"The pattern is great for beginners, it's ideal for someone who wants to have a first try at making underwear or for someone who wants to experiment with stretch fabrics"
If you want to design your own underwear, the Harry boxer briefs and trunks is the perfect pattern! In less than 1 1/2 hours you can make custom underwear in two styles: view A: boxer briefs with a 4” (10 cm) inseam and view B: trunks with a 2” (5 cm) inseam.
Use nylon/spandex and you will have perfect fitting swimwear too!
This designer pattern is fully graded with seam allowance, featuring sizes ranging from XS to XXL; and, take the guesswork out of sewing swimwear with the included English and Spanish language instruction booklet.
Check out Mikey Cammish’s review and sew along of the Harry pattern!
Go ahead and sew your Harry boxers! The members of our club will learn to make the Harry pattern step by step. As a Sirena Elite member you have access to exclusive tutorials, one free pattern per month and more benefits. Join by clicking here.
Until next time!
Those who know me know how much I love sewing. I started sewing out of love and over time it became my way of generating income. While I was in middle school, I already made ties with scraps of fabric, applying the *»zero waste»* philosophy when no one used that term yet.
While I was finishing university studies at the UPR in Río Piedras, I made promotions outfits from the dining room of my student apartment. One of my first projects was to make 100 promotional dresses for a liquor brand for a total of $10,000! And that was over 20 years ago. I remember that the first thing I did when I received the money was buy an air conditioner for my room. It was a great satisfaction to feel that I had earned that money with what I loved to do.
If you are considering starting to sew, or you used to sew, but you haven’t taken out the machine for years, I am here to share five ways in which you can make an extra income with sewing. Many of them are tasks that you can do during the nights or weekends to supplement your income and save, or simply to be able to treat yourself without stopping your financial commitments.
1. Custom fit garments for other people
You can take hems, fit at the waist, cut sleeves or any other type of alteration in a garment that is not made by you. It is a way to enter the business without needing too much experience.
2. Sell accessories such as bags, handbags, cushions and other items that do not require taking measurements or fitting a person
In our online store we have super easy-to-use accessory patterns such as the Madeline tote bag, the Alex fanny pack and the Kira stuffed animals.
3. Sew pieces wholesale in a factory or from your home
Maybe you are not interested in launching a clothing brand, but you can generate income by helping a local brand.
4. Make custom clothing or swimwear
There are people who are looking for particular items of clothing that they cannot find in stores and you could earn money by making their dreams come true.
5. Sell your pieces wholesale to local boutiques or stores
For many years this was my main source of income. Having my workshop also gave me the opportunity to employ others and help them progress. One of my employees, a single mother, worked with me for 17 years and raised her daughters on that income.
Now it’s time to sew and make some extra money! Do you know someone who is curious about sewing? Share this article and help me reach more people!
If you want to get into sewing to make extra income, Sirena Elite is perfect for you! You get one free pattern of your choosing every month and other benefits when you become a member. Join today and enjoy two weeks free here.
Article written by
Tommie Hernández
Hey there! We all need something fun to do in our spare time, am I right? Some enjoy gardening, others are all about sports, but for me, sewing is where it's at! Whether you're looking to stitch up some cute crafts just for fun or even make some cash on the side, sewing's got you covered. So let me share with you all the amazing perks this art has to offer. Trust me, after this, you'll be dying to pick up a needle and thread!
- Reduces stress and anxiety: having a hobby helps you forget about problems and takes you to a world where all that matters is having fun and finishing the project.
- Allows you to change clothes to your liking and give new life to old pieces: we are unique beings and we love to distinguish ourselves. Something I love about sewing is the ability to personalize pieces I already have and transform them into something new! It gives us a sense of individuality and we can express our taste.
Allows you to tailor pieces: if you are short, have a small waist or simply want to tailor a store-bought piece to fit you better, being able to do it yourself will save you a lot of money on repairs.
You can show your personality through the creation of unique pieces: We all want to be different and stand out! What better way than to wear clothes that no one else has?
We help the environment when we make durable clothing pieces: making good quality pieces to our liking and fit, results in not having to buy as much and helps not to promote fast fashion
Fights depression: I have students who are going through difficult situations and as a consequence they fall into depression. I also have many testimonials from those students on how sewing has changed their lives, giving them a reason to get up in the morning to create.
You can give gifts made by you: What is more valuable than giving away pieces made by your hands? You can use fabric scraps to make purses, bags, hair accessories, aprons, and more. This is how you take advantage of materials you already have and give away unique pieces.
Helps self-esteem: Every time they ask you «where did you buy that?» and you can answer, “I did it!” it is definitely a boost for your self esteem!
Improve the ability to focus: sewing requires attention to detail and patience so you will improve both.
You can generate income by selling your creations or making alterations: sewing can not only be a hobby but also an opportunity to generate income. When the pandemic began, many people were able to replace their income by making masks. One of my students is a pet groomer and she ran out of income. Knowing how to sew allowed her to continue generating income even with the unexpected situation.
And to top it off! Sewing gives you happiness!
So if you haven’t started sewing yet, consider this hobby and enjoy the benefits.
If you want to get into sewing, Sirena Elite is the place for you! You get one free pattern of your choosing every month and other benefits when you become a member. Join today and enjoy two weeks free here.
Article written by
Tommie Hernández
I am very happy to share with you my most recent sewing project, the pattern of the month of February 2023, the Juany shirt from Sirena Patterns. As soon as I saw the pattern I thought of the many combinations that can be made with different items of clothing and the variety of fabrics that can be used to create different outfits. I would wear the Juany shirt with jeans, dress pants, shorts, skirts, over a crop top or a bikini, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Sewing pattern and fabrics
The Juany pattern is a loose-fitting shirt for women, with a shirt collar and yoke with a stud on the back. You have two sleeve options: view A has sleeves with flaps and cuffs, view B has short sleeves. I made view A.
The fabric I used was a 100% cotton floral print fabric, a lightweight flat weave, non-stretch fabric. I used lightweight adhesive interfacing according to the pattern pieces that called for it.
Size that I used and adjustments to the pattern before cutting the pieces
I made a size small and trimmed it 2 inches to shorten the sleeve length.
Sewing the Juany shirt
Sewing the Juany shirt was very entertaining, interesting and attractive, once I finished one step, I wanted to continue with the next. There was a balance between basic techniques and techniques at an intermediate level. Following the steps explained in the instructions and the video tutorial were key tools for making the pattern in an easy and simple way. Step #1 is very important, sew ⅜” from the seam allowance with a staystitch, the edges of the neck of the front pieces and the yoke so that you have a good finish when you are sewing the neck. The stud on the back is an easy step. The burrito method in step #5, rolling the front and back pieces towards the yoke and pinning the shoulders, is extremely easy. Step #7 is another key step when I was making the sleeve flap and you will see that you will not have any confusion. Following the order of the steps was very helpful for me, they are easy to follow and I was able to make the shirt from start to finish. It is very important to iron when in the steps it tells you to iron and always remember to familiarize yourself with the glossary of terms that are very useful when making your sewing project.
The moment a project is completed the joy you feel and saying “I did it” is very rewarding and priceless. At Sirena Elite you keep learning, you learn sewing techniques and the correct way of doing things.
Check out other club members creations!
Go ahead and sew your Juany shirt! Let out the creativity you have inside! The members of our club will learn to make the Juany pattern step by step. As a Sirena Elite member you have access to exclusive tutorials, one free pattern per month and more benefits. Join by clicking here.
Until next time!
I like to believe that sewing is a love language. It’s also chaos and order. It’s bond, community, freedom and creativity, mental health and wellness. Examples of sewing as a love language are a grandmother sewing for her grandkids or a mother sewing for her kids. Any person sewing something for themselves it’s a love language, because making something that fits your body, perfectly, it’s a love language. Sometimes, it doesn’t even need to be something for yourself. Sewing for the pleasure of sewing is a great mood booster thus helping people cope anxiety and their mental health journey. However, I came across a different story. One that focuses on kindness, selflessness, grief, hope and babies. This is the story of Angel Gowns of Texas.
Diane Powers reached out to me in my search for sewing stories. She is the volunteer who leads Angel Gowns for Texas and she has been doing so for about four years. She started sewing when she took a home economics class in middle school and hasn’t stopped ever since. She used to make all her daughter’s Halloween costumes and does home décor. She loves creating custom items. She was so kind to share with me the story behind Angel Gowns for Texas and this is what she had to say:
“We take donated wedding dresses and sew them into angel gowns and wraps for babies that don’t make it home from the hospital. Our ministry of about twenty ladies, serves hospitals in the Dallas Fort Worth area. We operate our group out of a donated space in a local church. We meet once a month to sew, share and help each other. The babies that pass, will never attend a prom or wedding, therefore, our created look is formal to honor that child who passed from this world. All our gowns are fully lined so there is nothing rough that would touch the baby. We recently celebrated our third year and our foundress, Genita Selby. Genita had sewn with two other groups before starting her own in 2019. When covid hit, the ladies took the advantage of staying home to sew, so we were able to build our inventory to meet the need of the hospitals. We are currently serving 14 hospitals and groups who need our angel gowns for their burial clothing. In 2021, Genita moved to North Carolina and I was asked to take over the ministry. When a baby dies, there is much the parent’s don’t get control over. We supply the hospitals with two gowns and wraps in all sizes, so the parents get to select one that touches their heart. We refill the gowns as needed from the hospitals and we are able to meet that need within a 24 hour period. Our bracelet makers take the pearl beads off the wedding dress and string them into a bracelet for the mom as a keepsake. She then adds a large bead in various colors to represent the mom and our signature angel charm. All of the nurses that we deal with say it’s very comforting for the staff too, as they grieve along with the mothers the loss of the baby.
The nurses tell us that they deliver thousands of babies throughout their career, but they always remember the ones they lost. The parents who experience this tremendous loss, are comforted in the fact that their precious baby will be treated with dignity and respect with a small gesture of an Angel Gown.
Members of this group were also kind to share their experiences:
As you can see, making angel gowns not only impacts the parents, but the ladies who sew them as well. We can conclude love, comfort and healing are biproducts of the wonderful practice of sewing, affirming the belief that sewing it’s a love language.
Until next time!
*Angel Gowns for Texas currently has a waiting list for wedding dress donations, and they are likely not going to open for donations for at least a year since they are able to make 10-15 gowns per wedding dress. *
For as long as I can remember I have loved sewing. I was about 7 or 8 years old when they gave me a toy sewing machine. I remember even the store where they bought it, La Alhambra. It was my favorite toy along with barbies and paper dolls. My other friends had store bought dresses for their barbies; I made them with what I found. Since I was little, my mom taught me to love sewing even when she didn’t sew with a machine. With her I learned to give my first hand stitches. She always regretted not having learned to sew with a machine and did not want it to happen to her daughter. Another thing that influenced my taste for sewing was that my childhood was spent in the Matojillo sector of the Abra Honda neighborhood of Camuy, where most women sewed. The little blue machine was my favorite toy and my favorite people were the seamstress.
I made my first stitches on a domestic sewing machine at about age 13 in a black Singer from one of my older cousins. She worked in a sewing factory and taught me a lot about sewing. My eighth-grade home economics project was done on that machine. I got a B and I got very angry but then I realized that many of my classmates who got an A, their project had been done by someone else. I was proud of my line skirt that had elastic and zipper. From then on I made my school uniforms.
Later when I was in 9th grade my dad, seeing that I liked it so much, bought me a used machine. It was also blue and cost him $35. With it I continued my adventure of sewing. I don’t remember the brand, but I do remember how happy that gift made me. I was happy making my clothes and buying fabrics in the local fabric stores. My savings always ended up in buying fabrics and sewing notions. I even made my friends’ clothes and I also made my graduation clothes.
A few years after that machine, my dad gave me a Kenmore that had 6 types of stitch and that he bought at Sears in Arecibo. I was already in high school. He took me to choose it and told me how much I could spend. When I entered college, every week I wore new clothes. With that machine I sewed until I was 21 years old. One day, our home was broken into and they stole several things, including my Kenmore. I was already studying in Río Piedras and when I went home for the weekend, I found the unpleasant surprise. My mom hadn’t told me anything and told me when I arrived. You don’t know how much I cried. Sewing was my refuge to lower the stress of studies. I saved money from what I was given to study and it didn’t take long for me to buy another one. After that machine came several more, there has never been a point in my life where I haven’t had a sewing machine. Sewing has helped me in many aspects of my life. In my childhood and adolescence, I developed patience and persistence, fine motor skills, learned a skill, made friends, helped me with English, and many more things.
Sewing is my refugee
In adulthood, sewing has accompanied me in the happiest moments of my life and has been my refuge in the most painful moments of my life. I made my clothes for almost every party and activity I went to. She accompanied me during my wedding because I sewed my bridal dress. It allowed me to help friends and family who needed to repair clothes. But when it has helped me the most is in moments of loss. My parents both passed away in 2016. My dad died at age 95 of a heart attack, but it was unexpected. At that time, I wasn’t sewing as much but I remember I started sewing more. Later that year, my mother died at the age of 89. Although her passing did not take me so surprisingly because she was hospitalized for a week, it was very hard. My refuge from the loss of my parents, outside of God, my husband, family and friends and work, was sewing. Sewing reminded me of happy moments with my parents. My mom always talked about her daughter sewing, making her proud. My dad was the one who gave me my first sewing machines, which allowed me to learn and enjoy sewing.
After my parents passed away, life took a 360-degree turn on me. On April 28, 2019, my husband at 54 years old suddenly passed away from sleep apnea. That year we celebrated 25 years of marriage. That’s when I took refuge in sewing the most. I had been left alone in a big house and without my soulmate. I can’t say that I had no support from anyone, my family, friends and work group supported me in that painful moment, but in loneliness, outside of God and my dogs, sewing was what kept me standing.
Sewing has always kept me learning. However, what I had learned about sewing after my home economics class I had learned with books and tutorials and from my own experience, «trial and error». Many times I thought about taking sewing courses with a professional and my husband always told me, «Isabel, do it» but never did. That was true until 2020. In 2020, less than a year after my husband’s passing, the total lockdown came due to the COVID pandemic. In other words, we had to be home 24 hours a day. Sewing kept me out of madness. At that time, I started subscribing to more YouTube sewing channels and Facebook pages. And guess what, I found Tommie Hernandez’s page with her tutorials, the best, a Boricua and with an Online Sewing Academy. That’s how I enrolled in several courses at the Academy. With the courses, even if you have been sewing for many years, you learn new techniques and the right way of doing things. When the club opened, I was among the first to enroll. Sirena Elite is something else, unique in PR. In it you not only learn sewing, but other crafts and entrepreneurship. Not only does the club help you with sewing, but you meet other people who have the same passion for sewing as you. The sewing community is wonderful, everyone supports and encourages you. Check out what some members have to say about their love of sewing:
Sewing relaxes, distracts me, and focuses me. That’s why sewing will always be in my life. In this month of love, give yourself love and give yourself a subscription to Sirena Elite, you will not regret it.
Until next time!
During the month of September, the Sirena Patterns community is joining sewing vlogger Marisol De Jesús from Mari Sews in #ProjectDressAGirl2022. This is such an amazing event! Let’s meet Mari and get more details on #ProjectDressAGirl2022.
Meet Mari De Jesús
Besides being a full-time worker, a mother and a wife, Marisol De Jesús is a sewing vlogger and entrepreneur. She owns Inspired Leather Co, a small business where she sells custom made and engraved leather goods. Marisol was born in Ohio from parents of puertorrican descent. She grew up surrounded by the puertorrican culture and has always embraced her latin identity. Mari currently lives in Maryland where she has also been exposed to other latinamerican cultures. Mari has been sewing for over 10 years when she decided to start sewing her own clothes so that her “curvy”, “latina” body could be dressed with nice fitting, beautiful clothes. As she says, “We sew for ourselves to feel amazing in the clothes we wear”.
Project Dress A Girl
Three years ago Mari got contacted by the Dress A Girl Around the World organization to make dresses for girls in need. Dress A Girl Around the World is a non denominational, independent, christian organization that believes each girl in the world is worthy of dignity, respect, and love and deserves to have one new dress. Dresses get donated through program ambassadors to different communities around the world.
Mari invited several sewists from a sewing group she belongs to try to make as many dresses as possible in a couple of hours with some fabric that was donated to her. This initial sewing effort resulted in 12 completed dresses.They continued sewing by themselves with the remaining materials and a total of 33 dresses were made. Mari posted a video on this sewing effort in her YouTube channel Mari Sews.
Project Dress A Girl was born last year, after one of Mari’s YouTube channel subscribers told her that she saw the previous video and thought it would be a good idea to go nationwide with the initiative within the sewing community. Multiple sewing vloggers joined the effort and spread the word. Tutorials, hacks, sewing events, and other activities were held throughout the whole month.The initial goal was to have 100 beautiful dresses made from September 1st to the 30th to be donated to Dress a Girl Around the World. But because the enthusiasm from the sewing community skyrocketed, this goal changed to 200 dresses and then to 500 dresses throughout the one month event. At the end of September 2021, Mari counted a total of 790 donated dresses which then turned out to be 890 dresses as dresses continued to be received afterwards.
Out of these 890 dresses, about 200 were contributed by our Sirena Patterns community. This project brought a lot of enthusiasm into our sewing community! Sirena Patterns members sewed from 1 up to 21 dresses. Those that could not sew either had others sew for them, donated materials, and cheered up those sewing. Every time a dress was finished and posted, the sewists were cheered-up by the community, which in turn increased the enthusiasm for making additional dresses. This project helped strengthen the bond within the Sirena Patterns community members. It feels amazing to help and support others while doing what you love to do! Those dresses were made with love to embrace, cheer, uplift and empower the girls that received them! What a superpower!
So in 2022, the challenge is for the sewing community to surpass last year’s number of donated dresses and get 1,000 to 1,500 beautiful dresses through #ProjectDressAGirl2022. Dresses need to be sturdy, modest, beautiful, and made with love! The dress is meant to uplift, bring happiness and empower the girl that receives it. Since this might be the only dress a girl might own, dresses need to be sturdy (both in material and construction) as they are meant to be worn over and over again. In a nutshell, these are the minimum requirements for dresses:
- Style: Pull over the head without the need of fasteners or closures other than fabric ties. Please do not use ribbons as closures since they might not withstand the tear and wear. Do not use zippers, buttons, velcro
- Fabric: Sturdy, opaque, woven natural fibers: cotton and cotton/linen blends. Please make sure your fabric is non-sheer, does not have cartoon characters, is not local holiday themed, and has no wording. T-shirts (preferably made of cotton or cotton blends) can be used for the top part of T-shirt dresses but please include a sturdy cotton bottom.
- Pockets: Functional pockets are highly recommended as they provide a place for the girl to keep her things.These can be patch pockets or inseam pockets
- Labels: Ideally, each dress should come with a “Dress A Girl Around the World” label sewn in a visible place in the front of the dress. The label has the purpose to disencourage sexual predators or human traffickers from harming the girl as they will be aware that an organization is looking over the girl.
If you belong to Sirena Elite and participated in our anniversary celebration, please use the labels provided there. But, we don’t want a label to stop you from donating a dress. So, if you do not have a label and cannot get one, please send your dresses without the label and we will make sure a label gets sewn to them.
Dress counting: To have the final number of donated dresses, you have until September 30th to sew, take a picture and post your dresses.
- Post a picture of each dress in instagram using hashtag: #ProjectDressAGirl2022 and tag @marisewsforcurves and @sirenapatterns.
Please note: if you use a hashtag different than #ProjectDressAGirl2022, your post cannot be counted, so please make sure you include the complete and correctly spelled hashtag. The 2022 at the end of the hashtag is needed to differentiate these dresses from last year’s dresses.
Please note that Facebook posts don’t get counted by Mari either. There is a facebook group named project dress a girl that is unrelated to this initiative.
But if you belong to any of the SirenaPatterns private facebook groups you can post your dresses there and we will send our total count to Mari at the end of the event. Please, use hashtag #ProjectDressAGirl2022.
Donating your dresses:
- Deliver or ship your dresses (after having posted them in instagram or sirenapatterns private facebook groups using hashtag #ProjectDressAGirl2022) to Sirena Patterns. Contact info@sirenapatterns.com to coordinate shipment or delivery.
Please ship or deliver your dresses no later than Saturday October 1st, 2022
If you have additional questions regarding #ProjectDressAGirl2022 you can contact Mari: Instagram, Email: contactmarisews@gmail.com
Hope you are inspired by Mari and the sewing community in embracing girls in need by bringing them joy and empowerment through a beautiful dress. Help us support girls in need by sewing one or more dresses, donating materials to those sewing dresses, and by cheering us up!
Click here to join our sewing club Sirena Elite in which you receive, among many other monthly benefits, discounts in fabric stores which you can use to get the materials needed to sew some dresses for #ProjectDressAGirl2022.
Let’s continue to use our sewing superpower to embrace others,uplift them, empower them, and bring them joy!
Until next time!
As part of our environmental responsibility, it is in our hands to give a second life to pieces of clothing and/or accessories that have been discarded by other people. There are many benefits that can be derived from the practice of sustainability in the textile industry. We contribute to the local market, we reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions, and we conserve natural resources such as water, which, by the way, are limited. Oh!, and a plus you will get to have a unique vintage style. What are you waiting for to take the first step towards a more conscious wardrobe? Here we share 10 second-hand clothing stores that you can visit and, by the way, take a little walk, why not?
- Electroshock: Electroshock is perhaps one of the best known. It has two locations; one on Loíza street, and another on Río Piedras, a few steps from the University of Puerto Rico. What can you find here? From the coolest clothes you can imagine, to jewelry and items like vinyl records.
- D’Occasion: Located in the town of Caguas, it is a small boutique where you can get very special pieces that will help you achieve a sustainable wardrobe. Purses, pashminas, shoes and pieces of local handicrafts. His goal: that no textile ends up in landfill.
- Closet Sustentable: Francheska Nazario, owner of Closet Sustentable, is an entrepreneur who wants to share with other people the importance of knowing the impact that textiles have on the environment. In his blog you can find very educational articles such as second-hand trade and others. Closet Sustentable is located in Bayamón, and now you can also visit their online store.
- Vintage Rack: Since 2014, Jade Tavarez has remained among the second-hand stores in Puerto Rico with the greatest presence. His store, located on Avenida Jesús T Piñero, has a wide variety of unique pieces. His clientele ranges from regular customers to renowned music artists such as Bad Bunny and Residente. Companies like Banco Popular de PR and Netflix have bought some of his pieces for productions.
- Vice Versa: With the idea that each object can awaken a sense of enthusiasm in each person, Carmen Miranda and Viviana Ramírez developed their own store concept: ViceVersa, located on Calle Loíza, in Santurce, promises to offer us a luxury experience, in a space where everything what you can appreciate is second hand. How do they manage to make it look like it just came out of a magazine? You’ll have to visit their store to figure it out!
- The Salvation Army Thrift Store: It may not be new to many, but it is always good to bring it to the list since there are thousands and thousands of items, clothes and accessories that end up in these stores and on many occasions, you will find unique objects.
Johnny & June: This is the place for all those vintage jewelry lovers who want to make themselves known for their style and selection of accessories. You will want to visit this store very often.
Guarda Ropa: Another good option, if you want to walk around the beautiful streets of Old San Juan, is Guarda Ropa, which is located on Calle de la Luna.
Segun Damanito: If you prefer online shopping, Segun Damanito has one of the best options, since they publish photos of all their items and give you ideas to combine the pieces.
Lyi Niyet Bazaar: There are other options if you prefer to visit the eastern area of Puerto Rico. Lyi Niyet Bazaar is located in the town of Las Piedras, and offers a wide variety of styles as well as a space that simulates as if you were in your own walk in closet.
Thrifting is one of the best ways to build a sustainable closet and give extra life to pieces of clothing. Dare to try some of these shops!
I encourage you to join Sirena Elite where you will find a variety of craft tutorials using sustainable techniques and materials .You will also find a tutorial to sew the Sitka Blouse using sustainable materials with zero waste. To join Sirena Elite, click here.
Article written by
Mariana Morales
Last June, the third class of he Certification in Elastic Fabrics Clothing Design and Pattern Making of Tommie Hernández’s Fashion Academy graduated.The event took place at Entre Tapas Restaurant and was animated by the top model Aideliz Hidalgo. For this event, each student designed and made a mini collection of three outfits, each inspired by a different theme. The diverse collective fashion show of ready-to-wear clothing included swimwear, sportswear, casual and smart casual clothing. The mini collections of the students Sophya Rojas Correa (“Resplandece”), María Enid Rosa Montañez (“Cafetea”), Liza A. Bas Ramírez (“Free Sailor Bas”), Lydia Gómez Ortiz (“Tropical”), Alma Luz Benítez Rodríguez (“Sanación”), Sullibeth Carrero Mendoza (“Aura”), Tatiana J. Vega Hernández (“Prisma”), and María Justina Aponte Tapia (“Corbatas”) were presented in that order by models from the agencies: ArteMorfosis PR, Element Models, Krone Models, Óptima Model Management, and Passarella by Aideliz. The inclusive fashion show also had the participation of two young tennis promises and the swimmer Cristina De la Vega, gold medalist of the 2019 Special Olympics World Games.
In addition to the Certificate obtained by each student, designer Tommie Hernández presented three special prizes. The first prize was awarded to Alma Luz Benítez, with her “Sanación” collection, inspired in transforming the work “La Columna Rota” by Frida Kahlo into a restored column. The second prize went to Tatiana J. Vega, with her «Prisma» collection, inspired by the prism and the colors into which white light separates when it passes through this object. The third prize was awarded to María Justina Aponte with her “Corbatas” collection, inspired by the red scarves that women tied to soldiers around their necks before leaving for the 30-year war. Alma Luz also won the “Editorial Look” Award awarded by the photographer Betzaida Pagán from Celebrate Creative Studio
This certification in stretch fabrics clothing covers design, pattern making, tailoring, fashion illustration, collection development, fashion merchandising and more. It is offered online through pre-recorded videos that each student completes at their own pace. The students also participated in virtual meetings in which they presented their collections, and received input from both Tommie Hernández and her other classmates. They also visited Tommie Hernández’s workshop to review their final patterns and select the models and fit their garments. In this class there were students from different parts of the island and abroad. Students who were unable to visit the workshop due to distance or other commitments were able to do their pattern review virtually and were able to mail in their pieces to be fitted to the models.
Lydia Gómez, a resident of the state of Virginia, completed her certification while still residing outside of Puerto Rico and indicated that «I never saw distance as an impediment. At all times Tommie and her staff were willing to help me when I had any questions, doubts or needs.»
«Distance is not an impediment to meet a goal; whomever sets out to do something can achieve it» states Tommie Hernández, founder of academiademodas.com, the line of sewing patterns Sirena Patterns, Sirena Magazine, and the Sirena Elite sewing club, a virtual sewing club in which its members receive exclusive tutorials, discounts, one sewing pattern per month, virtual meetings and other benefits. For more information visit www.clonesirena.somosriu.com.
Until next time!
When I go shopping I don't always have time to read each label to make the best decision regarding sustainability before buying. Having a list of brands that work from and for sustainability in Puerto Rico facilitates the process of looking for sustainable alternatives before making the decision to buy. Here I provide you with a list in alphabetical order with brands of clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories, designed and manufactured in Puerto Rico within the sustainability framework, so that you can consider them as options before making your purchase decisions.
- AIDA: brand of “vintage” clothing, accessories and objects
- Aragma Swim: brand of swimwear and workout clothes made in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
Auralís: brand of sustainable resort wear designed and manufactured between New York and Puerto Rico
Coco Swim PR : line of swimsuits and reversible bikinis made in Puerto Rico using ECONYL® (recyclable regenerated nylon) and printed with eco friendly inks
Columpio Studio: fun and functional bags and hats
- Concalma: high-quality bags manufactured in Utuado, Puerto Rico
Esther: children’s clothing that can be passed down from generation to generation
Hilo – Hilo: brand of clothing and accessories in mixed textiles handmade in Puerto Rico
Isleñas: handmade shoe brand
Luca: handmade jewelry
Marimu: inclusive resort wear brand
Materia Madura: functional items made from coffee and banana waste
Muns: sustainable jewelry and clothing
Primavera: brand of handmade bags and aprons using manufacturer discarded fabric
Ridah: casual clothing (blouses, skirts, suits, pants) manufactured in Puerto Rico by pre-order
Sally Torres Vega: blouses, pants and women’s dresses custom designed and made in Puerto Rico
Vigo: versatile and reversible handmade swimsuits
Yayi by Yayi Pérez: men’s and women’s clothing designed and made collaboratively in Puerto Rico
I encourage you to consider these sustainable options if you need to acquire clothing or accessories. If you know of other sustainable brands of clothing or accessories designed and made in Puerto Rico that you would like to see in this list, send a message with the information to info@sirenapatterns.com
I also encourage you to join Sirena Elite where you will find a variety of craft tutorials using sustainable techniques and materials .You will also find a tutorial to sew the Sitka Blouse using sustainable materials with zero waste. To join Sirena Elite, click here.
Article written by
María Enid Rosa