We are proud to present you a very talented lady, Katharine Yeung from Hong Kong .
Katharine responded on our blogpost visitors from all over the world and now you can read her sewing story too.
After graduating from fashion design school 2 years ago, I worked at a bridal studio in New York. I learned a lot about pattern making and some sewing technique. Now I’ve returned to Hong Kong where I was born, it had not been easy to find a job I love (compare to the vibrant design scene in NY). So a month ago, I decided to start my own collection, work on something I truly enjoy, and see where this will take me.
I love bridal and evening, but I need to have something more wearable and profitable 
So I’m creating a small 9-looks casual-evening collection, with dresses, tops, skirt and pants.
I started this project with a little strapless A-Line dress. This dress has tons of seams; each panel will be in contrasting colour (dark area: some type of silk, think duchess, shantung or taffeta that has a bit of shine… the grey area will be matte: black/grey organza overlay on whatever I used on the dark area.) It will have a bustier inside, as I can’t stand those low-end garments without a proper structure inside. This is how I stumble across the Sewing Divas blog. Google took me to your post of December 31, 2007 (Evening wear, bustier and skirt). Gorgeous work! Even it wasn’t exactly the type of bustier construction I was searching about, your blog just took my breath away! I loved loved loved all those technique you showcased on your blog, it’s not easy to see someone who blog about their sewing secrets! Not to mention your techniques are so professional/couture (in contrast to some home sewing technique). Your blog is just too nice to be true!
So I went through tons of your old post over night, absorbed as much as I could and see if I could use some of the technique you blogged. Even if it’s not related to the collection I’m creating, I still enjoyed reading every post here
Back to what I’m sewing. Here is work in progress of the toile of that strapless dress. The original sketch has a chiffon draped panel that rest on the side, with one panel that can be flipped up and rest on shoulder (for those who want more than a strapless look). However, after stitching up the toile, I’m obsessed with all the seam detail and the dress just look so sculpted and 3-dimensional, that I felt it might be a shame to cover up all those seams (and the cute in-seam pocket!), even it’s chiffon. So I’ll make that decision later on when I sew this dress in the real fabric choice, and keep that chiffon option in case the seams are not laying as smooth as I want it to be.
I’m sewing in my tiny bedroom in Hong Kong with an IKEA table and a Janome sewing machine.
I don’t have a huge kitchen table, but we do have an un-occupied room in our apartment…. so yea, I’m one of those who do their pattern and cutting on the floor. Hopefully one day I can afford to have my own studio with a giant table!
Since I’m prepared to re-use those pattern, I tried not to fold them (the pattern paper quality is pretty bad… (Does anyone know where I can find a more sturdy pattern paper in Hong Kong?) I don’t have that extra money to buy a bunny hole puncher and pattern hooks yet. So I clip the pattern with binder clip and hang them behind the door.
And this is my cheaply made ham…. I swear to myself, I’ll buy a real tailor’s ham once I sold the first piece in my collection.
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