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After a bit of web surfing we were able to contact Lise and she graciously agreed to an interview with us about her various creations.
TSG: What was your inspiration to turn a jersey into a dress?
Lise: I love hockey (TML forever) and I love clothes design. I don’t feel like there are enough clothes for female fans in team colours so it seemed like a logical project for me. I do the jersey modifications as a hobby, I am a full time PhD student in biomedical science, but my two real life hobbies are hockey and sewing/design, so its fun to be able to combine the two.
TSG: I understand you are a Maple Leafs fan, so why did you make dresses out of Bruins and Rangers jerseys?
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Lise: I had all sorts of extra jerseys accumulated that were never going to get worn by me (Bruins, Rangers and a Sharks jersey) so I used them to try out some design ideas before I was ready to alter one of my beloved Leaf jerseys. Good practise.
TSG: How many have you made?
Lise: I’ve only made one Leafs jersey dress for myself, but I’ve made about 10 total, some as practise and some for other people.
TSG: How often have you worn them?
Lise: I wear my Leafs jersey dress to games and other hockey/leaf events/real sports etc., probably on about 10-15 occasions now!
TSG: What has the reaction to them been when you wear them?
Lise: Mostly good reactions, I get lots of girls interested in having me make them one, I’ve had people ask to get their pictures taken with me at games and usually some positive reviews from male Leaf fans. I have had one person who thought it was a bit sacrilegious to cut up a jersey. Notably I kind of felt weird the first time I cut into a Leafs jersey, but I’ve never ruined one, so I think it’s OK, still supporting the team!
TSG: How long does it take to make one, and how many jerseys are needed to make each one?
Lise: It takes a couple hours, it’s getting shorter as I get better at it. Only one jersey is needed, size large or bigger. For the odd design I might have to incorporate an extra piece of fabric but I try to use styles that mean the jersey-dress is 100% made from one jersey, I try to incorporate details like brand logos (CCM/Reebok/Nike) and keep or replace the tags. I think it gives it a more authentic feel.
TSG: Have you made them out of the older style Airknit fabric as well as the newer Nike Swift and Reebok Edge jerseys? Is there a difference in working with the different fabrics?
Lise: No real difference in the material, as long as it’s the right size I can pretty much work with anything.
TSG: We think making a dress out of a hockey jersey should be a challenge on "Project Runway" with you as a guest judge.
Lise: I think that is brilliant! I’d love to see what other people could do with the idea. I think it’s pretty creative and different from a lot of the clothes modifications that other people do and that there are a lot of other things that I haven’t tried that could be done with these modifications. It would be a fun project for other sport attire as well, baseball, basketball, football or soccer jerseys.
TSG: What other hockey related things have you created aside from dresses?
Lise: I have made an entire Toronto Maple Leafs clothing line for myself which is where the idea to make a dress out of the jersey initially came from. My personal collection includes 2 jackets, 2 skirts, a purse, a tank top, a ball gown and even a corset.
TSG: We've seen the photo of you at a hockey game wearing a Maple Leafs dress with a beer in each hand. We're sure our readers would be lining up for a chance to go to a game with a cute, creative hockey fan who brings the beer. Are you Canada's Most Eligible Bachelorette?
Lise - Miss Third String Goalie 2011
Lise: I *usually* am only drinking one beer (although with the turn the season has taken I sometimes require two at once), so in that photo the other beer was for my long term Leafs fan boyfriend, who attends most games with me. A lucky man ; )
TSG: Do you make jersey dresses for others? If so, how much would one cost?
Lise: I do sell them. If you already have a jersey you want modified I charge $50-60 depending on the style, size, and how it is bought. If it’s a jersey that I bought and modified it will cost more depending on how much I paid for the jersey. I only use official licensed materials. I sell most of them at JerseyMods on ETSY, an awesome website for handmade one-of-a-kind items, but some people also contact me through my facebook fanpage, The Little Black Jersey Co.
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If you are interested in ordering a jersey dress, please remember that Lise is a full time PhD student working by herself. Perhaps the dresses she has already made, Rangers or Bruins, may fit your needs and are available right now, but are one-of-a-kind items.
Thank you so much Lise for your time in answering our questions. We hope a few orders for jersey dresses come your way as we really love your creativity and your projects, plus any girl who accumulates "all sorts of extra jerseys" is our kind of people!
