Still Sewing: Junior Sienna Sun uses quarantine as an opportunity to continue her fashion creations

For junior Sienna Sun, creating art from scratch isn’t just a way to get her creative juices flowing — it’s a hobby that’s flourished in the midst of quarantine.

Sun has used quarantine to continue her love for creating artworks in the form of sewing. She’s been sewing ever since her grandma taught her at age seven, but it became her preferred method of art in middle school, primarily making tank tops for herself. 

However, this school year, Sun has taken it upon herself to create more detailed pieces, including a dress she created in the fall — modeled by one of her friends, junior Emelia Gibbs outside of the Kauffman Center — and another dress she began creating while stuck in quarantine. 

“It takes me a while with just a sewing machine, so I only do it when I have time slots,” Sun said. “It’s a perfect time now [in quarantine] to start making these dresses and things.”

Having been taught the basics by her grandmother, Sun doesn’t use sewing patterns you’d typically find on the internet or go out to craft stores to find specific fabrics. Instead, she uses items from around the house such as pillow cases, old curtains, scrap leather bought at a sale and cloth from her grandparents. 

“I try to just go off of my own creativity, it typically just comes along when I do it,” Sun said. “Sometimes I just hold up the material and see what looks good, then I try to make it up in my mind and put it onto paper. Then just go for it.”

After gaining her inspiration through trial and error, combining different fabric ideas as well as a few lengthy Pinterest scrolls, Sun sits down to begin her process of sewing together the different pieces of assorted fabrics and leathers to produce her fashion creations. 

Using a measuring tape, she records dimensions from either her own body, or that of whoever is modeling to avoid wasting fabric. After taking measurements, it’s just her and the fabric working hard with the sewing machine until she has finished. 

“She’ll sit in her room for a couple hours and just work and then come out of her room and show us what she has,” Sun’s younger sister, Autumn said. “She’s so dedicated, and she acts like it’s no big deal to just make a huge dress, and I’m just amazed because I don’t get how she can do that.”

Although she gets questions often asking if she wants to possibly pursue this love for fashion design and creation and turn it into a career, it’s more of a hobby for Sun — despite her passion for it. 

“I think it’s just a hobby because I really enjoy it and it’s something I do for fun,” Sun said. “But a lot of people have been asking me if I want to go into fashion, I just don’t know if I can take it that far.”

Continuing time and time again to impress her family and friends with her art skills, Sun looks to pursue her hobby and keep creaing clothing — specifically dresses — throughout the rest of quarantine.

“I know a lot of people that have taken up sewing now with all the masks and what not, and I haven’t gotten a chance to do that, but it sounds super fun,” Sun said.  “I know a lot of people who do it just hours on end and it just passes time so easily. I really advise sewing, it’s super calming.”