So… You wanna be a designer?
Sewing seems easy. Buy fabric, cut some pieces, throw it through a sewing machine—everything is on YouTube and Pinterest anyways. After all, I can type into Google “easy sewing projects” and I get 13 ideas of 5-step pieces. These were my initial thoughts on designing clothes.
Boy, was this the wrong mindset.
First, let me begin by offering my utmost respect for the designers reading this article. I admire all of your hard work and creativity. I study Fashion Merchandising at Liberty University and after taking one sewing course, I assumed I knew it all. I had agreed to make myself a Valentine’s Day dress that a close friend motivated and helped me to design and make. The stress was unbelievable. Trial and error were my best friends.
After just two weeks, I managed (with the coaching and emotional support of my friend) to create a wearable piece for my date. I was feeling accomplished and on top of the world. With my newfound confidence, I agreed to enter the Liberty University fashion show. The theme for the show was Cosmos Fashion, which was appropriate as I felt like I was from another planet compared to my talented co-designers. The pressure built every day as the reality that I knew next to nothing about technical sewing become more and more evident.
Design on a Di...Dorm?
Melissa DiFazio