Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

If you own a website, you are probably being solicited by companies offering you top placement in the search engines. While not a complete crock, the value of "more eyeballs" versus carefully targeted traffic is often overlooked. If you are able to come up with your own keywords, you can help yourself get better placement very easily.

For example, let's say you are a plumber in Garland, Texas. Well, when someone looks for you, what will they type? "Plumber" without a doubt. But hey, they probably want to find a listing of plumbers from which they may choose right? So, quite possibly, they will type "Plumbers". Not only that, only the ones near them are likely candidates for the job, so they may type in "Plumbers near Garland, Texas" Yes, use the whole phrase. They may type "plumbers in Garland, TX" They might forget just how global the web is, and type "Plumbers in Garland". You wouldn't believe how much these little things can help you to get found.

You'll also want to make sure that whatever you mention in your keywords is also blatantly apparent on your site. There is no reason to include Garland, TX in your keywords if you never mention it on the site.

Keep in mind that top placement might not be what you want if there is a limit to the number of people you can effectively serve. If you have a unique specialty, use it in your keywords or tags. The only plumber who knows how to install that yellow-bellied spigot from 1718 is a precious individual if you happen to own one. You might want top placement for "yellow-bellied spigot", though.

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A new year!

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Starting a fresh new year, with more time to take on clients, I have added a new video to my personal website, and updated the membership of www.Findadressmaker.com. So, whether you are looking for someone like me or a local dressmaker in your area, feel free to visit either www.mimijackson.com or the www.findadressmaker.com site to find your professional.

Using a Dressmaker to SAVE money?

If you are like most people, at some point in your life, you've imagined yourself in some outrageous red-carpet worthy custom-made confection. I'm sure it comes as no surprise - custom clothing is NOT inexpensive. It takes time, skill, patience, and quality materials to achieve. You will, no doubt, spend less at your local retailer, where you will likely find something... acceptable or adequate, if not great.

Or, if you are creative, you'll find something beautiful at an auction, a vintage store, or anywhere else. Then you'll find a dressmaker willing to refashion it into something perfect for you...



I redesigned this 1890's dress, bought at an auction, to fit my client for her wedding this fall. This garment would have been outrageously expensive, had I created it from scratch. All told, it was still less expensive than buying a new designer gown in a boutique.

When a look is otherwise unattainable, it could be due to size, shape, color, materials, support requirements, commissioning a dressmaker can be well worth your while. But, beyond your most important occasions, there are plenty of other situations to consider.

Have you gained or lost weight?


Give you a more professional or neater appearance, by making your clothing fit. The bride pictured above, needed her gown altered following a weight reduction surgery.

Do you love something that is out of style, wrong for your body, or too memorable to wear again?
Have a dressmaker "redesign" it to make a fresh statement.

Do you a garment that is damaged, torn or stained, and needs a creative solution?
Many dressmakers have really seen it all, and have solutions you have never dreamed of!





Are you having an informal, unique, or unconventional wedding?
Bridal shops do not offer enough variety to please every category of bride. You might want to add more embellishment to a simple gown, or wear something that appeals to your taste specifically. The bride pictured above, wanted a bold pearl trim on a halter-style gown. In her case, as in many others, this was less expensive than the bridal shop alternative for which she would have had to settle. (I know that's formal, but I just can't end my sentence with a preposition!!!!)



How do you know what's possible? You go to www.findadressmaker.com and ask a professional.



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Neuroplasticity and Issey Miyake

Well, it seems eveything always comes full circle. I am now working with a client, making custom kimonos for a kibuki theater project. And, whoa, what a learning experience... Not only that, but learning to make a kimono gives some insight into Miyake's design ideas and shapes. The following post, which I wrote last year, fits into this moment in my work as well.

A recent article in the New York Times, entitled "A Pointy-headed Piano", was so beautifully inspirational and well written, that I have kept the clipping near me, waiting for an opportunity to use it somehow...

Dr. Norman Doidge, the author of a book studying the experiences of scientists, doctors and patients in the field of neuroplasticity (a new way of looking at the brain as a more malleable and renewable structure than the traditional) is featured in this article, describing his beloved Heintzman piano. The article uses the piano as a metaphor for the brain's ability to adapt.

In a nutshell, this rare transposable piano, made in 1895, allows a musician to slide its keyboard left or right, two or three keys in either direction. This, in his words, "eliminates the need to play the entirely different configuration that switching to another key requires." This is much like the brain's ability, when it hits a wrong "key", to transpose to a new one, after a stroke, learning disability, or emotional trauma. As the parent of an autistic child, I have become acutely aware of what an amazingly complex instrument the brain is, and how wonderful it can be, discovering which "keys" to play.

While the author mentions that the goal of the adaptive brain is to perform repetitive tasks, personally, I love breaking out of that mold, and embracing the constant challenge of "new thinking", which brings me to one of my favorite artists/designers... the one and only Issey Miyake.

I made my first Miyake when I was in high school. I used a striped, tightly-woven wool fabric from Art Max fabrics in Manhattan's garment district. How I loved that store... (sigh) It had an assymmetrical, sculptural skirt and a cowl-necked shirt with dangling "straps", for lack of a better description.

So, I have had the following Miyakes for quite some time, and hope to make them soon (the coats first!), but I always find that I am far more inspired by the flats than the photos,

since the models never look anything like me, and the fabrics chosen are always wildly different than anything I would ever choose.

So, here they are...







These patterns, if you are unfamiliar with them, are as close to "fabric oragami" as one can get. Once you have learned to create garments, you have a general understanding of what shape a collar should be, where it should attach, where the armholes should be... well, Miyake patterns challenge all of that, and require that you surrender to the instructions and embark on the adventure.

Needle-Craft Magazine, Summer 1922

As I am endlessly fascinated by old sewing publications, which, I suppose are really a link to the world of women in those days. So, I can't help but share these odd finds with you...

I happened upon an article with the above title, and, just as my jaw dropped to the floor, I noticed that it was an early "advertorial" -- a cleverly disguised advertisment, aimed at the naive reader... hoping she'll take the bait!

I'm sure the modern reader will see the humor in it. Only the original text can really do this advertisement justice. Read and enjoy...



The caption can't be missed. Lovers of romance-novels, look out! It reads,

"You've come back to me, Mary," he said slowly. "You've come back - the Mary of the sweetheart days. You've never looked so wonderful as you do tonight."

The rest of the article continues below... (click to enlarge)

Atonement dress

This post was orinally published in December of 2007.



Saw a lovely article in The New York Post (which I don't normally read) about this dress (above), made for Keira Knightley's character in "Atonement". Make sure you read on to page two of the article, where the costume designer's (Jacqueline Durran) inspiration is explained.

I adore this article, because, unlike so many others, they don't make it seem that anyone just "whipped up" a little number for her. The article really lets you know that specificity, specialness and art take a considerable amount of time, expense, and experimentation.

At this summer's visit to the Cameron Art Museum in North Carolina, I learned that this simple looking dress, made by William Ivey Long for the show "Contact"...



took EIGHT tries to make.

EIGHT tries!




This means seven dresses, wadded up and tossed aside before getting to this one, which moved with the dancer like absolute magic.

So when you have to trash something on your way to achieving your vision, think of the effort involved in really creating something special.

Encouraging, isn't it?

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What the dressmaker and her client need to know...

You may already know that I am the owner of the www.findadressmaker.com site, a labor of love, which is very fulfilling to run.

My bird’s eye view of the custom sewing and dressmaking industry (mostly in the US) has taught me so much about the potential of this profession, and the type of women (we are mostly women, after all) who choose it.

Word of mouth is powerful. Negative or positive, word of mouth will bring attention to your business. While word of mouth is a great way to get new business, even the best dressmaker can find herself with less (or more!) business than she wants at any given moment. Scheduling a proper workload is difficult for dressmakers. The flow of clients can be unpredictable, and the variables are many…

The main market for dressmakers (like it or not!), is bridal. Dressmaking is very specific, careful, skilled work… and to navigate the bridal market, a dressmaker has to be able to deal with the emotional roller coaster that comes along with doing this type of work. I’m not just talking about the bride. There is the mother of the bride, mother of the groom, flower girls, bridesmaids, and the coordination of all of those people in their various locations, challenges (and temperaments) to handle. Some people are just lovely. Some people know exactly what they want. Some people have a positive body image. Some people are completely reasonable, puctual, and friendly. Some are none of these things. A dressmaker has to be prepared for any combination of problems, including her own variables. If one wants to do this type of work, she has to be sure to keep an ample supply Tums, Pepto and Advil…

Having said that, the general rule of thumb regarding what a bride should be spending, is 10% of her wedding budget on the gown. Anyone may choose to spend considerably more or less, but it would be best to know what she is really expecting, since, if she wants her gown custom-made, she is buying an invisible product. The woman who wants a knock-off of the $6000 gown she loves for $1000 is almost guaranteed to be disappointed. The dressmaker has to make sure she knows that it will likely require a significant downgrade in materials and labor to fit her budget.

Lastly, make sure she knows her options. The web is full of sites which will help her plan and budget her event. It can be hard to distinguish good ones from poor quality ones...there is such an information overload these days.

It has been a long time since I have updated this blog. No longer feeling the need to document my every move, and feeling much more in the flow of life since both of my children started school again last week, I can now focus on my business again. It has been a long,hard summer, fraught with all sorts of challenges and complete exhaustion, but I am coming out of it now. (Thank God!)

So, I will now be pulling in information from old posts, writing new ones, and updating the blog to reflect where I am now. For a little while, I will be cleaning up some projects, resolving unfinished business, and generally resuming my professional life. Deep breath... full steam ahead!



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