Hello. I’m Sarah and I make custom and ready to wear tutus for Everybody.

Here’s how I came to be a costume maker at 44.

I was a teacher for many years until I found myself hooked up to an IV receiving chemo for months, that continued into radiation and then a series of complications that ultimately had me fighting for my life for 3 years. 

After the storm I thought I’d return to teaching, but found that my immune system could no longer handle the classroom setting. 

During that time my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I decided to homeschool her since that is something I knew I could do well and I’d be able to better manage her health. But I found myself wanting to do more.

I have always considered myself the creative type. I’ve turned to art to express my feelings throughout the years, so it felt very natural to find myself leaning towards the arts as a means of work. 

My daughter is a dancer and inspired me to create my first costume in 2023 for her competition. It was grueling and challenged my confidence as an artist; but I still found myself drawn to the process and the chance to express my artistic side. 

My husband encouraged me to continue learning and pursue my dream. 

So here I am today, doing what I absolutely love and learning all things costuming and ballet related. I’m obsessed.

I have taken several courses with the esteemed Pamela Martin of Matryoshka Tutus. Her instruction and guidance has proven invaluable to my growth as a costumier. I continue my ongoing education with her yearly to improve my skills, learn new techniques and hone my craft. You can never stop learning.

Oh, and lastly, here’s just a little explanation of why I felt connected to the business name FashionBee Tutus. 

While reading an article about beekeeping, I stumbled across these descriptions and found myself thinking about how a ballerina’s character and traits correlate with that of a honeybee. 

Honeybees symbolize focus, hard work, teamwork, generosity, and prosperity.

They are the only creatures, apart from humans, who can communicate by dancing. Honeybees dance in Spring, Summer and Autumn. They dance in the dark of the hive, on parts of the honeycomb,  and during festive occasions. So they dance and dance to the tunes that reflect the world each day. (They do this for pollinating purposes)

My desire is to use my creativity to make beautiful costumes for dancers so they can express themselves and dance to music that reflects the world both past and present each day.