A mother-daughter moment with a needle and thread has turned into a lifelong passion for North Allegheny sophomore Sidney Rice.
On display during the Garden Gala 2025: Down the Rabbit Hole fundraiser April 26 at Northland Public Library were two dresses crafted from the pages of a book, each looking like something off a fashion runway.
“Absolutely stunning and creative,” said Nicholas Yon, communications director for Northland. “We continue to be in awe and are so thankful she shares it with the library each year.”
This is the third year the 16-year-old Franklin Park resident has contributed a book dress to the library’s annual gala. The first year, she designed a ball gown for an enchanted garden theme. Last year, her flapper dress reflected the theme of “The Great Gatsby.”
This year, her “Alice Dress” took about 30 hours to make, and the “Queen of Hearts Dress” took about 15 hours. The pages were colored with RIT dye before assembling, she said.
“The ‘Alice Dress’ bows and ruffle details were my favorite part. The ‘Queen of Hearts Dress’ was made from thrifted curtains as well as playing cards and red book pages,” Rice aid.
Rice’s mother, Michele, taught her to sew when she was 6.
After that, she took classes at Cut Sew Studio in Morningside, which offers classes for all levels and ages of people looking to sew, Rice said.
“I stuck with it and have gotten much better these past few years,” Rice said.
A member of North Allegheny’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America program, Rice also won first place and a gold medal in March during the FCCLA State Leadership Conference at Seven Springs for a wedding dress she designed.
North Allegheny junior Khyronessa Avotri also designed and constructed a runway gown using recycled materials, earning her a silver medal at the competition.
Rice is taking the dress she won at the state’s FCCLA to compete in July at itsnational competition in Orlando, Fla. Last year, she traveled to Seattle for the same competition.
The dresses from this year’s gala were worn in a sustainable fashion show earlier this month and will be worn in the Salvation Army’s Runway RePurposed event on May 15 at the Pittsburgh Temple Worship & Service Center in Mt. Lebanon, according to Rice.
Rice’s ideas come from online research and her imagination.
“I spend a lot of time on Pinterest gathering inspiration and ideas. Once I have a clear image of what I want in my head, I draw it on an iPad before beginning the creating process,” she said.
This likely will be a lifelong passion for the teen.
“My end goal is to do couture wedding gowns. I want to work one-on-one with clients to make their dream wedding dress,” she said.