Custom Dresses and Friday Feature with Make it Sew Design

A while ago I won a giveaway from my friend Lisa at Make It Sew Design on Instagram. I was given the option of a custom hoop or custom designed clothing, and I chose DRESSES! We brainstormed patterns for a while because I had a lot of ideas. At the top of my list was something inspired by my favorite carnivorous plants, Venus Fly-Traps, and Lisa came through magnificently!

Venus Fly-Trap dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

I'm obsessed!! was in love with it from the very first preview she sent me!

Venus Fly-Trap dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

She brought my dreams of being a real-life Poison Ivy into existence and I am so grateful! Super handy for closet cosplay as well!

Venus Fly-Trap dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

And did I mention the back? Because it's gorgeous too

Venus Fly-Trap dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter


The second design is something I've been dreaming about for a while: an eyeball dress!

Eyeball dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

Yes, eyeballs! I'm one of those weirdos, mister! (And don't you forget it!)

Eyeball dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

I have a crush on all things Pastel Goth, but I don't own much of it at all. So this dress makes me super happy knowing I can wear it whenever I'm in the mood!

Eyeball dress by Make it Sew Design modeled by Fangirl Crafter

Also it goes perfectly with these eyeball earrings I made!

Eyeball earrings by Fangirl Crafter and dress by Make it Sew Design

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Now that you've had a glimpse of what she can do, it's time for you to meet the maker!

Lisa from Make it Sew Design

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

I’m Lisa and who’s behind Make It Sew Design, which is my creative outlet that I explore in my spare time. The whole thing started when I had the idea for an embroidery hoop that would be perfect for a friend’s birthday/recent move (see Domicile hoop?) and was surprised to find it didn’t already exist. I decided to make one myself and friends later convinced me to try selling it. Now it’s three years later and my shop features embroidery, clothing, and even a bit of jewelry. I make things and when I think “hm someone else might like this?,” I put it up and see what happens.

Lisa from Make it Sew Design

What/who inspires you?
It is a bit of a mix of everything/one that I’m already naturally drawn to. The name of my shop gives it away but I am a huge Star Trek fan (and Star Wars and plenty of other pop/nerd culture) so a lot of the time I’ll be randomly inspired while watching or reading something. For example, I love horror movies and saw The Witch as soon as I possibly could when it opened in theaters. The minute the credits rolled, I felt absurdly compelled to make a Black Phillip hoop. I finished the first one in two days of near non-stop stitching. I have so many ideas in my head (and random lists all over the place) of things I want to create but for whatever reason, there’s usually only a few that compel me enough to take thread to needle (or stylus to screen).

What I’m more recently completely loving is seeing how creative and driven the Nerdvember community is. These are amazing women who I only knew of through a nerdy clothing Instagram challenge (like you!) and holy hell- they are all so inspiring!!! For example, @stephaniebyday is making pins @bemagicalstudio and @theyseekherthere is making all sorts of accessories @loganarchicago. It’s hard not to be inspired when I open my IG feed!

Black Phillip embroidery hoop by Make it Sew Design

What was the process like of finding your niche? Do you have any advice for those still searching for theirs?
I tend to dive straight into trying new things so for me it’s about finding which actually sticks. Though this all started out as only embroidery, I wouldn’t claim any of what I do is my niche… It’s a simplistic way of thinking about it, but as long as whatever you’re doing brings you some sort of satisfaction or energy, why not keep trying. From there, it depends on what your goal is. Additionally, I wouldn’t worry if you’re intimidated by something at first. I always assumed jewelry making was something way beyond my skills until one of my friends was awesome enough to show me how.

Make it Sew Design items on etsy
A few items available in the Make it Sew Design Etsy store
What are some of your favorite finished projects?
 My favorite hoop I ever made was a custom Krampus hoop for a coworker near the holidays. It was unlike anything I had made at the time and really tested my mindset of what I thought I was capable of. In general, I’m just proud that people (especially complete strangers) seem to want things I made. My general strategy is to make things that I would personally want so it’s thrilling and makes me so happy that anyone else feels the same.

Krampus embroidery by Make it Sew Design

Who are some of your favorite female creators?
SO MANY!!! This is tough as there are so, so many amazing female creators so I’ll just stick to ones that inspire me the most to be better at embroidery: @jessdewahls @seaofdoom @tinycup_ @ladyjanelongstitches @alainavarrone

And also, a shout-out to @uttinibikini for making AMAZIING Star Wars clothing and creating a curiosity in me to make my own!


You can find Lisa's shop on Instagram @makeitsewdesign and her personal account is @ridiculisa
You can also browse her shop here: Make it Sew Design on Etsy
And if you've ever considered having a custom piece of clothing designed, I highly recommend her shop and skills!


A gigantic thanks to Lisa not only for taking the time to design two amazing custom dresses but also for allowing me to interview her! I cannot say enough good things about her! I think she's fantastic, and you should all go follow her on Instagram and Etsy!!!

And a special thank you to my mom/photographer for putting up with me being completely awkward and uncomfortable being photographed in public and still getting great shots of me anyway! I love you!

❤ Kelsey ❤

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