So who is The Stitchkateer?

Well first of all I am a colorful woman. I'm not meek and I am often quite outspoken. I often warn new friends not to ask question to which they do not want honest answers. I tend to deliver the truth as I see it without any sugar coating. I tend to say what I mean and mean what I say. My inspirations as a young girl were along the lines of Mae West and Maya Angelou.  I love historical recreation and have spent as much of my time in the Society for Creative Anachronism as I can manage.  When I started in the SCA 30 years ago I was too young to know that 16th century French dresses are supposed to be difficult to sew.  I was blithely cranking out box pleat skirts and lace up bodices in my first few sewing projects at age 12.

Mae West via last.fm

I have also been blessed with a curvaceous figure. I like it, men seem to like it but the clothing industry doesn't seem to care that people come in different shapes and sizes.  I am well aware of how difficult it is for someone who is not "average" to find clothes that fit comfortably.  Often for me if they fit one area of my body they don't fit the other parts very well. I will admit now that one reason that I sew custom items is so people can get things that are comfortable and fit no matter what their measurements.You will find that the items I offer in my shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheStitchkateer ) that are premade are typically for larger sizes. I can also do small sizes. I have a friend who is tiny enough to have trouble finding clothing in the adult sections, I can accommodate that too.

So part of who I am and why I do what I do has to do with both the people I've associated with in my life and the schooling I've had. I have done 8 years of college as an Anthropology major, looking at why do people do what they do.  My high school sweetheart turned out to be gay. I sent him off to be true to himself with every hope that he would have a happy and fulfilled life that I could not give him. It hurt because I really cared but I also know that is not a choice one makes it is who one is when they are born. The only choice there is either to be who they truly are or live a miserable lie. I've had many friends who don't fit the average box very well. I've had it explained to me all that goes into cross dressing, by a friend who needs to do that. It's not easy living that kind of double life, nor is it easy to find sexy beautiful clothes in large sizes as the fashion industry does not believe that people outside of a certain weight/age/gender are allowed to be sexy.  There are also some items that are specialized and in my opinion more comfortable when custom made.

Then as an Anthropologist and a serious Girl Geek it dawned on me that all the costumes at Sci-Fi Conventions were a variation on this theme.  Clothing is a way for us to express our inner selves no matter how out there it may seem to others it is an expression of something deep inside.  That is important. Many people don't think about it much, but what we wear shows our thoughts about ourselves. Giving ourselves permission to go that extra step and do Cos-play, Sci-Fi conventions, Steampunk Societies, or historical recreation is expressing something important about us. This is why I do what I do. I am in the business of helping people to express themselves to the world no matter what that expression is.  I would love to to alternative weddings and such. I think the black dress from Legend would make an awesome Goth wedding dress (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4-JnB3QQs4). And wouldn't Bowie's outfits from Labyrinth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VppuD1St8Ec&feature=related) make awesome men's formal wear?  I love the feeling of seeing someone over the top happy because they have finally expressed to the world what they've always wanted to be. This is why I do what I do.