had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting new people.

Radcon! As always, hordes of people, oodles of parties, buckets of Toxic Waste, not to mention the exchanges of pieces of paper for garments and accessories. Followed by more people, more fun and more everything. There were corsets and cuteness and cloaks and we have the pictures prove it. My son and his buddy helped with a record-setting load out time before heading back to Corvallis. And I headed home for a little rest.

At the end of February, I flew to Denver for a wholesale show. Shiny! Look for our new mini-maribou fans, excellent for tickling the unsuspecting. Swirly skirts in new colors. Jackets and dresses from China that pop with color and embroidery. And…. Wait for it…. Fans for the fans. Stayed with my new buyers, brunched with the bunch, partied with the hearty. Got the flu, lost my voice, kept my ears from imploding when landing, drove home, turned on the bed heater, plugged in the humidifier. “And so to bed”, as Sam Pepys so aptly said.

A Failure to Communicate

2007-01-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

My apologies if you have been trying to get in touch with me. My email has all been down!!!! And several other things have gone wonky so I am struggling with communication and productivity. If you sent an email to the aol account after 1/24/07, I probably did not receive it. Please resend it to info@seamslikemagik.com I believe I can get back into that account. Sorry for any frustrations this may have caused you. Please call me at 509-492-6246 if you need a faster response.

2007 Q1

2007-01-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
We will be sending future updates from info@seamslikemagik.com, so please add that address to your email list so it doesn't get put in the spam box. You may still get mail from the aol address, but I am in the process of converting.

The New Year is starting with a blast!! Seams Like Magik has officially moved to Ritzville, Washington. Ritzville is conveniently located off I-90, about an hour from Spokane or the TriCities, east of the mountains and Seattle. Our new address is:

Seams Like Magik
PO Box 462
Ritzville, WA 99169
Telephone (cell) 509-492-6246.

To celebrate the move (and the escape from the snow storms), Seams Like Magik is having an Open House in February, details below.
Keep watching this space. I intend to make time to post more information about activities and the move. But we all know what happens to good intentions!

Over the years, several of my friends have vowed to picket against cloning, on the assumption that cloning of me would not be "a good thing". To honor their beliefs, I plan to be in two places at once in April! So there!

Hope your new year has started out well. I look forward to seeing you soon!

2007 Schedule, Q1
February 3-4, 2007, 10 AM – 4 PM. OPEN HOUSE, 302 E. Third Ave, Ritzville. Saturday and Sunday, Drop by, have a bite to eat, try on a cloak or a kimono. Buy a wand for your fairy or boots for your pirate, Watch for special Open House sales!

February 9-11, MAGICKAL WINTER WEEKEND, Portland, Oregon. www.magickalwinterweekend.org

February 16-18, RADCON, Pasco, Washington. www.radcon.org

March 16-18, ANIME OASIS, Boise, Idaho. www.animeoasis.org

April 5-8, NORWESCON, Seattle, Washington. www.norwescon.org

April 6-8, SAKURACON, Seattle, Washington. www.sakuracon.org

April 20-22, STARFEST, Denver, Colorado. www.starland.com

Winter Schedule 2006-2007

2006-11-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

November 2006

11/17-19 Orycon Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention, Portland, Oregon. http://www.orycon.org/orycon28/index.html

December 2006/January 2007

WINTER DOLDRUMS CORSET SALE info@seamslikemagik.com

February 2007

Magikal Winter Weekend, Portland, Oregon

RADCON, Pasco Washington

October 2006 Update & Schedule

2006-10-26T08:43:00.000-06:00

Greetings,

MileHiCon this weekend, October 27-29!!! Be sure to visit the Dealers' Room and check out our new stuff. We now have fuzzy eared hats, elf hats and darling little pixie hats for the bebe's, all custom-made here in Denver. I was up in Boulder last week for Terry Pratchett's appearance and stopped by Vintage Kimono. I added imported haoris and kimonos to complement the beautiful brocade kimonos I just finished. And if you need to accessorize your Halloween costume, check out our hats, boots, cloaks, gloves and fans. Or if you need a whole new costume (hint, hint). MileHiCon is crammed with interesting things to do and, as usual, Seams Like Magik will be contributing to the mayhem. Friday night I'll hold the mandatory camel tribute party at the hotel; check our booth for time and room number. On Saturday at 1:00PM I will be presenting Corsetry 101, so stop in and learn the truth behind the legends. And I'll be herding fans around to the fan tables and being a loyal minion, although I have been warned that cringing will not be tolerated.

The fall was ANIME, ANIME with Kumoricon in Portland and NanDesuKan in Denver. Very different conventions, but lots of fun. We also went to Wichita, Kansas for the Great Plains Renaissance Faire. Fortunately, history did not recreate itself and we made it home without a blizzard-invoked stay in Limon Colorado.

The new web pages are up and running. Our new logo is by Denver artist Laura Givens! New colors, new photos, new links. It's all soooooo exciting. Many thanks to Laura Campbell and Mike Brust for all of their hard work on the new site. Who says nepotism doesnâ€™t work? We are still adding things but come check us out. We are especially eager to add photos of our clients, so if you have a picture of yourself in your Seams Like Magik special, send it to us. You may also start using our new email address info@seamslikemagik.com. The old address will still work for awhile, but be sure to add the new email to your address book so you get the next newsletter.

The big news for the winter is - we are moving! Circumstances have joined forces to push us west. New events added in Washington, changes in the Colorado situation. By January 2007 we will be relocated somewhere in eastern Washington - Ritzville, Lind, Washtucna, etc. I checked out some retail spaces and the prices are right for expanding our space (think more sewing, more machines) and adding a retail showroom (think corset events and special sales for our clients). I will miss living in Colorado, but the Northwest folks are enthusiastically welcoming us. And we will definitely be back for NDK, GPRF and MileHiCon. Oh, yeah and Starfest and who knows what else. With as much travel as we did this year, we will spend almost as much time in Colorado next year. So don't think you can get rid of us! And a trip to Colorado could easily become a way station to the Garment District in New York. Check the web site for updates. We will make sure the telephone number, mailing address and email keep working through the transition. Upside - huge upside - less travel, more time to sew!!!

In honor of the move, and to keep from toting as many pounds, we will have some real bargains at MileHiCon. Look for the sale signs as we reduce inventory for the move! MileHiCon will also feature our WINTER DOLDRUMS SALE. Beat off those winter blues with a new corset! $50.00 off of the price of a custom corset delivered in December 2006 or January 2007. Quantities are limited so get your deposit in early to get on the list. Payment in full is required prior to delivery; discount will not apply to payments made after January 31, 2007. Offer not available to customers who take their own measurements.

Below is a list of our upcoming events and travel. If you would like more information on parties or events, or would like to find out if we carry a special item you are looking for, please email us at info@seamslikemagik.com or call us at 303-549-7568 (10 AM-10PM Mountain time).

While it has been a great year and wildly busy, reality does continue. Please join me in adding Carol, Richard, and other friends in need to our thoughts and prayers.
Stay warm, savor the moment and embrace tomorrow,
Jane

Jane Campbell, Designer/Owner
Seams Like Magik
PO Box 221494
Denver, CO 80222

OCTOBER 2006
10/27-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

November 2006
11/17-19 Orycon Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention, Portland, Oregon. http://www.orycon.org/orycon28/index.html

December 2006/January 2007
WINTER DOLDRUMS CORSET SALE. info@seamslikemagik.com

August Update and Schedule

2006-10-23T09:32:00.000-06:00

Greetings,

Time for a quick update as we get ready to head out into the great Northwest again. We have added Kumoricon in Portland, Oregon for Labor Day weekend.

Ye Merry Greenwood Faire was, once again, wonderful. We had a shaded spot under the trees with views of the Seattle Knights and the river. The thermometer topped out at 105 degrees, but the company was good, sales were brisk and I had enough helpers to be able to eat meals on a regular schedule. We used some of our parasols and fans to keep from melting and drank lots of water. I borrowed a Panther period pavilion for a test run and it worked great, so you can expect to find us in larger quarters next season. The stilt man somehow got all 10 feet or whatever of himself under the center of the pavilion but requested taller sides next year! I am happy to say that there are 7' sides on the pavilion I have on order.

I did LOTS of sewing in July, including trying out some new ideas that had been floating around in my head. Life is always better when I can be more creative. I made major inroads into my stash of yummy fabrics so be sure to come see us if you get a chance. We now have many sizes, colors and styles of shirts and breeches. These are great for re-enactment even if your idea of re-enactment means being Captain Jack. I couldn't resist trying out some of the new corset fabrics so I squeezed a couple of those in between custom orders. And dresses. And capes and cloaks. And dance skirts and harem pants. And.... but don't take my word for it, come try them on at an event! I restocked the ruffled skirts, boots and hats annnnnddd we have many new Asian clothing items. Don't forget to try on one of the eared fleece hats, just in case you end up on an anime panel at your next convention. These are custom-made, one-of-a-kind from Kaia!

The web site upgrade is coming along well. We needed a few drawings so I talked to my friend, Laura Givens, about art. Well, one thing led to another and we now have some wonderful original art by Laura for thematic logo and for mail outs. Oh yeah, and for the website. To experience Laura's art, go to her website at www.storesonline.com/site/581321/. She also sells at www.cafepress.com/lauragivensart/. Of course, when we were showing off the art at brunch today, someone (you know who you are!) asked how soon the t-shirts would be available. Oy oy oy. Maybe this fall? I like the idea, but the fabric stash is calling me. Jane, it says, I want to be a cloak, please let me grow into the gown I was meant to be, feel me fondle me. Oh wait that could have been another voice. And you thought Stephen King was creepy.

Below is a list of our upcoming events and travel. If you would like more information on parties or events, or would like to find out if we carry a special item you are looking for, please email us at SeamsLikeMagik@aol.com or call us at 303-549-7568 (10 AM-10PM Mountain time).

Hope to see you soon! I love the Northwest but it will be great to be back in Denver in October for NDK and MileHiCon. (subliminal message brought to you by the MileHiCon Dealers Room Minion. Visit the dealers room. Often. Buy shiny things and pretty things and strange things, buy many, buy, buy, buy)

Bye for now
Jane
Jane Campbell, Designer/OwnerSeams Like Magik

AUGUST 2006
8/5-6 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/12-13 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/19-20 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington

SEPTEMBER 2006
9/2-4 Kumoricon, Anime convention, Portland, OR http://www.kumoricon.com/
9/30-10/1 Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita Kansas
http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/index.htm

OCTOBER 2006
10/6-8 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
10/27-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/

June 2006 Update

2006-09-27T11:40:00.000-06:00

Greetings,
Holy cow! I just looked at the last update and realized I am waaaayyy overdue. My bad, but some of you can take partial credit – for keeping me so busy with events and orders that I haven’t had a chance to write!
March and April were spent in the Northwest, starting with Anime Oasis in Boise. This was one of the highest energy cons I have attended – halls were crowded and cosplay was everywhere. Next I spent some time in Pasco WA but came down with a stomach bug that carried over into Sakuracon. Sakuracon was a new experience at the Washington State Convention Center. You definitely want to be in good physical condition for this one but it is worth it for the tremendous dealers displays and the beautifully detailed costumes. Award for the weekend goes to the hardy souls who staffed the booths on either side of the dance game demo! The demos ran continuously with ever-changing wannabes and never-changing music. We were far enough away to enjoy the spectacle without being able to hear it over the roar of the crowd. Our new coolie hats, dragon hats, parasols and kung fu fans were seen adorning a wide range of anime niaks. Huge thanks to Tim, Kaia and Lela – the champions in the Seams Like Magik booth through a KeystoneKop style load-in and an ailing Jane during the weekend. Highlights included eavesdropping on an argument in a booth of 20-somethings over who kicked the most butt – Captain Malcolm Reynolds or Jack Bauer. Well, duh, definitely Mal – he’s sneakier for one thing. And cuter. Did I mention tight pants?
After Sakuracon came a much-needed rest and sewing break back in Pasco. Fortification for our first Norwescon! If you have never been to Norwescon, start your planning now. Loads of fun, something like 8,000 fans of ALL ages. panels, dealers, video, more, and more. And of course the obligatory Washingtonian trips to Tully’s or Starbucks. Plan to arrive early and park. And stay parked. By Saturday, every lot within a couple of miles of the Seatac hotel was full. Saw lots of old friends, made some new friends, including a medal-winning adult figure skater. Many thanks to the rotating booth crews of Brian/Shannon and Liz/Micah. Brian worked long and hard but evened the score by serenading us with electronic wands in stereo.
Starcon followed fast on Norwescon so we sprinted for home through the rain for Denver’s premier SF media event. The booth was visited by a most excellent Jack Sparrow and Badger, both of whom admired our thigh high leather boots. I searched the dealers’ room thoroughly but could not find a life-size Mal Reynolds doll. My sister Laura, who helped me in the booth, thinks I am becoming obsessed, but I classify it as “a healthy interest”.
May slowed down a little with Opus Fantasy Arts Festival in Denver (lots of old friends) and Conduit (some old, many new friends) in Salt Lake City. Kilts are slowly catching on in Denver and Opus gave me the chance to use “expelliarmus!” on students from the Academy of Magic. Corset orders shot up in May – delivery of custom corsets is now into September! While re-ordering brocaded silks to meet the demand, new brocades in blues and golds were added. Stop by and check out the fabric samples next time you see us!
Whew, almost caught up to the present. June took us to Uprising XX(SCA Barony of Thousand Eyes) in the mountains of Idaho. I settled in for a relaxing weekend of catching up with details and people, some henna and a little filking or belly dance. But we had black felt hats! And boots! And cloaks and shirts! Linen chemises! Fans, parasols! They slogged through the rain and sauntered in the sun to buy. I did find time to get an awesome double dragon henna from Malynda at Hand of Fatima. Good news for Denver – Malynda, Mani and Amanda are again bringing henna to MileHiCon this fall. Treasure Cast was there and I took the opportunity to stock up on pewter clasps, buttons and buckles, including several new designs.
Being a glutton for punishment, I have also been supporting a complete remake of the Seams Like Magik website. You may soon be seeing a totally new look – new server, graphics, layout, photos and “more”. My web design crew is going to give me easier access for schedule and blog updates and you will have better access to us and our products.
We are in Pasco WA now, prepping for Ye Merry Greenwood Faire this weekend. The forecast is sunny and hot and we have lots of new items. Come see us at the Faire and treat yourself with a ruffled skirt or a flapping dragon hat!
Below is a list of our upcoming events and travel. If you would like more information on parties or events, or would like to find out if we carry a special item you are looking for, please email us at SeamsLikeMagik@aol.com or call us at 303-549-7568 (10 AM-10PM Mountain time).
SCHEDULE AND TRAVEL
June 6-11 Uprising War, SCA, Ririe, Idaho http://uprisingwar.org/
June 24-25 Ye Merry Greenwood Faire, Richland, Washington http://greenwood_players.home.comcast.net/
July In Colorado, watching the World Cup Finals. And sewing. Heck, maybe even catch up on sleep.
August 5-6 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
August 12-13 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
August 19-20 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
Enjoy your summer! The longest day is just past and life is short. Come visit our booth or call me.

March 2006 Update

2006-09-27T11:39:00.000-06:00

Greetings,
Welcome to the Seams Like Magik E-Update!
March is kicking off with chocolate! If you are in the Denver area, please join us at West Side Books on Sunday, March 5 for CHAMPAGNE, CHOCOLATE AND CORSETS. Seams Like Magik will be featured at West Side Books with corsets in sensuous fabrics and a variety of sizes. From 4:00PM-7:00 PM, a corsetier will be available to assist people in trying on one of these terrific corsets. All corsets will be available for purchase amd custom corsets can be ordered. Gift certificates are also available. At 5:00 PM Jane Campbell, corsetier and owner of Seams Like Magik, will present “Corset Basics”, everything you always wanted to know about corsets. Jane will talk about corset myths and history, corset construction and styles, how to fit a corset and more! And there are lots of wonderful books – hard-to-find titles, favorites and exotics. Many Colorado writers are also featured there.
Scarlet’s Faire in Oklahoma City was lots of fun. We pigged out (literally) at our favorite BBQ place , where they have the best ribs, pickles and variety of sauces I have found since I moved out of Florida. While in Oklahoma, I also connected with RenBoots and we are now carrying the knee-high or thigh-high boots at affordable prices. These are sturdy leather boots with solid soles. I wear my tall boots frequently and love the yummy look and feel of all that leather! Kim also loaded us up with Kommando Kilts. These modern kilts come in two lengths, have sexy leather straps and are completely washable. And we all KNOW why they are called Kommando Kilts, now don’t we? Quick, hand me that fan over there!
In February, we headed for the Northwest. The Magikal Winter Weekend offered us a warm welcome, luxurious lodgings and lattes every morning. Life doesn’t get much better than this. After the obligatory visit to Fabric Depot in Portland, it was on to Pasco for sewing and prep for Radcon. Radcon remains one of my favorite cons and the Toxic Waste flowed freely!
Below is a list of our upcoming events and travel. Don’t forget, if we are in your area, it is always fun to host a corset party. Your friends get to try on our custom corsets and you can earn credit to buy yourself a corset! Do stop by and see us when we are in your area. If you would like information on parties or events, or would like to find out about a special item you are looking for, please email us at SeamsLikeMagik@aol.com or call us at 303-549-7568 (10 AM-10PM Mountain time).
SCHEDULE AND TRAVEL
March 5 Champagne Chocolate and Corsets, Westside Books, Denver CO
March 17-19 Anime Oasis, Boise ID
March 20-April 12 In the Northwest – Contact me to schedule a CORSET PARTY!
March 23-26 SakuraCon, Seattle WA
April 13-16 Norwescon, Seattle WA
April 20 Corset party and presentation with Thea Hutcheson. New corset games to play, new corsets to sample
April 21-23 Starfest, Denver CO
Best wishes for the New Year! I look forward to seeing you soon.

January 2006

2006-09-27T11:32:00.000-06:00

Greetings,
Welcome to the first Seams Like Magik E-Update! We hope to get these out once a quarter with occasional updates with special information.
For those of you in Colorado, the big news is “Coffee, Cookies and Corsets” at the Denver Book Mall on Sunday, January 15 from 1-4 PM. Jane will give a presentation on “Corsets 101” at 2 pm and you will be able to try/buy/order a corset. Stop by, have a snack and don’t forget to check out the wonderful book dealers!
It’s been a busy winter with lots of sewing. The next time you see us, look for new items in lots of lovely fabrics. The buying trip in the Northeast was fabulous. Jane spent time in Philadelphia’s Fabric Row and more time in New York’s Garment District. Sadly, the spree ended when she ran out of cash. We stayed with lovely folks in Sayre PA, saw a bit of the countryside and ate some great food. Buffalo hot wings, mmmmmm.
Seams Like Magik is now carrying pewter clasps and buttons from Treasure Cast in Boise Idaho. The workmanship is wonderful and the designs are terrific. Plus Stephen and Bonnie are great people. We are also still carrying the handcrafted pin-on clasps from Redwolf LTD. The various leafs in silver, copper and gold are great for even the heaviest cloaks.
Below is a list of our upcoming events and travel. Don’t forget, if we are in your area, it is always fun to host a corset party. Your friends get to try on our custom corsets and you can earn credit to buy yourself a corset! Do stop by and see us when we are in your area. If you would like information on parties or events, or would like to find out about a special item you are looking for, please email us at SeamsLikeMagik@aol.com or call us at 303-549-7568 (10 AM-10PM Mountain time).
SCHEDULE AND TRAVEL
January 15 Coffee Cookies and Corsets (1-4 PM), Denver Book Mall, Denver CO
January 28-29 Scarlet’s Mid-Winter Renaissance Festival, Oklahoma City, OK
February 3-5 Magikal Winter Weekend, Portland OR
February 6-16 In the Northwest – Contact me to schedule a CORSET PARTY!
February 17-19 Radcon, Pasco WA
March 5 Champagne Chocolate and Corsets, Westside Books, Denver CO
March 17-19 Anime Oasis, Boise ID
March 20-April 12 In the Northwest – Contact me to schedule a CORSET PARTY!
March 23-26 SakuraCon, Seattle WA
April 13-16 Norwescon, Seattle WA
April 21-23 Starfest, Denver CO
Best wishes for the New Year! I look forward to seeing you soon.

Schedule August-October

2006-09-26T14:58:00.000-06:00

AUGUST 2006
8/5-6 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/
8/12-13 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington
8/19-20 Washington Renaissance Fantasy Festival, Gig Harbor, Washington

SEPTEMBER 2006
9/2-4 Kumoricon, Anime convention, Portland, OR http://www.kumoricon.com/
9/30-10/1 Great Plains Renaissance Festival, Wichita Kansas
http://www.greatplainsrenfest.com/index.htm

OCTOBER 2006
10/6-8 Nan Desu Kan, Anime Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://www.ndk.cc/
10/27-28 MileHiCon Science Fiction Convention, Denver, Colorado. http://milehicon.org/