Indie Designer Crush: Hilde Heyvaert

Full Steam (Punk) Ahead!
By Lux

Lux: I want to start by saying that ever since you started posting in Sew Underground I have admired your sewing ability. The construction of your garments is so perfect. Where did you learn to sew?

HH: Thanks, I really appreciate that compliment a lot, especially coming from someone as talented as you :)

I never had any proper formal training, my mum studied fashion in high school so she taught me the basics and I took it from there myself. Initially she didn't want me to use her antique Bernina machine because she was afraid I'd wreck it, but then she quickly realized I'd nag her to sew for me all the time so she caved and taught me. She also taught me to do heaps of things by hand sewing.



Lux: Aww thanks! I never had proper training either. Isn’t it interesting how so many of us never took classes of any kind? How much hand sewing do you do? I try to avoid it myself. Do you still use the antique Bernina?

HH: I think a lot of people are self-trained because it's not always equally easy to get formal training.

If you go to let's say, fashion college, that's often really expensive, and that is if you get in at all.

Sewing classes are often few and far between as well, and not all are actually appropriate for people that want to learn how to design their own clothes. Over here in Belgium most sewing classes are evening classes, which isn't always terribly practical to start with, and they focus on teaching you to make garments from existing patterns and to adjust them to _your_ body. That's all fine and dandy if you occasionally want to sew something from a pattern by one of the big companies for yourself, but it doesn't actually teach you anything about draping, adjusting patterns for others than yourself, converting patterns or heaven forbid: drafting your own pattern. I'm not saying there's no good classes outside fashion college, I'm sure there are, but odds are that they're at night several hours away from where someone lives.

I generally only hand sew when I'm doing bits that are requesting more manual dexterity than what you get with the machine. Sometimes things just look better hand sewn you know.

But no, I don't use the antique Bernina anymore, it's still at my parent's house. I don't think my mother would ever be able to part with that :) I got a cheap Toyota after using that antique Bernina for a couple of months, which was probably one of the most horrid machines on the market. Seriously, I am NEVER getting a Toyota again. After a year of heavy use the engine pretty much gave up completely. So we replaced it with a Bernina 1008, which I love. A couple of years ago Bert (my boyfriend) bought me a Husqvarna Viking serger (a Huskylock 905) which is brilliant. So I use those two machines now. I think that if I were to get a new machine, it would probably be Bernina or Husqvarna. Although that won't be in the near future as the ones I have now are still in perfect working order.



Lux: That’s true there is only so much you can learn from a community sewing class. Not that I ever took one but I looked into it a number of years before and found that I was way beyond what they were teaching already. Ha!

I had no idea Toyota made machines. I guess there’s a reason for that… I hear lots of good things about Viking machines though. I want to get one of their embroidery machines one day.

So you’re located in Belgium right? Are you from there? What’s the local fashion scene like? Do you see a lot interesting things or is it the same old, same old?

HH: I heard Toyota makes sergers as well, and I've heard nothing good about those either. I think it's best to just buy a machine that gets at least a very high percentage of "love it" type comments, like Bernina, Viking, Pfaff etc.

My advice to anyone getting a machine would be to go to a store that lets you try the machines and where they are willing to explain the entire working. I get all my machines at a small family owned place that does most repairs too. It might not be the cheapest place, but it does have the best customer service and in the end of the day, that's priceless.

I'm in Belgium yeah, born and raised here. We actually have a pretty renown fashion scene what with the Antwerp 6 and all that. And we have two fashion colleges of some international fame (the Antwerp academy and La Cambre in Brussels). The local fashion scene, well I'm inclined to say it's divided in two major parts. There's the academy style, which is basically more art than fashion (in my opinion) and the generally crazy "I'm fashion student so I dress outrageous" kinda style. And to counter that there's the same old, same old. There _are_ people around that have their own unique style, but you get those everywhere. I do see some seriously cool outfits occasionally so there is hope :)
Of course you see more individual styles in the cities, which are traditionally more open minded than small towns. I guess that's the same everywhere.



Lux: That’s so true. I just moved to a really small town and I get some odd looks even if I‘m fairly casually dressed. But if I go San Francisco for the day no one bats an eye. Do you always wear your clothes or do you save them for special occasions?

HH: Yes exactly! It's amazing that in this day and age there is still such a mentally difference between cities and towns. It never seizes to amaze me.
I mostly wear clothes I've made myself, but the main reason is that I've made most of my wardrobe :)

But I do have stuff I've got at other places, I love getting things from etsy and basic stuff from H&M. Some things, like my Halloween wardrobe, I save for October (and my Lost LARP character haha), and there are clothes that are also part of costume for something or other (mostly LARP characters) so they don't get much wear and I suppose they pretty much only come out for special occasions.

I guess it depends on which garment it is and what I want to wear that day :)



Lux: What is LARP?

HH: Live action roleplay. You can find all about the group I'm in on camarillabelgium.be ;)



Lux: Cool. J So you’re mostly into Steampunk fashion right? How did you get into that? What do you like most about it?

HH: Yes I am, I love steampunk.

I grew up with the books of Jules Verne, my dad read them to me when I was little (he's a big Verne fan too) and I remember that before I could read I was always looking at the pictures of Nautilus and other cool contraptions.
I love the entire mentality and concept behind it: the future past that never happened but could be in this time. I love that idea. And I've always loved the esthetic of Victorian and belle époque fashions. The bustle skirts and pouf sleeves for women and the tailcoats and waistcoats for men. I love wearing stuff like that in a contemporary way. And I love that at the very most the fashion has guidelines but no set rules. On the contrary to pretty much every other fashion style: people are pretty free to do whatever they want with it. There's such a brilliant diversity.

Basically I've always loved it, and at one point decided I was going to look the part :)

Although which part (adventurer, aristocrat, dandy, casual, mad inventor, airship pirate etc) largely depends on my mood that day :)

I honestly think I'm a lot more active in steampunk then in any other style I've ever been part of, I'm on tons of communities and forums and I write fashion articles for Gatehouse Gazette aside from being active as a designer.

I still design other things too mind you, occasionally I still feel the need to do something totally non steamy :)



Lux: Steampunk reminds me of this graphic novel called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Have you heard of it? I know they made a movie but it does no justice to the comic. There’s some really cool art in there and the clothes on the characters are gorgeous! I’ve considered dressing up as Mina Harker for Halloween but I just don’t have the time to pull off such an elaborate costume. Are you doing anything special for Halloween?

Yes I know that one, I own it :)
I actually quite like the movie, even though it's not following the graphic novel well at all. I still like the feel of it, Nemo's inventions and all the cool costumes. Sure, it's not the best movie out there, but I find it very enjoyable nonetheless :)
I LOVE Mina Harker's scientist outfits!

For Halloween I'm having a party at my house the weekend before Halloween (because my friends are available then) and then on Halloween itself I'll be in Disneyland Paris with my friend Charlotte. I'm going to dress up as a Halloween steampunk pirate, and Charlotte is going to dress up as something, but she keeps on changing her mind about what she wants to be. My costume is all but finished, I just need to put together a shirt and a pair of spats now, I'll definitely be finished in time :)



Lux: The movie was ok. I guess I'm too much of a comic book geek. I have to nit-pick everything! I love the inventions too. I think the movie was more about the scenery and costumes, which is cool for people like us who get inspired by those things. :) Another one I like to watch for inspiration is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Everything in it is so rich looking. Like a visual embodiment of red velvet cake or something. OK I'm weird. HAHA

Damn! You're doing Halloween right. And I thought I went all out. I am having a party too. My first in my new house. There's lots of planning to do so I better get to it. And I better let you go so you can finish your costume. You will post pictures right?

HH: Comic books aren't nearly as huge in Belgium as they are in the US, so I guess people here don't tend to get very annoyed by movie adaptations like they do elsewhere where there is a far larger comic book culture.

I really like that version of Dracula as well, the costumes really are exquisite in that movie.

And please don't worry about taking my time away from sewing, I am not even vaguely short on time :)

Plenty of time left to get everything finished well in time :)

I will definitely post pictures of my costume :)

I'm hoping to get a bunch made before Halloween, so I don't have to worry about getting good pictures while I'm in Disneyland Paris. It's smack in the fall holidays of Belgium and peak season there so I suspect there will be crowds in the way for pics. I'm definitely going to get my picture taking with Jack Skellington and Sally though, come hell or high water. I'm a Disney geek like that haha :)



Lux: Let's hear it for us geeks then! haha Can't wait to see the pics. And thank you so much for letting me interview you. It was great getting to know more about you. I really appreciate it and I'm sure the readers do too.









See even more amazing clothes check out Hilde's website House of Secrets.

Screenprinter of the Month: SoHoKiTtEn!

One Cool Kitten
By Lux

Lux: Can you believe we've known each other since 2002? That's 6 years. I've barely known irl friends that long. haha Does it feel like you've been doing the diy/business thing that long? I feel like it was just yesterday I got into all this stuff...

SK: 2002?! OMG....haha. Yeah...that seems like forever ago. I'm really glad we've stayed in touch for so long. ^_^ You know, I actually do feel like I've been DIYing for that long. I mean, I still enjoy it and all but I feel like I was born creating stuff. CHEESE. :P

Lux: So do I. I remember always making things as a kid, but unlike most kids I was always trying to sell the things I made! I knew I’d have my own business even then…lol I‘m glad we‘ve stayed in touch too. J You’re one of the few people who have managed to stay cool over the years. I won’t name names but some of my “friends” have gotten way too full of themselves. Have you had that experience?

SK: haha! Lux the Little Entrepreneur! ^_^ Too cute. I know a few people, friends even, who have just let their egos explode. I mean, you have to have a thick skin and confidence (especially when you have your own business) because not everyone is going to like you and you need to get over that, but there's that line that I will just never cross. I am not Paris Hilton. I like myself but if you don't I'm not going to try even harder to make you like me. I think that's when people become fake. Know what I'm sayin'? haha

Lux: Exactly! Some of these chicks swear they’re celebrities. Of course some of them actually are but only on the internet ladies! I can’t be fake. I think I tried it once. Didn’t work for me. That must be why I don’t have 8000 friends on Myspace. (boo hoo) But enough of the silly sheisser, let’s get down to brass tacks: what is a typical day like for you?

SK: A typical day? OMG....haha Well, I begin by waking up to my obnoxious cell phone alarm. Its set to a dazzling tune that my husband likes to make up words for. I drink coffee, talk to my husband for a little bit, wake up my son, take my dog out to pee and get dressed. After I see my husband off and my son is all ready for school, I drop him off and walk to work. I'm a grooming assistant by day and depending on the schedule I can assist with up to 15 dogs.....in 5-6 hours. O_O I leave work with aches and pains - I refer to those aches and pains as "dog arm" or "dog elbow". Sometimes, especially if there’s a Newfoundland in that day, I leave with "dog body". Its like the flu.....with hair. T_T When I get home, I shower, check my email and eat a snack. I then walk to school to get my son and return home, help him do his homework and chillax until 6 - 7PM when my husband gets home. I then eat dinner and we all go for a walk with my bastard dog. He has sharp teeth. We usually all end up in bed by about 8:30 - 9. We are boring. Busy and boring. I try to sneak in crafting time everyday but its pretty tough with "dog body". I doodle while I wait for internet pages to load though! Does that count?? (OH, BTW, do you have a facebook??? I have to find you on there if you do *stalk*)



Lux: Dog elbow! You love it! You could be describing my day only without the dog or the “real“ job lol. We’re pretty boring/normal here too. I kind of like it that way though you know? I couldn’t go out and party every night like some people do. I’d rather be home reading or knitting or something lame like that. What about you? If you had the chance to go out and tear up the whole party/fashion scene ala coked up models, horny photographers and guys in all black smoking cloves who no one really knows what the hell they do would you? Tell the truth now!
(Oh by the way I don’t have a face book. At one point I had signed up for all the networking sites but just couldn’t keep track of them all. It’s just more trouble than it’s worth to me. I stick to a few LJ, blogspot, squidoo…)

SK: It really depends on my mood! I'm pretty spontaneous and if I have the chance to go out and let loose with my friends I definitely will....if I don't have "dog body", that is. But 9 times out of 10 you'll catch me at home, in bed with my husband watching reruns of "The Family Guy" on DVD, eating Qdoba or Baja Fresh. We love our burrito and we love to be anti-social while eating said burritos!



Lux: You know I’m not a big burrito fan. I think I may be the only Mexican in the world who hates beans. Ha! If I get the chance to go out I do too, it just doesn’t happen that often. Finding babysitters and getting a group together is a rare occurrence these days. You know how it is for us old folks. But when I do go out I do it up right. You’ll always find me in some crazy outfit I made! Do you often wear your own designs?

SK: I like wearing my designs during the week, just hanging out. I get a lot of compliments, mainly from parents at my son's school and of course, kids! They usually notice my bright pink hair first though! You have no idea how many times I've heard the exclamation, "MOMMY! That girl has pink hair!" haha Gotta love kids for pointing out the obvious. My favorite thing to wear that I have made has to be my Yummy Bunny tank top or my Captain Scallywags the Pirate Bunny necklace. I should be renamed SoHoBuNnY. Lol



Lux: I like wearing your designs too. But I usually get weird looks from the other moms at my daughter’s school. I live in an area where 80% of the moms have fake boobs and drive Acuras. Oh well f*ck ‘em! SoHoBuNnY’s cute! It could be like your couture line. :P So what are you working on right now? Any new plans for the business?

SK: haha! fake boobs and Acuras....HOT. I am currently working on a project for DiYScene. Two other members and I are collaborating and I don't want to give too many details but there will be a photo shoot involved. CRYPTIC. :P I am doing a new twist on an established character....or I'm giving that character a similar friend.....hmmmm....which one is it? lol My business plans aren't very well thought out. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) to print a few more tops next week but we'll see how that goes. I'm always up for a custom order! ^_~

Lux: That sounds like fun. You Diy Scene girls always have something going on. Since your business plans are not that well thought out would it be futile to ask where you see SoHoKiTtEn in 5 years?



SK: I envision SoHoKiTtEn to still be going strong 5 years from now. If not on Etsy, in some other form. I will never stop drawing or painting or having silly, creative ideas. And as those ideas have evolved from 5 years ago, they will continue to in 5 years from now. SoHoKiTtEn is go! Haha

Lux: Yay! I’m glad to hear it, but let’s rewind a bit and how did you get into it? How did you decide to do screen printing? I remember way back in the day you were doing all kinds of stuff like hand painting shoes…

SK: Hmmm....I remember my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time lol) used to always look on Ebay for unique DIY clothing. This is probably back in 2001 or 2002. I then had the idea to start my own seller account and after selling a few clothing items and establishing good feedback I started modifying all the clothes I sold. I LIVED at the thrift stores and fabric stores. haha My room was all sewing machine and fabric. After I moved, I didn't really have the time or space to sew as much but that’s when I really started doing hand-painted designs of t-shirts, mini tote bags and those shoes! My husband has worked in the screen-printing business for years so I started having him print me a couple things on the side every once in a while. And thus, SoHoKiTtEn's Etsy shop was born. I am focusing mainly on painting, screen prints and hand-drawn plastic necklace charms.....do you still have those shoes?! LOL I had a pink sparkly leopard print pair forever and just recently had to let them go cause they were all gross from me wearing them non-stop. haha Those were a pretty popular seller. ^_^




Lux: I LOVED those shoes. I wore them all the time so sadly, no I don’t still have them. They started getting grody. That’s good luck that you already had a screen-printing connection. I’ve thought about doing that too. The closest I came was designing a couple shirts on Café Press. It never really went anywhere. But anyway I have one last question for you: Are you going to vote? If so who for and why? I ask everyone this, but if it’s too personal you don’t have to answer I understand!

SK: Voting is a weird subject for me. I know that right now I am scared to death of Palin. She's pretty good at hiding behind that hockey mom persona....and at having babies....and praying. Yeah....I think I'll stop myself before I go too far. :P xoxo SoHoKiTtEn >^..^<>

Lux: Understood. :)

Get your own cute here.