Contribute to THE MAKE DEN's FundRazr!

It's no secret our Fierce Bambi, AKA Irene Stickney, has an amazing job working with at-risk youth at the Make Den teaching valuable sewing skills. Along with sewing skills, these awesome kids are mentored, coached and given an amazing community to grow in and develop a firm foundation of awesomeness they then take forward with them into adult hood. If you've ever wanted to help- now is the time!

The Make Den just launched it's fundraiser! They need 75K to grow the program and take it to new heights! Contribute now and feel awesome!

From studio to runway- Fierce Bambi makes fashion magic happen!

The Make Den is a small sewing studio in the west end of Toronto. We are a social enterprise which has been providing sewing classes for at-risk youth since 2010. Our students participate in an 8 week sewing class, where they learn the basics of threading up a sewing machine, sewing straight seams and then making a simple tote bag and a make-up pouch.

The results of our sewing classes are then donated to Covenant House, a youth shelter in Toronto. We have given away handbags, make-up cases and even prom dresses to deserving youth living in care.

Our students come to us from all over the GTA - some of them are living in group homes or youth shelters, some of them have been through the court system and some of them have been victims of bullying in their schools.

The Make Den provides employable skills as well as advanced fashion design instruction. Our goal is to raise money to provide our most talented students with intensive summer programming, post-secondary application support and the materials to bring their dreams to life.

Our goal is to provide positive role models as well as access to opportunities, resources, skills and materials to at-risk youth in the GTA. Here is a powerful testimonial from one of our students who was bullied from the time he was 8 years old, and still faces discrimination because of his sexuality at school today. ( You can also see some of his remarkable styling work online here as well.) 

Fierce Bambi is featured on the Torontoist!

The Torontoist wants Irene's job as the owner of the Make Den, and we know why.  Creating things with your own two hands is the best feeling, and teaching that joy to others is a million times that satisfaction. We've seen our hard working lovely lady start from the basement of what was Vintage 69 By the Pound, to runing her own little DIY sewing paradise of her own in Bloordale. (Like the Royal couple, we couldn't be more happy...)

Click here to learn more about the Make Den, PACT Fashion, and the magic force that is Fierce Bambi.



Love, Love, Love.

Toronto Loves The Make Den!

Fierce Bambi's baby, The Make Den, was just voted as one of the top DIY spots on BlogTo! The Make Den is in a beautiful new retail level space in Bloordale, and offers sewing lessons from begginer classes to leather crafting. Knowing how to sew is a great way to express your individuality, save money by fixing and tailoring your own garments, and mostly it is incredibly fulfiling. Making things with your hands just feels good. Speaking of feeling good, The Make Den is not just a building with classes, it's a community of creative, vibrant Toronto individuals. If you live in Toronto, and want to learn how to create or tailor your own wardrobe, then The Make Den is a must!

(Check out those seafoam walls in the photo... when you see that colour, it's a sure sign a Deadly Nightshade is afoot!)

DNS MIDNIGHT MADNESS CLOTHING SWAP!

The best clothing swaps in Toronto are curated by the Deadly Nightshades. We may all be biased in thinking this, but what other Toronto clothing swaps get featured in Blog TO, have major Toronto fashion scene characters come out and throw down walk-offs, and land you with rad items that will get you in the Huffington Post? We do!

Check out the Facebook event HERE! 

It's the greenest, funnest, most affordable way to purge your closet, get great new stuff, hang out/ have fun with your friends, and make new ones! For the first time, we are hosting the event at the still sparkling brand-new Make Den location!  (1244 Bloor Street West, two blocks east of Landsdown on the North Side. Look for an amazing Queen of Hearts window display and a Seafoam interior.) It's convenient as you can sign up to learn how to alter those amazing swap finds or rent a sewing machine if you don't have one yourself.


swap and alter all in one place , photo from the Make Den, 

The event is NOT at midnight- this swap starts at 8pm, Saturday February 23rd, and goes t'ill midnight. What a great way to avoid the bar scene! Or, since the Make Den is conveniently located in the up-and coming trendy Bloordale area, you can pop over to places like Three Speed, Bar Neon, or the Whippoorwill before or after swapping.

This time we are also going to have a fabric sale in the back! If you have left-over fabric, trims, notions or thingamabobs, for $10 you can sell your goods to a really awesome crowd. Contact us to book a table.

A reminder on swapping etiquette; All clothes, accessories and fabrics to be swapped should be in good condition, freshly washed if have been worn, with no stains. Minor tears and fixable things are okay.

See you then!

P.S. This year, left over clothes will be donated to the EHM clothing bank, one of Toronto oldest homeless shelters. So feel free to bring more then you plan on taking away. 

Blog TO - The Make Den is nominated for Best DIY Workspace in Toronto!

It's nice to get noticed!   Laura Adams from Blog TO wrote a great article about us recently and I'm happy to report that I don't sound like a complete tool in it.

Even more recently, Blog TO nominated us for "Best DIY workspace in Toronto", which we are SO honoured to even be mentioned on!!  You can vote here until Saturday.   Go vote because obviously we're buying everyone beer if we win!!

Some of the interview is below, along with a few photos.

The Make Den Sewing Studio recently relocated from within 69 Vintage Collective to a new location at 1244 Bloor Street West, providing a bright and crafty addition to Bloordale's streetscape. With its robin's egg blue walls and ruffled party dress in the window, I couldn't resist popping in one dark winter evening to learn more about what this sewing and design school has to offer.

Founded in 2010, The Make Den offers sewing and design classes, workshops, and camps for all levels: from absolute beginners (like yours truly), to intermediate students looking to sharpen their skills, to aspiring designers applying to competitive fashion programs at institutions like Ryerson University, Parsons in New York City, and Central Saint Martins in London.  The Make Den's owner, Irene Stickney, has a passion for teaching students of all levels that is infectious and heartfelt. For those pursuing sewing as a hobby--about 75% of her students--The Make Den provides an outlet to explore their creative side, which is often not fulfilled in their day jobs. Irene loves helping these students create new things, have fun, and acquire a life-long skill.

For the 25% of her students pursuing a career in fashion design, Irene aims to offer top-notch instruction on technical skills and a supportive community. "Toronto has amazing designers and they need more resources. I want to be able to support designers. I want to be able to say I've made a difference for designers." The Make Den provides these students with classes, camps, studio space, endless encouragement, and even photo shoots (by Irene) to build their portfolio. Talking about her advanced students and their creations, Irene beams with pride. "Don't forget me when you're famous!" she jokes with them...

Muttonhead Collective & Toronto Production

Rob Ford's appeal verdict will be released tomorrow at 10:30 am. Who else is nervous with anticipation? (If he gets kicked out, does anyone want to do a mashup Lance Armstrong/Rob Ford ride for kicks?) One thing our fearless leader never seemed to talk about was actual job creation or bringing back manufacturing to Toronto. Production and manufacturing jobs would be super useful to the city. Did you know Toronto was once the 3rd largest apparel manufacturing city in North America? In this city we can't all be marketing account executives, restaurant owners, bankers and real estate lawyers. This city needs a diverse job portfolio. There is also a global market shift that is making overseas production less and less affordable, along with quality control harder and more expensive to manage.

PHOTOS: STEPHEN CROSBY/THE GRID

When politicians fail to be visionary and lead, and they usually do, it's young entrepreneurs that lead the way.  Despite little to no support in regards to manufacturing from the city, Toronto is teaming with talented, productive hands. The Deadly Nightshade's past Style Spins were in celebration of local artisans and fashion and apparel producers. (Did you see us in the Toronto Star or the BBC?). The Deadly Nightshades are included in that category; Cat Essiambre has her own Seafoam Apparel Production Agency, Laura works with YNOT, Irene is the Queen of The Make Den, and Patricia is talented production gun for hire.



The ever talented local Toronto unisex brand Muttonhead Collective was featured in last week's Grid TO. The article is a great read about the surviving production industry around Sterling Road at Landsdown and Bloor. Fittingly, this area was the location for 2012 Toronto Alternative Fashion Week. Muttonhead celebrates modern Canadiana right, through aesthetics and production methods. They are bound for success.

Since she [Meg Sinclair] created Muttonhead as her design thesis collection when she graduated from Ryerson almost three years ago, local production has been her focus. “I’m finding that people care more where it’s made rather than [if] it’s made
from organic cotton,” she says.

Muttonhead Collective is having an amazing end of season sale. Check it out!

DANDYHORSE GETS FIERCER.

The last issue of Toronto's own Dandyhorse Magazine featured a two page spread on our very own Irene! She talks about bike gangs, the ins and outs of making your own place in the fashion industry, and about her sewing school / crafting mecca The Make Den! Not only that but the article sports two stunning portraits by Kirsten's collective The Bleached Blondes, featuring Irene as her two personas - Fierce Bambi and Unicorn Karl Lagerfeld (amaaaaaaazing!!!) Congrats Kirsten & Irene - we are so proud to have such talented babes in our midst. Check out Dandyhorse & see for yourself!

So the new Dandyhorse issue is out, and I'm super excited to get my hands on a copy of it this time as it features articles on the fiercest of bambis, fellow Nightshade Irene - as well as one on my bosses at YNOT Tom & Tony! Go Dandyhorse! But while looking on the magazine's site tonight... I stumbled across this video. Which is... well... hilarious (at least to me, maybe not intentionally?). Hard not to be amused when so many Toronto pals are playing ridiculous extras in a game of spin the bottle...

Irene Stickney is a change-making babe

PROOF.

Fierce Bambi demonstrates the DNS mantra of "ENFORCE AWESOME" in her seafoam coloured sewing studio, The Make Den. xo

June: A Fashion Video dedicated to the awesomeness that is Summer

Another beautiful collaboration with Desire Kaniki and his awesome team!

Photographed and edited by Adam Zivo.
Styled and co-directed by Desire.
Modeled by Ianitza Vassileva.
Makeup by Mercedez Nucaro.
Styling Assistance by Fiona Nikole

All wardrobe provided by The Make Den.
Jewelry by Cuchara.
Music by Dragonette ("Volcano")

I make clothes. You take pictures. Let's work together.

The Make Den Spring 2011, shot by Last Knight Creative
Photography: Johann Bona.
Styling by Desire.
Model: Marta @ Spot 6 Models
View more pics on our Facebook Group
Crop Top: The Make Den. $30~ Available at Tomorrow Never Knows
OR Make It Yourself at The Make Den 1207 Bloor St. W
Long Skirt: The Make Den. $50~ Short Skirt: The Make Den. $40~ Available at Tomorrow Never Knows
OR Make It Yourself at The Make Den

DNS LOVES F.A.T. & EACH OTHER.

Congrats on a gorgeous & beautifully executed collection Irene! We are all so so so proud of you & excited to see what you do next! Although thank goodness that's the last of the crazy late nights.... for now.

xoxo.
the rest of DNS.

Torontoist on FAT 2011

I was surprised and happy to see this awesome illustration by Chloe Cushman of The Make Den's very own Gaga jacket front and centre on Torontoist yesterday, while surfing the web with some students in an internet cafe in Bloordale. We made so much noise when we saw it they nearly asked us to leave the cafe. Sorry, Zone 3 Webcafe. The article sounds like she could be describing the entire collection (fringe, leather, cropped tanks and t-shirts, big shoulders) and goes on to say that the trends on the runway looked like glimpses of future of LG fashion weeks. Here's a quote from the well written article:

Then there was the clothing. Known mostly for its drama and dissent, [FAT] came out this year with talent that was on-trend and gave a glimpse at LG features of the future. While the unusual was still the norm, we noticed a few trends that connected the variety of radical designers, influences, styles, and perspectives that actually mirror the mainstream. We saw cropped tanks, fringe on everything from denim to leather, Gaga-worthy exaggerated shoulders, pants that were slouchy yet sophisticated, and headdresses and facial accessories that were often the crowning jewel of an outfit.

We were happy to see this mention up on Fashion Magazine, too:

After all the buzz over Berlin designer Julia Knupfer, we were beginning to feel antsy when her I.C.A. Watermelon collection was postponed to later that evening. Luckily, our attention was diverted to Bloordale sewing club The Make Den’s presentation of fun DIY garments, including a bold-shouldered ‘Gaga blazer’ that might have us convinced to take up a new hobby.

All in all, I think everyone had a really great time this year - our models were really awesome and had so much fun dressing up in all the Make Den gear - and the backstage crew (Sissi K, Karen K, Jenn N, Emma Z and Margaret D) were super professional. I have to say, the make-up team from Make Up For Ever were especially awesome - the smokey black eyes looked incredible on everyone and might be my new favorite make-up look of all-time! Stay tuned for more backstage pics...

Nightshades and Tigerlilies at The Drake Hotel!

A Spring Pop-Up Shop Featuring:
The Deadly Nightshades
Tomorrow Never Knows (Vintage and Handmade)
The Make Den (Boudoir Inspired Recut)
Chaton Rouge (Repurposed Fur)
The Gild (Bicycle Seat Covers)
Fierce Deer (Handmade accessories)
White Cat (Cycling Caps)
PACTfashion (Handmade Recut handbags)

Thursday March 31st
5-9:30pm
The Drake Underground
Admission is free

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


TIGERLILIES AND NIGHTSHADES

Spring Fever is here-here-HERE, eager beavers! Lilies will make you feel silly and Nightshades will bring the First-Aid for your winter aches and breaks! Tomorrow Never Knows what spring holds so brighten up your wardrobe with pretty vintage peaches and lots of lace! Go on and slip on some chiffon - The Make Den will be unveiling a new line of delicate dainties and Chaton Rouge will be shakin' a tail with repurposed fur accessories as well as bicycle seat covers from The Gild collective.

And don't forget handbags designed and made by students at PACTfashion. PACT is a charity which helps create urban peace through life-skills programs like sewing, gardening and cooking.
(www.pactprogram.ca)


Also - stick around the Drake for an afterparty at 10pm with The Nightshades. See you there!


Many thanks to Ally Cervantes at Hollywood Snob Photography for her beautiful pictures!

Step One - Find Cardboard Tubes. Step Three - Take Over the World.

11pm.
At the sewing lab, sometime last week. Laura and Irene are finishing their respective sewing projects.

Irene: The hardest part about ------ ---- is gonna be finding the cardboard tubes. The rest is gonna roll out just fine. They're the wild card, though. If we can't find them, the whole thing is off.
Laura: True. The wool definitely won't be a problem.
Irene: Maybe can go down to fabric shops on Queen W. and ask if anybody has them?
Laura: That might take forever!


1:30am.
Later that night, walking home from the sewing studio. (It was snowing hard or we would have been biking)

Irene: So then I said "No, the gold spandex can't be sewn up with...
Laura: Hey what's that in the garbage?
Irene: Why are you going through someone's garba - HOLY CRAP!!! YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!

And that's the story of how Laura and Irene found the missing piece of the ------ ---- in less than 2 hours. Sometimes, when you're doing something as awesome as the ------ ----, the pieces of the puzzle just come together for you. Did I mention there was no conductor at the subway station, so we just walked right in? Amazing.
Stay tuned to find out what else we're going to need to make the ------ ----!

Frock and Roll!

I'm SO excited about this class - it's gonna kick start some serious sewing love in whoever takes it... inspired by girls who love to rock out with their frocks out! Make yourself the perfect little studded vest, cupcake tutu and a wool military jacket with a stand up collar, set-in sleeves and MJ closures! Class starts on Oct 30th at The Make Den and runs from 1-5pm for 8 weeks. Class fee is $350~ plus $75~ materials fee (which includes HST, all notions, use of sewing machines, fabric studs and trim and tonnes of tulle and take-home patterns for all garments). Email themakeden at hotmail.com to register

Liz Goes Gaga for Sewing Classes

The Make Den had a visit from the lovely Liz Trinnear and her Much Music crew last week, where she got an impromptu sewing lesson on how to make a Gaga-style jacket out of blackout fabric and a little bit of skill. She even took the jacket home with her, and promised to wear it if she ever interviewed Lady Gaga!!! We've got out fingers crossed!

Press Pass for The Make Den!

My Lady Gaga sewing workshop made it into the Star recently, and the PACT Prom classes that I'm teaching were in the Globe! You can read the full article here and here.

Teaching Sewing...

I always swore I would never become a teacher. My mother was an english teacher, and my father was the head of the math department at my highschool. I was doing math puzzles before I could talk and to this day I have an uncanny ability to score really high on IQ tests without trying at all. I went into fashion because I wanted to make things, not teach.

But lately I've started giving sewing lessons at my studio, and much to my surprise... I really love it! It's awesome to watch people learning a new skill, getting excited about stuff they've made themselves - and when people tell me that they learned how to sew with me, I feel really good! I was often disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm in my teachers at university. I imagined that they would all be Edith Head look-alikes who eat slept and breathed fashion. But more often than not they were slightly bored by their jobs and definitely disillusioned by the fashion industry. I never want to be that kind of teacher. I want to inspire people to create and to experiment and enjoy themselves. I want to be patient. I definitely don't want to discourage or dishearten them. I want my criticisms to be constructive.

I'm writing this here so that I have a record. I want to remind myself that learning a new skill can be daunting for people and that it is a privilege to be helping someone to learn that skill. Fingers crossed I won't forget that!

Sewing for Aliens at The Make Den

Sewing for Aliens - Costumes for Wild Things:

A Lady Gaga inspired sewing workshop using saran wrap, padding, spandex and more...

March 20th and 21st

$150~

1207 Bloor St. W

email irenestickney at hotmail.com for details