Our New Fan, A SCRAPpy Dressmaker

Recently we received these photos from Dressmaker/Fashion Designer Lena Savvoy (aleniafowlkes at yahoo dot com). They're such great examples of how to "renew" clothing that may have seen better days but still has some life in it. I thought we'd share them here and asked Lena to write up some text to accompany her work. She sent a sweet story detailing her career origins:

When I was 8-years old I asked my father for a needle and thread, and some fabric scraps to make my dolls some clothes. He was a little taken aback by my request, and he asked if I had ever made clothes for my dolls before. Of course! I had, and I showed him some of the more rudimentary items I had fashioned from headscarves, handkerchiefs and socks. Well my father was a naturally talented artist and painter, and he decided to challenge me to a contest. He got out Great Granny Katy’s big sewing tin that was full of ribbons, buttons, zippers and trim, and all the various remnants handed down through the generations. We each chose our materials and went into our separate rooms to see who could make the BEST skirt and jacket for my doll baby. Well, I knew there was absolutely no way he would win. First of all, it was my doll baby and he didn‘t play with doll babies - he was a ‘boy’. Anyway I was extra careful with my stitches, and I even put a little ribbon trim around my suit. It had buttons and button-holes, and there was no-way he was going beat me. Well when we were finally finished I was shocked! His suit was beautiful. He had chosen a beautiful fabric and a metallic-gold trim, but the best part was the elastic waist! How did he make an elastic waist from a box of scraps? He used a rubber band. My young mind exploded - and from that moment on, I knew that beautiful dresses could be made from almost anything!

These certainly are elegantly-rendered designs that show what "scraps" can become if you just use proper construction techniques and some imagination. At SCRAP DC, we think that's a winning formula whether you make clothes, home accents, or greeting cards (all of which, by the way, we now sell at our little Re:Boutique!).

Thanks for sharing these with us, Lena! And hey, blog readers! -- what do ya think? E-mail Lena if you've got a worn-out favorite that might be resuscitated, or let US know about other artists whose work you'd like featured here.