Spring is upon us, the temperature is starting to warm up, the vaccine rollout is picking up, and Petal + Ash is about to start product development! Over the past week or so, I’ve made final decisions about materials (at least at where we’ll start for development), checked in with my pattern/sample maker on her needs, and chatted with my favorite bra fit specialist and consultant on design details. It’s all starting to come together.

Last month took me away from Petal + Ash a bit. I had my first real job in the dance world since the start of the pandemic. I spent several weeks working to get my body back in dancer shape –– or at least to a fraction of its old dancer shape –– and prepping the choreography (for an incredibly intricate, hour long dance piece featuring ten dancers) I needed to relearn.

After several weeks of preparation, I headed to Central PA to work with a dedicated group of students –– masked and distanced of course. It was a rewarding week, albeit one that left me mentally exhausted and physically drained. I had been working my brain and body in a way it’s known its whole life, yet hadn’t engaged in in over a year.

I took some time to recharge, and I’m now fully back in the throws of all things Petal + Ash. The reality of heading into product development set in, as I placed my order for ten yards of fabric. I’m a bit nervous, as I take this major step (though I should think something wrong with me, if I wasn’t). I relate this feeling to the moments before I step on a stage –– I know I’m prepared for what’s about to happen, but until I’m on that stage, the nerves keep fluttering away. Once I’m on stage, everything is as it should be…most of the time. When things do go awry, I figure it out and keep moving forward.

I’ve settled on a bra design I’m really excited about and added in a matching panty, so there will be a full set you can order. If all goes according to plan, you’ll even be able to mix and match the panties for some extra fun with your undergarments. While my amazing pattern/sample maker does her thing (more on her soon!), I’ll be busy working on dying textiles and testing colors, to settle on final contenders for the first run. My priorities are producing appealing designs, while factoring in ideal light and colorfastness with natural dyes.

There’s still quite a bit of a road ahead, in bringing the line to market, but I’m officially in the weeds!

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