The steady hum of a sewing machine fills the room. Senior Chancie Chou works, guiding fabric beneath the needle, hands steady while she adjusts the hem of her new babydoll top. What began as a do-it-yourself approach and a love for cloth-working is now a clothing business she manages alongside school.
Chou’s interest in sewing was first piqued when she watched her mother weave the needle in and out of the fabric. Her early exposure to sewing came from seeing her family create and mend clothes.
“My family has a really DIY mindset,” Chou said. “If we can make it ourselves, why spend money?”
Chou also inherited that influence from her grandmother, who worked as a seamstress in Taiwan. Through her, Chou learned about the craft firsthand, developing the practical skill to fix loose seams and alter clothes. Over time, she began experimenting with her own designs, sketching out tops and learning about different fabrics.
“When I first started sewing, I had to be really resourceful,” Chou said. “I was cutting up a lot of old T-shirts and remaking them into bags or handkerchiefs. I still have that habit — if I see an old bedsheet or something I can upcycle, I would rather use what I already have than go buy new fabric.”
As Chou continued to breathe life into previously discarded materials, she realized she was producing more than she could actually wear. People around her began to take notice of her pieces. Her work now focuses largely on tailoring and custom alterations, often for school events and dances. Chou also continues to create original pieces from scratch.
Whether working from an idea or adjusting an existing garment, her process typically involves drawing the design out to make a pattern or pinning fabric directly onto a mannequin. Many times, a piece may not turn out the way she expected, which calls for resourceful pivots like splitting a full-body dress into a top and a skirt.
When Chou started taking in clients, it was mostly for tailoring jobs — altering a pair of pants that didn’t fit right, or taking in the seams of Junior Prom dresses. Chou prefers to work closely with her clients, focusing on precision and fit.
“Every single time I do a tailoring job, I need to see it on the person,” Chou said. “We adjust it little by little because I don’t want to stop before it’s a perfect fit.”
Balancing her business with school can be challenging at times, but Chou sees sewing as more than just an obligation. Sewing is her creative outlet, rather than a burden.
“I think the good part about this business is that it’s really flexible,” Chou said. “When school gets stressful, sewing is a way for me to relax and still be creative.”
Through sewing and designing, Chou has developed skills that extend far beyond technical ability.
“I learned to be a lot more patient,” Chou said. “It’s okay to start over. Sometimes I’ll sew something, not like how it looks, take all the thread out and restart the entire process.”
Looking ahead, Chou hopes to continue her business as she enters college. But before that, she remains focused on the present, building her clientele through mutual trust and a passion for creating.
“Every stitch feels small until you see the whole piece,” Chou said. “At the end, it’s like all the work was worth it.”
