Fit 2 Stitch

- Festivals throughout the country give us a fun way to celebrate different cultures.

The George Washington's Birthday celebration held in Laredo, Texas attracts over 400,000 attendees each year.

Though it honors the father of our country, it celebrates the best of all cultures influencing the heritage of Laredo citizens.

A huge highlight is the Princess Pocahontas pageant and ball where elaborate, handcrafted costumes reign.

How are they made?

Coming up on Fit 2 Stitch.

(Calming music) (Piano Music) - [Male Announcer] Fit 2 Stich is made possible by Kai Scissors, Bennos Buttons, OC Sewing, Orange County, Vogue Fabrics, Pendleton, Imitation of Life, And Clutch Nails.

- Our show today touches on every sense I think we have in our bodies.

And I'm so excited to bring you, and so honored to tell her story, I'm going to bring Violeta on today so that really we can get to the heart of what's behind these festivals that are just amazing and the talent!

And I don't mean to embarrass you, but it really is incredible what you've done.

And in really not a lot of years!

How long have you been doing this?

- These specific costumes I've been doing this since 2010.

So I guess 11 years.

- Wow.

Well, and we'll get more into the story, but I first just want to delve into right away, where do you start?

- Well, I'm given a design, uh, according to a tribe with specific colors to follow.

So this is- I found it today when I was going through the first costume, the first costume I made.

We'll ask Brianna to come right now- - This is what they gave you?

- This is what I was given.

- Brianna, come on over.

- And I just wanted to add a little bit more.

So, I'll show you right now.

- (Mumbling) - Okay.

Add a little bit more.

- (Laughs) Well, but not to change it.

Just enhance it.

- Sure, sure, sure.

- So, let me show you.

For example- - And I can hold the picture.

- Okay.

Yes.

Like I, the first assignment I was given, that was the design.

They said this should go right here.

And, but I like to see it on the real person.

So I took a picture of my niece who the costume was for, and I drew the costume on her, directly on, on the person.

- And the organization has given you this.

So you really want to stay true to it, but you just felt like... - Add a little more detail.

So, and, and also make it look like proportionate to what it's really going to be.

- Sure.

- So that's more proportionate.

- Sure.

- And, so that's what I work out of.

After that, we start the process.

- And what's the (stuttering) where do you- the base is, you get a base and you first start fitting that base to the model or to the person who's going to wear the costume.

- Yes.

- And what's the base?

Is it- - It's ultra suede.

It has the nicest stretch this way and is very strong, so it can handle - It is very strong, sure- - all those appliques that are very heavy.

- And it's washable.

Does that matter at all?

- It does, because sometimes you might have a little problem, a little mistake, and you can wash it off, if you need to.

But it just, it's just very easy to use, this fabric.

It's just great.

- Oh my goodness gracious.

So, you know, it's hard to look at this outfit and think there was even a beginning point because if I just said to you, how long does it take to do a costume like this?

- This one probably didn't take me as long as the ones that you'll see in a little bit, because- - This was the first one?

- It was my first one.

- (laughs) Love that.

- So I don't even know how long it took me.

Might've taken me long because I didn't know how to do it yet, but the normal is about 600 to 800 hours in one costume.

- But you learn with each one?

can I assume that 600 to 800 hours?

- Absolutely.

It takes months to do one.

- Thank you, Brianna.

- I learned a lot through- - Let's look at another costume, and I know it wasn't necessarily the very next costume, Sienna's got on a costume.

- Yes.

- So this was not your next costume.

So a year, a few years later?

Wow.

It's still on the ultra suede base.

- Yes.

It's still on the ultra suede base.

As you can see here, there's been a lot that happened a lot, a lot more improvements and a lot more layering.

If you notice, there's a lot of layering.

There's this layer, there's another layer.

- So this is actually separate.

It's completely separate.

There's a belt on top.

I know it's- - The belt is attached to this.

There's more, but it has a lot of more detail.

And so it gets more interesting with time and exciting.

- It's just amazing.

Like I want all the little details.

Where do you even start with this?

- That's the last thing I do.

- It is the last thing you do?

- After the costume is complete.

Because you kind of see what looks best with it.

Where does it really, what does this still need?

What kind of head piece will enhance that and not take away from the costume?

- That's fascinating.

And so is that kind of the purpose for the red here as opposed to there's no... - Actually the color, okay, when, when this, we got started with this costume, the fact that it was my daughter, she was able to select the color.

That she gets to put on the suede in this specific case, the ones with white get to select their colors.

She wanted metals, only metals.

So that's what we decided to do, but I wanted to bring in just a tiny, tiny touch of the main colors, the jewel colors, the emerald and the ruby and sapphire.

- So was that mom over daughter?

Was that what that was?

- I guess it was (laughs).

So it basically the, the, the, all the metals were, that was the concept here.

So I do a lot of research, after that, finding materials.

I don't just go and say, okay, let's just buy the sequins in gold, and (indistinct) - So what about the thread?

Is there a certain kind of thread that you have to use for it to hold the weight?

- Yes, I used to use regular thread and went through a lot of things, so we're breaking off.

- Breaking.

You learn.

- So yes, and I would use different kinds.

Even the quilting thread I started using, but that didn't, it was hard- it gets tangled as you're sewing.

So what I use now?

Is I use fishing wire.

- Do you really?

- And they assign a weight of eight pound or ten pound.

- You use a fishing wire, so this is all by hand?

- It holds perfect everything and it doesn't show and it doesn't get tangled.

So easy.

- Oh, okay.

So that took you a few years to figure out which thread was the best.

- It did.

- So what does this costume weigh?

Just roughly.

- This is the heaviest one I've ever done because it has a lot of metal, and I use a lot of real metal.

- But she wanted the metal.

- She wanted metal!

So that's what you get.

- So it's all her fault.

(Laughing) - So this one weighs around 45 pounds.

- Wow.

- Does it feel good?

Feels amazing.

Do you feel like a Princess Pocahontas?

- I do.

- I would hope so.

If this doesn't do it, boy, I'll tell you something, that is just stunning.

I want to know more about you.

I want to know what gives you the patience to do the type of beading, because you said 600 to 800 hours for this one.

This one's gotta be... - [Violeta] More like a thousand.

- [Peggy} Yeah and if we do the math on a thousand hours, is that a year?

- [Violeta] It was, yeah.

- [Peggy] Just roughly.

- A lot of sleepless nights and things like that.

But yes, it was about maybe a nine month process.

- So you start about a year early as to when it needs to be done, because there wasn't just this one you were doing, you were doing another one at the same time.

- Yes.

- Let's talk about that one.

Let's go to the head dress first.

And then we put this one on a table so we could all really show it, come on over here, you can- - Oh yes.

Let me- - Show us just a little bit.

- I want to show you how I learned something there, I can tell you that.

- Okay.

Good.

That's what we want.

- I had a, this is my second one that I've done for... (Stuttering) - The gentleman?

- Hmm hmm.

But the one with a war bonnet on it, all the, all the escorts do not wear this.

- The full war bonnet.

- Only the main, uh, the main character.

But I had done one, 2011, 2011/12, - Okay.

and I didn't know how to do it.

So I looked it up and I just made it from scratch.

I just sew all those feathers through, with some sort of special thread.

And it was so hard and it took me so long.

Later on I found out that you just order it.

(Both laughing) - You order it and then you enhance it- - No, but that's no fun- Oh, I see you ordered the base.

- Yes.

And then you enhance it all.

But my, I went through, every feather, you know, the first time, that was a long time.

- I'd love to have seen your face when you figured out you could order it.

- I was like, what?

because I thought it would never look like this.

- This is amazing though.

This is really- it's gotta be fun to wear, too.

- Hmm hmm, yes.

- So I want to take a look at the table just for a little bit.

- And you can wear one of these one right now.

- Because I want to see the differences as to the fronts and backs and all the secrets that, that go into this.

But before we do, again, I want to touch back to you a little bit.

Where did you start the beading?

It really was before 2011.

- Yes, it was.

- It was.

Can you tell us that story?

You feel comfortable sharing us this story?

- Oh yes, yes, absolutely.

- It's a great story.

- Well, I- About beading or about sewing?

- Both.

- Okay, well let me just go about sewing.

My little sewing experience, it's all my life.

Since I was little, a little, little kid, I would, my mom would sew not, not for business- - Family of five children?

- Yes, my mom- Yes.

It was four girls and one boy.

And she would sew all the time, things for us and, a lot of things, but I would love to sit next to her, and sew little dresses, little things for the dolls and I would make a mini version of hers.

I loved doing that.

I would draw little... the size.

- And I asked you that story because so many of us can relate to those.

The ones who sewed with our moms, you know, all along the way, it's a very bonding feeling.

And it's a real connection on many levels.

But go ahead.

- I, I Agree.

So I love that, always.

My mom unfortunately passed away when I was 14 and, but I always wanted to continue to sew.

I liked the sewing, but I liked the creating.

So I would, in high school- That was when I was in high school, 14, I would create this very avant-garde elaborate dresses for my, for the prom.

There was like, "What is Violeta going to do this time?".

It was crazy out there.

Really cool, but yeah.

- But your mom was with you the whole time.

- She definitely was.

She still is right now.

I believe.

She'd be so proud, to see all of this.

- So a lot of this love is really reflected back in the love you had for your mom?

- Yes.

- And really bringing it all together.

- Yes.

- So it kind of just on some level, it brings it all home.

- It does.

- Because especially when you're doing it for your daughter and your son.

So I think that's just a really special story because I do think those experiences really do influence us.

- It does- they do.

You know when- growing up, I mean, when my kids were growing up, I always wanted to incorporate all my creative, creative ways.

I would do things for the costumes.

I would always find ways to help with their, their, their school, their, their dance teams their- even my son's baseball uniforms, I would created the logos and just all these things.

- (Laughing) - I always incorporated all of this into that.

- Sure, sure.

Sounds wonderful.

Let's go back, before we go onto this, I want to come back and look at this other costume here.

So this is a little different and more that it's still on a ultra suede base though?

Still this- that base is still ultra suede?

Because of its durability, its weight, its cleanliness, all of those things make it perfect.

- Yes.

- So this almost looks like more of a little cape than a dress per se.

Was there a period that changed or just, somebody wanted something different?

- They wanted to do something different because you know, trying to get away from the regular, the same thing, try to do something new.

Actually the design, I don't have it with me, but the design that the ladies did was very similar to this, but it had a shorter ca- a shorter jacket.

- I see.

- And as I saw it on my drawing with the real girl, it didn't, it wasn't as flattering on her.

So I suggested to the ladies, let's do it a long- Let's make a long jacket.

- So always again, starting with a drawing.

So you have a visual as to where the beads are going to go and what's going to happen.

Do you draw actually onto the ultra suede?

- No, not, no.

The ultra suede has no drawings on it.

It's... everything is an applique that's drawn separately and, and it's placed on there.

- [Peggy] Let's show us how- let's kind of walk us through this process if you'll share it with us.

- [Violeta] Yes.

I like doing puzzles even though I'm kind of always like trying to do very active talk fast and all that.

But when it comes to puzzles, I can sit and make the puzzle.

This is like a puzzle to me.

- [Peggy] Like a puzzle.

That's a perfect description of this process.

So we got a chance to go behind the scenes, to see Violeta at work in her studio in Laredo.

The level of detail and artistry and range of skills that go into these costumes is truly impressive.

Stitch by stitch, bead after bead, she takes her concept to completion.

The pieces of the puzzle come together.

I cannot even imagine the patience that it takes.

- Little pieces come together.

- Fascinating.

Well, that's just beautiful.

We promise we will not compete with you in this area.

(Both laughing) - The more the merrier.

- I know, feel free- - Let's go- do it, it's okay.

- We hear you, we hear you.

Okay, so this is the, this is your son's.

- Yes.

- And this was his outfit for the event that he participated in.

- He actually, he's the twin brother to Sienna.

She's my daughter and he escorted her, and as you can tell they match.

- So was this just to be the escort?

- Yes.

- (Laughing) That's a real lot of work for mom.

Could you just hire a sub on this one?

This is- - I know, actually I was so excited to do my kids.

- Oh, that's so amazing.

- That was the best feeling.

- You are really true mom.

That's amazing.

So, that means you have to start two years in advance though, is that fair?

(Both laughing) - I wish I had two years to start.

- You did- you did them side by side.

- I had to do them side by side.

And you only have a specific time to do it.

- Okay, so this was to escort your daughter and so of course, to make her look good, you wanted him to look good.

- Yes.

- And he's a great sport for doing this.

- He was excited actually.

- Oh, that's cool.

- Yes.

He, he went to see one of these events and, when he was younger and he told his sister, his twin sister, "Hey I want you to be the Princess Pocahontas because I want to be the chief court like that.".

He wanted to have the staff.

- All right.

So what I want to do is I want to go into the ultra suede.

We can see that this is the body and the ultra suede base is here.

- Mhmm - And so they put that on, they put the pants on over it.

- Mhmm - So clearly the pant is not made, yet.

Is that correct?

The pant is open when you're doing all the beading.

- No it's made.

- Oh it's actually made.

- Yes.

It's completely an outfit.

it's just already- pants.

- So walk me how you get all that sewn onto, you got, your arms are not that long or they must be that long.

How do you get inside to do all this?

- [Violeta] It's done separately.

- [Interviewer] Oh, it's all done separately.

And then laid on top.

- [Violeta] And laid on top, and glued on top - An applique, you said that, okay.

It's glued on top.

- Yes.

And it's all an applique.

Actually, this is an applique.

- Oh, I see- - But at the same time this is is an applique on top of the applique on top.

There's several layers.

And do you sew those or do you glue them?

- They're glued on to here, but there's sewing throughout everywhere because there's beading that is sewn on.

A lot of beading that's sewn.

- So when you finish this one little square, do you give yourself an ice cream or hey, hey, way to go, girl, you've got 100th of 1% of the costume done.

- (Laughing) Actually, It's exciting when I get a square that I like, because sometimes I do many- - (Laughing) A square that I like.

- Because many times I'll do a sample and I, I.

- So I was going to ask you what goes wrong?

It's just you, it's your own personal, saying, I don't like this?

I'm not having that happy with it?

- I'm not happy, it's not different enough, it's not cool enough.

It's- something else has to happen here.

So - Wow.

- If you, if you can notice, I have different colors of chain of the rhinestone chain that could have just put black and gold and that's it, but I like to make it more interesting.

So- - Sure.

- Trying all those things trying one chain.

Oh no.

Let me try this other one.

So all of that, once I get the one little square, I'm so happy because now I can go and do all the ones that are needed and it'll be fast.

- So patience is really, truly the answer?

These, is there a method to how?

I mean, you got to count.

You gotta make them all the same.

- Yes.

- They're not all the same!

- They are.

Well, not all the same because- - Oh, they graduate- - There's a, there's a pattern.

- Oh, gosh.

- There's an actual pattern.

Look at- Look at Sienna right here.

- [Peggy] Oh my goodness.

- [Violeta] See there's an actual pattern that we're following.

There's actually an ombre pattern on there.

- [Peggy] Violeta's method for creating these stunning patterns with beads made so much more sense to me when I had a chance to see her work.

She comes up with an idea, then creates a template with a computer application, which she then follows to assemble the beads.

One bead at a time, one strand at a time, all to create a beautiful pattern.

It's a tedious process, and she shared a little secret with me.

- You'll love this.

My husband, he's like a total athlete, coach.

All this stuff.

- He's a baseball coach, just for the record.

- He does my fringe.

- He does the fringe?

- He's my fringe guy.

And people think I'm saying my French guy.

No, no, he's not French.

He does the fringe for me.

(Both laughing) - The baseball coach- - He's my fringe guy, yeah, the baseball coach- - The professional baseball coach- - He's the fringe person.

- Holds your fringe for you?

- Makes it for me.

- That's true love.

Don't you think?

- I love it because he, one year he's saw me suffering because I did, when I did my kids, that's two costumes and I never stopped, it was crazy.

Before that I had, I was making like five a year.

He saw me struggling, just kind of going crazy, trying to finish it all.

And he said, can I help you?

I'm like, yes!

- [Interviewer] Make the fringe!

- [Violeta] Put this in the string and I'm gonna show you how to do it, just put them in a string.

And he's like, "That's it?

", I'm, yes.

The pattern's already redone, I figured it out.

You just have to follow the little number.

He's like, "Okay, I can do that!".

He's my fringe guy.

- He can train another 20.

- Imagine I did that.

That would be so easy.

- All right, so walk me through just so I understand, the base is here, this is a belt?

- Nope.

- Tell me what the parts are.

- This, actually, is those things that go right here.

- Oh, sure.

Hanging on each side.

Okay.

And that's where the Velcro goes- - Right there.

- So he's got these beautiful- what do you call them?

Shoulder?

- [Violeta] Shoulder things.

- [Peggy] Shoulder things.

- [Violeta] I don't know, big shoulder feathers.

- [Peggy] That's good for that.

And then what's this here?

- This is, his, here's his necklace.

- Okay.

So this metal was influenced- that was Sienna's fault.

Cause she wanted the metal.

- Metal.

- So you duplicated metal in here.

- Metal.

- What does this costume weigh?

- Actually it weighed like 38 pounds.

It was less than hers.

And her- What makes hers so heavy is the crystal.

The crystal that she has on her fringe.

If you look at this, I would like to show you this.

This is all a crystal, lot of Swarovski crystal, but it's all crystal.

So the weight, I mean, you pull this up.

It's very heavy.

He doesn't have that.

He has, made of acrylic plastic.

- He got cheap beads.

- Yeah.

- She got the... - She gets the heavy.

- He got the cheap beads.

- That's why it's so heavy.

- Okay.

So do I dare even talk to you about cost?

Before we do, I want to talk about this is his front little panel.

- Yeah.

The, the apron, loin cloth- - Loin cloth.

- Yes.

So yes.

This goes on top, so that when you see the pants here, they are, this is the side.

- Right.

- So this, this is the side of the, of the pant.

- Right.

- Okay.

So really it looks like this.

The pants on the side.

Then this goes right in the front.

- I see.

- Goes like this.

- Sure.

- [Violeta] So there's that, the reason it has nothing here, - [Peggy] Is 'cause the boots.

- [Violeta] That's right.

- [Peggy] His boots come down- - [Violeta] And then go right to here.

- Um, that's... - So, since you're okay with cost, because you do do these for other people.

- Yes I do.

- You started with your children or somewhat got your children, but then everybody wanted you to do one, and you have more work than you can do.

- Yes.

I actually just take two now.

And people are like, they're signing up in years in advance.

But I don't want to do more than that because then I will not have a life and I want to have a little bit of a life.

- All right.

So let's talk about how do you even cost these items out?

- What is, I think that the cost is high, but the, the hours and the detail that the amount of time that you put on it is what's really costly.

And I do put a lot of detail.

If you can see, there's a lot of different things that are thought out, what takes a long time.

It's not just doing it, but it's figuring out what to do.

- Sure.

- That's what takes a long time, too.

- And you always, do they give you a picture, but they trust you to change it or do they just say you go for it?

- No, no, they can't.

They don't say, just go for it.

No, there's a mistress of wardrobe that, monitors the costumes... - They have some kind of ideas to what they want.

- Yes, and they give you that and then they give you the design, but then it just comes up with a drawing with this.

And it's my, I have to figure out what, how am I going to bead it?

I didn't have to use metal.

I could have used something else.

Be silver material, silver sequins or whatever.

But I want it to look like metal.

- And if you find they're more cost conscious, You can sub out the kind of beads versus the crystals?

You can use cheaper materials?

- It doesn't make a difference in the cost.

I, one of these costumes, for example, this one, I think it was like 14.

- Okay.

- Thousand.

Okay, Just so you know, it's not fourteen hundred.

And then hers was about fifteen.

- Okay.

- So it doesn't make a difference if you say, okay, I'm going to use something that's little less- - It covers any kind of - Yes- - Bead that they want to use.

- Uh huh.

- So I want to jump to this beautiful headpiece and I'm going to bring it back just because it is just extraordinary.

So when I first saw this, I just was, and I didn't, I swear I didn't, but I so wanted to put it on.

- Yes.

- Because I didn't because I was just, you know, too careful in handling it all, but it's just amazing.

And so when you fit this, you start with this band here in the front.

- Yes.

There's a - I mean, this is beautiful.

- I'm going to take it off.

- Yeah.

- Should I take it off?

- Yes, absolutely.

'Cause I want to know as much as you can share with us about how you create it and how you do it.

- It's a, oh, this is not even a headband.

This is a hat.

- Oh, it's a hat.

So you put a hat as the base!

- Some of them are headbands, some of them are hats.

This is a hat.

Look, baseball hat.

- Oh my gosh!

That's adorable.

- I just go to my husband's closet and say, can you give me one more baseball hat?

Baseball hat for this year?

He's like, okay.

So yes, this one's a baseball hat because I knew it was going to be a headpiece that - Oh, sure.

- Started from the front.

There was no hollow area.

This one's covering from the all the way from the front.

- Okay.

- This one right here, you see- - You can see - There's a hollow.

- Right.

Right right.

- So this one is a different method than this.

So this one is a baseball hat and then I'll start creating.

I make sure it fits the person.

Then I'll start doing a foundation of the foam, that kind of like the foam from the floaties.

The little noodles.

That's what I used to shape it.

And from there I insert the feathers.

- [Peggy] Oh my goodness.

- [Violeta] Now, I did not know that my first costume.

- [Peggy] I'm sure you did not.

- You see how sturdy these are and you look at the first one that I made.

- Well, that's what I'm amazed at how just sturdy.

And I just can't believe we've run out of time, but I could talk about this for the next four hours, but can I say thank you for just sharing with us all of this.

I mean, it's just outstanding, beautiful.

Oh my goodness.

- Thank you so much for having me.

I enjoyed it.

- Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I tell you, you know, I've gone to so many festivals and so many events and so many times I've sat there and thought, you know, like, what must those costumes cost and who makes them and how do they know how to make them?

And so when you see something like this, it's just incredible to get a little behind the scenes as to what takes place and what goes on.

Robert Haven is world renowned for his Tambour beading.

Last series we learned a little bit of how to, but next time we'll learn how to take our beading creation off the frame and into fashion.

Tambour beading level two.

Next time on Fit 2 Stitch.

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