Author: theplushseamstress

Happy June!

Hello loves!!! Happy June!!!

I will admit, I have been MIA from most of my social media pages. Between travelling (I went to Wisconsin for an AMAZING regency-themed LARP called Lies & Liability), Mother’s Day, stuff at home, health things, and my two kidds with their school stuff, life has been beyond hectic. But also, when is it not? Haha!

So now we are in June, and I am stoked! June is my birthday month (I will be 40 on the 24th!). I will be hosting a Palm Royale-themed party! I have SCA events coming up too! As the Minister of Arts & Sciences for my shire, I am judging the A&S competition at our event: Tournament of the Springing Doe in Dover, DE, on 6/27, and of course PENNSIC IS NEXT MONTH! This means I have a TON of sewing to do for two kids who have outgrown everything. In between that, my son is graduating and going to middle school (excuse me while I sob!), I have events with friends and family, like Summerisle Burn, which is in two weeks, and just sewing for different events in general.

Oh! I forgot: I AM GOING TO COSTUME COLLEGE IN LA THIS YEAR!!!! I am considering making something to exhibit in the costume hall, but I still need to brainstorm. The theme for that is: “Matter in Flux: The Art of Unlikely Materials.” The site says:

This exhibition will present garments constructed from or using unconventional materials, where plastic, paper, metal, and other found objects become the building blocks of wearable art. Freed from the expectations of traditional materials, designers experiment with structure, texture, and form to challenge the conventional and experiment with artistic innovation. 

Now…I have an idea that I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time, just as a fun project. So with the power of ADHD and just a tad bit of mental illness, I might be able to get it done! So I will update with that later.

Okay, so what else?

Since it’s my birthday month, I am offering all sorts of stuff! Free members can upgrade to my $10 pen-pal tier for 40% off for the first month on my Patreon!

-AND-

I am offering 40% off ALL print orders in my print shop for the entire month! Use code 40FAB at checkout: https://marisataylorphotography.pixieset.com/artprints/

March Update

Spring is almost here! I don’t know how February went by so slow and so fast at the same time, but it did. And now we are pretty much halfway through this month!

Last weekend, I gave a presentation for a girls’ youth group mentored by my local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta. I taught them about Elizabeth Keckley, Ida B. Wells, and Ann Lowe. The girls loved it, and the adults agreed. I will post the full video on my YouTube in a bit (I still have two seconds to go in and caption because I forgot my microphone at home). In the meantime, here are Parts 1 & 2. I’ve also attached the PDF of the presentation at the bottom.

This month is jam-packed with creative things (as always!). The March letters for the pen-pal Patreon tier will be going out sometime this week. I also finally realized my (mostly done) website for my historical costuming and art, which is outside of my main photography website: www.TheMarisaZimmerman.com

The BIG project that I am working on is my “American Beauty” gown to wear to Dandy Wellington’s Easter Strut Party on 4/5. I became OBSSESSED with 1960’s fashion since watching Palm Royale on Apple TV, so I decided to scrap my original idea of a 1950’s gown (since you all know that I love vintage), and wanted to go with something from the 60’s. Then a friend posted Ann Lowe’s American Beauty gown (which I had the pleasure of seeing in person when it was on display at Winterthur Museum), found the pattern for it by Charm Patterns, and now I am knee-deep in fabric. One of the best things is that I already had all of the fabric for the gown and the flowers on hand!!! That was also a sign to start cataloguing my fabric better.

The gown is going to be made of ivory silk taffeta, and the roses and vines will be made from blush pink and hunter green duchess satin. I may pull out another shade of pink satin that I had to give the roses some more dimension.

My 4th annual tea party is in two weeks on Saturday, 3/28! And while I don’t necessarily need something new to wear, I’ve been DYING to make an Edwardian tea gown from the Ikea curtains that I snagged on sale forever ago. I figure it wouldn’t take too long to make a simple top and skirt, along with a new dip-waist belt and a hat. I keep saying that the shapes of Edwardian gowns look so similar to ancient Roman gowns, just cinched at the waist. So, time to experiment!

But for now, I am going to hop off and actually get to cutting pattern pieces and fabric!

Wrap up – #28DaysOfHistoricalDress

This year’s 28 Days of Historical Dress was a bit different than those that I have done in previous years. I totally didn’t intend on it, but I stuck with mostly vintage for almost all of February, and I actually enjoyed it! I think it’s one thing to have my historical ensembles already set to go, but putting together vintage looks daily from the vintage pieces that I already had (from my early years of obsessing with 1950’s fashion), and taking my more modern pieces to look vintage was a fun challenge to take on. I found that this year, I also really enjoyed the whole process of getting ready each morning. Typically, it takes me a LONG time to get in motion for the day, and unless I have somewhere to be other than running errands or picking up my kids, I am dressed in whatever loose and comfy clothing that I have in reach. Outside of my historical costuming, I tend to describe my style as that of an eclectic art teacher who is also a witch. So getting up when my alarm went off, styling my hair, doing my makeup, and all that became a morning ritual that I quite enjoyed. And to be honest, it definitely helped with my ADHD by kicking me into gear to do things in a pattern. I got A LOT done!

So here is the video of all of my looks for my challenge, and I am so excited for spring because I will DEFINITELY start making and wearing more 1960’s outfits (all thanks to my new obsession with the show Palm Royale on Apple TV)

Getting ready for Spring! (and beyond!)

So for now, I am going to keep this update relatively short, because A LOT is going on. But I know that with the way I am, if I kept waiting to write a proper post, then it would have taken me forever to get that done. So here are the cliff notes as to what has been going on:

1-I am booked for a speaking engagement next month in Harlem to discuss historical costuming, the roles and contributions of Black dressmakers (particularly Elizabeth Keckley) in historical fashion, and showcasing some of my ensembles! When I say that my flabbers were gasted when I received the call about it! I am so excited for this!!! And of course, VERY very nervous. I hope I don’t curse or babble on stage! When I have the official promotional material and such, I will share.

2-THIS upcoming weekend, I will be heading to Albany, NY to attend the Crown Tournament of Ryouko’jin and Indrakshi (who are AWESOME people, and this will be their second reign in the SCA), but I will also be officially taken on as an apprentice to my longtime friend, Duchess Isabella, who has reigned as Queen of the East Kingdom twice thus far. I have admired and respected her since I first joined the SCA, which was something like 13 years ago. She has always encouraged me and pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and expand my skills when it comes to costuming and service to the Kingdom. I will readily admit that I was speechless when she presented this opportunity to me. She has not taken on an apprentice in upwards of 20-something years, so this is a BIG DEAL for me, and I hope that I do her and my apprentice-siblings proud.

Over the next couple of days, I will be working on finishing my ensemble (16th c. Persian-which my persona is based on), and I cannot wait to share the process and the final look with you.

3-Since coming back from France and with the new opportunities and events that are unfolding in my lap, I had quite a few friends convince me to start another GoFundMe to help contribute and offset the costs that go along with my historical costuming journey. Things such as travel/accommodations for events, fabrics & materials, and the tools/equipment to document and share my projects and research will benefit from this new GoFundMe.

Support my GoFundMe here!

As some of you know, although I am a professional photographer who has had my business for 16 years – Marisa Taylor Photography, I am also disabled due to multiple chronic illnesses. So I have had to scale back how much physical work I do when it comes to photography (weddings being the main aspect), because I just can’t physically hold up to doing them longer than 2-4 hours. And then the recovery time after has gotten days longer compared to how it was before. For me, being down for the count for so long doesn’t do anyone any good, especially my family. It is a really hard thing to grow your business and watch it blossom, while knowing that you’ve already reached your peak and have to withdraw from it little by little. But that does not mean I am giving up photography forever, NOR does it mean I am giving it up at all. I am focusing my business on smaller, intimate weddings & elopements, along with my normal portrait photography, as well as my fine art print site!

You can check my site out here: https://www.marisataylorphotography.com/PrintSite/

I do think that that is all for now, or until I remember that I need to come back and update this with something else!

OH WAIT! (see, my brain loves to do the “OH SQUIRREL!” thing). Although I have had my youtube channel for YEARS now, I only recently started uploading more content to it, and try to do so on a consistent basis. If you are a Youtube user, I would greatly appreciate it if you could give my page a follow! Youtube – TheMarisaZimmerman

Until next time my friends!

Inspiration Board: Romantic Era Gown

I have said for the longest that the late 1820s-1840s era of fashion didn’t really appeal to me. But knowing how the universe likes to make me put my foot in my mouth, it really said HA! HOLD MY BEER!


My friend Robin of SewLoud is hosting her annual dinner, and it is themed after Young Victoria. It’s at the Joseph Ambler Inn in North Wales, PA. I’ve been to the last two, and have had such an amazing time. And the room accommodations and continental breakfast? chefs kiss


So with me not having ANYTHING other than a corset for that time period (that I actually found last night and surprised myself!) that a friend gave to me, I of course needed to make a new gown!
Since I received so many compliments on the 18th century Aidah gown that my friend Spencer (ThimbleRaven) made and gave to me, I decided to stick with jewel towns and go with emerald green. I mean admittedly, I look DAMN GOOD! PLUS! I’ve been dying to get me a pair of the Flora boots from American Duchess since they first came out, but could not settle on a color. So I believe I made the right choice. Plus, it matches my hair color!!!

These are from in front of the Louvre while I was in France for my art residency!

Back from France!

And oh my god, I don’t even have the words other than “freaking amazing!” I’ve been back a week now, and today is the first day where I feel that I have enough energy to dive back into my normal routine, in addition to cleaning and organizing the chaos that was caused during the reconstruction process, when a second pipe not only bursts when the heat was turned back on, 8 other cracks were found in the piping. PLUS, having to purchase a completely new furnace. It was A LOT. And thankfully my husband, who knows me so well, decided it was best not to tell me while I was away because I would have freaked out, my anxiety would be through the roof, so yeah…he was right!

There is so much to share about the trip, and about the project that I worked on while at the residency. Which means of course there are tons of pictures and videos that I need to edit and share. I’ve already started sharing some photo posts & reels over on my Instagram, if you want to take a look.

I am also getting back to doing the wax-sealed letters. I know that some of you have been expecting your packages, and believe me when I saw that between being overwhelmed and trying to prepare for the trip while living out of a suitcase in a hotel, coupled with executive dysfunction: it all kicked my ass, and I dropped the ball. So I deeply apologize for that. So some of you will be receiving letters and others, depending on your tier, a package or two with gifts along with the letters.

But check out this photo of me in front of the glass pyramids at The Louvre! A street photographer came up to me asking to take a couple of photos, and I was honored!!!

Countdown to France! It’s SO CLOSE!

I leave in just TWO DAYS! Two freaking days, and I still can’t believe it. So while getting things prepared, you may or may not have seen that we had two pipes burst in our back room /my husband’s office…AGAIN. The first time was 12/23, and we started the restoration process; in which they came and packed everything up and put it in a storage pod, and did a dry-out. Just to have another pipe crack in the ceiling on 1/10. Since then, we have been in a hotel the second time around, the plumber/HVAC company could not get the furnace to kick back in gear, along with a random pipe that’s not even connected along the floorboard (I seriously have no clue what that is about!). Thankfully, we are just down the road from our house, and I am so thankful that our homeowners’ insurance is covering everything.

This means that I have of course brought my sewing machine and such with me, and have been working on two ensembles, and a couple of accessories. I will be finishing the wearable mock-up for the Amalia Jacket here and cutting the pieces so that I can finish the full silk version while I am in France. Along with a petticoat, a mantle, two fur muffs, a pair of mitts, and a shift. At least, for now. Tomorrow, I swing by my house to gather the rest of the clothing and accessories that I plan to wear while away. Now this is kind of a big deal because I am doing my personal project: 28 Days of Historical Dress during February, which I have been doing for 3 years now (I think? it may be 2). So while it is easy to pick out what to wear each day while I am at home, I now have to deliberately plan my outfits ahead and pack them without going overboard with my packing (which I am prone to do, but since I am limited on bag space, I *need* to plan what I am packing thoroughly). I’m thinking of keeping things relatively simple, and just going with some classic vintage from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. So a couple of different dresses, wide leg trousers, kimono sleeved cardigans, and the like. And of course, my historical stuff. 18th century, a regency gown or two, and an Edwardian ensemble. The Edwardian ensemble is for this years #BGGL (Black Gibson Girl Legacy), created by the amazing Jasmine Le Fleur, the creative genius behind Black Fae Day.

So with two more days left, I am still raising extra funds to help offset the cost of this trip (since I am on disability, and am not doing photography as much as I used to), and have extra for things like admission to two exhibits that I am looking forward to seeing, travel (since I won’t have a rental car), and supplies while there.

Now with all of that said, if you do have extra to help support this art residency, it will be greatly appreciated. After all, if it wasn’t for all of your support from the beginning, the first GoFundMe goal to get me to the residency wouldn’t have ever happened! So a big thank you to all of you! Here are the ways that you can help!

You can donate directly to my cashapp/venmo/paypal:

I also have my Print site, in which you can purchase prints and wall art of my photography. Even while in France, I will be able to place orders within 24 hours of receiving them.
https://www.marisataylorphotography.com/art-prints-for-sale/

And the original GoFundMe campaign, with the goal amount increased: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-get-marisa-to-france-for-art

And my Patreon, in which there are different tiers that you can subscribe to monthly, or just one time. I will be sending out the wax-sealed letters & packages for my current Patrons either tomorrow or Tuesday 1/28, which is when I leave: https://patreon.com/TheMarisaZimmerman1

I also have some digital portrait illustrations that I plan to offer while I am gone, and because they are digital-once purchased you will receive a link to download them immediately! So stay stuned for that!

Lastly, I know that there are so many different platforms for social media. I recently created a new public FB page that will basically mirror my TikTok account. So if you could give me a follow there, it would be so very much appreciated! Follow me at: The Marisa Zimmerman


And with that, I think that is a pretty good update if I do say so myself! Now back to sewing and packing!!!

Just 7 days until FRANCE!

Oh my GOSH! Today has been one heck of a day. Mental AND Emotionally. But your girl held it together and will keep on pushing. Especially when there is no other option, but to take every day one step at a time, and finish prepping for my trip to France. (Cue screaming!!!).

Thanks to my friend @thimbleraven who gifted me a gorgeous green taffeta gown, it was the #aidahgown by @scrooppatterns . (of course I will take some pictures!). I still have one full ensemble that I want to make for myself, which will be the #Amalia Jacket, a petticoat, and a couple of minor things like a new shift and such. I cannot tell you how excited I am. And when I say that I absolutely NEED this. I mean it!!! |

I still have my GoFundMe, and ways to donate up. As well as my print store and #patreon. I also (well I FINALLY! 🙃) created a FB page for my costuming/shenanigans. If you could give me a follow there (I understand if you don’t, with the whole meta thing), all the virtual hugs to you! Just look up: The Marisa Zimmerman on FB, and it should come up. Along with the sites to donate/purchase my art to help me offset the costs of this trip and have extra money while there. Being a disabled photographer is not as lucrative as some folks make it out to be 😅 

CashApp | Venmo | PayPal

Purchase prints & wall art of my photography! They ship out between 1-3 days after the order is placed, and will get to you in about 3 days.

You can also subscribe to one of the tiers on my Patreon! This is where you can get semi-monthly wax-sealed letters & small gifts! As well as a wax-sealed thank you note card. I promise, promise, PROMISE to properly keep that updated, as well as my blog!

And of course, the original GoFundMe set up by my husband, who believed in me and this trip more than I ever did!

As always, thank you so so so much for your support!

It’s time for a giveaway!

Hey everyone! It’s time for a giveaway!!! I haven’t done one in a while, and since I thought that I lost one of my earrings, just to find it when I ordered a replacement pair, that means you get a chance to win these! These are crescent moon pink druzy crystal earrings, and they are super cute. Entering is easy, just head on over to my Instagram: @LoveShutterbug and follow the rules below on the giveaway


1-Be sure to follow my page ❤️
2-Tag a friend in the comments. Each tag counts as 1 entry
3-Earn an extra entry by sharing this giveaway to your stories & tagging my page