Late to the Party

Sorry for slow-to-no updates lately, I've been super busy in the shop, keeping Rockin' B going. One custom dress was made and sent on it's way to the Cowboy Hall of Fame induction ceremony 2 weeks ago in Colorado Springs - I must say that my client looked smashing. One of my favorite Dale dresses got packed up and shipped to London last week to a happy new owner. Apparently, we're going global.

My summer intern and I have been hard at work developing two new styles for Rockin' B, one is an eight-gore swing skirt that flares ever so gently when twirled - the perfect dance skirt, with no danger of showing one's unmentionables while spinning around the dance floor. Then again - some people enjoy showing their unmentionables; I admit that I myself get a certain thrill out of shocking the more "buttoned up" swing boys by flashing my bright red dance bloomers on occasion. It's good for them. Most of them rarely see the outside of an engineering lab (my swing club is located at a very prominent engineering university... we're all a bunch of nerds/geeks, whatever you prefer).

In other news, my gallery show at K. Dees Coffee as been very well received, this week is the last it will be hanging. See it while you can! My exhibit was also featured in the paper, a full front page article in the "Living" section or whatever they call it this week - how exciting! Note goofy photo of me, squinting into the sun like a cave creature. It was a rather warm day out on that pavement, trying to get some decent photos with the photographer. Sadly, the link to the article is now long gone on the paper's website, I'll try to get the actual paper article scanned and posted - it was awesome!

Here's a brilliant blog post by Kristy Miley at Heart of a Home, she and I had a great chat-slash-interview a couple of weeks ago about everything vintage (and a bit about my exhibition/work). She took lovely photos of the work I have hanging at K. Dees as well, thanks Kristy!

Look, it's squinty me!

Photo copyright of Heart of A Home/Kristy Miley

In other news, I'm in the market for a tiny vintage camper/trailer. Anyone have a lead? Shasta, Scotty, Airstream, etc. By tiny, I mean 13' at the most. I'm looking to remodel, so beaters are preferred - though not too leaky. If you DO have a lead, email me at jess@rockinbclothing.com. Seriously! I can't wait to get my hands on one.

Besties,
Jess

Goodness Gracious

My little ol' blog got featured in the local paper today. How exciting!

The actual printed paper features a goofy headshot of my face. Awesome.

In other news, I would LOVE to someday make a quilt featuring heirloom Craftsman designs such as this one. However, I'm short on time, so it won't be happening anytime soon!

Over n' out folks!

~Jess

Summer Fun! New Shows, New Clothes

Howdy everyone, I've got a lot of exciting news about Rockin' B's summer schedule! We will be making appearances at several events here in the Midwest, and we are also opening our first gallery exhibition in downtown Lafayette, Indiana at the beginning of June. I've also got some quick preview pics of some new garments - I've been working hard on some beautiful one-of-a-kind dresses and skirts!

Please stop by and see us at BEATERSVILLE on Sunday May 30th in Louisville, KY. I'm very excited to be a part of such a cool event, and we will be sharing space with Saved Industries of Louisville. Beautiful clothes for vintage-loving people! We are also very excited to be meeting up with the folks who run Pinup Lifestyle - make sure to stop by and check out their fabulous site. They will be hosting a meet & greet at the Phoenix Hill Tavern during the show.

Rockin' B may also be appearing at the Road Rocket Rumble in Speedway, IN this coming June - the dates are June 24-June 27. I will keep you posted on developments with that, again it's a big "maybe" - but I'll let you know! Even if we do not end up vending, the show is FABULOUS and I will definitely be there as a spectator. Amazing bands, a great car show on Saturday, a live pin-up contest and lots of fun to be had all around. The Road Rockets sure know how to throw a party!

I'm also VERY proud to be presenting several one-of-a-kind garments from Rockin' B at a gallery exhibition in downtown Lafayette, IN - our new show is titled "Uptown in Cowtown". The show will be taking place at K. Dees Coffee and Roasting Company, opening reception will be Saturday June 5th at 6:30 PM. The show will feature one-of-a-kind garments and some of my working sketches. "Uptown in Cowtown" will be running through the end of July - please stop by and visit if you're in town!

(click to enlarge poster)

In conjunction with our K. Dees exhibition, we will be presenting a LIVE show featuring lovely models wearing Rockin' B, during the June 12th Mosey Down Main Street in Lafayette.  The show will take place at K. Dees, so keep your eyes peeled for our gorgeous retro-lovin' ladies working the crowd. Mosey starts at 6 PM, and we will be strutting our stuff throughout the evening.

On to the really good stuff:

Here are a couple of progress/work photos for Rockin' B's newest dress style. I'm really in love with this Asian-inspired floral print, and I've been using it in quite a few garments.

This first photo demonstrates my process for making custom piping (a bit tedious but worth it!):

This photo show the progress of the front bodice yoke on the new dress. Several layers, 2 different types of piping, pearl snaps - the whole nine yards! I love how that custom piping turned out...

That's it for now - stay tuned for more info and more photos of pretty dresses/skirts as Beatersville approaches! Oh yeah, and you should add us on Facebook - modern technology my friends.

Happy trails 'til next time!

~Jess

Happy Holidays, Looking Forward to 2010

Happy Belated Holidays to everyone, mine were lovely and I hope yours were too!

I'm definitely looking forward to 2010, there is so much promise and so many opportunities. This is really the first year that I've viewed the new year as a clean slate - usually my dates all roll together into one continuous blob of time. I'm starting off my year right with a few new photoshoots, which include both styling and modeling.

My husband Ryan and I sat down the other night at his urging and went over our 2010 goals, something I've never done before. I was reluctant, but I'm very much a list-oriented person; this is a good thing for me. Most of my goals revolve around Rockin' B of course, and from my year-long list I am going to break down a monthly list of smaller goals that will contribute to my BIG goals. I feel so much better when I write things out and pop them up on the wall!

I have a few of my big goals sorted out already. These include but are not limited to: be consistently wholesaling to 5 stores, book at least 1 tradeshow, tweak the Rockin' B Clothing website to integrate my blog and be more streamlined, and of course: complete my bathroom renovation.

Ok, so the last one isn't a business goal, but it's a big one for me. Our house is a beautiful 20s bungalow, with great woodwork, gorgeous details, vintage charm... except for the bathroom. Firmly stuck in the country blue/Laura Ashley/carpeted floor 80s! Ugh! I'm returning it to its former 1920s glory, with white beadboard, black and white tile on the floor, subway tile around the shower, new fixtures - and no more floral wallpaper. I've made a bit of progress towards this goal - I bought the floor tile. So... I just need to keep moving forward!

I'm optimistic and cheerful. This year I won't have a wedding to worry about, I don't have a brand-new house to worry about (as much), and I have my best friend/husband as the newest member of my household - life is good. I count my blessings every day.