The creator of the over-the-top gowns on TLC's "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding" will be the guest speaker at the next monthly meeting of the Lancaster Area Sewing Network (LASN). Couture designer Sondra Celli will join the group via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22. Members of the public are invited to attend and may email lancastersews@gmail.com for details.

Celli started out in children's wear after graduating from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and working in fashion houses around the globe. The clothing was heavily embellished with ribbons, beads, and miniature toys such as racecars, checkers, and tiny dolls and was sold at Saks, Neiman Marcus, and other department stores across the country.

"It was a colorful, textural, whimsical, and three-dimensional line," Celli said. "My collection stood out, and that's how the Gypsies found me. They tracked me down, and I've been designing for them ever since, and that was over 40 years ago."

Celli opened the Sondra Celli Company in Waltham, Mass., in 1981 and specialized in what she calls "uncommon crystal couture." She does all the patternwork herself and cuts all the pieces for every design. Staff members sew the garments together before other workers, called "blingettes," add the surface embellishments. "The stones are put on one-by-one by hand," Celli explained. "It's a labor-intensive job, but the results are outstanding, eye-catching designs. As I like to say, 'It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling.'"

Celli published a book with Atglen-based Schiffer Publishing in 2019. "BLING! The Uncommon Crystal Couture World of Sondra Celli" includes insight into her career as well as directions for several embellishment projects.

The common thread running through LASN's programs this year is that of challenge. The first program, on Jan. 25, featured sewing with velvet, a persnickety fabric that can pose difficulties for even experienced sewists. Celli has been asked to speak about challenges she encounters in her work, which include managing dozens of yards of fabric in a single gown and creating the attendant accessories, such as custom angel wings and blinged-out shoes.

"For (the television show) we need to move equipment and people from the work room into the main show room and spread out on multiple folding tables," Celli said. "The gypsy gowns usually need two to three large crinoline petticoats and are highly embellished. I have often had to put anywhere from three to six blingettes on one dress in order to get it done."

2020 was also a challenge for the Sondra Celli Company. Celli noted that her biggest problem was getting supplies from her New York vendors because the state had shut down. She embraced the opportunity to reorganize and restock. "Business was down but, thank goodness, consistent," Celli commented. "We spent a lot of time using up inventory to create masks for front line workers, donating hundreds of masks to area hospitals, veterans, and senior citizens."

LASN president Rachel Siegel noted that the silver lining of meeting virtually is that the group can more easily host guest speakers from outside the area.

"Even if we don't expect to ever create or wear something as elaborate as Sondra's creations, I am sure that we will all learn something that we can put into use in our own sewing, whether it is a handy tool, the name of a supplier, or a technique that cleverly solves an issue," Siegel said.

To learn more about Celli, readers may visit http://www.sondracelli.com.