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Reality show, economy spark interest in making clothes at home
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John Gurzinski/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Zoe Zitzer,15, works on a dress she is making for herself. Zitzer was inspired to sew by the reality television show "Project Runway." » Buy this photo
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Deanna Tenner inspects her work on a costume she is sewing for her husband, who portrays Prince in the group Purple Reign. Tenner is learning to sew his costumes during classes at Cynthia's Sewing Center. John Gurzinski/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Zoe Zitzer, 15, wants to stand out as a unique individual while expressing her creativity.
Deanna Tenner, 49, hopes to save some money.
Their goals, as different as their ages, led them both to the same starting point: Cynthia's Sewing Center, 1550 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway.
Seeing a pattern yet? The thread that connects them? It's a couple of hundred yards of Egyptian cotton embroidery thread. Sometimes, it's a cotton polyester blend, depending on the project.
Zitzer and Tenner recently became sewing enthusiasts, joining a resurgence that started several years ago with the debut of the popular reality TV show "Project Runway" and continues now, thanks to a lousy economy.
"It all kind of blew together into a ball that's rolling quite quickly," says June Mellinger, director of product promotions for Brother, one of the largest manufacturers of sewing machines and an official sponsor of "Project Runway."
The show, Mellinger says, renewed interest in what had once been a common skill among women, but was relegated to old lady hobby when fashion became more about brands and less about thrift. That seemed to coincide with the increase in working women in the 1980s and 1990s, she adds.
Now, the economy has nudged others to take up the hobby if only to save money by hemming their own pants, tightening their own buttons or patching worn clothes. The savings can be significant for those who make their own clothing, and it has become a way for people to express their individuality, says Joyce Perhac, president of the Philadelphia-based Sewing and Craft Alliance.
The alliance runs a sewing instructor program, setting up classes across the country to teach people how to teach others to sew. The interest in those classes is high, Perhac says.
"There was a time when you didn't dare say that you made it," Perhac says. "But that's changed. Project Runway ... made sewing fun again. "
The reality show pits up-and-coming fashion designers against each other for a $100,000 prize and the opportunity to present a line of their clothing during New York Fashion Week. Every episode features mostly young people, drama, design and the frantic sewing of materials including vegetables, shower curtains and plastic garbage bags, as well as fabric.
This unusual approach and contestants' ability to do distinctive things showed a new generation that sewing could be a creative outlet. It then became cool among teens to "re-purpose" things, turning them into something else with just a needle and thread, Perhac says. They add beads to shirts or turn an A-line skirt into a straight skirt. An old pair of pants into a bean bag or a purse.
The show was a major reason Zitzer started sewing about a month ago.
Like her friends, Zitzer wears fashionable T-shirts off the rack that, no matter the size, never fit quite right. And trendy or not, the T-shirts often lacked flair, panache, verve, a certain something that said "Zoe."
Instead of making do or paying someone else to jazz them up, Zitzer dusted off her older sister's unused sewing machine and altered them herself. The cost of altering one shirt could cost as much as the shirt itself, she says. "
"I like that I'm able to make my own clothes because I think it's cool," says the Liberty High School freshman. "I just want to be able to say I made my own stuff."
For the past five years, Tenner has been mending her husband's work clothes. He's a Prince tribute artist in Purple Reign at Hooters Hotel. She has made a few things for her 9-year-old daughter and herself, but that was it. Then her husband had a new costume made and Tenner decided it would benefit the family if she learned to make the outfits instead.
"They're so expensive and you have to get them to fit just right," Tenner says. "One suit is way over $1,000. I finally realized I can do it myself for a fraction of that."
She bought a new sewing machine about two months ago and has been taking weekly lessons at Cynthia's Sewing Center. Who knows? She may just start her own sewing business when she becomes proficient.
While people can buy sewing machines at Target, Wal-Mart and other big box stores, Perhac recommends purchasing one from a small local sewing shop. The purchase often comes with unlimited help and free lessons.
Nancy Walley, manager of Cynthia's location in Henderson, teaches both Zitzer and Tenner. She also offers private lessons for a fee. Since the store opened two years ago, sales have been strong and continue to grow, she says.
Everything about sewing has changed dramatically in the past few years, from sewing machines to patterns, which makes the hobby even more accessible, Mellinger says. There's a machine at every price point, as low as $50 and as high as $10,000.
They also can do a lot more than your grandmother's sewing machine. New models have LED color screens, USB ports, cameras and other high tech features. Some thread themselves. You can even download patterns directly from the Internet into the machine.
At one time, Perhac says, it seemed like you needed a degree in architecture to read a pattern, but not anymore. They've been simplified and come in a variety of sizes.
Reading the patterns has been the most challenging part of Tenner's efforts. Still, she's confident that she will grasp it and even develop the ability to sew without them.
"I'm in the beginning stages," Tenner says. "I'm hoping within six months someone will bring me something and I'll be able to just make it."
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.
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