Mom’s Fashion Star Is Rising

WBIR.com:

If you’ve ever seen the fashion reality show “Project Runway,” you know that designers are often as colorful as their designs. And some of the designs can be way out.

But an Oak Ridge mom has designed a simple, sophisticated dress that has catapulted her into the elegant eight in a nationwide competition.

Jill Pitkanen grew up to the sound of a sewing machine. Her mother used to sew clothing and costumes for her, and at a young age, Jill started designing her own creations.

But Jill didn’t aspire to be a fashion star. After graduating from Clinton High, she put down her pin cushion and picked up a paintbrush at Pellissippi State. Soon after, she met her husband Jeremiah and they started a family.

After a few years as a stay-at-home mom, Jill discovered an online college. “I thought what do I really want to do? What is something that really interests me and that I would enjoy doing as a career?” And it was the childhood love of dressmaking that came back to her.

Last month, Jill’s sister Whitney discovered a dress design contest on the web at www.glam.com and emailed her. The contest had a grand prize worth winning; in addition to gift certificates, the winner received an opportunity to apprentice with New York designer Adam Lippes.

Four hundred and fifty dress designs were submitted for the contest, and after four nail-biting weeks, the field was narrowed to an elegant eight, one of whom was Jill Pitkanen.

Now hard at work at whipping up her dream dress for the VIP judges, Jill is resurrecting her childhood skills with needle and thread and turning her dreams for fashion stardom into reality one stitch at a time.