Me-Made-March 2011

Zoe, sa bloga So Zo... What do you know? po treći put organizuje veoma zanimljivu igru: samoj sebi je postavila izazov da svakog dana u periodu od jednog meseca nosi garderobu i/ili aksesoar koji je sama napravila. U toj igri joj se pridružilo mnogo kreativaca širom sveta prethodna dva puta kada ju je organizovala:  u maju (Me Made May) i septembru (Self Stitched September) 2010. Ovog puta sam rešila da se i ja priključim izazovu, a to možeze uraditi i vi, ako želite. 

Pravila su jednostavna. Sami odredjujete koliko težak će biti izazov: da li ćete nositi isključivo sopstvene rukotvorine ili ćete nositi minimum jednu stvar koju ste sami napravili. Slike vaših dnevnih kombinacija postavljate na Fickr sajt, u za to definisanu grupu. Prijavljujete se za igru na Zoe-inom blogu, ostavljanjem komentara sledeće sadržine na njen post:

'I, (insert name here and blog address if you have one), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-March '11. I endeavour to wear

......................................................... each day for the duration of March 2011'

Ja sam se odlučila za lakšu varijantu, budući da je još uvek veoma hladno u Beogradu, i da veoma zavisim od rolki koje me greju tokom zime, a koje su kupljene a ne ručno pravljene. 

Dakle, obavezujem se da ću svaki dan tokom meseca marta 2011. godine nositi minimum jednu stvar koju sam sama sašila.

Zoe, from the blog So Zoe... What Do You Know? has organized for the third time a very interesting game: she made herself a challenge to wear self made wardrobe and/or accessories every day during one month. Many creative people around the globe joined her in this game the last two times in May (Me Made May) and September (Self Stitched September) 2010. I decided to participate in the game this time.

Rules of the game are simple. You decide yourself what challenge you're going to put yourself to: whether you're going to wear entirely self made clothes, or at least one garment per day. You put photos of your daily outfits on the Flickr website, in a group specially formed for this challenge. You apply for the game by leaving a comment with the following content on Zoe's post:

'I, (insert name here and blog address if you have one), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-March '11. I endeavour to wear

......................................................... each day for the duration of March 2011'

I opted for easier challenge, since it's still very cold in Belgrade and I'm depending on store bought turtlenecks to keep me warm.

I, AnaJan from www.stepalica.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-March '11. I endeavour to wear at least one self made garment each day for the duration of March 2011.

Maslinaste pantalone, deo 2 / Olive pants, part 2

Taman kad sam htela da uslikam maslinaste pantalone i "S" kaput, počeo je da pada snegu Beogradu! I tako, opet vam pokazujem svoj omiljeni ćošak u stanu :).

Just when I wanted to take photos of the olive pants and the "S" coat, it started snowing in Belgrade! So, I'm showing you once again my favorite corner of my flat :).

Nora, deo 3 / Nora, part 3

Haljina je skoro gotova. Ostalo mi je još da prišijem kragnu i manžetne na rukavima, i treba dobro da je prepeglam. Prilično sam zadovoljna time kako mi stoji, ali vam neću još pokazivati te slike, već par fotografija haljine na ofingeru.

Pre toga, htela sam da vam pokažem gde sam postavila šav na struku, pošto su slike test kroja bile nejasne po tom pitanju. Crvena linija na slici ispod predstavlja pomenuti šav. Gornji i donji deo test kroj sam prišila jedan za drugi, a zatim presekla gornji deo duž prikazane linije. Naknadno sam prepravila papirni kroj za suknju - morala sam malo da podignem struk.

The dress is almost finished. A few things are left to be done: sewing in a collar and sleeve cuffs. Also, I have to iron the dress. I am pretty satisfied with how it fits, but I'm not going to show you pics of me wearing the dress yet. Instead, I'm sharing with you a few pics of the dress on a hanger.

But before that, I wanted to show you how I laid out the waistline seam on the dress, sine the muslin pics didn't explain that part well. The red line on the picture bellow represents the named seam. I sewed the top of the dress to the bottom, and then I cut the muslin along the marked line. I adjusted the skirt pattern afterwards - I had to raise the waistline a bit.

A evo i haljine, u tamno ljubičastoj boji, pravljena od tzv. bistreč materijala. Tkanina je 100% sintetika, i malo je elastična, što čini haljinu izuzetno udobnom za nošenje. 

And here's the dress. It's made out of deep purple fabric, so-called bi-stretch (sorry, I don't know the English translation). It's a synthetic fabric that has a bit of latex in it, which makes the dress very comfortable to wear.

Jedna stvar koju bih volela da sam bolje uradila je poklapanje šavova na prednjem delu haljine. Šavovi gornjeg i donjeg dela se mimoilaze, što mi nije bio cilj. Bila sam ubeđena da sam sve dobro poklopila kada sam pravila test kroj, ali se ova greška ipak podvukla. Na slici ispod sam žutim linijama naznačila gde se nalaze šavovi na oba dela haljine.

There's one thing I wish I've done better: matching the seams on the front. The top and bottom seams aren't matched well, which wasn't my intention. I was so sure that I matched everything well when working on muslin, but this mismatch slipped away. I marked with yellow lines the seamlines on the picture bellow. 

Posebno sam zadovoljna time kako sam prišila skriveni rajfešlus. Kupila sam najduži rajfešlus koji sam našla, od 70cm, ali ni on nije bio dovoljno dugačak da bih ga prišila od vrha kragne. Zato sam našla kompromisno rešenje i postavila vrh rajfešlusa nekih 7-8cm ispod vrha leđa. Pošto haljina ima otvoren okovratnik, mogu lako da provučem glavu kroz isti, tako da oblačenje haljine nije problem.

I am very pleased with how I applied the invisible zipper. I bought the longest zipper I could find, 70cm long, but it still wasn't long enough to apply it from the top of the collar. So I found a compromising solution and laid the zipper 7-8cm bellow the top of the back. Since the dress has an opened neckline, I can easily pull the dress over my head, so that isn't an issue.

Još jedan detalj kojim sam zadovoljna: šavovi na struku se savršeno poklapaju duž rajfešlusa, što nije uvek lako izvesti. Bila sam oduševljena kada sam iz prvog pokušaja uspela to da izvedem!

Here's one more detail I'm pleased with: the waistline seams match perfectly along the zipper, which isn't that easy to do. I was thrilled when I matched the seams in my first try!

Postavljen je samo donji deo haljine, jer nisam želela da postavom smanjim elastičnost koju ima bistreč. Zato sam paspulirala sve dodatke za šavove, što je dodatno ulepšalo naličje haljine, ali je i produžilo proces šivenja. Namerno sam koristila paspul traku u kontrastnoj boji, jer mi se jako sviđa kada su dodaci za šavove istaknuti na ovaj način.

I lined only the skirt, because I didn't want to reduce the elasticity the fabric had. I finished the SAs using a Hong Kong technique, which made the dress so pretty on the inside, but it extended the construction. I used the bias band in contrasting color, because I like when SAs are highlighted this way. 

Da bih kompletirala outfit sa svoje skice, treba još da napravim Obi pojas (širok kaiš, koji se vezuje oko struka). Imam u planu da napravim tutorijal za to, ali sve će zavisiti od vremena koje budem imala na raspolaganju, tako da ništa ne obećavam. Pojas ću šiti od istog materijala koji sam koristila za haljinu.

To complete the outfit from my sketch, I have to make an Obi belt. I plan on making a tutorial for that, but it will depend on the time I'll have, hence I make no promises. The belt will be made out of the same fabric as the one I used for the dress.

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P.S. Da li vam ovo izgleda poznato? U pitanju je haljina Aleksandra Mekvina, iz 2007. godine. Upravo sam našla na svom računaru tu sliku, koju sam davno download-ovala sa interneta, kao buduću inspiraciju. Iskreno, zaboravila sam na tu haljinu, ali je očigledno da mi je detalj okovratnika ostao u podsvesti :-)

P.S. Does this look familiar to you? It's Alexander McQueen dress from 2007. I've just found the photo on my PC - I've downloaded it from the internet ages ago as a future inspiration. Honestly, I forgot about that dress, but it's obvious that that neckline stayed in my subconscious :-).

Nora, deo 2 / Nora, part 2

Par slika test kroja za Nora haljinu. Suknju sam sama dizajnirala, pošto sam zaključila da je originalna suknja Nora haljine previše široka.

A few photos of the muslin for the Nora dress. I drafted the skirt pattern myself, after realizing that the original skirt is too wide for my liking.

Nora, deo 1 / Nora, part 1

Nisam mogla da odolim, i sela sam za mašinu čim mi se ukazala prilika. Varijacija Nora haljine mi se mota po glavi i ne mogu da se fokusiram ni na šta drugo (a imam preče obaveze kojima bi trebalo da se posvetim!). Da podsetim, u pitanju je haljina koju sam sama dizajnirala, a koja kao osnovu ima kroj za Nora haljinu.

I couldn't resist, I started sewing as soon as I got the opportunity. The Nora dress variation is on my mind all the time and I can't focus on anything else (and I have more important things to do!). To remind you, I'm talking about the dress I designed myself, but that's based on Nora dress pattern.

Brzo sam sastavila krojne delove i napravila test kroj u veličini 38. Naravno, kroj sam prethodno blago izmenila - zatvorila sam prednji deo do grla. Test kroj je ukazao na nekoliko problema:

• Previše sam zatvorila izrez oko vrata
• Gornji deo mi stoj prenisko, i otvor za rukave je previše spušten, što otežava pokrete rukama
• Nabori na prednjem i zadnjem delu su veoma uočljivi
• Rukavi su preširoki
• Gornji deo je prekratak, čak i za moj kratak torzo

I quickly joined the pieces together and made a muslin in size 38. Off course, I previously changed the pattern a bit - I closed the front pieces up through th throat. The muslin pointed out several problems:

• I closed the neckline too much
• The top sits too low on my body, the armhole is positioned too low and makes the dress uncomfortable when moving hands
• There are some gathers in the front and back panels
• The sleeves are too wide
• The top is too short, even fro my short torso.

Pomenute probleme sam rešavala u nekoliko koraka:

• Prvo sam otvorila izrez okovratnika.
• Zatim sam podigla ceo gornji deo tako što sam špenadlama napravila brusnu na ramenu; brusna je bila dovoljno velika da podigne otvor rukava i namesti ga u položaj u kom mi je pomeranje ruku postalo prijatno i komotno. Brusna koju sam napravila ima oblik romboida, sa najširim delom na sredini ramena, a sužava se ka prednjem i zadnjem šavu rukava.
• Nakon toga sam prepravila prednji i zadnji deo tako što sam brusne prepravila u princes šavove. Nabori koji se vide na slikama nisu toliko izraženi u prirodi.
• Rukave sam suzila u obimu za otprilike 4cm.

I fixed the named issues in a few steps:

• First I opened the neckline
• Then I raised the top - I made a diamond shaped dart on the shoulders. The dart was wide enough to raise up the armhole and put it in the right position that allowed comfortable hands movements. The dart was widest at the sleeve center and tapered down towards front and back sleeve seams.
• After that I altered the front and back pieces and made princess seams on both panels. The gathers that are visible on the photos aren't as protruding in real life.
• I tapered down the sleeves by approximately 4cm.

Kada je gornji deo dobio pristojan oblik, produžila sam ga za otprilike 6cm. Konačno, kada sam dobila željeni oblik, prepravila sam okovratnik tako da odgovara mojoj skici. Mislim da ću pomeriti šav koji spaja rukav sa telom, tako da model više odgovara mojoj skici, ali nisam još sigurna da li će ova izmena moći da se odradi onako lako kako ja to zamišljam. 

Takođe, gornji deo treba još malo da se doradi - treba da dodam kragnu i produžiću rukave za par cm. No, na tome ću raditi tek kada našijem suknju i prepravim je prema željenom obliku.

When the top got the acceptable shape, I lengthened it by approximately 6cm. Finally, when it got the desired shape, I altered the neckline to suite my sketch. I think I'm going the move seam between the sleeve and front panel, to make the top look as on my sketch, but I'm not sure whether this would be as easy as I think it should.

Also, the top needs few more minor alterations - I have to add a collar and the sleeves need to be lengthened by few centimeters. But, I'll work on that after I attach the skirt to the body.

SewNews kolumna i u 2012. godini / The SewNews column in 2012

Dragi čitaoci, upravo sam dobila lepe vesti od urednice časopisa SewNews. Moja kolumna, Pattern Play, je pozitivno ocenjena od strane čitalaca časopisa, tako da će moja saradnja sa pomenutim magazinom biti nastavljena i u 2012. godini. 

Ellen, urednica časopisa, i ja smo se već dogovorile o sadržaju budućih članaka, ali vam neću otkriti sve detalje :-).

Dear readers, I've just got some good news from the SewNews magazine's editor. My column, Pattern Play, was well rated by the magazine's readers, and my collaboration with the named magazine will continue in the year 2012.

Ellen, the magazine's editor, and I already defined the contents of the future articles, but I'm not going to reveal all the details :-).

Skice za crtanje / Croquis sketches

Kada smišljam novu kreaciju, volim da napravim tehnički crtež koji će prikazati osnovne linije kroja. U te svrhe koristim predefinisane skice za crtanje, namenjene baš za modne ilustracije. Na internetu možete naći mnoštvo različitih skica, od prilično statičnih do onih koje divno ilustruju pokret. Moram da priznam da se ne snalazim najbolje sa crtanjem detalja na figuri u pokretu ili iz profila, pa biram one skice koje prikazuju anfas i koje su prilično jednostavne. 

Omiljena skica je sa BurdaStyle sajta, možete je dowlnoadovati odavde.

Takođe koristim i Hocus Pocus blok sa skicama, koji sam dobila na poklon od BurdaStyle tima, kada sam učestvovala u pravljenju njihove knjge.

Na sajtu Designers Nexus Inc. možete naći veliki broj raznovrsnih skica, ženskih, muških i dečijih.

Fashion Design Drawing sajt takođe nudi par skica, kao i savete o modnoj ilustraciji.

When I'm designing a new creation, I like to draw a technical drawing that illustrates the basic pattern lines. I use predefined croquis sketches, made for fashion illustration. You can find numerous croquis on internet - some of them are rather static, while the other ones illustrate the figure in move really nice. I have to admit I'm not good at drawing details on figures in move, nor on profiles, so I choose those sketches that illustrate the frontal view and that are rather simple.

My favorite croquis is from the BurdaStyle website, you can download it from here.

I also use the Hocus Pocus croquis notebook, that I got from the BurdaStyle team, when I participated in making their book.

You can find numerous croquis on the Designers Nexus Inc. website, including female, male and children figures.

Fashion Design Drawing website also offers a few sketches, as well as tutorials on fashion illustration.

Inspiracija / Inspiration

"S" kaput je gotov i čeka da bude uslikan. Trebalo je za vikend da se fotografišem, ali je bilo užasno tmurno i hladno, tako da sam odložila sve do sledećeg vikenda. Nadam se da neće biti novih iznenađenja sa vremenom! Pored kaputa, dugujem vam i slike maslinastih pantalona, koje su odavno završene.

The "S" coat is finished, and it's waiting to be photographed. I wanted to take some photos of it during the weekend, but it was so cloudy and cold outside, so I opted to postpone the photoshoot for the next weekend. Hopefully, there will be no weather surprises! Along with the coat, I owe you photos of the olive pants, too.

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U međuvremenu, podeliću sa vama par svojih skica (to bih mogla i češće da praktikujem) - haljine koje me trenutno inspirišu da šijem. Samo još da nađem vremena da se tome ozbiljno posvetim. Kada bi dan trajao par sati duže, gde bi mi bio kraj! :-)

Obe haljine su inspirisane Nora haljinom sa BurdaStyle sajta. Originalna haljina je prelepa, oduševila me čim sam je videla na sajtu. Ipak, tako svečana haljina nije garderoba koju imam prilike da nosim svaki dan, pa sam tražila načine da iskoristim kroj u svakodnevnim kombinacijama. Jednu opciju sam demonstrirala kada sam pravila military jaknu za sajt. Mislim da kroj ima potencijal da se koristi za različite materijale, stilove, prilike, mogućnosti su nebrojene! 

Lično, prva haljina mi se više dopada, i nadam se da ću uskoro moći da je sašijem.

In the meanwhile, I'll share with you a few sketches I drew (I might make this a practice on the blog) - the dresses that currently inspire me to sew. If only I had more time to devote myself to sewing!

Both dresses are inspired by the Nora dress from the BurdaStyle website. The original dress is just gorgeous, and I fell in love with it the minute I saw it on the site. However, I don't have much opportunities to wear such a formal dress, so I looked for ways to use the pattern in daily outfits. I demonstrated one of the options when I made the military jacket for the website. I think the pattern has a potential to be used with various fabrics, styles, occasions, the possibilities are endless!

I prefer the first dress, and I hope I'll have enough time to sew it very soon.

"S" kaput, deo 10 / The "S" coat, part 10

Ne znam da li ću imati vremena da šijem pre vikenda. Zato vam ostavljam par sličica da vidite kako izgleda kaput pre nego što je prišivena postava. Već izgleda dobro! :-)

I'm not sure I'll have time to sew before the weekend. So I'm sharing with you a few pictures of the coat, before the lining is attached. It already looks good! :-)