Fashion is almost like a language for many Noblesville High School students. Unlike English or Spanish, fashion is spoken through color, texture, and silhouette. It can offer a powerful outlet for self-expression, allowing students to illuminate their personalities through every stitch and pattern. While some students fuel their fashion fever through trips to the local shopping mall, one student brings her creativity to life with needle and thread, designing her own path one garment at a time.
Ever since first grade, senior Alyse Cannady has been designing and sewing her own clothing. She has constructed countless original garments, some of her most notable being her custom-made dresses for school dances like Homecoming and prom. She believes that her passion is stitched into every piece, and her individuality is woven into each seam.
“During COVID, I really started getting into making my own patterns for clothes and designing my own clothes,” Cannady said. “Not like a professional or anything, but just for fun because I had the time. From there, I’ve been really into making clothes.”
Cannady has sewn her previous three Homecoming dresses and junior prom dress. Behind the seams of these dresses lie many stages of the crafting process. Before she can model her outfits, Cannady must begin at square one: design.
“Generally, for me, I first design what I want it to look like, and then I make a paper pattern of it. That takes the longest time – that’s the biggest chunk of the whole,” Cannady said.
After designing her dresses, Cannady then experiments with the technical aspects. She chooses fabrics, colors, and patterns to complete her vision, all with the intent to form an original, final product.
“I’ll make a couple different prototypes for fit and just how it lays and everything with the fabric, and then I’ll finally cut into the final fabric and sew it up together and do final details,” Cannady said.
Cannady is not the only student at NHS to appreciate her designs. Her friends admire her hard work and unique skills. Cannady and senior Shelby Cooke have attended several school dances together throughout their longstanding friendship. Cooke says that Cannady’s customization is an impressive part of her Homecoming experience.
“Freshman year, we were all talking about how we were going to buy our dresses, and she said that she was going to make hers,” Cooke said. “We watched her design them on her iPad, and we all thought it was cool because she basically gets to customize her dresses.”
However, these dresses aren’t ready in the blink of an eye. The countless hours devoted to her sewing projects make them even more meaningful to Cannady, and this dedication isn’t only seen by Cooke. Senior Elizabeth Matthews, another friend of Cannady’s, also values the hard work that goes into her dressmaking.
“I think it’s really cool to put in the time to do that,” Matthews said. “For prom, she worked on it for like six months. [The dresses] are really pretty, and they always fit well.”
Aside from her dance dresses, Cannady also fosters her love for crafting by sewing other garments. She has used her skills to design both casual and formal pieces, including clothing for dance, everyday wear, and even apparel she’s gifted to friends.
“I think my favorite projects are the more basic clothing projects where I can wear them day to day,” Cannady said. “For these, I usually use premade patterns because it takes the stress off of making sure they fit so you can enjoy the process more.”
Cannady’s creativity extends beyond her sewing studio, as fashion is not the only language she’s fluent in. She is a busy honors student, immersing herself in advanced subjects such as AP Spanish Language and Literature. Spanish teacher Anthony Crist finds that Cannady’s artistry bridges the gap between her foreign language skills and fashion abilities.
“When it comes to a language class, you have to be creative. You have to,” Crist said. “To activate that creative side of the brain and communicate takes a certain amount of creative ability, whether it be manufacturing something tangible like sewing or true spoken language.”
The people around Cannady recognize that the work she does requires a certain creative eye to see all of the little details that go into dressmaking and sewing. They see that it takes not only ability, but patience and trust in the process.
“The whole idea of [making my own dresses] was really cool, and I could make them exactly how I wanted it to be with any fabric, any silhouette. The whole idea of making it 100% personalized and customized is nice,” Cannady said.
While Cannady has decided not to pursue sewing in a professional manner, she still wants to keep the practice as an essential component of her lifestyle. According to Cannady and her mentors, this unique skill has taught her more than just craftsmanship, but also resourcefulness and attention to detail.
“I think it’s most important that she learned a skill that she can take with her, not just to earn a certificate on a diploma, but something that does have real world usage outside of the four walls of school,” Crist said.
Cannady’s commitment to her projects reflects the skills and perseverance she strives to take with her past high school. Despite her strong passion, she understands that sewing can be a challenging skill. Cannady hopes that other aspiring artists relax, focus on the end goal, and appreciate the hard work that goes into each stitch.
“You will 100% make mistakes, but take a break and come back to it with a fresh mind,” Cannady said. “I would say it’s most special being able to take a look at the finished product and seeing all of the hard work that has gone into it.”
