U subotu sam išla na izložbu Rikarda Lindkvista, švedskog dizajnera, koja se održava u Kulturnom centru Grad. Bilo je jako zanimljivo, a najuzbudljiviji deo je bio susret sa kreatorom, i ćaskanje o njegovom radu, procesu stvaranja i daljim planovima. Danas shvatih da je naše ćaskanje uhvaćeno na delu i objavljeno na sajtu centra.

On Saturday night I went to the exhibition of Swedish designer Ricard Lindqvist, that's happening in the European Center for Culture and Debate. The exhibition was very interesting, but the highlight of the night was chatting with the creator himself about his work, creation process and further plans. Today I've realized that our chatting was captured and posted on the website of the Center.

I Oskar ide...

Dear readers, the following post is related to the SAG giveaway I organized a week ago, that was opened for ex-YU residents, hence the remain of the article will be in Serbian.

Hvala svima koji su se prijavili za dodatak / graničnik za makaze. Evo spiska svih dama koje su se prijavile, napravljen prema redosledu prijavljivanja. Mala napomena: juče mi je Blogger pobrisao neke od komenatara na postove, tako da je poslednji komentar, koji dolazi od Tanje iz BiH nestao, ali sam ipak dodala i njeno ime na spisak.

1. Maja Djordjevic, Srbija - Makishon
2. bensedin art, NS 
3. Maja, Makedonija 
4. Miki, Kosovo 
5. Raki, Nis 
6. Dragica, Niksic 
7. Valerija, Hrvatska 
8. Baggy Bags, Srbija 
9. Dragana, BG
10. Tanja, Srbija 
11. Mirjana, BG 
12. Tanja (BiH)

Koristila sam www.random.org sajt da izmeša imena, i odredi ko su dobitnici. Evo njegovog odgovora:

Mirjana, Baggy Bags, Dragice i Miki, čestitam vam! Kontaktirajte me preko mejla (anajan.stepalica@gmail.com) i pošaljite mi svoje adrese, kako bih vam poslala graničnike. 

Saveti za početnike / Guides for beginners

Danas sam dobila pismo od jedne žene koja je, kao i ja, član Burda Style sajta. Evo prevoda njenog pisma:

... Oduvek sam imala želju da pravim svoju garderobu, jer veoma volim modu, i mogla bih da potrošim pola svoje plate na odeću, ali sada želim da kupujem materijal i da počnem da šijem. Problem je u tome što ne znam da šijem. Videla sam sve lepe stvari koje si napravila i volela bih da šijem dobro kao ti. Imaš li neki savet o tome odakle da počnem, jer mi posao ne ostavlja dovoljno vremena da upišem neku školu dizajna, na raspolaganju imam samo vikende?

Inspirisana njenim mailom, kao i pitanjima moje dobre prijateljice, koja takođe tek počinje da šije, reših da napišem par saveta za sve početnike, a nadam se da će i vama biti od koristi:

• Budite uporni! Ja sam potpuno samouka, nisam išla na časove, nisam imala nikoga da me podučava. Jedina lekcija koju sam dobila bila je od moje mame - pokazala mi je kako da namestim konac na mašini za šivenje. Od tog trenutka, nastavila sam sama. To je bilo sredinom 90-ih, kada internet još nije bio u ekspanziji i nije bilo ovoliko informacija na raspolaganju. I pored toga, ništa nije moglo da me spreči da naučim, pa smatram da nište ne može sprečiti ni vas! Sve je stvar volje.
• Počnite sa veoma jednostavnim stvarima: obična suknja ili bluza bez rukava, koje imaju što je moguće manje krojnih delova. Takođe, izostavljajte u početku detalje poput džepova i kragne. Kako budete napredovali, počećete da šijete sofisticiraniju odeću.
• Koristite nerastegljive materijale, kao i tkanine koje ne lepršaju previše. Koristite pamuk, lan, vunu, a izbegavajte til, saten i svilu. U nekom trenutku ćete početi da koristite i ove tkanine, ali dok se uvežbavate, bolje je koristiti materijale koji imaju neku čvrstinu. 
• Koristite jednobojne materijale, ili tkanine sa cvetnim i šarama nepravilnih oblika. Karirani i prugasti materijali mogu biti nezgodni za uklapanje dezena, i potrebno je malo iskustva da se šare dobro uklope.
• Savetovala bih vas da koristite običan rajfešlus umesto nevidljivog, pošto je mnogo lakše prišiti ih.
• Fircajte što više! Vremenom ćete otkriti koji način rada vam najviše odgovara, ali mislim da je fircanje dobar način da brzo vidite kako će stvar izgledati i da li će vam dobro stajati, pre no što proštepate tkaninu. Paranje šavova može biti užasno naporno! Takođe, fircanje pomaže prilikom uklapanja krojnih delova, i sprečava da se materijal pomera prilikom šivenja.
• Nemojte se previše opterećivati izgledom stvari s naličja, niti time da li vam je šav savršeno prav. Zapamtite da većina ljudi ni ne primećuje ove detalje, jer ni ne zna da postoji razlika. 
• S druge strane, raspeglajte dobro sve šavove - to može znatno uticati na izgled stvari! Stvar sa loše raspeglanim šavovima izgleda neuredno i vidno je da je napravljena kod kuće.
• Nemojte kroj postavljati na tkanini po po dijagonali, već ga postavljajte prateći liniju tkanja. Ukoso iskrojena tkanina se ponaša totalno drugačije nego ona koja je sečena po liniji tkanja, i rad sa ovako iskrojenom tkaninom zahteva napredne veštine. Primera radi, i posle 17 godina krojačkog iskustva, i dalje ponekad imam problema sa šivenjem ukoso krojene tkanine.
• Uz sve informacije koje se mogu naći na internetu, mislim da ćete veoma brzo naučiti da šijete. Počnite da čitate blogove, što je moguće više! Ja sam poboljšala svoje šivenje i naučila neke nove tehnike zahvaljujući kopanju po blogovima koje vode ljudi širom sveta. Ako ste novi u svetu blogova, pogledajte moju listu blogova, naći ćete na desetine blogova čiji autori velikodušno dele svoje znanje besplatno. 
• Ako nemate svu opremu za šivenje, nemojte da brinete! Sve što vam treba su par makaza, krojačka kreda, metar, špenadle, 1-2 igle za ručno šivenje i konac (takođe, šivaća mašina bi mogla da bude od koristi :). Kako se budete navlačili na ovaj hobi, počećete da kupujete alate, pribor i pozamanteriju, ali vam neće sve trebati odmah.

Imate li vi još neki savet za nove krojačice i krojače?

Today I got a mail from a fellow member from Burda Style website, Here's her mail:

... I have always nursed this idea of making my own clothes cos i'm very fashionable and can spend half of my salary on clothes, so, i want to buy the fabrics myself and start sewing .The problem now is knowing how to sew. I have seen all the beautiful things you made and would like to be really good like you.any advice on how to proceed cos my work doesn't leave room for me to enroll in any fashion school except on weekends

Inspired by her mail, along with questions from a good friend, who's also starting to sew, I decided to write a few guides for all the beginners, and I hope you'll find them useful too:

• The first advice from me is to be persistent! I am self-taught, and it took me awhile to get nice, wearable clothes, because I didn't have anyone to tech me better. 
• Start with some really simple garments: basic skirts and sleeveless blouses, with as few pattern pieces as possible. Also, avoid the details like pockets and collars at first. As your skills advance, you'll start sewing more sophisticated clothes. 
• Use non-stretchy and non-fluid fabrics, too. Use cotton, linen, wool, and avoid chiffon, satin and silk. Again, you'll start using them at some point, but the stable fabrics are the best for practicing. 
• Use plain fabrics, or the ones with floral/paisley ornament at first. Checkered and striped fabrics can be tricky for pattern matching and it requires some experience to do it right. 
• I'd advise you to start with standard zippers instead of concealed ones, since they're much easier to manage. 
• Baste a lot! You'll find your own mode of working as the time passes, but I think basting is a great way to get an idea on how the garment will look and fit before making a final stitch. Unpicking stitches can be a pain in the a**! Also, it helps when matching patterns and pieces, and secures the fabric from moving while sewing. 
• Don't bother too much with how the inside of the garment looks, nor whether your stitches are perfectly straight. Remember that most people don't notice these details, since they don't know the difference. 
• Make sure you press the seams well - it makes a huge difference on how the garment looks! Poorly pressed seams make the garment really look sloppy and home-made. 
• Avoid cutting the fabric on bias or off-grain in general. Bias cut fabric behaves completely different than the one cut on grain, and it is considered to be an advanced technique. For example, I have an experience of 17 years of sewing, but sometimes find it difficult to handle bias. 
• With all the information you can find on internet, I think you'll be able to sew lovely clothes in close future. Start reading blogs, as many as possible! I have improved my sewing skills and learned some fancy techniques just by digging information from generous bloggers from all over the world. Go through my blogroll list, if you’re a beginner in the blogsphere – there are dozens and dozens of genius sewers that share their knowledge for free. 
• If you’re not equipped with all the sewing tools, don’t worry! All you need are a pair of scissors, a chalk, a measuring tape, pins, 1-2 hand-sewing needles and a thread (having a sewing machine would help, too J). As you get hooked into this craft, you’ll buy the notions, gadgets and tools, you don’t need everything straight away. 

Do you have any additional advices for new sewists?

Me-Made-June 2011

Zoe opet organizuje već poznatu igru: nositi svoje ručno pravljene stvari svaki dan tokom meseca Juna. U martu sam se sjajno provodila uklapajući svoje stvari i praveći nove odevne kombinacije, pa sam rešila da ovo sjajno iskustvo ponovim još koji put. 

I ovaj put će moj lični izazov biti da svaki dan nosim bar jednu od svojih kreacija, da ne ponovim istu kombinaciju tokom celog meseca, kao i da svaki dan pokažem novu stvar, koju nisam nosila prethodnih dana.

I vi možete da se prijavite za izazov, potrebno je samo da ostavite komentar na Zoinom blogu, na ovaj post. Komentar treba da bude u sledećem formatu:

'I, (unesite svoje ime i vas blog/sajt), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-June'11. 

I endeavour to wear (unesite vaš lični izazov) each day for the duration of June 2011'

Zoe is organizing again the famous challenge: wear self made wardrobe and/or accessories every day during the month of June. I had a lot of fun during the March challenge, matching my self made clothes and making new outfits, hence I decided to repeat the experience once again.

Again, my personal challenge will be to wear at least one self made garment each day, to not repeat an outfit during the month, and to show each day a new garment that I had not worn on previous days.

You can apply for the challenge as well, all you have to do is post a comment on Zoe's blog, on this post. The comment should be in the following format:

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

I endeavour to wear (insert your personal challenge) each day for the duration of June 2011'

Ljubičasta haljina / Purple dress

Hvala vam na komentarima za Paunovu suknju. Danas je na repertoaru nova haljina, koja je sasvim neplanirano nastala. 

Pre neko veče sam izvadila materijal iz svog skladišta (ne preterujem, zaista imam omanje skladište materijala, dovoljno da šijem narednih par godina!), sa idejom da napravim haljinu iz ovogodišnje majske Burde. Međutim, ubrzo sam promenila mišljenje i rešila da napravim potpuno drugačiju haljinu, koristeći već isproban kroj (Burda  9/2006, #114).

Ovde možete videti haljinu koju sam pre 5-6 godina pravila po istom kroju. Ako budem imala vremena, napisaću poseban članak o ličnoj evoluciji, i porediti sopstveno šivenje od pre par godina sa današnjim. Prva haljina je daleko neurednije skrojena, i iako je još uvek rado nosim, svaki put kada je obučem primetim previše grešaka na njoj.  

Nova haljina ima ukrasne štepove u kontrastnoj nijansi duž kragne, kapni za džepove i manžetni. Mislim da zbog boje i dodatnih detalja izgleda dosta ženstvenije no njena prethodnica.

Thank you for the comments on the Peacock's skirt. Today I'm showing you a brand new dress that came to life quite spontaneously.

Few nights ago I pulled out a fabric from my stash (I have a fabric stash that'd be sufficient to sew for the next few years!), planning to sew a dress from the May issue of Burda Style magazine. However, I changed my mind promptly, and decided to sew a completely different dress using the tired and trued pattern (BWOF 9/2006, #114).

Here you can see the dress I sewed 5-6 years ago, using the same pattern. If I have time, I'll make a post about my personal evolution and compare my dewing from 5 years ago to the today's. The first dress is so messy, and every time I wear it, I see too many flaws on it. 

The new dress has topstitching in contrasting shade of purple, on collar, pocket flaps and sleeve cuffs. I think that the color and details it has made it more feminine than the previous one.

Novi krojevi / New patterns

Malo obaveštenje: dodala sam dva nova kroja za suknje, koje možete skinuti sa Download taba. 

Prvi kroj je osnovni šnit za usku, odnosno A suknju, dok drugi predstavlja kroj za TR suknju, koju sam šila prošle godine. Obe suknje su u veličini 40, i nemaju uključene dodatke za šavove. Ni jedan od krojeva nema instrukcije za šivenje, nadam se da ću imati vremena da ih uskoro napišem. 

Obratite pažnju na to da kroj za TR suknju nema uključen i kroj za postavu; umesto toga, koristite kroj za osnovnu A suknju. Takođe, imajte na umu da je TR suknja veoma specifičnog kroja, koji je teško menjati i prilagođavati ga specifičnim dimenzijama koje svako od nas ima. Zato preporučujem da prvo isprobate kroj za osnovnu suknju; ako zaključite da vam suknja bez izmena dobro stoji, znajte da će vam i TR suknja biti taman. U suprotnom, ne snosim odgovornost za neuspele poduhvate!

 

Just a few words to let you know that two new skirt patterns have been added to the Download page.

The first pattern is a basic pencil / A-line skirt, while the other is a pattern for the TR skirt that I sewed last year. Both patterns are size 40 and neither of them has SAs included. Also, there are no sewing instructions for the patterns, but I hope I'll have the time to write them soon.

Note that the TR skirt pattern doesn't have the lining pattern included; instead, use the pattern for the basic A-line skirt. Also, have on mind that the TR skirt has a very specific pattern that can't be altered nor fitted easily. Hence, I recommend trying the basic skirt pattern first. If the pattern fits you well without any alterations, you can be sure that the TR skirt will fit you as well. Otherwise, I'm not responsible for the sewing failures!

Ako budete u Beogradu... / If you're in Belgrade...

Kulturni Centar Grad, u Beogradu, organizuje izložbu i predavanje švedskog modnog dizajnera Ricarda Lindqvista, koji će se održati krajem maja. Izložba će biti otvorena od 21. do 24. maja, dok će predavanje biti održano 23. maja u 12h. 

Ono što ovog dizajnera čini specifičnim je način krojenja tkanine, tako da ceo kroj bude iz jednog komada. Primera radi, dijagram ispod predstavlja jedan od njegovih krojeva. Mislim da bi bilo zanimljivo posetiti izložbu i odslušati predavanje.

Više infromacija o izložbi možete pročitati ovde i ovde.

Posetite i njegov sajt: http://www.rickardlindqvist.com

The European Center for Culture and Debate, in Belgrade, Serbia, organizes an exhibition of Ricard Lindqvusta's work that will be held from 21st till 24th of May. This Swedish fashion designer will hold a lecture along with the exhibit, on 23rd of May, at 12 o'clock. 

What makes him specific is the way he cuts the fabric, making the whole pattern from one piece. As an example, the picture above represents one of his patterns. I think it would be interesting to see his work in flesh and to attend the lecture.

You can find more information on the exhibit and the lecture here and here.

Visit his website too: http://www.rickardlindqvist.com

Paunova suknja / Peacock's skirt

Prošlog petka sam našla ovaj materijal u prodavnici i brže-bolje otišla kući da šijem! Par sati kasnije imala sam slatku suknjicu. 

Koristila sam kroj iz Burde 2/2007, #113. Utrošila sam 2m tkanine, jer sam nameštala kroj na tkanini tako da pera budu ravnomerno raspoređena. Ostalo mi je nešto malo tkanine, odnosno parčića nepravilnih oblika, koje ću možda upotrebiti jednog dana (trenutno nemam jasnu ideju kako bih ih iskoristila, ali sam sigurna da će mi se upaliti lampica pre ili kasnije).

Last Friday I found this fabric in a store and ran home to sew! Few hours later I had this lovely skirt.

The pattern was from BWOF 2/2007, #113. I used 2m of fabric, since I laid out the pattern pieces in a manner that arranged the feathers on the skirt evenly. I have the fabric remmants in irregular shapes that I might use some day (I don't have an exact idea on how I could use them, but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually).

Pokloni za čitaoce / Giveaway for the readers

Dragi čitaoci, imam par lepih poklona za vas, koji stižu čak iz Australije! 

U pitanju su vrlo praktični dodaci za makaze, koji vam omogućuju precizno određivanje širine dodatka za šavove prilikom sečenja tkanine. Ovaj sjajan patent je izum moje prijateljice Holi, koju sam upoznala na BurdaStyle sajtu. Dodatak se nakači na makaze uz pomoć magneta, podesi se željena širina dodatka za šav, i možete seći tkaninu oko papirnog kroja bez crtanja kredom! Zar to nije sjajno? Ovaj dodatak je zgodan za krojeve koji nemaju uključene dodatke za šavove, kakvi se mogu naći u Burda, La Mia Boutique, Diana, Modelina, Patrones, Manequim i sličnim časopisima. Takođe, biće vam od koristi ako koristite moje krojeve.

Hollie je bila veoma velikodušna i poslala mi 6 paketa od po 2 dodatka za makaze. Ja ću ovom prilikom podeliti 4 paketa svojim čitaocima. Pravila su sledeća: ako živite na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije, ostavite komentar na ovaj post, sa napomenom iz koje ste zemlje.  Imate nedelju dana da se prijavite za poklon, dakle do 13.05.2011., zaključno sa tim danom. Narednog dana ću izvući imena srećnih dobitnika i objaviti ih na blogu. 

Više detalja o dodatku za makaze možete naći na Holinom sajtu, putem koga možete i naručiti vaš paket dodataka. 

U međuvremenu, preporučujem vam da pogledate Holin profil na BurdaStyle sajtu, jer je ona veoma talentovana  krojačica (pogledajte samo ovaj eksperiment na kom je radila pre nekog vremena, i biće vam jasno o kolikom talentu pričam).

www.seamallowanceguide.com

Dear readers, I have a few nice presents for you, that come all the way from Australia! 

I'm giving away brand new gadgets, called seam allowance guides, that help you determine SAs width when cutting a fabric. This great patent is my friend Hollie's invent, whom I met via BurdaStyle. The seam allowance guide is attached to the scissors with magnets, the SAs width is set and you can cut the fabric around your paper pattern without the need to use your chalk. Isn't it great? The gadget is handy for patterns that do not have SAs included, like the ones from BurdaStyle, La Mia Boutique, Diana, Modelina, Patrones, Manequim and other magazines. Also, you'll find it useful if you use my patterns.

Hollie was very generous, and sent me 6 packages, each containing a pair of seam allowance guides (SAGs). I'm going to giveaway 4 packages to my readers. Here are the rules of the giveaway: if you're living in one of the ex-YU countries, leave a comment to this post, along with the country you're from. You have a week to apply for the giveaway, hence the deadline is 13.05.2011. I'll pick 4 names and announce the winners the following day.


You can find more details on the SAG on Hollie's website, where you can purchase it too.


In the meanwhile, take a look at Hollie's profile on BurdaStyle, because she's a very talented seamstress (just look at this experiment, and you'll know what I'm talking about).

Još jedna nagrada / Another award

Još jedna nagrada za Štepalicu stiže iz Niša, od Raki. Hvala Raki!

Nagrada uključuje par pitanja:

1. Šta je inspiracija za naslove postova?

Hmmmm... mislim da ja nisam preterano maštovita kada imenujem svoje postove. Generalno nisam literarno nadarena (pisanje bloga iziskuje neverovatan napor! :-) Sigurna sam da Štepalica nikad neće biti od onih blogova koji privlače pažnju svojim duhovitim ili posebno zanimljivim stilom pisanja, bez obzira koliko se ja trudila! No, nadam se da i pored toga imam šta da pokažem i publiku kojoj mogu da se obratim.

2. Opiši sebe u 4 reči.

Uporna, individualista, brbljiva (kada pričam sa nekim uživo) i iskrena (nekad i previše).

3. Najdraži citat.

Mnogi će radije biti sigurni u sopstvenoj nesreći nego rizikovati da budu srećni.

Na dnu posta je lista od 10 blogova kojima prosleđujem nagradu.

Štepalica's gotten a new award that comes from Raki, from Niš, Serbia. Thank you Raki!

The award has a few rules and questions I have to answer to:

1. What inspires you to name your posts?

Hmmmm... I don't think I'm very imaginative nor original when naming my posts. I'm not very literally gifted, in general (writing a blog required a huge effort! :-) I'm sure that Štepalica won't ever be one of those witty blogs that draw attention for being written in humorous manner, no matter how hard I tried! However, I hope I still have a thing or two to show you and that I have the audience I can write for.

2. Describe yourself in 4 words.

Stubborn, individualist, talkative (when chatting in person) and honest (sometimes way too much).

3. Favorite quote.

Many would rather be safe in their own misery than risk to be happy.

Bellow is a list of 10 blogs I pass the award to.

1. http://krpiceikonci.blogspot.com/
2. http://mokosha.blogspot.com/
3. http://tanysewsandknits.blogspot.com/
4. http://magdamagdadesignstudio.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/
6. http://www.lindsaytsews.com/
7. http://www.sewaholic.net
8. http://sewingadicta.blogspot.com/
9. http://amandasadventuresinsewing.blogspot.com/
10. http://bubblegum4breakfast.blogspot.com/