Who am I?

Well, isn’t that the eternal question we are all striving to answer.

I guess introducing myself would be a good start.

Hi, my name is Victoria.

I am a professional sewer and pro bono lover of pretty dresses.

I grew up in Stratford, Ontario and have lived there most of my life. My mum is a dresser at the Stratford Festival and while growing up I not only attended many plays I also got to see and hear about the goings on backstage. This instilled in me a love of and fascination with theatre.

I am a graduate of the Costume Studies program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was an intense program, but I loved it. I had been sewing for several years but Dal was where I actually learned how to do it well. I even managed to make some friends through sheer number of hours spent together in the studio.

Before Dal, I went to Glendon Collegeit’spartofYork (as Glendonites tend to say). I graduated with a B.A. in Drama Studies (to answer your question: a bit like English, but with plays rather than novels.) While it wasn’t a formal theatre program, we did have a small black box theatre and did mount several plays throughout each year. Glendon is where I really cemented that I wanted to pursue costume.

I have worked for various theatres and craftspeople over the years. I love that the work is always changing and there is always some new challenge. Sometimes it’s recreating a vintage or historical shape. Sometimes it’s working with a strange material. Sometimes it’s repeating the same task many times or making several of the same thing without losing my mind.

I have always been a fairly creative person. I remember, as a child, deciding that I would be an artist when I grew up. At the time my understanding of what that could mean was pretty limited, I think I assumed I’d have to be some kind of painter, but the sense that I wanted to make things was there. For much of my childhood, a sketchbook was a constant companion and art camps and classes were about the only summer activities my parents could convince me to take part in.

I didn’t really come to needle arts until I was in high school when, in desperation to fill my schedule and get the required credits, I took a sewing class. I don’t remember much from this class, but I got some basics and by the end of the year I had started to build a humble fabric stash.

Though I wouldn’t say that I am an artist, I do think that my childhood instinct has proven true. Making things is what drives me. Taking something from an idea in my head or a sketch on paper and bringing it into existence is always exciting. I find this particularly true for fashion and costume. It is, at its heart, taking something flat, be it a drawing or the fabric itself, and giving it a human shape. There is something magical about this. Even when I face difficulties and setbacks or the finished product just isn’t as perfect as it was in my head, I can always take joy in the act of creating and the things I learn every time.

I am a nerd at heart. I have the capacity to get really into things and then form very strong opinions about those things and these opinions are totally correct and irrefutable and you’re wrong and here’s why and I don’t know why you even brought that up because it doesn’t even matter when compared to…wait, what was I saying?

My main goal here is to share my work.

The tiny fashion blog is about my adventures in half scale clothing. Most of the pieces will be my own designs, but I’m excited to explore recreations and historical builds. The half scale is a great way to play around, try ideas and build skills without huge expense or having to make things for myself that I will never have any reason to wear.

I also want to share other projects and I’ve created a portfolio of my work. Some of the work there is from school, some is professional work and some is personal projects that I enjoyed or am pleased with and want to share.

I just want to talk about fabric and sewing. Please let me talk about fabric and sewing.