Maggie L. This is a sweet entry. Why? Because expert dress maker Maggie told me about her love of sewing and dressmaking, but then seemed a bit nervous when telling me something that is kind of amazing. So, to begin, Maggie is sitting on her front porch wearing a dress she made by hand, as well as holding the fabric for a dress she had hoped would be her prom dress. “I’ve always been a creative person,” she wrote, “and had many many creative hobbies, but I’ve stuck with sewing the longest. All throughout my high school career I’ve been sewing, it was (and still is) an outlet for me away from school.” Maggie has spent most of this shutdown sewing, and keeping up with her bullet journal (a cross between a planner and a traditional journal, she says.). Next fall she’ll be attending Tech (“I am already so proud to be a Hokie!”) Her hope is to eventually work for the federal government. “Really! she says. “I just want to do something in public service; I want to do something that will have a positive impact on people.” Now here's the cool part: Maggie emailed me again, after she sent that bio, and this is what she said: “So there’s one thing that I didn’t tell you about my high school career, and I decided maybe I should haha. I run my own small business on Etsy. It’s called Stitchingdolls and I sell handmade doll clothing (for 18” dolls). This is what most of my creative energy goes into. Most of my peers don’t actually know about my Etsy shop, though many of my close friends and teachers do. I sew everything I sell in my shop. I decided I would tell you about it because it is part of who I am and what I have accomplished.” Maggie, when you have talent like yours, never be embarrassed by it!! That’s awesome. I give you Maggie L., definitely going places. **** No prom, no cap and gown, no graduation ceremony. No problem. Next stop, greatness. The senior class of Yorktown High School, Arlington, Virginia. A photo essay by Matt Mendelsohn.
Location: Arlington, Virginia.