Homecoming is one of the iconic high school experiences many students at PLHS looked forward to last week. Many students prepared for this event by going out to eat, asking people to the dance, and trying on dresses and suits. However, some students took a different approach.
Sophomore Kayda Begody made her Homecoming dress from scratch.
During the school day, Begody may not stand out, but Sophomore Sofia Agee took the time to get to know her and her passion for sewing and creating.
“Four years ago, me and Kayda became friends,” Agee said. “She is very energetic and very kind. She’s very creative, and very passionate too; she loves what she does.”
Begody spent days and nights working on her dress, not counting the hundreds of hours spent training herself to the point of being able to create as detailed of a dress as a Homecoming dress.
“When I was about 8 years old with my grandma, we sewed a skirt together,” Begody said. “It was with a hamster print, I wore it to school, and it was super cool.”
When a very skilled person, such as Begody, takes the time to make a dress, many decisions must be made about fabric, patterns, shape, and more.
“I walked around Joann’s, and I already had a drawing of what I wanted to do before I started sewing,” Begody said. “I looked at my drawing for reference, and then I kind of went off of that and just strolled around Joann’s, and went to the fabrics that spoke to me. I chose this iridescent fabric with sequins, so that when the light flashes on it, it reflects it, and it’s really pretty.”
Despite having the skills and experience to sew, making a dress is very difficult and time-consuming, especially when it may be someone’s only choice.
“I don’t have a lot of money right now,” Begody said. “By being able to sew my own dress, it’s way cheaper than buying a $300 dress for something I’m only going to wear once.”
Many problems arise while sewing a dress, and Begody explains many of the issues she faced, such as breaking needles.
“I’m not very confident in my skills, so I don’t think it’ll be as cool as I envision it will be, and I’m finishing the details last minute right now, so that’s not helping,” Begody said. “The skirt didn’t end up fitting perfectly, and I have already broken my sewing machine once before, so that’s why I have to do the ribbon to connect all the pieces together.”
When making dresses and clothing, not everything will go to plan, and Begody has her own questions she asks herself when deciding to remove or change a pattern.
“I think, A, am I willing to spend time on this?” Begody said. “Am I willing to go through the pain and suffering for this? And B, will I be cut out for this? Is this something that I can achieve, and is this something that will look good in the end that I will feel confident wearing?”
However, in the end, there are a lot of advantages to having a handmade dress.
“When you’re going with another person, you get to collaborate on it and how you guys want your look to be,” Begody said. “You have the freedom of what you want it to be like and what you want to do with it.”
Agee also commented on her experience when she saw Begody’s dress before it was finished.
“She puts all her creativity towards art and things she can use,” Agee said. “I think that it’s really cool that she can do that. She’s showing all the skills that she has learned so far in that dress and I think that it looks amazing.”
Attending Homecoming itself is an unforgettable experience, but wearing a dress that was unique and handmade, made Begody stand out from the crowd of identical, store-bought dresses.
“I think her dress will look just as good as others,” Agee said. “And I think many will find it cool that she has made her own dress.”