Yelena Dressmaking & Accessories

Today the calendar states November, the leaves are falling, the days are shorter and the flowers are gone. But just three short months ago, the summer was at its most vibrant and I wanted to channel the “coastal grandma” trend, even though I’m not really near to neither a coast nor being a grandmother. I had chosen the yarn first: the “Lion brand” 100% bamboo in blue and silver shades I bought at Joann Fabrics. There was no set pattern or style in my mind, so I decided to try the “perforated argyle” crochet for a vest/tank. The collar was added for more complexity.  As I tried on the finished top, my son commented that the puffy sleeves of the shirt I had under the new vest enhanced the look. So, I fished out of my fabric stash a striped cotton blend from G Street Fabrics’ discounted table, and made it into a kimono-puffy sleeved v-neck popover shirt with a little floral hand embroidery at the neck. Together or separately, the tops fit the “coastal grandmother” style. The silky and...

  I had a creative idea for this black up cycled saddle leather. A boho-style bag that fits a laptop. I hand stitched the bag in sky-blue, added a pocket lining of blue suede, and lined the bag itself with blue polyester. It seemed that the bag needed something else and I painted abstract florals on the lid. I made it for sale, it wasn’t my style. Then, I showed it to my clients— no one cared to buy it. Although, some asked for a bag that size before. I took it to fairs, with the same outcome. The bag then was forgotten on a seldom-used shelf in my studio, until years later, I looked at it as a material as opposed to an item.  That happened, after a large store-bought leather tote that I loved taking on trips ripped in multiple places. It literally RIPped. I needed a new one and I was not going to shop for it. So, I took off the shelf this abandoned bag and decided to make it work for me this time. I removed all that blue stitching, added animal-print leather panels and accent...

The sachet is made out of an old embroidered towel (from the same set as the uncut one pictured above) and lavender from my garden. These napkins, somewhat yellowed with time, inspired me to repurpose them and other lace materials. See the reworked product on photos 4 and 6. This photo and one below are of the same top, made with the lace from an heirloom doily, identical to the one pictured next to the top on a wooden surface. The buttons on this top are actually beads from a vintage plastic necklace. The fabric is a vintage cotton from Russia.  The lace on the sleeve is hand crochet by my great-grandmother. She intended it as a part of a bed skirt. It served its time in the original purpose, but I decided to actually wear it as a part of a linen shirt. The piece I’m wearing on my neck is of my making. The lace appliqué on this silk shantung jacket is from my mom’s wedding gown. It started off in this shade of blue, but white lace can be dyed if there is excessive discolouration c...

 When I was 18, terrible news erupted: my favorite rock musician Victor Tsoi was killed in a car crash. He was only 28 (missed the “27 club” by mere 2 months). Devastated fans did not have the internet to communicate (it was 1990), however, on Arbat Street in Moscow they had occupied a windowless wall of a one story plain building to visually express their sorrows and unite with the likeminded. I need to tell you that Arbat Street is an old cobblestone street, lined up by theaters, stores and historical houses where famous people used to live. This street was made pedestrian only in the 1980s and since then the counter-culture youth hang out in this beautiful area. Traditionally (stemming from the Orthodox Church) the deceased were remembered on the 9th day following death. And for such remembrance people were gathered at the Tsoi Wall. I was one of them. It was a large cowd of singing, crying, mourning young people from various parts of the USSR (it still existed). At one point, I...

 Here is an ode to the versatility of a crocheted cotton triangle. I started it as a blue scarf only to realise that with the type of a thread and hook I’m using, I don’t have enough of that blue yarn which was purchased in Moscow in 2013. So, alternative steps had to be taken, off-white yarn had to be introduced, and the result is better than I expected.

  This shearing coat was made in the 1990s, which makes it vintage today, out of materials that were vintage at that time. I had two children’s fur coats from Russia. One- given by a family friend since they no longer wanted to keep it and before the moths got to it. The other coat originally was bought for my father, then passed onto me. I still remember the super heavy weight and longish cumbersome shape that was considered high quality by Soviet standards, but not what an active 5-8 year old child should wear during a cold time of the year.  The shearling was still in perfect condition on both coats, so I disassembled them, got rid of old lining, connected some pieces (minding the direction of the pile) and reassembled everything as a bigger jacket - all by hand! It’s lined in a beautiful paisley satin with extra batting in between layers. The closures are fur hooks hidden by the pom-poms.  It was one of my Art School projects. Though, my professor didn’t like it as mu...

The ArtsHerndon curator and I were talking yarn bomb and she gave me the dimensions. I tried to crochet it as if different people with distinctly varying crochet styles were participating, so I used different sizes of hooks and I crocheted in different places: in my studio, on my deck, in a passenger sit of a car, while watching a movie on tv, while having a face time with family… I gave it a name “What Will You Remember”- you can find some references to American classic songs, Eastern European ornamentals, and nature in my original design.  The colors were chosen with regards to fading by sunlight: the white acrylic yellows when exposed to sun, while yellow yarn fades into whiter shades. So, if hang outside, this crochet panel will look more universally off-white. Colors that don’t fade nicely are all shades of blue and purple- so I used very little of these colors for the project that I hope will be hanging outside for a long time.  The photos show the artwork in progress, a...