Examples of work
Featured on this page are some examples of Marieka's work:
- Hemming a multi-layered wedding dress
- Enlarging a wedding dress
- Repairing broken toys
- Customising a cardigan (shortening)
- A wedding horseshoe
- Designing and making a custom-fit ballgown.
Hemming Sian's wedding dressThis beautiful bride, Sian, came to Marieka's to have her wedding dress hemmed and was thrilled with the result.
Many layers of fabric meant the hemming was no small task, but the result was simply stunning. |
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Re-fitting clothing: enlarging a wedding dress
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This is a dress which was initially too small for the customer in the bodice and part of the waist, but our client fell in love with it and we realised we could enlarge it in those areas without compromising any part of the design. It was fully lined, beaded throughout, had a train, and a zip in the centre-back with buttons stitched on top of the zip fly. After consulting with her, she was delighted at the solution we presented: we removed the buttons a zip and installed loops from a very well-matched satin in the opening between the layers. Marieka's made and partly installed a panel and a long tie. The dress then fitted beautifully. She was so very happy!
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Repair: giving toys a new lease on life
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This is the a tale of a broken teddy. This is not the first teddy Marieka’s has patched up, either! This wee-guy came into Marieka’s with his stuffing falling out of his paw and the fabric otherwise completely worn away. But this ted wasn’t going to have his last tea party just yet! Instead, we patched his paws right up and even popped a wee bow on him, giving the little guy a new lease on life.
Then we had Dolly. Dolly came to us pretty worn out. Some new Dacron and a bright new singlet later, and dolly was looking a million bucks again. Some things are just too special to throw away – so don’t! Bring them to us first – we’ll be happy to take a look. 
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Customising a garment: shortening a cardigan
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This is a cardigan that Marieka purchased as a standard length cardi. To wear it with high-wasted skirts, Marieka shortened the cardi to waist-length so that it sit beautifully. Just like that - you'd never know this once long cardi has had a makeover!
Below: before (left) and after (right).
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A bit lucky: one-of-a-kind wedding horseshoe
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It is a long-standing wedding tradition that the bride is given a horseshoe. It is often believed to bring good luck. Marieka's was asked to make a personalised horseshoe by the mother of the groom (also a good friend of Marieka's!) when her son was getting married.
The bride wore white and the bridesmaids were wearing a silver-grey. This gave Marieka the inspiration and colours to design and make this original horse shoe. |
Made-to-order: ball gown designed and made
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Marieka attended an annual ball at Larnach Castle in Dunedin in 2016. For the ball, she designed and custom-made the gown pictured. She started by sketching design concepts and researching online, and then scoped out various fabrics before settling on the final design we see here. She adapted several patterns in order to create the custom-fit garment to her exact measurements. The design consists of two under-skirts to give it a full look, and the main dress has a fitted bodice and a lace-up back. Marieka even made an evening bag of the same fabrics!
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