A lot of really new exciting things going on for me over the next couple months!

Project Updates:

I just finished a men's cabaret/tribaret brocade vest for a delightful dancer located in Greensboro NC! The vest presented a new challenge to me because I have rarely had the opportunity to make things for men but I'm really pleased with how it came out (and hopefully my client is too!). I used a paisley patterned brocade and lined it with soft white lining for the base vest and then hand stitched some ornate silver braid in a swirl pattern along the front lapels of the vest and finished it off with a sequined trim that runs around the whole perimeter of the vest. Here's a picture!

My next project is making four base costume sets for the lovely ladies of Milagros' Level 2 class. We'll be performing at an April event hosted by Andalee! The base costumes are all black stretch velvet and consist of an open back choli (one of my designs) and a matching mermaid skirt under unique bedlah belts. I'm of course making my own bedlah belt (my first one!) and I'm really looking forward to getting my new serger humming!

In other exciting news, I will be performing with Heather Murphy of World in Motion at the Fullsteam Brewery Undulation Noveau event at the end of March. I've been to several of the bi-monthly events and have had a fantastic time but this is the first time I've danced at one! We'll be performing Heather's "Slow, Slinky, and Moody" Choreography (which is awesome) to Beauty Beats.

And yet ANOTHER exciting announcement (I'm just full of them aren't I?) I auditioned for World in Motions new troupe Esprit du Monde and I was accepted! It's going to be headed up by the incomparable Sara Beaman and will be a wonderful experience for me as a dancer!

Fan Page!

I have a FB Fan page now where you can check out what's going on in the world of Red Banshee. It will have information on where my duet troupe is dancing and where I'll be vending. I have been invited to vend at an event in May and if it works out it'll be my first 'real' vending (with a table and ALL!) experience. I'll keep you posted!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Banshee-Dance-Design/281712571887829

Like me? please please please?

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND MERRY YULE!!

I'm excited to announce that Santa brought me a professional Serger to tackle all those great stretchy knits people know and love! Having a Serger means that I can finish seams in a professional manner on shrugs, dance pants, stretch velvet skirts and tops, and a TON of other stuff!

I haven't figured out the limits of what I can do with it but I have to say I'm thrilled to be able to take on stretchy knits!

Merry Yule and Happy Christmas! Also, Paypal.

I know it's been a while since I posted ladies and gents and I appreciate your patience! I just wanted to announce that I stopped being lazy and finally set up a paypal account for my goods and services! Just send an email to redbansheedesigns@gmail.com!

I've had several projects over the last couple of months and below is a picture of a custom fitted dance vest I made for one of my wonderful clients! Hopefully soon I'll have some "in action" pictures of it too!

Vests are Best!

I'm very excited to be working on several projects at the moment, some for the business and some for myself. I'm currently experimenting with some vaudevillian fusion costuming and performance so expect to see many neat things coming in the new year!

Sketch!

I gained permission from my artist to share his preliminary work! Sebastian (http://sketchsomethingsebs.blogspot.com/)  is extremely talented and his attention to detail and artistic vision produce high quality work and his friendly and helpful personality make him a joy to work with! On with the show!

 Isn't that awesome?

Happy Halloween!

I haven't updated in a while but I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how everything is going! I have two new commissions from some wonderful ladies in my area and I'm very excited to be working with both of them! I will be designing a few Turkish vests (both short and hip length) and hopefully will begin to be able to produce them and keep them in stock!

Additionally I have found a wonderful artist who has done a few preliminary sketches for me for a Red Banshee graphic and I can't wait to see the finished product! If I get a chance to clear it with the artist I'll post the sketch here and you can get a sneak preview! If it comes out as well as I think it will, I'll definitely be using it on my business cards and website (when I get one eventually!).

Triboriginal was wonderful and everything I hoped it would be and I'm so glad I went! I think it's going to become a yearly tradition for me. The shows were absolutely amazing and some of the performances were positively stunning. I don't think I've ever cheered louder in my life. The haflas were fantastic, relaxed, fun, and open to everyone. There was music, wine, dancing, singing, and playing and I went to bed every night just humming with energy. I did get a few promo shots for my harem pants and I've posted a couple for you to check out! Kai was a great model (and she did it all for free!) and I'm very happy with the way they came out!

In other dance news, I performed my very first solo at the Colorful Waves (http://www.colorfulwaves.com/) Monster Mash hafla on Saturday. I was so nervous I couldn't even feel my arms through the whole thing and I was shaking like a leaf when I came off stage! But it was a fantastic experience and a whole new part of my dance journey and I'm thrilled that I had the chance to do it! Here's another picture!

 The photo was taken by the lovely and talented Monika Shakinovsky of Woodland Willow Photography (http://www.woodlandwillow.com/) . I made the entire costume though I didn't have a chance to really "do it up" since I was on a time limit! The bra and belt are from a different costume that I modified by adding gray lace over the glitter dot and adding a few chains to the belt.

That's all I've got for now, thank you so much for checking out my blog! (Psst: if you like it, feel free to follow it *nudge nudge wink wink*)

Joyous Samhain and a Happy Halloween to all!

-Red Banshee

Triboriginal, Random Thoughts, and Fun Stuff!

I'm preparing to attend my first Triboriginal Culture Camp this year and I am so excited I can hardly sit still! Triboriginal is going to offer me a great many opportunities both from a dance and business perspective. From a dance perspective it's jammed packed full of some of the most amazing dancers in the country (Kami Liddle? Julia "Spoon" Zay anyone?) and has a ton of classes on dance, drumming, and circus arts! Thinking about the wealth of talent and opportunity to study with some of these people gives me a little bit of a braingasm.

From a business perspective, this will be a great opportunity for me for several reasons:

1- Promo pictures FINALLY! I managed to con Kai into modeling some of my pants for me. She's such a good dance wife! I'm bringing two pairs of cotton prints, one pair of crepe back satin, and one positively GORGEOUS brocade that makes me swoon every time I touch it.

2- Marketing: This will be a fabulous chance for me to see what other crafters offer, how they price things, market their products, and what they bring to the table. Because I'm new at this, I'm sort of shooting in the dark on how to get the word out. I can deliver a consistent product that is affordable and looks fantastic but there's a lot more to it than just being able to stitch stuff together!

3- Networking, networking, networking. Because that's "where I'll be wearing my wares" (I love English) I'm hoping to get those great "Those are really nice, where did you get them?" questions. At which point I can grin and say "So glad you asked...actually..." and start passing out business cards. (Hmm, maybe I should add glitter to my cards. Glitter gets EVERYWHERE.)

Who knows, maybe next year I'd be ready to vend at something like Triboriginal!

On to the Random Fun:

Truth be told, this is the beer that inspired me to go with "Red Banshee" as my business name. I wish I could use the graphic too!

I promise lots of pictures when I come back, Cheers!