My name is Angela Clayton, I’m a twenty year old designer and seamstress who is currently living on Long Island, in NY.
I’ve been sewing for five years and focused on period costumes and original designs for the last three.
I try to mix the elements of historical costumes that I love most – like the detail work and extravagant silhouettes – with modern materials and textures to create pieces with a lot of visual interest and depth.
I spend most of my time working on detailed costumes which involve a lot of beading and work done by hand. But I also enjoy making structured garments that play with seaming and pattern matching.
In the past three years I have made over fifty complete costumes, more than twenty hats, and dozens of foundation garments (including corsets, hoop skirts, and petticoats).
I draft the vast majority of my own patterns, and am currently working with The McCall Pattern Company to make some of them commercially available.
Instead of pursuing college I’ve spent the past three years working from home, improving my sewing skills, and developing a portfolio. My future goals consist of having a job in the costume industry, either as a designer or seamstress.
When I’m not sewing, I’m busy sharing my process. I’ve been blogging about my projects since I started sewing back in 2012, and have continued to do so on a weekly basis. I also post videos on youtube that relate to my costume work. In the past five years I’ve acquired a following of almost 350,000 people, and 20 million views between my blog and videos.