Transformation. It’s a phenomenon Austin-resident Amber Sikora witnesses, and generates, in much of her daily work, whether she be fashioning a haircut for a salon client or designing a tie-dye creation.

“I like to make people feel better about themselves in a way that only we can do,” Sikora said, referring to her work as a hairstylist, though the connection to her clothing work is obvious.

“You can get bumped up,” she said.

Both of her trades began several years ago while Sikora was a student at Riverland Community College. A true Austinite in heart, she returned to the area with her husband, David, whom she met while attending Kasson High School at age 16.

“I was born in Austin, and I’ve always wanted to come back here,” she said, recalling childhood visits that including “Buffy the Cow,” The Tender Maid and the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. “It’s the coolest place for a kid.”

Sikora was studying to be a stylist after quitting nursing school, a career she left after the death of a close friend’s grandmother, a woman she’d cared for up until her death in 2003.

“I took care of Helen; three meals a day I spent with her,” Sikora said. “After that, I knew I couldn’t emotionally separate myself from my patients.

“I’m still a caregiver, but in a different kind of way,” she added.

A fellow student and friend in the beauty program introduced tie dye to Sikora, who had been mending a patchwork dress the woman had also given to her.

Tie dye wasn’t an unfamiliar look — Sikora said her mother wore it often, and had given her all of her old garments when Sikora reached adulthood.

“I love the brightness; I love the colors of it,” she said. “When I put on tie dye, it puts me in a better mood.”

And she wanted to give that feeling to others. Sikora said few tie-dye garments are well-made, coming mostly from Wal-Mart and other retailers, so she felt like she was filling a niche.

So, she practiced, and many ruined shirts later, Sikora has a utility line of sorts in her house kitchen, which serves as her manufacturing station for much of tie-dying season — the winter.

It’s a messy, intensive process that begins with rinsing, then wringing, then rubberbanding, dying, rinsing and wringing again.

And five chemical applications later, Sikora has her product, which, delightfully, also bears a surprise every time.

“I always tell people, ‘The first time I open it’s like opening a present every time,’” she said.

Sikora, who works at the Edge Salon in Austin, now sells her merchandise in two stores — The Chapel Tattoo in Albert Lea and BLS Imports & Specialty near the Target store in Austin — under the brand “Rainbow Hippie Patches.”

She also works as a vendor at Freedom Fest and the Mower County Fair.

With a customer base that varies from babies to senior citizens and hippies to brides, Sikora carries dresses, shirts, onsies, tanktops and more.

“Pretty much anything I can get my hands on, I’ll think what I’ll dye,” she said.

And her reward is her garments seen on the street.

“I’m not making money on my time, I just want to see people wear it,” she said, adding, “And I think anyone can wear it at any time as long as it’s tastefully done.”