Tag Archives: custom design

Client: I started this project… Me: Sure – bring it on over!

My elevator pitch used to be: ” I sew, I dance; I teach both.”

I have retired from performing and teaching dance< Belly and Bollywood>, but I still am lucky enough to be able to keep up the creativity with my sewing work.

Every once in a while, I am lucky enough to be able to assist another sewist in the completion of their projects that may have gotten away from them, their lives have become too busy, or whatever the reason…

Here’s the latest – and I love it – I want one for me now ! I don’t need one though… sigh…

TADA~ and yes, it will look better with a body inside and a bit of aging from laundering..

Click on the first thumbnail and hit the right arrow to go along for the journey!

So…. yes!
If you need help finishing a project, let me know and let’s co-create something amazing!

#NewNormal for TAV Creations…

As Ontario looks at how to reopen businesses, I also am looking at how to safely conduct business in my  highly up-close and personal main operations.

I specialize in custom garments, making them with multiple appointments to ensure the look and fit are what my clientele wants in…

  • Bridal wear
  • Proms
  • Dance costumes

And even with these jobs I am often still looking at at least one fitting to ensure a good final result when providing…

  • Tailoring
  • bridal alterations
  • clothing repairs and renovations….

So what to do?

I have been making masks steadily since March 2020 , and I will continue to do so as demand exists, that will be one of the streams of income I will be dedicating time to. Curious? email me 

Be sure to use  #TAVMasketeer or #TAVMaskateer if you post a selfie in one I’ve made for you!

No-contact alterations will be available

 – you mark it, I sew it can work reasonably well for pant and sleeve hems, and likely straight skirts…contact me if you have projects like this to get finished!

This will also work for curtain hems, and repairs of clothing!

Resuming fittings with safety protocols in effect:

For my bridal clients and custom clientele who are looking at having their special garment made or altered/ tailored for a future event, I have been postponing fittings until we have a better flattening of the curve happening.  As we begin to open up, I will be looking at slowly setting up more appointments with the following protocols in place for my health and yours.

 both of us wearing masks -if you have your own cloth mask, cool, if not, let me know and I’ll make you one and will wash and  iron it to kill off germs right before you come.
wearing disposable plastic gloves or washing hands immediately upon entering < if you prefer to bring your own soap, I won’t be insulted, or you can use our bar soap in the bathroom>
 
-personal items kept to a minimum and put on the removable sheet on the futon in the studio – it gets removed and laundered after every appointment.
limit it to just 1 person coming in. We can set up a FaceTime or Skype over our internet with whoever wishes they could be here but cannot.
more efficient fittings…Fittings presently are  limited to 20-30 minutes, and I hope to reduce that, depending on what needs to be discussed.
I also plan to offer variety of platforms for video chats in advance of even meeting – so let me know if you want to explore that option!
Above all, I want to keep sewing, contributing to the economy and helping others when I can with donations when possible.
I look forward to the new adventures in creativity we will go on together!

Couture Adventures 2020: Focus on: The Traveller

I am super grateful to the folks who joined me this fall/winter in being my models/co-creators/willing superheroes to showcase my skills as a designer.
This year, the nature of my “collection” is more “adventures”– #TAVCreationsAngels Assemble !
Each week I plan to focus on one of these amazing people and the character and creation we produced !

 

Today, let’s talk about The Traveller.

Travelling through time with flare, The Traveller once was a delicate maid, with a flowing dress and gentle smile. She has evolved into a fierce no-nonsense character, with her dress evolving as well into a sharply styled jacket, and worn here with an ivory gown remade into a walking skirt, along with a lovely sleeveless blouse for the times she needs to really move!

The Design:

The Traveller  was a bridesmaid in the lovely teal satin dress many years ago. And the dress waited for a new life.

As the Downton Abby High Tea approached, and costumes were on the minds of the attendees, we had some fun deciding to use her dress to make her outfit for the tea!  

Striking a pose
Bridesmaid gown REMADE into jacket

 

Remake of 2 dresses into Jacket and skirt :

Labour: $945

The wedding dress used to make the skirt was one of the many donated pieces found in the TAV Creations reclaimed textiles stashes and the ensemble came together!

Supplies:

    • Bridesmaid dress to remake into jacket
    • Wedding dress to remake into skirt

Blouse  – sleeveless shell with ruffle collar
Labour = $90

Supplies:

  • .75m cotton rayon blend
  • .5m lace for ruffle

 

 

 

White satin wide brim hat with blue accent and lace and satin roses
Labour $280

Supplies:

  • 1m buckram
  • 1m wire
  • Matching satin and accessory fabric accents
Those back details….

Couture Adventures 2020: Focus on: PheonixQueen

I am super grateful to the folks who joined me this fall/winter in being my models/co-creators/willing superheroes to showcase my skills as a designer.
This year, the nature of my “collection” is more “adventures”– #TAVCreationsAngels Assemble !
Each week I plan to focus on one of these amazing people and the character and creation we produced !

 

Today, let’s talk about The PheonixQueen !

Gold and red, textured silk and embroidered silk satin with elegant feathers, The PhoenixQueen rose to the occasion as a  TAV Creations Angel Superhero!

PhoenixQueen – getting casual – because…pants!
Dark and Dramatic – absolutely!

The Design

Custom evening ensemble:
Overdress Labour: $550
Pants: Labour $200

Venetia’s two-piece evening set features the comfort of a robe and pyjama pants in luxurious silk. We discussed many options as we were creating this original TAV Creations outfit, and were so pleased with the final look!

On a personal note: the red and gold silks came from a prolific Ottawa performer and teacher, Anjali < Anne-Marie Gaston> who passed away in 2018, after dedicating her life to bringing her love of Odissi and Bharatnyam style dance to Ottawa and beyond. These fabrics would have been used by her for back drops, for future costume pieces, etc. so it was bittersweet to have the opportunity to collect many of her fabrics and give them new life. #phoenix #usewhatyougot

NOTE: Pockets in the side seams of the overdress – yes! 

And the Chinese silk collar, made from a small remnant piece of fabric collected years ago,  brings colour and softness to the neckline!

Overdress
Supplies:

  • Gold silk 4m
  • Red Chinese silk .75m
  • Button 

Pants
Supplies:

  • Red thai silk 2 m
  • Elastic 

Matching headband $40

  • Red silk remnants that match
  • Elastic 
Gold and red silk wrap gown over pants – with pockets!!!

 

 

Couture Adventures 2020: Focus on: The Whine-icorn!

I am super grateful to the folks who joined me this fall/winter in being my models/co-creators/willing superheroes to showcase my skills as a designer.
This year, the nature of my “collection” is more “adventures”– #TAVCreationsAngels Assemble !
Each week I plan to focus on one of these amazing people and the character and creation we produced !

 

Today, let’s talk about The Whine-icorn !

This TAV Creations Angel Superhero combines the powers of the teen and the unicorn in a tall talented soul!  

 

Let the teen be comfortable – bridesmaid or prom!

The Design

Prom dress/ Ball gown/ Bridesmaid dress

Labour $600

Original sketch brought to TAV Creations

Designed with the assistance of a school mate and then *organically created* in the TAV Creations Studio, this iridescent  blue textured gown is light and flows with a grounded feel.

It has the elegance of a ball gown with the flexibility to be dressed up, down or sideways with accessories and attitude.

Supplies:

  • Blue crinkle satin 6m
  • Interlining 1m
  • Boning 1m 

Crinoline- single layer:
Labour $45
Supplies:

  • pregathered/reclaimed crinoline 
  • 1.5m broadcloth

Fascinator:
Labour $45

Supplies:

  • comb, 
  • horsehair, 
  • applique, 
  • satin from dress
The Whine-icorn corset back gown by TAV Creations

 

 

*organically created*: This is the way of things in my studio…  we start at an inspired point and then the creation takes on a life of its own. The client has full input throughout the process and we decide together what changes may occur from the original idea to create a highly personalized finished piece! 

 

And a reminder that The Whine-icorn and Zombie Dragon Girl came as a team!

Couture Journey – Winter Wonderland Coat

 


Winter Wonderland Coat:
Labour $350-$500

Andrea’s bridal coat represents an option to dress up an existing dress or add to a full ensemble custom concept.

The unlined jacket features some fun body flattering shaping with princess seams into pleats. The high low hem shows off the skirt while still creating a formal look.

Supplies:

  • Fabric 3m
  • Lace appliques – 4 pair
  • Hooks and eyes

 

The matching hair florals
Labour $90-$120

Made from the coat fabric to be either separately pinned into the hair or all in one piece.

 

“Ursula” Base Gown:
Labour unlined gown: $600-$900

Or – Adding upper bodice on existing strapless dress $150-$300

Andrea’s Ursula gown represents the possibility of adding upper bodice coverage to strapless gowns, the flattering lines of a princess style dress, and the options of having long sleeves in a slightly stretching fabric added to a solid gown.  With the added coverage, a regular bra can be worn.

Ursula – photo by Jared Young

Supplies:

  • Satin: 3m
  • Upper contrast fabric: 1m
  • Zipper
  • Horsehair 4m

 

 

 

 

Designing…

So, here I sit, surrounded by beautiful fabrics I have collected, been given, and love them all dearly.

And I am preparing to start creating pieces for an upcoming event in early March where I will hope to sell pieces I have created and put my heart and soul into, hoping the right combination of size, style and colour will find it’s happy new owner.

But it’s completely illogical to my nature.

I co-create.

I design for my clients, working hand in hand with them to bring a shared vision to life.  They give me a starting point, some silhouettes, so colours, some concepts, and then I let my creative juices flow, drawing up ideas and offering them their options based on budget, time, and any other relevant factors.

Every piece is an original, every piece is a creation born from energy combined by two of us.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe my personally generated designs are lovely, and have great potential to be personalized by the person who purchases them, either with my help or with their own styling.

Most people don’t see  what I see. I have created pieces that I considered beautiful canvasses that can be reworked with beads or tailoring and made into completely awesome pieces. But people often only see them as too plain.

By keeping them plain, I keep them budget friendly, so that the dancer can choose how much more she wished to spend on embellishment.

all hand beaded
all hand beaded

 

This grey velvet became my costume, but started as a one piece baladi dress that had no beadwork.  Then I decide I would just rework it for myself – and it turned out to be my featured performance costume for my Halyma’s Bellydance DVD # 1.

In the early days of sewing for the Bazaar, I used to create pieces while thinking of specific dancers who might like them, and quite often, I was blessed with their agreement and purchase.  Since I would tend to make them in the correct size for that dancer, it worked out well.

But I started to feel like I was almost victimizing those dancers and coercing them into purchasing by using my powers for evil.

I have continued to create simple pieces, but found that, without focus on a specific dancer to inspire me, many of the pieces remain unsold.  So they will be heavily discounted at the upcoming event in hope that will find a new home.

I think I need my muses back.

So, if you come shopping on March 8th at the Dancers’ Bazaar and see something that looks like it was made for you, and it’s in your size – feel flattered – you probably inspired me 🙂

Details:

Dancers Bazaar, Sunday March 8th, 12 noon to 4 p.m., 250 McArthur, Knight’s of Columbus Hall. Free parking and free admission. Facebook event  Organizer’s website

And remember, if you actually want something custom made, that’s what I do – email me!