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Sewing
- Gowns
- Dresses
- Skirts & Blouses
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Fashion
About me

Fashion Illustrations

Self-drafted Taffeta gown. You can find the blog post on this look here

McCall’s 8179 dress hack using a thrifted woven fabric. See full blog post here!

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Wearing my Isadora Duncan inspired dress, which wa

Wearing my Isadora Duncan inspired dress, which was part of a draping exercise.

If you don’t know about Isadora Duncan, she is known as the mother of modern dance, born in San Francisco (1877-1927), who revolutionized the ballet dance by developing an approach that focused on natural movements.

She was the first dancer to reject the rigidity of the ballet and instead:

🕊perform barefoot, shedding the slippers

🕊wear flowy dresses for dance (like this one) instead of restrictive corsets of the Victorian era

🕊choreograph to music not originally written for dance, including the works of Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, and Scriab

Her focus was to use simple, natural movements with a vibrant musicality.

She died at the age of 50 in France after the enormous silk scarf she was wearing got tangled in the rear hubcaps of a car. It was a sudden end to the life of a woman who had seen incredible success as well as unimaginable tragedy.

There’s so much more about her life that I highly recommend you read about.

Isadora Duncan. One heck of an inspiring women from that era who should never be forgotten ✨

#tunic #tunicdress #flowydress #dressfashion #dancedress #isadoraduncaninspired #sequindress #meshdress #mesh #elegantdress #golddress #glamlook #fancydress #sparklydress #shortdress #sewing #minimalistfashion #sewing project #outfitinspiration

I made a dress from the finished toile (last post)

I made a dress from the finished toile (last post) using a sequin mesh ✨

I did French seams for the shoulders and side seams and left off the raw edges. The waist has an elastic through a seam channel.

How dreamy did this dress turn out? I’ll try to take some photos with it this weekend. Happy Saturday.
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#draping #drapingdesigns #moulage #drapingtechnique #drapinglove #sewing #sewingfashion #sewingaddict #modernsewing #sew #sewist #seamstress #sewingblogger #ottawafashion #sewistsofinstagram #minimalsewing #dressmaker

Analyzing the proportion & balance of an Isadora D

Analyzing the proportion & balance of an Isadora Duncan inspired tunic.

I’m having the best time learning everything about draping fundamentals & techniques.

With fashion school being my 100% focus now, I’ll have lots of draping content coming your way. You will still see some of my own sewing projects sprinkled here & there as well.

Can’t wait to share what I’ve been learning.✨
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#draping #moulage #fashiondesign #fashiondesigner #drapingart #drapingdesigns #drapingclass #drapingtechnique #drapingdress #sewing #sewistsofinstagram #sewingproject #sewingfun #sewinginspiration

The sleeves for my current project✨ Can you see

The sleeves for my current project✨

Can you see the texture on this fabric? It’s quite lightweight & soft with 10-20% crossgrain stretch. I’m not sure if this type of fabric with the raised floral designs has a specific name. Maybe a textured knit? Let me know in the comments if you know what it’s called.

I purchased it from the Montreal garment district and it was love at first sight.

I chose a very simple dress design with the sleeves being the only sophisticated part, so the fabric will be the star of the show! You will see it very soon.

Overjoyed to introduce you all to VERA 😍 my fir

Overjoyed to introduce you all to VERA 😍 my first ever dressform from @theshopcompany & a total dream come true.

I’ve named her after one of my favourite female gown designers, the one & only @verawang. Vera arrived right on time for my draping course at the fashion school this semester.

This is the Professional Female Half Body Dress Form w/ Collapsible Shoulders and Removable Arms. I have written a full blog post with all the details & more photos, for those of you who I know have been looking for a dressform too. Make sure to scroll down for a discount code! Direct link to the post is in my bio!

I cannot wait to show you all the magic that I’ll create with Vera.

My draping course at the fashion school has starte

My draping course at the fashion school has started and honestly I’ve never been this excited for anything my whole life.

It takes 7 hours/week of my time this semester + homework but I already completed my homework and can hardly wait for my next class.

I fall into that category of people who understand draping sooo much better than pattern making. I loved my pattern making classes last semester and learned a ton! However, I find the 3D fabric manipulation comes so naturally to me so draping is without a doubt my favourite!

Our lovely instructor is originally from France and was trained in New York with years & years of experience. When she talks on the side about her favourite designs, the fashion houses, her experience with schools in France and New York and haute couture in general, my heart just melts listening to her.💛

Watch my stories for some snips of my class & let me know if you enjoy seeing these so that I take more photos next time.

Have you watched Adele’s ‘oh my god’ video t

Have you watched Adele’s ‘oh my god’ video that was released yesterday? If you did, tell me how her blouse in the first scene reminded you of this tulle blouse I made last year! 😍(swipe if you haven’t seen the video yet.)

Pattern is #Burda6840 in view B, with modified cuffs. Fabric is a confetti foil mesh.

I’m a huge fan of her so that made my day.

Happy Thursday💛

I love that the Sewn magazine put my quote on this

I love that the Sewn magazine put my quote on this photo.

I mentioned that in my feature because I get asked quite often where I plan to wear the fancy gowns I make.

And people ask with good intentions.

However, for me who started sewing right when the pandemic started, the occasion of wearing these fancy gowns was never the driving force.

It was always, and will always be about the joy of creating, the euphoric process of drafting, sewing, trying on and modifying over and over again to bring a vision to life.

The final result and wearing the gown to places is fun. Surely. But it’s not what drives me & many other creators who love making the rather ‘unconventional’ makes.

So if someone is baffled by why I keep making fancy, over-the-top gowns with no where to go, then they are missing the point.
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Thank you again to @sewnmagazine for having me ✨

I had the great honour of being featured in the De

I had the great honour of being featured in the December issue of the @sewnmagazine, where I shared my #M7683 gown using a bronze sequin mesh fabric from @minervadotcom.

You can see the photos captured the stunning gleam of the fabric so beautifully.

Grateful to be included in this issue amongst the other incredibly talented creators.

Make sure to get your copy of the December issue! ✨

Bishop sleeves ✨ swipe for the pattern construct

Bishop sleeves ✨ swipe for the pattern construction.

You can apply this ‘slashing & spreading’ technique to any basic sleeve pattern you have to add fullness to the sleeve hem.

Other design ideas using this technique:

- instead of adding a cuff, insert an elastic at the sleeve hem (with long, 3/4 or short length sleeve)

- use decorative or simple shirring thread to gather the sleeve near the hem edge (no cuff)

-skip the gathering part & cuff all together and opt for a bell sleeve instead (long, 3/4 or short length)

There are so many more possibilities! Not to mention adding fullness to the sleeve cap at the same time.

Sleeve designs are sooo much fun, aren’t they? Next time you are using a simple sleeve pattern, try this simple technique to create a classic & feminine look✨

Here are 8 golden tips & tricks for sewing with se

Here are 8 golden tips & tricks for sewing with sequin:👇🏼

Save this post for future! This is everything I wish I knew back then before sewing my 3 sequin projects so far (one to be shared via an announcement soon!)

My blog post is now up including the tips below + all the details from inspiration, design, sewing process & of course more photos on this look! (Link in bio).

✨Here you go:

1. Test a small piece of fabric with your sewing machine. You may or may not need to remove sequins from your seam allowances. Some sequin fabrics are quite light and you will be fine sewing through the fabric (see tip #5). Others like mine are dense with overlapping sequins and require the fabric prep. I know there are different opinions on this, but it just boils down to what works best for you.

2. For eye safety, wear glasses to protect against the projectiles! That goes for both the sewing process (needle breaking) and the cutting step (sequins flying, especially if you are cutting on the right side).

3. Do not use your good scissors when cutting the fabric and certainly don't use your serger.

4. Cut your fabric as though it has a nap to ensure all the sequins are travelling in the same direction.

5. Use a thicker universal needle or a leather/Jean needle to pierce through the dense fabric.

6. Pick a simple design for your garment. Most sequin fabrics do not show the details (e.g., pleats, darts, etc), so go for a minimalist design and opt for as few pattern pieces as possible.

7. Be mentally prepared that the overall sewing process is quite messy! As a neat freak, I vacuumed at the end of every sewing session and I am still finding sequins around.

8. This might be an obvious one, but do not iron the fabric as the heat can damage the sequins. You seldom need to iron a sequin fabric, but if you do, try pressing on the wrong side of the fabric with low heat.
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Let me know if you found this post helpful.

Here it is 🙌🏼 Over 40 hours in the making fr

Here it is 🙌🏼 Over 40 hours in the making from the design process to self-drafting the pattern, all the way to the fabric prep (sequin removals), sewing and the final hand sewing (sequin refills).

Was it so much work? My god, yes.

Does that ever stop me from sewing with sequin? Never.

I had no doubts that in the end this dress will be worth it. Plus, sewing with sequin & similar fabrics make you appreciate sewing with low maintenance fabrics. Kind of like the good and bad days in life, you know? (but I don’t want to get deep here).

I hope you enjoyed watching my work-in-progress stories & got a glimpse of what is typically involved in sewing any sequin garment. I always have huge appreciation for the sewists who make any sequin garments.

Now I’d love to hear what you think 💛 Was it worth it? Have you sewn with any sequin yet? Are you going to? Tell me all about it.

✨Fabric is Milly Reflective Gold Paillette Sequins on Beige Stretch Jersey from @moodfabrics

Blog post with all details + sewing tips will be up this week.

Merry Xmas Eve from me & this golden dress that mo

Merry Xmas Eve from me & this golden dress that most of you picked in my last post✨

From our home to yours, I wish you lots of smiles & all the light in the world. Don’t forget to reflect on how far you’ve come & count your blessings.

Much love,
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Today I’m celebrating my biggest supporter and #

Today I’m celebrating my biggest supporter and #1 fan:

for his birthday and for being all-around the most caring, thoughtful fiancé I could ever ask for.

He brings so much peace to my mind & so much joy to my heart and is always cheering on me to follow my dreams. Truly a blessing in my life & I am so sooo grateful for him ❤️

Here’s to a lifetime of celebrations together 🥂

#happybirthday #happybirthdaytomylove #birthdaycelebration #bymyside #growingtogether #engagedlife #ilovethisman #happiness #thankful #grateful #blessed

Here’s a throwback to the sequin mini dress I ma

Here’s a throwback to the sequin mini dress I made last year, while I’m currently waiting for my new sequin fabric to arrive!✨

I’ll be making a mini dress from it too. So to those of you who voted for mini dress versus gowns in my story poll a while ago, get ready 🎊

For this dress I used:

#m8142 for the bodice

#m7967 for the sleeve

and self-drafted the skirt

It’s such a simple yet classic design for a holiday dress & you can easily self-draft the whole look.

Anyone making a sequin dress or planning to? It’s a lot of work but totally worth it.✨

Officially done with the fall semester at fashion

Officially done with the fall semester at fashion school 🎊 (you bet I’m coming back for winter courses!)

So many of you asked about my self-taught vs schooling experience so here are my thoughts so far:

First off, the past few months have been very intense!

Just like many of you, sewing is not my day job. I have an extremely demanding full-time job with long hours that fully consume my brain. So the evening classes + homework + my own sewing projects + blogging made life quite hectic.

Thankfully, I have an amazing fiancé, a true life partner, who does so much around the house so I never felt overwhelmed.❤️

In terms of self-teaching vs schooling here’s what my experience was:

As a self-taught sewist, I know the sky is your limit when it comes to learning. Many bloggers including myself are proof that it works. However, I cannot begin to tell you how much I learned from pattern making classes in such a short period of time. I know I wouldn’t have accomplished the same level of learning the past few months both in terms of volume and depth of knowledge, had I studied the materials on my own (and I consider myself highly motivated & disciplined).

There’s something about the regimented learning: the weekly classes, the homework obligation and the structured course materials established meticulously by fashion design instructors. The discipline that comes with taking courses is quite rigorous compared to the pace of self-learning and that’s what accelerates your learning, holds you accountable and keeps you on track.💪🏼

So if you have been on the fence about taking on any form of classes (virtual, in person, live etc), I’d highly, highly recommend you go for it.

I feel so lucky to have this school right in my city where I can get hands-on experience but I know not everyone has this opportunity. So do what you can with what you have, where you are.✨

Overall, this has been a dream come true and I loved every second of it. I will continue posting my weekly class updates on my stories. I love engaging with you over what I’m learning.💛

I hope this was helpful. If you want to know more or have any questions, let me know in the comments or DM me.

I had to choose ONE design so I went with drama 🤩

Thank you for all your input on my sketch post. I loved reading your comments to help me decide.

✨Pattern: #Burda6388, modified with a self-drafted long overskirt

✨Fabric: Duchess satin purchased from Montreal Garment District

Blog post is now live at www.dressedbyava.com including all details & more photos! 💛(link in bio)

Skirt 1 or 2? 🎨Comment below to help me pick a

Skirt 1 or 2? 🎨Comment below to help me pick a design!

✨Skirt 1 has a panelled short skirt with a side flounced overskirt.

✨Skirt 2 is a long panelled (mermaid style) skirt with a front slit.

The bodice design is from Burda 6388. If you missed how I put it together, see my previous post.💛

A black sparkly gown is always a good idea ✨ Don

A black sparkly gown is always a good idea ✨ Don’t you agree?

Designed, drafted and sewn by me using only ~1.5 yards of this knit. Needless to say, I didn’t end up with any leftover fabric (otherwise the skirt would have been even longer!).

Designing gowns lately using my basic bodice + skirt blocks from fashion school has been so much fun and quite addictive! I hope you are enjoying seeing these projects.

Blog post with all details will be up this week, so stay tuned.🖤

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