Going Bespoke - Visiting a Hong Kong Tailor

This was Hubby's first trip to Asia via the first stop in Hong Kong.  I took him for a classic Hong Kong experience of visiting a tailor to have custom shirts made.

So guys, do you need to know if you want to order custom made clothing for yourself?

Start with recommendations from people you trust.  Do you know someone who looks impeccable and wears bespoke clothing?  If you can't get a personal referral, look for trusted review sources online and email the reviewer if possible.

Get a sense of pricing and what that includes.  Does the price include a fitting or corrections if necessary?  What is the time frame to receive your clothes and will it include shipping?  You definitely want to work with a tailor that will guarantee their work.  Pricing varies based on your timing, fabric and materials chosen as well as details you specify. 

A reputable tailor might also ask when or how you intend to wear your shirts to help you decide on what fabrics or details to choose.

Know what you want.  Do you have pieces that you feel fit perfectly and want to copy?  Do you know if you like your clothing to have a more relaxed fit or slimmer fit?  Do you have a long neck and prefer taller collars the flatter your proportions? (A really good tailor might suggest these things too).  Do you have a preference for a certain type of collar? Cuff?  Do you want a monogram?  The more specific you are, and can articulate your needs, the more painless your appointment will be for the both of you.

Measurements.  You don't need to know them that well, that's the tailor's job to measure you.  However, you do need to know where you would like your sleeves to end on length, shirt length, etc.

Clothing might make the man, but it really comes down to the man that makes the clothing...

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DIY: How to Make an Easy Seed Bead Flowers for Jewelry

Need a pretty project for a lazy summer day?  Here is how to make easy seed bead flowers for jewelry projects that you can use anywhere.  I learned how to make these on a Native American cultural center way back in high school.

You will need: 

• Strong thread (poly or nylon core, do not use 100% cotton)
• Seed beads
• Needle (Make sure it is slim enough for the beads you are using)
• Scissors
• Lobster clasps, earring hooks, etc.

To start,  thread 5 beads to start with and pull them through almost the end and then tie them into a knot. You want a firm knot, but not too tight. 

Next,  Use your needle to pick up 3 beads that you want to add as a petal and then you are going to go through your first bead.  Repeat this again with another three beads through the second bead of your knot. This creates a little petal and you are going to repeat this for all 5 beads. 

After going through all 5 beads, pull your needle through the middle of your first petal (the second bead of the three bead petal) and string 5 beads through to the next second bead of the next petal.  It makes it much easier to keep your beads and petals organized if you use 2 different colors of beads for each level of petal.  

After you create 5 petals of 5 beads each, knot off the thread to finish the flower.

You can create several of these and knot them together for a bracelet or necklace.  To finish it, you can thread a few extra beads through the point of the end flower petal and then loop in a clasp on each end.   For earrings, do the same, but loop in the end of earring hooks.

For a more detailed and visual explanation, you can watch the video version of this How-to here.  

Have fun!

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