Nowadays, not everyone has a Singer in the household. That's the sewing machine, not the vocalist. But with vintage stores cropping up in Somerville and online crafting communities like Etsy.com available, do-it-yourself attire is still an attractive option for creative types. This writer posted an ad to TuftsLife.com seeking the sewing-savvy and was surprised at the response. Whether for relaxation, creative expression or repairs, these students are among those who choose to stitch their way through the semesters.
The Crafty Freshman
Mariah Gruner has been sewing for over 10 years and is about to conclude her first at Tufts. The freshman learned to thread a needle at age seven or eight and completed by age 14 her first large project: a red, bandana-print dress that she now considers "pretty goofy." Since her silly red dress, Gruner has transitioned into embroidery, weaving, felting and other textile arts. She's also become more experimental in her creations.
"I don't really follow patterns anymore," Gruner said. "I like to be connected to the beginnings of my things, and I felt like doing things without a pattern was even more do-it-yourself." Plus, it's easier — or so Gruner claims. "I can pinch things here and sew it there and cut it if it doesn't fit right. There's less math involved."
Lately, she's completed a few dresses and a backpack. The bag loosely resembles an owl, with swoops of burgundy fabric on the sides and a yellow triangle (or beak, depending on the interpretation) forming the flap. She has a shop on Etsy through which she sells mostly knitted work — along with hula hoops. During a gap year in San Francisco between high school and Tufts, Gruner applied her handiwork to a hula hooping subculture there, constructing personalized hoops out of tubing bought at Home Depot.
Now, Gruner's crafty sensibilities are put to use during her Sculptural Fiber class at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), in which she's currently crocheting pillows that fit into each other like Russian dolls. Between the class and personal projects, Gruner said she averages between three and four pieces per month. When it comes to sewing and crafts, Gruner said: "I think [sewing] is important, if only for making things that you feel like are really yours in some way."
The Fashionista
Rhianna Jones' room is a haven of Francophilia and fashion inspiration. She's made a vanity table fit for Grace Kelly from a dorm dresser and blanketed her walls with magazine cutouts. The sophomore lives and breathes fashion.
"It's the only thing that consumes me, that really drives me," Jones said. "I could actually go through runways from the past 60 years for days and not get bored."
Jones debated going to fashion school before Tufts and dreams of being a stylist at Paris Vogue, but in the meantime, she tries her hand at designing her own attire. While not trained on a sewing machine yet, Jones has a gift for infusing found objects with an afterlife. She hand-stitches adjustments and add-ons to garb found at Goodwill and other thrift stores, making otherwise unfortunate pieces into fabulous wardrobe enhancements.
Standouts include a light blue jacket made from a maternity dress and a jacket/dress (it serves as both) in army olive green with dramatic high shoulders bolstered by balls of yarn.
Some of Jones' creations are designs-made-into-reality from her Art as Fashion course. She has also built a collection of customized T-shirts, some of which have been gifted to friends. Jones cites street style and designers with an appreciation for casual wear as influences.
"Fashion is definitely moving toward the more street-oriented, which is good, because that's where it starts," Jones said.
With high fashion lines collaborating with stores like Target and style experts like Alexander Wang making T-shirts and denim chic, Jones hails a new era of fashion in which the bold — like her oversized, yarn-ball shoulders — becomes accessible.
"I think there's a trend now of assuming fashion is a part of your life instead of seeing it as some sort of trivial, intimidating thing," Jones said. "It's about defining your own style and rocking it."
The Costume Creator
Three jitterbugging couples dance across sophomore Alyssa Skiba's skirt. She has embroidered them on herself from a collection of transfers she dug up online from the '40s and '50s. Skiba explained how she gravitates toward vintage styles when dreaming up her handmade attire and embellishments. She's an avid watcher of "Mad Men" and finds inspiration in old advertisements.
She's been familiar with the workings of a needle and thread since middle school, and, like Gruner, Skiba prefers to forgo patterns.
"I really love the imperfections that come along with making things by hand," Skiba said. "It gives those pieces character and personality. When I make something for myself, I feel like part of me is translated onto the fabric."
Skiba doesn't consider herself a fashionista. In fact, she hardly follows current trends at all — unless you count pastel pencil skirts worn by January Jones' Betty on Mad Men.
"It's less important for me to be on the cutting edge of what's going on than to make things I genuinely like and feel proud of," Skiba said.
Knitting and embroidery are calming exercises she completes while watching movies or television, and she says the experience becomes infused in the final product. "It's a way to personalize things I have and make articles of clothing more interesting and special to me," Skiba said. "Sometimes I remember, ‘Oh, I made this skirt while I was watching ‘Roman Holiday' [1953].'"
Skiba works as an employee in the Drama Program's costume shop, and she recently served as assistant costume designer for the department's February production of "Hedda Gabler." While Skiba sews along the lines for theater productions, she still savors opportunities to make personalized, playful pieces on her own — like a crocheted moustache for her roommate during Hanukkah.
The Home Ec Superstar
Junior Sara Carnahan loves having an off-campus apartment — in part because it offers her more space for her sewing nook. In the corner right at the top of the stairs, Carnahan stashes her sewing machine and dress form, along with a smattering of in-progress projects and printed fabrics waiting for designs.
Carnahan has been sewing since the fourth grade, when she started with a quilt. Her mother, who openly admitted she was an embarrassment in Home Economics class in her school days, made sure Carnahan learned the skill. By the time Carnahan made it to Home Ec and two semesters of sewing classes, she was making four pairs of pajamas while others were completing just one.
Now she makes a project every month or two, depending on her workload. But sewing also offers a welcome respite from class work. "When I get kind of cranky, it calms me down," Carnahan said.
She has a feminine taste marked by little details along the lines of attire sold at stores like Anthropologie and Free People. A jacket tossed on her couch was designed with a Free People one in mind; the result is a thoughtful layering of fake fur and floral, embroidered bands.
"I definitely like everything I make to be different," Carnahan said. "I'm of the mantra that I'd rather have things that I love than a lot of things."
Like Jones, she took the Art as Fashion course at the SMFA. And like Jones, Carnahan has a penchant for all things recycled. She shows off an apron made from a purse and an old dress, with small potholders in each pocket and a tie made from the deconstructed bag's strap. She holds it up against a pair of shorts that she cut from pants she'd grown out of; they have colorful stripes of fabric down the sides designed to expand their size, and thus their use.
"When you go out the door knowing ‘I made this,' it's a good feeling," Carnahan said.
The Fraternity Brother
"I'm kind of like a mom," said sophomore L.A. Creech with a laugh. The Sigma Epsilon brother was referring to his sewing abilities, which he acquired when he took Drama 17 during the second semester of his freshman year. The class includes a mix of all things theater: set design, lighting technique and, of course, costuming.
Creech had to sew a pair of pajamas for the course. He browsed a discount fabrics store in Somerville called "Sewfisticated" and found the perfect pattern: Spongebob Squarepants. Actually making the pajamas, Creech said, was a lot of work. "But it taught me a lot. If anything gets ripped, I can fix it now, which is awesome," Creech said. "And I'm pretty rowdy, so I rip things often."
Creech's friends have learned that he's the guy with the sewing kit, and the one who will mend their rips and tears as well.
"Sewing is a helpful skill," he said. "At first, friends laugh, and I say, ‘You'll learn. One day you're going to come to me when something rips.' And they do." Recently Creech has decided to teach himself to knit. He looked up instructions online and is still learning.
As for the Spongebob Squarepants PJs? "I wear them all the time," Creech said.
