Tag Archives: upcycling

Creative journeys, creativity abounds, TAV Studio News

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….
Creative journeys, creativity abounds

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!!!

 

 

Creative journeys, creativity abounds

Couture Adventures 2020: Focus on Zombie Dragon Girl!

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 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 Zombie Dragon Girl!!  The juxtaposition of this superhero: a Darkness that gives Light in creativity and movement.

Zombie Dragon Girl in elegant Darkness she shines..

Zombie Dragon Girl had a clear vision of what her gown could be and the pieces all came together -from two separate donated gowns, a TAV Creations purse created in the 90’s, a sample veil that worked perfectly to enhance her distinct hair style!

 

TAV Creations sketch from ideas discussed!

Starting from a sketch that gave me the direction to head in, I had assembled the elements for our first meeting, and we kept just raving at how it could all work together!

The Design:

RE-Design and melding of Wedding gowns

Labour: $450

Two dresses, a sash, purse and veil from different sources all came together in the TAV Creations studio!

Zombie Dragon Girl’s Regency inspired silk gown was created by taking 2 wedding gowns , resizing, redesigning and reassembling to create this new piece. 

 

 

 

The original silk gown, shown here,  had full length set in sleeves, a “v” neckline in front and a lower waist line.

It was recut to remove any unsightly stains, the sleeves made into a new fun style, the skirt regathered into a more back waist emphasis. The train was reshaped to match the lace overskirt that was added.  

 The lace overskirt also offered up some appliqués to add to the donated veil to make it a fun matching headpiece 

Supplies:

  • Donated silk dress
  • Donated lace on tulle overskirt

Veil redesign – 

Labour $30 

  • Donated veil
Using lace from the overskirt, I was able to create a bun wrap shape that kept the veil long and flowing.

 

Regency Hybrid gown
Zombie Dragon Girl “Regency Hybrid gown” – back view

 

The bonus of working with this TAV Creations Angel/ superhero, was that she came with a sidekick – The White-icorn! 🙂

 

Creative journeys, creativity abounds, TAV Studio News

Couture Adventures 2020: Focus on “Magnificent”

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 Regal ” Magnificent“…

Wearing beads and sequins on silk chiffon, a glorious green colour and exuding an ageless elegance, Magnificent, AKA Queen Ivy, holds all to a higher standard.

She commands attention to the finest details in her own endeavours and expects nothing less from others. Her superpowers challenge those around her to excellence.

The Design:

Vintage silk beaded dress redesign

Labour: $260 for the second Renovation/ incarnation

This two piece gown is in its third incarnation –  having been once a dance costume < approximately in a size 18, worn by 5 feet 8 inches /173cm tall Halyma>,   and before that, it had been a two piece set with full sleeves, and a higher front neckline.

The ultimate in upcycling is keeping these vintage pieces in circulation, adjusting in ways that allow for future changes and resizing it for our Magnificent who did not fill it out –  in height or width, but it now flatters  her frame !

Worn by Halyma back in 2015 for a performance in Ottawa. Photo taken by WTL < darner media.ca>

 

It was adjusted for size and style once again, and tailored to make it wearable for the Downton Abby High Tea!
Magnificent judging you…
Using the fullness of the skirt to create a new design of flattering pleats in the back, this helped reduce the size as needed.

 

We also had some fun at the Capital Wedding Show…
Magnificent at the Capital Wedding Show…

One more fun thing that we were able to enjoy at this year’s Capital Wedding Show was meeting and participating in 3DAvatar‘s booth:

You walk into their time machine and are immortalized instantly!

Head over to my Facebook page here to see the dress in 3D –

creativity abounds, On a more personal note

Remaking my dog’s harness…

I took some time over this month, around seeing clients and working on gorgeous wedding gowns, bridesmaids and other fabulous pieces, to do some camping.

early morning on Pog Lake.

The #StudioMascot, Sprocket, of course came along with us. Her present harness, which I bought in the spring to replace her previous ones that had clips that snapped, is made from a combination of straps. All of them solid and stiff, with strong rings connecting them.

The family…

Sadly, the hard straps and her barrel chest did not work well for the 18km walk day.

Blisters developed in her “armpits” and I did not realize until we were taking the harness off of her back at camp.

She’s very stoic at times.  But the sores needed to heal.

 

We switched to just attaching the leash to her collar and that worked for the most part – when the mole popped onto our site, we have to wrestle with her to keep her from chasing it, but otherwise, the leash on her neck was fine for our walks. We enjoyed the remaining time on the campground and sighed deeply as we packed up to come home.

One of her old harnesses I used to re create a new one.

Back in the studio, I immediately grabbed some of her previous harnesses, which I keep in case I can use the parts. I checked  them to see what I could do to get her into a more comfortable but still functional harness.

The choice was made to use one that offered a padded chest support as a pattern and  I extended the length of it.  I used part of the original straps and added reclaimed ones that I had taken off my husband’s back pack.

Thus, I was able to create a cute denim harness that works well and won’t cause her discomfort if we go on long walk in the future.

Out for a test drive with the excess strapping still there until I confirmed it was big enough to fit her chest.
Side view shows the bit of extra at her neckline, which I darted for the finished product.
New elastic was installed into the triangle and straight spine strap from the original, and new waist strapping.
Before I darted the centre front, still was comfy. but the dart creayted just a bit better fit.

 

And a trip to the vet for updating her shots proved the concept of the harness fully!

 

Creative journeys, Events

Holiday Season quickly approaching…

No ” holiday themed music” here…

Subtle in front, fun in back
Subtle in front, fun in back

just a simple reminder that there will be some fun soirees in your life in the next 6-8 weeks and you might be almost ready to start looking into that modern dilemma, ” Whatever will I wear?”

 

 

If you’ve:

  • got the perfect outfit, but it needs a bit of tailoring;
  • you thought you had the perfect outfit, but now you think it could use a redesign;
  • been gifted gorgeous fabric and now want to have it made into that creative vision;
  • or just want something new and cannot find it out there already

    Bridesmaid dresses matching concept and unique for each!
    Bridesmaid dresses matching concept and unique for each!

Who you gonna call? < um, sorry, couldn’t stop myself>

Actually – Email me please… send me your details:

  • What are you looking to have done? repairs? redesign? new piece?
  • When will you be wearing it?
  • Do you have time to come for fittings and what times are you generally available?

Then we can start playing! Either fill out this contact form or email me directly – tracey@tav-creations.com!

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