Sewing | danielleprizzi

Modeling the orange shirt I made.

Altered Clothing I made in Scotland.

At the age of 8 I began sewing, taking classes twice a week for the next 9 years of my life. Throughout high school I taught sewing to boys and girls ages 3-18 years old and loved this creative outlet. By the time I graduated college I was making difficult projects such wool jackets and pleated skirts both using purchased patterns and designing the patterns myself.

College did not allow the creative space (or time) for me to continue sewing, but while abroad I rediscovered my talent. While living in Findhorn, Scotland I took an art and community course, which had the requirement of doing a semester long art project that both connected the community to the arts and ourselves to art. I decided to take clothing I found in the “Boutique” –the free store in the eco-village – and alter the clothing to fit my style, personality, and body type. I used this project as way to express my feminine identity, and embrace the shape of my body through designing clothes that flattered my curves.

Findhorn re-sparked my interested in creating garments to express myself as I still continue to sew (much less frequently) today. Now, I alter clothes clothing for family and friends and continue to design my own clothing whenever I feel inspired to do so.

Sewing - An Empowering Art Form

From left to right: red collared sleeve-less shirt with beautiful wooden buttons near the neck, a vest made from a medieval-esque purple shirt, an orange dress transformed from librarian-esque shoulder pads to a sleeveless, v-neck dress, and a blue and white dress in which I took off the sleeves and took in the sides, removed the waste belt, and shortened the dress.

Part of my project involved making comfortable, verstile, and beautiful clothing out of limited materials (whatever I could find in the free store) and only using two different colored threads (black and white). By limiting the materials I could use, I forced myself to eliminate my perfectionistic nature and allow my creativity to flow.

I altered this dress by taking off the sleeves (which had shoulder pads in it), and creating a v-neck by eliminated two layers of fabric. This dress was made to make me feel empowered by accenting my hips.

Orange and Empowering