Couture Sewing Techniques

"Underneathe My Wing" Gallery Piece by Haana-SikSik. Displayed at Beaverbrook Art Gallery in New Brunswick

Here's an honest truth about myself: I've never really cared for fashion (Ha!)  Strange to those of you that don't know me seeing as I'm pursuing a career as a fashion designer. But to those people that know me, they understand that my love of working with my hands, creating and "fiddling" go far beyond the definition of fashion. For me, it's not about making fashion but rather creating art. I realize that by doing this my selling pieces might be limited while my portfolio grows, but this helps me to create a place of healing while I work intently on hand stitching a collar down.

Funny thing, wearable art, it tends to fall on the expensive side. I've made a handful of couture pieces since I started this fun journey. Most often are inspired by my love of the North, my own culture and the people, environment and wildlife that come with it; and sometimes it's simply for the love of making a beautiful thing.

Two outfits come to mind when I talk of wearable art. One would be the peacock, couture gown that I made to display at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in

Fredericton that showed in the Spring of 2015. 

The gallery piece used real peacock eye and sword feathers as well as black dyed marabou as detailing.

When I made this one I knew it had to be top quality. Though visitors would not be touching the showpiece we were instructed that should someone lift it up and look under, it should look just as beautiful on the inside, as it does on the outside. I hand stitched every sword feather down on the bust using a couching stitch (that wasn't so bad) and used a leather needle to sew the eye feathers down down to make a tail for the back. The marabou feathers on the bust took a bit less time than any of the other feathers as they're shorter and fluffier so stitches weren't as noticeable.

A not so great photo. The cups and strap boasted both marabou feathers and peacock sword feathers.

Initially I intended to overlay lace all around the bodice corset, deciding in the midst of working on it that it looked nicer using the overlay on the front to mimic the bodice shape. For continuity I also added a strip of lace around the hem to give it balance, along with a small lace bustle around the waist. I hand stitched the overlay lace on the bodice down using a blanket stitch to finish the edge. I also hand stitched the bustle to the already completed waist band on the skirt so that I could keep the bulk external rather than catching it in the band. This also allowed me to use the remainder of the lace to drape a small bustle, acting as the crown for the tail. 

Hand stitched overlay lace with hook and eye closures at side seam.

You might be looking at this gown thinking that it's totally wearable, and you're right it is, but it was my second haute couture garments (or as close to haute couture for my abilities at the time anyway) that I'd made. It was one of the pieces that I knew I'd be challenging myself on and I was happy with the end result. 

 

  

Draped lace bustle that I thought was the perfect finishing touch for the peacock tail

                                     

Another not so great photo of the gown immediately after completion from another angle

While I was studying fashion I decided to challenge myself with each project by trying something new. Whether it was working with a new fabric, or finishing the seams using a new techniques, I wanted to utilize the fact that I had the proper tools to create as well as the advantage of having some of the best instructors around to help me when I was stuck. If I made a mistake, someone usually had a solution to fix it, alter it, or use it to my advantage. This meant that I was much more comfortable to take chances and really "up" my learning game while at it. This was both fun and stressful :)

Me on graduation day beside my gallery piece! Smiles all around!

                         

My Very First Post

Well, I've jumped onto the blog bandwagon. It's funny when you think you have little to say, or a lot to say on a subject only to get writer's block once it's time to get to it. Luckily I'm not the first person to make the awkward first-go at a blog and I certainly won't be the last. Whether my posts go mostly unnoticed, or shakes the ground, it's a great way to enjoy a bit of down time to get thoughts and experiences down. So then, shall we?

I've been trying to get my fashion design business off the ground. Being an entrepreneur is some serious business and I don't mean in the corporate sense. When you decide to work for yourself you take a lot of risks. You know you likely won't be making much money, resourcing locally can often lead to expensive products. Your time and effort into making one garment is divided into one working pair of hands, so this means that the cost of designing, pattern drafting, mock up's, fittings, cost of fabrics/thread etc... all your money spent on sewing machines and tools as well as the fair percentage cost of using your space at home and running up electricity bills and what not need to be taken into consideration. In a time when ready-to-wear fashion means that you can buy a dress for $80.00 from the store in an instant, often handmade is seen as a luxurious option.

For those of you that don't know me, Nunavut is my home, the frozen land of beauty and natural abundance. It's also isolated for the most part, no roads, trains or other means of travel other then airline are available for travel. This means a lot of things for the people that live there, including a very, very high cost of living. Everything must be flown in and money gouging in Nunavummiut's pockets is a very serious reality. Inuit don't live on reserves, we never have. We've always paid taxes so when I read people's comments that we deserve to be charged almost $3000 for a return flight that's about 2 hours long, all I can do is shake my head and feel sorry for the poor soul who actually thinks they know everything despite never stepping one foot into Nunavut or even meeting an Inuk. The high cost of travel also means we don't often have access to quality fabrics. It must be ordered in, and yes, the stores that sell them need to make some kind of profit and sometimes they will take advantage of the fact that they're they only carrier of fabrics and can make dubious profit by overcharging on the value and quality. This often means that the price you charge is very expensive because of the materials and your time, or what I often see is local designers absorbing the cost and only charging the price of materials. This is a hard place to be for anyone trying to make a living. But right now I'm living in Southern Canada. I have easier access to materials (yay!). But I still need to find a happy medium between charging an amount that I can live off of and attracting commissions.

Now to the purpose of this whole chaotic idea: I'm starting this blog to help me keep on track of my work, but also to share my progress to any interested individuals who are interested in seeing the process. I can't promise that I'll be consistent but I'm hoping I'll be consistent enough to keep things interesting. Through here my followers will also be able to get a preview into what's coming up next, whether it be for my show, or for my gallery (because sometimes you need to show your artistic capabilities.) So onward I go. Thanks for reading my little place and I hope you enjoy what I share. Taima!