Premium denim is very popular and expensive, but it can be altered without compromising its appearance.  A common problem with the fit of jeans is that the waist is too large.  Women have to buy the size that fits their hip, which often results in a large gap at the back of the waist.  This can be resolved without changing the character of the jean.  The waistband is removed in the back of the pant and the side seams adjusted slightly, replacing topstitching as needed.  The waistband is taken in at the center back which creates a seam which will be hidden under the belt loop. The waistband is sewn back on easing in the excess fabric, and the topstitching is redone with thread matching the original color as closely as possible. 

The original hem on jeans can also be sewn back on, saving the distressed finish that the jean comes with.  That distressed, worn look is the reason that premium demin costs as much as it does!

Trust your denim to Nonpareil Studio-we’ll make it fit you perfectly.   Find us at 318 S Ashley, in downtown Ann Arbor, between William and Liberty.  734-327-1837    www.nonpareilstudioa2.com

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Interior Design Style And Colour Use For The Home Office

There are two ways that you can go about selecting the general decor of your home office: either follow the style that prevails in the rest of your home, or treat your office as an individual space. Choosing which way to go is a simple task requiring answers to only a few questions.

> Has your home been decorated in one style that is visible throughout?

> Is your office easily visible from other rooms/areas of your home?

> Does your work suggest a style of its own?

Based on the questions above, here are a few simple ways to help you easily achieve a pleasing decor in your home office.

If you are going to treat your office as a part of your home, using the same decor and style, your job is already half done. But remember, you don’t have to use the exact colour scheme or mood. You can modify what you see outside your office to blend smoothly. For instance, you can reverse the main and accent colours; you can use the same colours but in different proportions; or a different level of formality. Because you are decorating an office, it is likely that you are going to want to treat the style differently than how it appears in other areas of your home, and this is normal. Don’t be afraid to create a variation in the atmosphere — it is only the general style you are aiming to respect.

For a home office that is open within an area of your home, you are going to have to be a little more cautious. In this case, you must respect the style seen around your office, but at the same time you should definitely aim to create a sense of separation between your work space and living space. Visual separation does not mean building a wall; it means creating a new environment within the existing one. Some ways of creating visual separation include changes in ceiling height and/or floor level (a step up or down); a room divider placed to look decorative rather than confining; colour changes such as reversing the main and accent paint colours used on the walls; and furniture placement.

Placing furniture in a way that the layout separates space is fairly simple, but don’t forget to play with your ideas on graph paper first or else you may find yourself still rearranging while you should already be at your desk. Consider using a large bookshelf
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or storage cabinet as a room divider — the back of it can be decorated with fabric, paint, a collage… or place furniture back-to-back to create the sense of two separate zones. Keep in mind while you are working on the layout that you don’t want to feel that your office is, for instance, in the back of your basement — it is at the back of the basement. Just as words can be played with, so can space.

A home office that is to receive a style of its own is a fun thing to work out. You should aim to have a bit of who you are visible in the decor, while creating a visual sense of what you do. This is not a cubicle in a large office complex — this is your office. If you have a love of bold patterns, classic cars, angels… incorporate them into the decor even if they have nothing to do with what you will be doing in your office. At the same time, your office should say more about whay you do that “I work at a desk.” What do you do at that desk? If you are in the computer business, have things around that suggest that, like an enlarged and framed comic strip that has something to do with computers. If your office is actually more of a workshop and you do clothing alterations, incorporate your supplies into your decor: display spools of thread in a rainbow-like pattern, hand a rod a few inches from a wall and drape some fabrics over it for an ever-changing backdrop. If you work in the travel industry, have a model plane suspended, and display items or pictures symbolic of some of your favorite destinations; if it won’t get in your way, have a beach ball in your office, or make a “sandbox” to hang on the wall by gluing sand to the back of a shadow box and gluing small shells onto the sand.

When choosing the colours for your office, there are a few basic points to consider. Yellows, reds, and other very warm colours in large quantities can cause you to feel thirsty. Blue is very relaxing, but be careful not to choose a bland grey-blue that can actually lead to feeling tired or restless. The best way to go about selecting the colours for your office is to choose three colours; use one as a main colour (for instance on the walls), another as the main accent colour (visible in a pattern on a rug, drapes, desk accessories…), and the third as an accent colour appearing only in splashes here and there (such as flowers in a vase, a couple of photo frames…). At this point your colour scheme is set, and all you have to do is keep in mind some basic points of colour psychology. A dark ceiling will feel very low; mirrors and reflective materials make a space feel larger; too many colours, especially bold ones, can cause a feeling of clutter even if there is none.

A final point on the topic of colour and style: materials such as woods, stone, and metal can be incorporated into any colour scheme — although they may affect the style, they will not clash. A natural pine desk will certainly give a different look than a mahogany one, but either will match any colour scheme; ditto for stainless steel and brass, and marble and concrete.

Look for the final article from this 4-part series on home offices: Lighting and Window Treatments for the Home Office.

Have a Luxurious Home on a Tight Budget

Luxurious homes, inevitably, evoke one word from every aspirant of a luxurious home. And that is – ‘expensive’. Normally, luxury homes are viewed from the amount of money invested in furnishing these homes. We tend to believe that royalty of luxurious homes come from money. But, very conveniently, forget that some astute thinking and of course, little money can transform our homes into a royal castle. In fact, if we trace the journey of some of the luxury furniture, we can easily find out that the things that were commonplace in ancient homes have been rendered luxurious in the form of antiques. So, present day’s luxury is yesterday’s normalcy. So, why not try to make it a present day’s normalcy?

The first thing to take care of is to avoid buying fakes. If anti
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ques are your choice to bring in luxury to your home, never settle for cheap furniture or look-alikes. For instance, an exclusive Amish made furniture could be your ideal choice but never get duped by unscrupulous dealers, who make a quick buck out of the ignorant buyers. Always opt for a reputed dealer of Amish furniture who provides adequate guarantees and warranties on your purchase. Similarly, if dealing with Antique furniture dealers, always choose the one who has a good reputation both online as well as offline.

The next thing to plan is the art works. While expensive paintings by renowned painters may be out of your budget range, you certainly need not lose heart. A beautiful oil painting or water-colored painting can be an impressive alternative. The artwork need not be a “branded” one. The important things are that the painting should (a) gel with the overall scheme of the room; and (b) not look like a poor replica of some original artwork. As long as these two conditions are met, the “brand” won’t matter much.

Flooring comes next. A decent priced wool carpet or stone tiles can provide the look and feel of luxury to your home. A carefully crafted handmade carpet is any day better than artificially created custom-made flooring.

You must be extra careful while spending on furniture requirements. One thing about luxury furniture is that it acts like a seductive temptress. You have to be extra careful to resist the temptation of spending too much on luxury furniture items. A better option is to look for the reproduction pieces manufactured by furniture makers, like Baker Furniture or Century Furniture. Kitchen with granite finish can be inexpensively royal.

Affordable luxuries also come at a price but this should not daunt you, as the satisfaction of having a luxurious home is much more valuable than affordable luxuries. Apart from buying new items, you can also mould your existing furniture into a luxurious outlook. Silk pillows and tapestry finish are good options for affordable luxury. Decorative and inexpensive plants could lend the oomph factor in the drawing room. And most importantly, never clutter your home with excessive furniture. Always allow some breathing space in your rooms.

By: Smith Chen

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Smith Chen is an author and internet marketing consultant .

Find more about Antique Home Furniture and Modern Outdoor Furniture

Skydiving: Skydiving Equipment – Knowing Your Jumpsuit

Appropriate equipment is vital if you want to try or even pursue the sport of skydiving. Your jumpsuit is considered to be one of the most important equipments that you’ll need to take a dive. If you’re new to the sport, you should learn some certain jumpsuit essentials first before you go off on a jumpsuit shopping spree. Here are some of the things you should consider when buying a jumpsuit.

To Get A New One Or Not? To get a new equipment or a used one is actually more of a financial choice rather than something to be done out of fear or a want to impress. This doesn’t only apply for jumpsuits but other equipments as well. If money would not be a problem for you, then obtaining all these toys would be an exciting game for you.

However, if like most people, your finances took a big bite from finishing your recent skydiving course, then your mortgage is already due yet your salary is still 2 weeks away, then you’d probably have to deliberate on buying equipment based on your budget.

To think of it, there is no point when you have all brand new gadgets but have no money to pay for the jump itself. There’s nothing wrong in purchasing used gear or even a mix of old and new. In fact it can be a good way to save up for this new obsession of yours!

Something About Jumpsuits

Having a well fitted jumpsuit, that is customized for your fall rate requirements and the type of skydiving jump you’ll be doing is valued in gold, and is most likely your shopping lists’ best value for money item. Initially, you may think that the price is very expensive just for a clothing item. Nevertheless, for sure you’d appreciate its value in terms of its excellent materials, durability, and workmanship.

What’s So Special About Jumpsuits?

Generally, formation skydiving jumpsuits are custom made starting from materials used up to its measurements. The industry’s best manufacturers would usually sponsor a top team that provide them research and development feedbacks. The suits made are regularly updated and modified from the recommendations that are based on numerous tunnel hours and thousands of jumps. Those suits that you should avoid are the ones that are cheap copycats of the originals in which their manufacturers do not even know how to jump.

First Suit Tips

It is hi
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ghly recommended that you buy your 1st suit from a dealer, instead of measuring yourself. Generally, dealers would provide you excellent advice about the suit type, which is most appropriate for your fall rate and skydiving requirements. Additionally, they would take expert measurements. Plus, they would also consider what you’d be wearing underneath your jumpsuit to make your suit a much tailored one.

Dealers also show you colour fabric swatches coming from various manufacturers and would assist you in picking out your jumpsuit options. If ever you have any alterations, it would be in their expense. In general, suits would take 8 weeks to be done, unless if you want a rush order. Factors like time of the year also matter on how long your suit would finish.

However, if you do want to take measurements by yourself or ask your friend to do it, it’s important to take note the weight vests and warmwear you’ll be wearing.

By: Nicholas Tan

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Nicholas Tan has been involved in Article Writing, providing Free Articles, Internet Marketing, SEO, Adwords, & Adsense for more than 5 years and designs and develops websites. Submit your free articles and get your articles noticed! Get your Free Articles here! Submit Articles! We provide free articles and information. Check us out at Free Articles!

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Home Based Businesses On A Beer Budget

While working from home is the quintessential American dream, financing the entrepreneurial spirit has the potential to quickly turn into the prototypical nightmare. After all, there is equipment to be purchased, licenses or permits to be applied for, and probably also a fair amount of advertising that needs to be bought and paid for. Some entrepreneurs have resorted to desperate acts of financial gymnastics, but more often than not these are too dangerous to contemplate. Yet even in light of this bleak picture, did you know that there are two home based businesses you can start with less than $75?

For example, if you have a talent with needle and thread, if fabrics are your world, and if your eye for colors, patterns and material rarely steers you wrong, then becoming a seamstress and freelance fashion designer may be right up your alley! The odds are good that you already own a sewing machine or – if you still stitch by hand – a well equipped sewing kit. Take $75 and put together a professional looking portfolio of your work and print up some business cards. Include in the portfolio pictures of your niece’s first communion dress you made, your daughter’s holiday outfit, the dolls’ clothes you might have put together and anything else that you have crafted as a gift or simply in your spare time. Shop around this portfolio to bridal shops, dry cleaners, and other places where clothing alterations may be needed. Start a website and advertise handmade dolls’ clothing or whatever other garments you want to make. As the profits begin coming in, gradually upgrade your equipment.

If you cannot tell a sewing needle from a knitting needle, do not fret. If you know you way around the kitchen, you may have a promising career as a caterer ahead of you. Begin by catering small events for your friends or family. As you gain exposure for your business, do not plan on making a lot of money right off the bat, but instead focus on having the cost of the food paid for and perhaps make a little extra to put toward advertising. Prepare beautiful spreads that stand out, take copious pictures, ask your friends for some quotes of praise, and put together a professional portfolio. Print up business cards and spend $75 to advertise in local advertising directories. Start out small but try for the slightly larger events, such as wed
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ding receptions, the church picnic, or your spouse’s company party. The trick to this business is the gradual development of a clientele and the word of mouth advertising that will cause your business to grow by leaps and bounds.

Even as starting your own home based business may seem complicated and might even appear to be out of reach, remember that by deliberately graduated growth you will have the chance to make it big in workable steps – none of which will require funds you do not possess!

By: Daniel Blask

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Daniel Blask is a Home Business Guru writes on a variety of other subjects also. To learn more about this topic and others like it Daniel recommends you visit:

www.AsSeenOnNews.com
&
www.BigMoneycentral.com

There are few big and beautiful people who can carry themselves well, despite their bulk. Not everyone will feel confident when wearing dresses that are oversized, even if their body size demands such dresses. Women who are on the bulkier side often try and fit into clothes that are few inches smaller, so as to hide this discomfort and are in need of clothing that they can feel confident about wearing.

The term ‘plus size clothing’ is not a new concept. There are many women who do not appreciate the word, though there is nothing unpleasant about it. The fact that the term does not reflect something favourable, could be the possible reason for the discomfort.

Women as a rule love shopping and they feel happy and contented when they shop, not only for themselves, but for the family as well. If a woman feels comfortable when she wears a new outfit, her face radiates joy and contentment. Everyone loves to look good and feel good. It is not about being slim; it is your attitude and the grace with which you carry yourself, that has an influence on your mood and confidence.

One of the reasons for plus size clothing becoming more acceptable is the change in the standard of living and the lifestyle of people. Obesity and overweight people are increasing day by day and thus the demand for such clothing is also increasing. There are many people, steadily needing sizes above a 14, thanks to unhealthy lifestyle choices combined with a poor diet. It is not a surprise therefore that obesity is the most common ailment faced by this generation.

Different companies have different size parameters. Manufacturers are coming up with varied concepts that are less intimidating. Women’s clothing has been segregated into two sections, such as Misses Sizes and Women’s sizes. This has succeeded, to some extent, in toning down the expression of “plus size clothing” and is often more acceptable to people. Another term that is commonly used is ‘Generous’, which is also for larger sized women and men. Making slight alterations in the way the clothing is defined and projected makes large sized individuals feel less embarrassed and make them more inclined to shop for clothes without hesitation. This helps to attract more business and is a nice way to market large sized clothes.

With the increasing awareness of, and challenge to look attractive, designers are coming up with trendy designs even for heavily built people. This allows everyone to flaunt their outfits confidently.

You can look and feel great, even with a fuller figure, if you consider following some of the simple tips below:

- Make sure to wear perfect fitting clothes. Bigger people presume that loose clothes will make them look slimmer, however the opposite is true. Ill-fitting clothes will make you look larger than you really are.

- The colors chosen have an impact on your personality. Larger people may also look a lot slimmer when they wear black or navy blue, plus size clothing. A well-tailored outfit could shift the attention and highlight those wonderful, natural features that you have, and those that make you the beautiful person that you are.

Spirito di Artigiano offers a wide collection of stylish Italian plus size clothing for women. The collection includes plus size women’s trousers and plus size dresses in sizes 14-28. Browse the entire Spirito collection of plus size clothes at the Artigiano website

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Recycled Paper, Sustainable Forestry And Bleaching

How is paper made?

Most paper is made on large machines using a revolving wire mesh called a deckle. A pulp solution of 5% fibres and 95% water is dropped onto the mesh and the water falls through leaving the entwined fibres behind. The fibre mat is dried as it is passed over large heated cylinders and forms into paper. As it runs down the machine, the paper surface is smoothed by adding starch and clay fillers. At the end of the deckle, the continuous sheet of paper is wound onto large rolls, later to be cut into sheets.

Pretty well any kind of fibre can be used for making paper, from silk to plastics. Traditionally, cotton rags were used to make high quality paper, but in the last hundred years rags have been replaced by softwoods – such as spruce, pine, fir, larch and hemlock – as the main fibre source, with the occasional hardwoods, like eucalyptus, aspen or birch. The trees are mechanically crushed to produce a rough quality paper fibre. More often, the wood is cooked with a chlorine or sulphite solution that breaks down the wood fibres by removing lignin, the natural glue that binds the fibres together. Chemically pulped paper is often called ‘woodfree’ because the lignin has been removed. Papers that still contain lignin will tend to yellow as they are exposed to sunlight, so ‘woodfree’ papers are preferred for all quality office and printing grades of paper.

Why use recycled paper?

As over 50% of all landfill waste is paper-based, the act of recycling turns a major waste product into a practical resource. To make recycled paper you do not have to crush or cook wood to get the fibres, as paper has already gone through this process the first time, so there is a large saving in energy and pollution. Used paper can simply be dropped into a vat of water and the fibres will be released for manufacturing new paper. Heavily-inked papers will have the ink skimmed off or dispersed away to make a greyer coloured recycled paper, whilst lightly-inked office papers and printers’ off cuts can produce whiter recycled papers. A single paper fibre can be recycled about five times before it becomes too short to make a strongly woven paper. Yes, in the grand scheme, virgin paper still needs to be harvested and produced to provide a recycled fibre source, but the ratio sh
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ould be around 20% virgin to 80% recycled, not the other way round, as it is at present.

When calculating the energy consumption/ carbon footprint of recycled paper, some producers include in their calculations the energy spent in the collection of the used paper, to show recycled paper has a higher energy footprint than virgin grades. In reality, the collection of used paper happens anyway, as it is taken to landfill through local waste collections. Therefore, the energy used in collecting used paper is not an additional energy usage derived from the recycling process; instead, the energy used in waste paper collection and disposal should be added to the environmental cost of making virgin paper.

In general, we should all be wary of quantitative assertions that one action or another is more or less environmentally beneficial. All these calculations are open to manipulation by interested parties and reflect current social and market powers. Nature operates through sustainable cyclical processes and we should also make a qualitative judgement about supporting similar cyclical processes, like recycling.

Sustainable forestry

In response to the demand for environmentally responsible papers, virgin paper manufacturers have chosen to certify many of their papers as being ‘sourced from sustainable forests’. As the use of recycled fibre is the most logical environmental option, it would have been better for these manufacturers to start using more recycled pulp – but this would have required considerable investment in new machinery. It would also undermine the advantage that virgin pulp producers have in passing on the cost and responsibilities of disposal. In effect, local council collection services and recycling schemes are subsidising the virgin paper manufacturers, and so increasing their profits.

The certification of European virgin papers as sustainably sourced changes nothing about how these papers are produced. The vast bulk of virgin paper fibres in Europe come from Scandinavian and North German softwood plantations. These forests are often owned by paper producers and have been a sustainable source of fibre for the European paper industry for over a hundred years. Ironically, even the sustainable forest certification schemes recognise that recycling is the best environmental solution for paper production, and have introduced recycled content papers under their forest certification labels to reflect the environmental value of recycling, even though they can never be sure what forest a recycled fibre comes from. One has to ask why the forestry certifiers are bothering to certify European paper products, when all it is achieving is undermining the demand for recycled papers?

Recently, there has been an increase in imported papers sourced from newly planted eucalyptus trees, prized for its high fibre yields. These are often certified with sustainable forestry and/or zero carbon footprint labels. Eucalyptus itself is a fast-growing, invasive tree originating in arid areas of Australia. Its speed of growth can be attributed to its large root network that draws up tremendous amounts of water and nutrients from the surrounding area, through transpiration. The result is that other vegetation is unable to grow near the tree, and the soil becomes rapidly degraded. Also, due to the volatile and highly combustible oils in the leaves, a densely packed plantation presents a serious fire risk.

There are active environmental campaigns in Portugal and South Africa where Eucalyptus is being grown on agricultural land for paper production. Not only are eucalypts damaging the land for short-term export gains; they also use up land much needed for essential food crops. An important lesson is to be learnt about environmental sustainability here, where we mustn’t just myopically focus on carbon dioxide emissions, but instead we need to think more holistically, and logically: just because a new tree is being planted, this does not mean the environment is
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benefiting – it depends what the tree is, and where it is planted.

Bleach and secondary whiteners

Many virgin fibre papers carry a ‘totally chlorine free’ (TCF) or ‘elemental chlorine free’ (ECF) environmental label. In paper manufacture, chlorine oxidants were used in the production of paper fibres derived from trees through the ‘woodfree’ process. In the past, many paper mills discharged effluents into rivers that were high in chlorine and sulphite pollutants, and this was the main environmental impact associated with paper production. But in the last twenty years, strict emission controls, and the realisation that the mills were just throwing away costly chemicals that could profitably be reclaimed, has virtually eliminated such pollution. There has also been a move away from sulphates and chlorine-based chemicals (linked to ozone layer destruction) towards more benign oxygen-based processes to extract the fibres. The vast majority of virgin paper is now chlorine free, and choosing a paper based purely on this criterion has very little impact on current paper production processes. Recycled paper cannot presently be classed as chlorine free, though, because you can never guarantee the source of all recycled fibres. Indeed, many recycled papers contain chlorine from used papers that were subjected to secondary bleaching when they were originally made.

Secondary bleaching is the use of bleaches and whiteners to improve the visual appearance of paper. Most recycled papers are not subject to secondary bleaching as it damages the fibres, and the maintenance of good fibre strength is essential to the creation of quality recycled paper. Recycled papers are generally either whiter or greyer depending on the source of the used paper itself. Recycled commercial waste and lightly inked office papers produce whiter recycled sheets. The lower grade waste sources – such as heavily printed magazines and newspapers – produce greyer recycled sheets. The availability of ‘high white’ recycled pulp is fairly limited and we would urge people to use lower grade post-consumer waste papers where possible, to make use of the mountain of waste paper sitting around. In practice though, greyer paper is much easier to read than high white papers that often contain optical brighteners (dyes that absorb light in the ultraviolet and violet region, and re-emit it in the blue region) that reflect light back into the eyes.

So why not lobby your office, business or organisation to use grey papers? Whiter papers aren’t better quality simply because of their colour. Indeed, once upon a time brown bread used to be regarded as poor quality, and white bread was seen as more refined and a premium product. Nowadays, we view white bread as cheap and inferior compared to quality wholegrain healthy brown breads. It’s just a question of perception, which can always be changed for the better.

We hope this information section has been useful to you as paper users and would always welcome comments and alterations from any customers or readers. Please read our ‘About Us’ page for more information on the issues concerning green and ethical businesses:

By: Jay Risbridger

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

www.greenstat.co.uk/storefront/evolution_index.html

If you are under five foot three inches, you probably come in the petite range. Some petites are small boned and some are plus size. Most clothes designers and departments have clothing range in the petite size in a variety of styles and designs. Petite women differ in sizes, so it may be that you might have to try several designers or brands before you find the best one that fits you. Some clothing items you buy, you might have to have slight alterations done to them. Alterations can be costly but sometimes necessary to get that perfect fit. Here are a few tips to get the best out of your figure.

Find a good and reasonably priced tailor who will do alterations for you when necessary.

Wear clothes that have vertical lines in them, such as a pinstripe suit, or a pinstripe shirt under same colour matching plain skirt or trouser suit.

Try to stay away for colour opposites that cut you in the middle such as a white shirt with a black pair of trousers. If you want to wear contrasting colours then wear it that the overall look is vertical such as a black suit with a matching black jacket over a white shirt. The vertical effect will give the appearance of longer length.

If you wear pattern then try to keep it small. As larger patterns will overwhelm you.

Try to avoid wearing anything horizontal, such as wide belts. You can though get away with them if they are the same colour as your outfit.

Wear heels if you are comfortable in walking in them They will add a couple of inches to your height. Try to avoid ankle strap shoes.

Sham.S has been writing articles for nearly two years. Her latest website is about nicole miller dresses where you can find the best deals on nicole miller gowns that you are looking for.

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Remember playing with dolls when you were a child? If you were like me, you had a Barbie doll or two in your toy box. Barbie was introduced in 1959 by a lady named Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel). Ruth named the doll after her own daughter, Barbara. In 1961, Ruth created Barbie’s boyfriend, the Ken doll, named after her son. Now, almost half a century later, Barbie is still in the hearts and toy boxes of children (and even adults) everywhere.

Our children today have more toys than ever. Electronic toys, video game systems, iPods, and computers are just the beginning. So much has changed in the world of toys since we were children but one thing that hasn’t changed is the simple love of the Barbie doll. Barbie today has new friends, new clothes, a new house, and even more new pets than she did 40 years ago. However, little girls today still enjoy dressing and primping Barbie to act out her fantasy life during playtime.

My grandmother was a seamstress. She would sew beautiful clothes and accessories for my Barbie doll collection. I had a suitcase full of her handmade creations and the kids in the neighborhood would come over so we could dress the dolls. I loved selecting the fabrics and picking out dress styles. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the clothes she made for my dolls were better quality than anything I could buy in a store.

As a teenager I became interested in sewing. Because my grandmother had passed, I was left to teach myself how to sew. I spent hours upon hours in front of my Kenmore sewing machine turning out beautiful creations. It came so naturally to me. Through the years I created clothing for myself and my family, window dressings, and decorative home decor items. I later spent about 5 years doing ready-to-wear clothing alterations for the general public. Then, about 10 years ago, a dear friend gave me the greatest birthday gift… a Barbie doll. Let me tell you, you are never too old to receive a Barbie doll!

While going through some old boxes during our last move, I found a box with many of the Barbie dresses my grandmother had made. The finding inspired me! I would make new clothes with today’s fabrics for my Barbie doll. What could be better than handmade doll clothes? They are hard to find in this day and age because people don’t have or make time to sew like they used to. As I began creating beautiful dresses, everyone who saw them wanted to buy them so I added them to my online craft store. I couldn’t believe the response. I have received so many emails from people who told me beautiful stories of their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers who handmade their doll clothes when they were children. I then knew that bringing back handmade doll clothes for today’s families would be the beginning of new traditions and would help create beautiful memories and gifts that could be passed down through generations. In a world where everything is so commercialized, going back to the basics with Barbie has reminding me of a wonderful time in my childhood. Now, to be able to provide that gift to others is a true joy.

Adrienne Hughes, seamstress and author of “Sewing Patterns Defined” lives with her husband and her Yorkshire Terrier in Texas. She has no affiliation with Mattel. She invites you to visit her online Barbie clothing store at http://www.sewingbyadrienne.com

Bringing Back Handmade Barbie Clothes

Remember playing with dolls when you were a child? If you were like me, you had a Barbie doll or two in your toy box. Barbie was introduced in 1959 by a lady named Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel). Ruth named the doll after her own daughter, Barbara. In 1961, Ruth created Barbie’s boyfriend, the Ken doll, named after her son. Now, almost half a century later, Barbie is still in the hearts and toy boxes of children (and even adults) everywhere.

Our children today have more toys than ever. Electronic toys, video game systems, iPods, and computers are just the beginning. So much has changed in the world of toys since we were children but one thing that hasn’t changed is the simple love of the Barbie doll. Barbie today has new friends, new clothes, a new house, and even more new pets than she did 40 years ago. However, little girls today still enjoy dressing and primping Barbie to act out her fantasy life during playtime.

My grandmother was a seamstress. She would sew beautiful clothes and accessories for my Barbie doll collection. I had a suitcase full of her handmade creations and the kids in the neighborhood would come over so we could dress the dolls. I loved selecting the fabrics and picking out dress styles. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the clothes she made for my dolls were better quality than anything I could buy in a store.

As a teenager I became interested in sewing. Because my grandmother had passed, I was left to teach myself how to sew. I spent hours upon hours in front of my Kenmore sewing machine turning out beautiful creations. It came so naturally to me. Through the years I created clothing for myself and my family, window dressings, and decorative home decor items. I later spent about 5 years doing ready-to-wear clothing alterations for the general public. Then, about 10 years ago, a dear friend gave me the greatest birthday gift… a Barbie doll. Let me tell you, you are never too old to receive a Barbie doll!

While going through some old boxes during our last move, I found a box with many of the Barbie dresses my grandmother had made. The finding inspired me! I would make new clothes with today’s fabrics for my Barbie doll. What could be better than handmade doll clothes? They
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are hard to find in this day and age because people don’t have or make time to sew like they used to. As I began creating beautiful dresses, everyone who saw them wanted to buy them so I added them to my online craft store. I couldn’t believe the response. I have received so many emails from people who told me beautiful stories of their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers who handmade their doll clothes when they were children. I then knew that bringing back handmade doll clothes for today’s families would be the beginning of new traditions and would help create beautiful memories and gifts that could be passed down through generations. In a world where everything is so commercialized, going back to the basics with Barbie has reminding me of a wonderful time in my childhood. Today, my greatest joy is knowing that my creations will be passed down through generations to come and that I have a hand in helping today’s children create memories that will last a lifetime.

By: Adrienne Hughes

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Adrienne Hughes, seamstress and e-book author of Sewing Patterns Defined lives with her husband, her Yorkshire Terrier, and her Barbie dolls in Texas. She has no affiliation with Mattel. She invites you to visit her online Barbie clothing store www.sewingbyadrienne.com and www.shopforbarbie.com.

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Ok so 3 more posts today that I’ve dug up – I’m an information JUNKIE on this stuff lately. Give em a browse and let me know what ya reckon. They’re just from a few different sites I’ve been surfing lately that are generally good for information like this…

Clothing Alterations and a Good Tailor: Style Essentials

Today, The Art of Manliness shared a practical post covering the basics of clothes alterations and tips for selecting a tailor. It's not something most of us think about on a daily basis, but definitely worth considering in light of the …

Custom Sewing and Alterations: Change the Dress

I have over 15 years of sewing and alterations experience. Work experience includes six total years in alterations shops, five of which were spent as head seamstress at a men's clothing store. After the birth of my daughter I struck out …

A Man’s Guide to Clothing Alterations :: Octofinder

tailor, man, jacket, garment, alterations, clothing, emails, fabric, want, shirt, sleeve, inches, skill, men, dress, alteration, look, work, suit, money,

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There are several different ways to go about prom dress alterations when length is an issue. Whether your dress is too long or not long enough there are a few options that you have to fix the issue. Some options are obvious, while others may take a bit of thought and ingenuity.

First of all, when you purchase a dress, it is very likely that you are going to have to alter the length. Most prom dresses are built to fit girls who are 5′ 9″, giving enough material for those who are shorter to work with when hemming them up. If you’re taller than 5′ 9″ then you may have difficulty finding a dress that is full length. Alterations can be done to increase or decrease length as needed.

To keep from having to alter your dress very much, you should make sure that when you shop for your dress that you’re wearing the same type of undergarments, especially bra, as you will at the prom. Wear the same type of shoes, or at least the same height of shoes that you plan to wear with your dress. This will help to ensure a better fit.

Once you have purchased your prom dress and you find that you need to make changes, it is best for you to find a competent tailor in your area. There are all sorts of alterations that can be made to your gown, and some of these are more complicated than others. Always remember to take photographs before leaving your dress with your tailor in case something happens to it.

If you only need to have some basic hemming done then any tailor will do. If you are concerned that you may need other alterations done to your prom dress then look for a confidant and competent tailor in your area. If the tailor appears nervous about working on your dress, find someone else.

If you are taller than 5’9″, you may need to add length to your dress. There are a few ways that you can go about this. First you can have the gown altered so that your it is mid-length. This can be frustrating for those of us who are taller and do not wish to wear a mid-length dress.

If you have your heart set on a full length dress, you can find some material or perhaps a shawl in a fabric that complements your gown. This fabric can be added to the length of the dress to make to repairs.

When using this method to make alterations, you should also add some of the fabric to other portions of the gown so that it doesn’t appear as though you tried to sew something to the bottom of the gown. An addition at the collar and on the sleeves as well as the bottom of the dress can make the repair less obvious.

One of the best ways of dealing with prom dress alterations is to not have to deal with them. If you are close to the magic height 5’9″ then you can wear flat shoes. Choosing a high/low hem where the hem is higher in the front than in back can make the length issues less obvious. If you do not want to deal with these issues at all, you can order your prom dress and have it tailor-made to fit your height. Instead of guessing what your height is, have a professional fitting by a local tailor. This will save time and heartache.

Visit us for more information on red prom dresses, jessica mcclintock prom dress and junior prom dress

Alterations Needed: Adventures in XS and 00 Petite Fashion: Why …

When the stylists put these petite J Brands on this tall model, did they not think she looked a little funny? I still don't understand why they don't employ petite models to model…drumroll please…petite clothing! Duh! …

wedding dress design « Wedding dresses,Gowns,Bridal gowns,Cheap …

HOME. design your own wedding dress – design your own wedding dress online … Wedding Dress Design We do high-quality clothing alteration for men and women. Call Vali's Alterations & Cleaners in Rocklin for suit and dress alterations, …

Cheap place for clothing alterations downtown?

I have a great pair of jeans with a broken zipper.. and I don't have much cash. Can anyone recommend a favourite place for alterations downtown? (I'm at Queen and University). Many thanks!

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Selecting a flower girl dress is an equally intense and exciting exercise as selecting a bridal gown due to the simple fact that a flower girl magnifies the whole occasion of wedding with her innocent beauty and angelic face. However, one needs to take care of certain aspects while buying a flower girl dress.

The most important thing that should be considered while looking for a flower girl dress is the price. Most of the times, the price of the dress is paid by the girl’s parents. Hence, the selected dress should be in accordance with their budget. However, the dress should be appropriate for the occasion. This task is often difficult to achieve as one needs to compromise on certain aspects if finances are a constraint. Alternatively, if budget is not a problem, the dress can be custom designed.

Boutiques specialized in children’s dresses should be proper destination for flower girl dress shopping. These shops have tailors who can help in making minor adjustments in the dress that are suitable with the child’s body frame.

Another important aspect that needs to be considered is the clothing material, color and the design. Usually, flower girl dresses are white in color and designed with full, ruffle skirts so as to give them a princess-like look. Apart from this, people can even add floral designs and hood slips. The material should be soft and silky. The gown should be selected keeping in mind the growing age of the child. It is better to add a few inches to the dress. Alterations are possible before the wedding if the child does not grow as anticipated.

Accessories are one important aspect that enhances the princess-like look of the flower girl, if properly matched. These include the design of her tresses, her shoes, stockings, ribbons and even her hair clips or tiara.

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Become a Seamstress

As a seamstress, you might decide to specialize in clothing alterations, costume design, adult clothing design, handbag design, or crafting children's clothing. In fact, you do not necessarily have to choose just one area of …

Alterations: How to Start a Sewing Business

… enjoying businesses one can start and profit from. I started my businesses doing alterations. I told a couple of my co-workers and not long after, every other day I was taking a co-worker's clothes home for alterations. …

Clothing Alterations & Accessories in Central St. Louis County …

This is a retail service business that does alterations for both men's & women's clothing, and accepts certain custom sewing work. The extensive customer base encompasses a broad range from senior citizens to grade school children. …

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I Don’t Enjoy Doing Dress Alterations

But, I did not think it would be too easy. I had to learn to do dress alterations because I could find no one else to do it. Since I have lost the weight, I need something smaller which will fit me. I enjoy clothes to fit correctly. …

Offbeat Bride | Bridal Fittings 101: advice from a former tailor …

Even some of the best tailors are not well-versed in radically altering clothes (i.e. turning Aunt Susie's long-sleeved 1950s number into a halter dress). Your wedding attire should not be someone else's learning experience, …. i think most people underestimate the value of dress alterations. i certainly didn't learn how important it was until i went through the process with my own off the rack wedding dress. i bought my dress at a very upscale department store for a …

Six Tips on Clothing Alterations: Do it Yourself

Dress alterations are usually required for readymade products, since professionally tailored dresses seldom need repair or remodeling, except when the body shape changes. An important point is that people choose their clothes with love …

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Plus size women often have difficulty getting stylish clothes and find that what is available in their size is more suited to older women. Many retailers do not realize that even young women are sometimes larger than what society deems to be the perfect size and do not stock a lot of different clothing styles in plus sizes. However, this trend does seem to be changing as some department stores have a separate section devoted to clothes for plus size women.

Plus size women can wear slinky dresses that accentuate their figures without accentuating their bulges and rolls. Plus size women purchasing womens plus size dresses, you should look for dresses that have an a-line shape. This style tends to hang better and is not gathered at the waist.

Suits with long tops and/or jackets are also very fashionable for plus size women that need to shop for plus sizes when it comes to clothing.

In the line of dress slacks, plus size women often have difficulty finding the right womens plus size clothes. Quite often they do need to have a seamstress make alterations because in order to get the right plus size for the waist line, the length is too long or the legs too baggy.

Women might also need to buy plus sizes in slacks in order to get a wider leg and need to have alterations made at the waistline.

The thing to remember when buying womens plus size dresses and other clothes is that you have to buy a color that suits you. Plus size women need to feel comfortable in the clothes they wear. When you wear something that is too small, it not only feels uncomfortable, but it also makes you look uncomfortable.

Wearing the right clothes to suit the activity is another thing that plus size women must keep in mind when shopping. There is such a wide variety of womens plus size clothes on the market that they can have the clothes they need for a workout at the gym just as easily as they can have that formal evening gown for a special occasion.

Plus size women no longer have to dress like an old woman just because they have a bit of extra weight. The variety of styles and fashions are designed to accentuate any shape and make you feel confident in your sexuality. Take a chance and buy something different – you’ll never know until you try.

Plus size women don’t need to be timid when buying clothes any more.

For a website totally devoted to Plus Size Clothing visit Peter’s Website Plus Size Clothing Ideas and find out about Plus Size Clothing as well as Plus Size Swimwear and more, including Plus Size Bras, Plus Size Dresses, Plus Size Lingerie, Maternity Wear, Wedding Gowns and Shoes.

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