Audrey Tan has been sewing dresses to wear, blankets to cover, and many other things since she began needlework as a hobby. Her handcrafting skills date back to her secondary school art classes.
A woman’s joy of making her own clothes
Abstract by nature, creative art has always been her forte, as she grew up appreciating various genres of art. Audrey Tan recalls art class being her favourite subject in school back then.
“Art is more than just painting; it also includes handicrafts such as batik and beadwork. I enjoyed doing everything from traditional embroidery to hand-stitching and beadwork because it allowed me to express my creativity,” said the 58-year-old.
Tan now dabbles in needlework. As the thread she held onto intertwined with another, each stitch she had sewn is a masterpiece waiting to be completed. Her current passion? Those dresses she’s been seen wearing. Her sewing hobby began about four years ago, when her two daughters left home to pursue their studies and she had more time for herself.
“I’m the type of person who gets bored easily. To escape boredom and mundanity, I look for creative things to do.”
Tan also said that she used to sew in her spare time when her daughters were younger, which was 20 years ago.
“I used to sew smocked dresses after I finished work at night, when they were both sleeping. Though it kept me up late, it was a relaxing way to end a stressful day.”
Tan was inspired to learn new sewing skills by the smocking technique, which was popular among mothers two decades ago.
“The work was tedious. Smocking requires proficiency in a variety of stitch techniques. Though it may appear simple, smocking requires hundreds of stitches to be incorporated into a single pattern.”
What else can she sew?
With over three decades of needlecraft experience, the sewist has mastered many techniques, but there is still much more to learn.
Tan, a self-taught sewist, also dabbles in Sashiko, a Japanese embroidery technique.
“If I’m unfamiliar with a technique, I look it up on Google or YouTube. There will undoubtedly be mistakes the first few times, but practise makes perfect,” she said.
Tan also revealed that she can sew teddy bears, bags, and quilts. Although these are some of the crafts she has dabbled in, the mother of two is not limited in her pursuit of excellence in her art. Tan even sewed cloth masks for family and friends during the recent pandemic.
Making dresses is her favourite way to express her love of style and fashion. Tan can’t resist the temptation to indulge in her other hobby of fabric collecting whenever she enters a fabric store. Her enthusiasm for style and fashion, combined with the variety of colourways and fabric textures, inspires her to sew a particular piece.
“Sewing dresses for myself has always been on my wish list. So I watched YouTube, read up online, and watched other sewists online to learn how to do it.”
Tan posts various dresses she has sewn for herself on her Instagram account @orangutan_65. From the Helena wrap dresses to her Fields of Dreams dresses, each is a unique piece, down to the fabric used.
Tan admitted that, despite having sewn a number of inspiring pieces, she is not a fashion designer because she believes it is a tall order to be called one.
“I wouldn’t call myself a fashion designer, but I enjoy creating and styling. Furthermore, I did not attend any design school to earn this title.”
The sewist also said that she does not advertise her products, but rather makes friends with the Instagram community and has done a few sewing projects for them on an ad hoc basis.
Quilt blankets are one of her favourite projects to work on.
Not one to rush her work
Tan’s eagerness to wear the dresses can interfere with the quality of each dress she sews.
“I once rushed through a sewing project. That experience taught me to be more patient in order to produce a high-quality product with nice finishing touches. If it falls short of my expectations, I feel let down and disappointed in myself.”
As with any creative endeavour, mistakes are inevitable.
“You will encounter a stumbling block and make mistakes. That’s when you’ll have to start over because you’ll have to undo everything you’ve meticulously done. No sewist wants to do that because it is a tedious and time-consuming task.”
Tan believes that the most common sewing mistake is incorrect measurement. She often says that what is big can be salvaged, but what is small cannot.
“Whenever I come to a roadblock, I always put something on hold until I have time to think things through in my head. Before I get back behind the sewing machine, I may need to overcome the frustrations of wasting fabric and time.”
Tan, who has sewn many projects, hopes to one day be able to sell her work online. Those interested in her sewing projects can browse through her Instagram.
