Dressmaking

Bogyoke Aung San Market (named after Aung San Suu Kyi's father) is 5mins walk down the street from the apartment. It is paradise for fabrics (and also for precious gems, pearls and jade).

Ma Nai introduced me to Wa Wa Win Tailors who she's been going to with her mother since she was a young girl. I thought I'd take a couple of tops to copy. If it was a disaster then it was not going to be a great financial loss.  



 

Once the ladies at Wa Wa Win told me how much fabric I needed, then came the difficult task of choosing fabric from the endless small shops, some no bigger than a large cupboard. There is fabric for every occasion. Endless colours, patterns, silks, cottons, traditional and modern designs. 





My fabric man. You can just see his wife inside the shop where there is just enough room for her to sit. The fabric here is folded and stacked behind her and on the outside. 



An old overlocker

Cutting fabric

Tailors everywhere

My ladies at Wa Wa Win. All garments made on a treadle machine with hand sewing.

The end result was two copied tops at $3 a yard and for making $13, all added up to less than $25. Now to test run and send them through their first wash cycle.

Should I add a handbag or pair of locally made felt jandals? Any colour will lots of bling.

Adding pearls to a bodice

Or diamantes?

Now to accessorize

Diamonds?

And more pearls?

Pearls?

More pearls?

Emeralds, sapphires and rubies?

Rubies?

Jade?

Gold?



For uncut stones I could deal with one of the gem traders?