With Denise Rall
Dates: Sat 28 November 10am – 3pm
Cost: $130 / $110 NEAS members
My Re-Fashionista workshops provide an introduction in how to embellish an upper body garment (jacket, blouse or vest) in an imaginative way.
Techniques will be taught such as, layering, collage, ruching, and adding adornments such as trims, buttons, doilies and lace.
The emphasis will be to get the new elements pinned up to the garment, while there may not be time to stitch everything into place.
Students who work swiftly should be able to work on more than one garment.
Skill level: Participants should be able to stitch confidently by hand, and if time permits, by machine, but no need for advanced sewing skills or fancy Stitchwork.
Facilitator bio
Denise started sewing as a child, especially influenced by her father’s mother who re-made many garments to fit.
Denise has been teaching garment refashioning since 2011, having attended the Costume course at TAFE, near Lismore, NSW.
She provides interesting insights into garment decoration and outlines sewing techniques to embellish or reconstruct upper body garments (jackets, vests or blouses) from op shop finds or neglected items from one’s wardrobe.
The point of RE:fashionista is to enhance an un-loved garment and rescue it from landfill.
What you should bring to the workshop:
1) Basic sewing kit (needles, scissors, unpicker, etc.), threads to match garment, lots of pins to help with pinning up ‘bits & pieces’ to your garment. Plus, a product such as Thread Magic helps to smooth thread, and a small jeweller’s pliers is also useful for pulling a needle through multiple layers.
2) Bring along several upper body garments to cut up and/or decorate. It might be best to bring several op shop garments to experiment on rather than a favourite jacket.
3) Buttons, beads, bows, trims, lace, frills or fabric scraps, doilies – the more the better! Don’t forget that old costume jewellery can be ‘deconstructed’ with jewellery pliers, or small wire cutters and stitched onto clothing.
4) A dress stand if you have one.
Materials provided at the workshop:
- An ironing board and 2 sewing machines.
- Circle of Pins
- plastic torsos – sizes 8 – 14 – helpful for pinning items onto the jacket (etc.).
- Lots of denim scraps, fabric scraps, trims and lace, all available for use and embroidery thread in a variety of colours.
- A small booklet of her techniques (available to purchase for $10) and a number of inspirational books to look at.
Facilitator bio
Denise started sewing as a child, especially influenced by her father’s mother who re-made many garments to fit.
Her interest in refashioning and costumes was further developed by attending the Costume Course (Certificate IV) at TAFE NSW.
She refined her Re-Fashionista workshops while teaching in northern NSW and southern QLD and takes a very imaginative approach to reconstructing op-shop clothing.
Denise recently taught her workshop during a two-year project funded by the NSW government through MakeIT Tenterfield, a social craft enterprise and shop located in Tenterfield NSW in 2023-2024.
She provides interesting insights into garment decoration and outlines sewing techniques to embellish or reconstruct upper body garments (jackets, vests or blouses) from op shop finds or neglected items from one’s wardrobe.
The point of fashionista is to enhance an un-loved garment and rescue it from landfill.
Please contact tutor directly denrall@yahoo.com if you wish to bring your own sewing machine.
Book at the Gallery
You can pay over the phone using credit card, or pop in and pay.
For further information phone: 0423 520 073 / After Hours: 0421 990 336. Or email the gallery.
