Thursday, Aprils, 1934
Page 10
Expressions
Ruffles, sparkles and lots of dazzle
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By JOAN KORINEK
The sewing machine has been around since 1790,
and yet, it may seem as alien as a foreign country to
some people. To others, however, the sewing machine
is a part of their lives.
Take Dovie Hein for instance. Sewing is nothing
new to the UNL senior in fashion design, who has
been sewing for 26 of her 30 years.
Furthermore, Hein is not new to the world of
fashion design. For the past 10 years, she has done
custom dressmaking out of her home. She then
decided to go to schooL
A lifetime of sewing has not left Hem unrecog
nized. This year, she won second place in a fashion
show for one of her designs and last year she placed
first in best of show and total entry.
. The Fashion Group of Kansas City has an annual
fashion show to promote and support women
involved in fashion and to encourage young people
in this field, said Robert Hillcstad, a professor in the
UNL textiles, clothing and design department.
The one-day show actually is a seminar, Hein said,
since it involves all elements of fashion.
"The show was for the rest of the students to see
what designers do," she said.
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Hein said she thinks the garments are judged on
originality and workmanship, as well as, Hillestad
said, newness and timeliness.
In creating this year's prizewinner, Hein went to
an antique clothing store, bought a 1940s purse and
rebcaded it. She also bought five 10503 graduated
pearl necklaces and some ICCO3 prism buttons
made of glass and mirror.
She combined all these elements together on a
dress, adding the buttons wherever she wanted
sparkle. She spent about $50 on the secondhand
materials but, considering labor, the dress is valued
between $000 and $550, she said.
Beauty frc raj unit
"I made something very beautiful out of all this
junk," she said, in a soft Southern accent.
Hein seems to go for the unique, one-of-a-kind
dresses with designs never before imagined. Last
year, one dress she entered in the total entry cate
gory at Kansas City was a button dress with 2,700
buttons.
I try to be as original as possible," she said. "Every
thing I do is totally different than the thing before."
On another dress, Hein pleated the material to
make it like an accordian. When the dress is not
worn, it shrinks into a tube, she said.
But Hein's domain is not limited just to dresses.
She has made coats, too. One she made out of scraps
of wool, she said. Dovie said she recycles a lot of
fabric.
"I use very ordinary fabric," she said. "It's my tech
niques that are unusual"
Hillestad can vouch for that. Hein is innovative in
using techniques, he said.
Sequins and ruffles
Her most current project is a red, ruffled dress.
The dress has ruffles running diagonally across it.
The ruffles are of man-made suede and she pain
stakingly has cut 1-inch slits all over the ruffles.
When pulled taut, the ruffles resemble a Chinese
- lantern, she said. In addition, the dress has satin
ribbons and sequins to add sparkle and shine, she
said.
In designing a garment, more is involved than
meets the eye. Hein puts much thought into each
garment before working on it. She has the ability to
make garments work both artistically and mechani
cally, she said.
"I think my dressmaking experience helps me a lot
in carrying through my designs," she said.
Many students can design but cannot carry the
design through, she said. But Hein is able to struc
ture and technically create a garment, Hillestad
confirmed.
Hours and hours are spent in designing and sew
ing a garment. This year's prizewinner took between
75 and 80 hours to make, she said. The red dress
took 80 to 1 00 hours just for the ruffle.
When designing a garment, Hein follows certain
steps. First, she must think of an idea. Then she will
draw a rough sketch to see whether it can be con
structed or not
"I explore different possibilities with color and
design," she said.
At this point, Hein said, she thinks about the
design more extensively to see if it actually will
work. Sometimes, she will sew a copy of it in muslin
to see how it would really look. She makes her own
patterns to fit her own 5-foot-9-inch slender figure.
What other things are needed to be a successful
designer? Hein said an eye for color is needed. Some
times, she will combine two colors that a non
designer would not consider putting together.
Bright colors far dazzle
"I like to work with bright colors," she said. She
often will use a bright color with black for a dazzling
effect, she said.
To be a designer, Hillestad said, "a thorough
knowledge of both traditional and non-traditional
construction is needed." In addition, a designer
needs to know what materials can do and how they
will look when sewn together, he said.
The basis of every fashion design, Hillestad said, is
to convert the two-dimensional form into three
dimensional.,.
After graduation, Hein said, she would like to
move to a larger city where she could expand her ,
business and design more artsy garments for the
.individual w " .. '
Hein has the ability to go as far as she wants to,
: Hillestad said. He said he could see her as a custom
designer or working for a manufacturer.
But Hein said she would rather be a smaller
designer so she could have more control over the
design. In addition, she said, she is not interested in
designing ready-to-wear clothes but wants to design
for the individual
The sewing machine has come a long way in the
last two centuries. And with it has come substantial
improvements in clothing.
"I consider them more pieces of art than gar
ments," Hein said.