If you’re like me and have watched every single series of Drag Race you will know that a queen needs to know how to use a sewing machine. How many times have you shouted at the TV “GURL what are you doing on this show if you don’t know how to sew, you know there’ll be a sewing challenge”? I know I’ve said it several times. But unless you took textiles in school or were fortunate enough to have a family member willing to teach you it’s not easy to know where to start.
I started sewing as a teenager having grown up around a mum who used to make her own garments growing up and a nan who made the families wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses. I took textiles in school and loved it. However I then went to college and picked a bunch of non artsy academic classes and bored myself, so I went back and tried again a few years later, this time taking a National Diploma in Fashion and Clothing. I adored every second of it, but bills were calling out so I focused on working for a few years. Then aged 29 I enrolled in Norwich University of the Arts and started my degree in Fashion, it is NEVER too late to start learning something you love and you are never too old to go back to education.
Summer of 2020 I graduated with a 2:1 and a final collection inspired by queer movements and bridal wear. It was during my final year I became more interested in non-binary fashion (why do clothe even have a gender?!) and decided to branch out from using the standard size 6 models and reached out to a local drag house to ask if they’d be interested in being my models. From there, my love of drag was created. After I graduated I moved back to my beloved seaside in East Sussex. I grew up in Bexhill and spent many a night at the gay bars in Brighton, so I was excited to be a part of the local LGBTQ community again (y’know, once Miss Rona was done). During lockdown I started experimenting with drag myself, even taking part in an online drag show, when it occurred to me, I have the knowledge to share that can help drag artists make their own wonderful creations.
I decided I was going to make a series of videos, some free tutorials and soon online classes, to teach drag queens and kings how to construct their own garments. All you need is a few basic sewing supplies and access to a domestic sewing machine! The free online tutorials will be uploaded to youtube and contain easy to follow lessons on how to draft simple patterns and sew together a garment that fits you. In the near future there will be zoom classes where you can follow along whilst I show you how to draft pattern blocks to your measurements which can be adapted to make any design your heart desires! There will even be bespoke classes to help you construct the garment of your dreams!
Each video will be easily digestible bite size chunks so as not to overwhelm you. The first video is pattern drafting a tear away circle skirt. I love circle skirts because they’re really easy to make and have such a lovely, flowy flare to them, making it a tear away means you can easily remove it mid-performance for a gorge leg reveal. Who doesn’t love a reveal?? With simple instructions written on the screen you can follow this tutorial with no previous knowledge of pattern drafting and pause it when you need to. The next video will explain how to sew all the pieces together to make a finished garment. If you have any questions about any video or require any further assistance I am easy to reach using my email or by sending me a DM on Instagram to @priestess.bespoke
I really hope you enjoy these lessons, if there’s anything you’d like to learn please do contact me, I will be more than happy to help!