Magnolia Hill Re-Creations

Phone: 908-638-8359

Email: magnoliahill.115@comcast.net

Education/Honors Relating to Your Profession: ASDP Member of the Month – Feb / Mar 2014

Kenneth King's Moulage taught by Sharon Zydiak

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About Me:

 

Q.  When and why did you first start sewing? 

A.  I started with cutting out felt to make clothes for my troll when I was 6 or 7.  Then I moved on to clothes for my dolls.  My mother was a Home Economics major and taught adult ed sewing classes so sewing was always a part of our family.  But I really don’t remember her helping me or teaching me much unless I asked her for specific help with a step.  I figured it out on my own.  I got into sewing clothes for myself once I took Home Ec in Middle School and received an “Independence Award”.  Except for a time when I was away at college and then working full time, I’ve been sewing ever since.

 

Q.  What do you like most about the profession? 

A.  I like helping people feel good about themselves and the way they look.  I also like the endless variety of projects, the creativity, and the challenge of figuring out how to solve technical issues.

 

Q.  What is your favorite type of project to work on?

A.  I was an environmental consultant in my previous career. So any project that involves restyling or re-purposing fabrics to keep them out of landfills and give them a second life gets my attention.

 

Q.  What is the most challenging project you’ve ever undertaken?

A.  A customer came to me with a vintage off-white velvet wedding coat with a train that her grandmother had worn in her wedding.  The customer wanted to wear her grandmother’s coat in her own January wedding.  Only problem was the coat was about 3-4 sizes too small for her.  So I had to upsize the coat by adding gussets under the arms, adding pieces to enlarge the arm circumference, and make a new front panel so she could button it closed across her bust.  I just happened to have a piece of vintage off-white velvet in my stash. I even had to tea-dye the insert pieces of velvet so they would match the yellowed original velvet.  All this while the customer kept gaining weight requiring modifications to the inserts every time I thought I had them finalized.

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Areas of Specialty: ​

• Accessories

• Alterations 

• Beading

• Christening Gowns

• Custom Clothing

• Designing

• Doll Clothes

• Education

• Formal Wear

• Formal Wear Alterations

• Garment Restyling/Re-purposing

• Hand Embroidery

• Heirloom Sewing

• Home Decor

• Mending/Reweaving

• Needlework Finishing

• Prototypes/Samples

• Quilting