Trish Hurless of Rubypearl Clothing has so many ideas that they literally can't fit inside her South Congress dressmaking studio. A one-woman operation and a visionary with patterns and colors, she creates one-of-a-kind dresses, shirts, and various etceteras for girls and women. Oh, and did I mention, she makes these stunning garments by hand, after scouring the thrift shops, flea markets, and garage sales of Texas for unwanted scarves, belts, and clothes to repurpose? Yeah. She's a badass.

Within 10 minutes of arriving in her workplace, we were laughing like old friends while silk and tulle flew through the air. Trish was searching for a specific vintage dinosaur scarf that was buried in her stash of rich, textured supplies. She didn't find it (until later), but in our brief time together she did build a sweet-as-honey yellow dress from scratch and intricately hand-embroider and bead a firey hot pink number -- all while chatting with me and jamming out to Tom Petty tunes.

Trish's dresses are available directly through her website, as well as locally at SparkleKids, Terra Toys, and Wee.

To inquire about artist-at-work sessions, click here.