From the moment she first threaded a needle, Mia Myers, a senior at Greater Latrobe knew her heart belonged to the world of sewing, where every stitch tells a story and every fabric holds a dream. To start from the beginning Mia’s parents bought her her first sewing machine at eight. She also had the past sewing teacher from Latrobe come to her house and give her sewing lessons. To this day she continues to sew and shows her passion for it. 

This year for homecoming she created and made her own dress. She started the dress about a week before school started. It took her until the Saturday before the week of homecoming to actually finish it because she said she ¨didn’t want to rush it¨. 

According to Mia, the dress bottom was more of a satin material that held a lot more structure than the gold fabric for the top which was much thinner, and that was just a more synthetic fabric. She was inspired to make her own so that she did not spend a lot of time looking for dresses that she didn’t love and there’s nothing really special about them, ¨I want something that feels like me when I wear it.¨ She had the idea of making her own because it would be her last chance to make her homecoming dress. She wanted to have full control of how she wants it to look and fit. 

After high school, Mia plans to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City or Kent State University in Ohio for their fashion program. New York City for a fashion program is an incredible opportunity. FIT is renowned for its rigorous curriculum and strong connections to the fashion industry, offering students hands-on experience and exposure to industry professionals. Being in NYC, the fashion capital of the world means a student will be surrounded by endless inspiration, from the latest trends on Fifth Avenue to the eclectic styles seen in Brooklyn. The city’s vibrant fashion scene, combined with FIT’s top-notch education, can provide a solid foundation for a successful career in fashion. Plus, Mia will have the chance to network with like-minded peers and professionals, attend exclusive fashion events, and immerse herself in a community that lives and breathes fashion. Mia said,¨ In fashion school, I’m looking forward to learning so much more about making what was just a fun hobby my career¨. 

Mia shared that within the past two years, she’s been picking sewing back up and trying out new things on her own. This year she is taking both fabric arts classes to help her learn more about this. Fabric arts one is more of the ¨basic¨ things, like sewing a button or making a pillow. The second fabric arts, fabric arts 2 is more ¨advanced¨ doing more things on your own.  

Mia is also starting a club with Mrs. Rodgers to get more people with this interest involved. She also believes that boys should want to get involved too because like She said,  ¨Even boys should know how to sew a button back on their shirt.¨ Starting a new fabric art club at school with a teacher can be a fantastic way to bring creativity and collaboration into the school community. Begin by finding a teacher who is passionate about fabric arts and willing to sponsor the club. Mia felt that other girls should have the opportunity to express themselves and their creativity, and how this is a great way to start. So she took it upon herself to create a club called “Sewing club.”