Suknja za mamu / A skirt for mom

Prošle godine smo mama i ja udružile snage i sašile joj dve jaknice. To je bio zgodan način da ona nauči malo više o šivenju, da bude uključena od početka do kraja u proces, a da istovremeno dobije dobro sašivenu garderobu. Jedna od tih jakni je i ova roze, sašivena od prelepog buklea od sirove svile. Na žalost, nisam uslikala jaknu kada je bila završena, nadajući se da ću "uloviti" mamu u trenutku kada je nosi, što se nije desilo. Zato ću morati da se poslužim ovom slikom.

Last year my mom and I joined forces and made her two jackets. It was an easy way for her to learn more about sewing, to be involved in the process of making, and to get a quality sewn garments. One of those jackets was this pink one, made of a gorgeous raw silk boucle. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a photo of the finished jacket, hoping I'd photograph it on mom, but that never happened. So I'll have to use this pic.

Od buklea nije ostalo mnogo, tek jedna traka od oko 40cm dužine, koju je bilo grehota ne iskoristiti. Među zalihama materijala imala sam ljubičastu treviru, koje je takođe bilo premalo za neki konkretan odevni predmet, pa sam pomislila da bi dva materijala mogla sasvim lepo da se uklope u jednostavnu suknju. Na mami je bilo da je sašije. Međutim, baš kada se namerila da pravi suknju, stvari su krenule u pogrešnom pravcu. Jedna greška nizala se za drugom, i mama je na kraju digla ruke, jer je suknja bila prekratka, asimetrična i sa sitnim felerima koji su boli oči. 

Na žalost, nemam sliku pre moje intervencije da vam pokažem, ali mogu da opišem u čemu je bio problem. Ideja je bila da gornji deo suknje bude od trevire, a donji od buklea. Međutim, mama je pogrešno ocenila dužinu gornjeg dela i otsekla prekratke prednje i zadnje panele, pa je suknja bila 2-3 cm kraća od optimalne dužine, i nije bilo dovoljno tkanine za porub. Horizontalne šavove na suknji je prepeglala oba u istom smeru, što je napravilo velika zadebljanja koja su naglašavala stomak. To je pokušala da ispravi štepanjem preko šava, što nije urodilo plodom, jer se na taj način zadebljanje ne može smanjiti. Postavu je umetnula licem ka suknji, pa su se šavovi videli iznutra. Na kraju, ni pojas nije dobro prišila, jer je stajao blago ukoso, što je suknju činilo asimetričnom. Ono što moja mama još uvek nije naučila je da ponekad neki šav mora i da se opara :). Svaki početnik pravi ovakve greške, ubeđen da mala omaška u šivenju može da se zamaskira. 

Not much had left from the boucle, a strip of fabric, approximately 40 cm long, which was a shame not to use. I had some purple fabric in my stash, not enough to make a garment of it, and I thought the two fabrics could make a nice simple skirt. I left it to mom to sew the skirt. However, things started moving in the wrong direction once she started sewing. One mistake followed the other and mom finally gave up, having a skirt that was asymmetrical, too short and with striking flaws.

I don't have the before pictures to show you. The idea was to place the purple fabric on the top of the skirt and the pink one on the bottom. However, mom miscalculated the length and cut the top pieces too short, ending up with a skirt that was 2-3 cm shorter than needed, and with no fabric for hemming. She pressed SAs on the horizontal seams in one direction, making huge bulks that accentuated her tummy. She tried to fix this by topstitching the seams, which didn't result the way she had expected, since you can not reduce the bulk this way. She applied a lining with right side towards the skirt, leaving the lining seams visible. Finally, she sewed the belt slightly off, which made the skirt look asymmetrical. What my mom hasn't learned yet is that sometimes she needs to rip off a few seams. Every beginner makes this type of mistakes.

I pored svih tih grešaka, suknja joj je dobro stajala, jer je odabrala model koji joj odgovara, pa mi je bilo žao da sav trud i materijal uludo propadnu. Oparala sam pojas, postavu i rajsferšlus, kao i poprečne štepove preko tkanine. Poprečne šavove sam raspeglala otvorene, što je momentalno smanjilo debljinu platna. Otsekla sam sa donjeg dela suknje traku dužine oko 15cm i našila traku od  trevire, dugu oko 25cm. Na zadnjem delu sam, umesto klasičnog šlica, napravila duplu faltu, kako bi lakše mogla da hoda. Suknja još uvek nije porubljena - to će mama odraditi kada utvrdi potrebnu dužinu. Drago mi je da je dobila lepu suknju koja čini odličan komplet sa jaknicom od istog materijala. Samo se nadam da ću uskoro uspeti da uslikam ceo outfit na njoj. 

However, even with those flaws, the skirt fitted her well, the model was so right for her, and I wanted to fix it - it would have been a shame to waste all her effort and the fabric. I ripped off the belt, lining and zipper, along with horizontal topstitching. The horizontal seams were pressed open, which reduced thickness of the fabric. I cut off a strip of fabric from the bottom of the skirt, approximately 15 cm long, and sewed on a strip of purple fabric, 25 cm long. I made a kick pleat on the center back, to allow comfortable movement. The skirt isn't hemmed yet - mom will hem it when she defines the needed length. I'm glad she got a nice skirt that makes a lovely suit with the jacket. I just hope I'll manage to snap some photos of the outfit.

TR Platforms Final 2013

Dragi čitaoci, ja sam u potpunoj neverici! Sinoć sam saznala da sam se plasirala u finale TR Platforms Final 2013! U prethodnom postu sam izrazila svoju sumnju u dalji plasman, jer sam bila ubeđena da moji radovi neće biti dovoljno dobri za kvalifikacije, i da je bitno da budem realna prema samoj sebi. Izgleda da sam zapravo vrlo nerealna :D!

Od 200 kandidata iz celog sveta, koji su učestvovali u pet TR Masterklas grupa, nas 50 se kvalifikovalo u finale. Aneta Tošić iz Srbije, Divna Jurić Davidović iz Hrvatske i moja malenkost su jedine tri osobe koje predstavljaju zemlje bivše Jugoslavije na ovom takmičenju. Zato vas pozivam da nas podržite u daljem plasmanu, jer će publika imati glavnu reč ovaj put. Naime, posmatrači će birati najbolje radove, i moći će da postavljaju izazove učesnicima. Pet najboljih učesnika će biti odabrano na kraju takmičenja. Ako želite da pratite finale, lajkujte Facebook stranicu TR Platforms Final 2013. Takmičenje startuje u Februaru, tako da imate još malo vremena!

Dear readers, I can't believe what happened. I found out last night I qualified for the TR Platforms Final 2013! In the previous post I expressed a doubt regarding my further qualifications, since I was sure my works were not good enough to get me to the finals. I wanted to be realistic with myself. As it turned out, I was quite unrealistic :D!

Out of 200 candidates from all over the world, that attended one of the five TR Masterclass groups, 50 of us qualified for the finals. Aneta Tošić from Serbia, Divna Jurić Davidović from Croatia and myself are the only three persons that represent ex-YU countries in this competition. I invite you to support us in the further placement, since an audience will have the final say this time. The viewers will choose the best works and will be able to challenge the contestants. The five best participants will be selected at the end of the competition. If you want to follow the finals, click "Like" on the TR Platforms Final 2013's Facebook page. The competition starts in February, there's not much time left!

TR Masterklas, poslednji zadatak (br. 16) / TR Masterclass, the last task (no. 16)

Stigosmo i do kraja  TR Masterklas kursa, a evo mog poslednjeg rada. Zadatak je bila integracija nafaltanog geometrijskog oblika u bluzu. 

We've come to an end of the TR Masterclass, and here's my final work. The task was to integrate geometrical shaped pleats into a blouse. 

A evo najboljih radova iz svih TR Masterklas grupa, rađenih primenom integracije rukava s bluzom. Bila sam prijatno iznenađena kada sam videla i svoj rad među njima.

Here are the best works from all TR Masterclass groups, done using the sleeve integration technique. I was really surprised to see my work among these.

Ono što dalje sledi za 10 najboljih učenika iz moje grupe je plasman u Finale koje počinje u Februaru. Najbolji kandidati iz prethodne četiri grupe su već predstavljeni Facebook stranici finala, i mogu vam reći da su izuzetno talentovani i maštoviti. Iskreno, ne verujem da ću se kvalifikovati, budući da sam imala par radova koji nisu dobili ocenu 10, a u grupi ima mnogo veoma talentovanih kandidata.

What's coming next for the 10 best students from my group is entering the TR Finale, that starts in February. The best candidates from the previous four groups have already been presented on the finale's Facebook page, and I tell you they are extremely talented and imaginative. To be honest, I don't think I'll qualify for the finale, since some of my latest works didn't get the best grades, and there are a lot of very talented candidates in my group.

Znam da nisam dala sve od sebe tokom kursa. Mnogo puta sam ubrzano radila, ponekad čak i otaljavala posao, jer nisam imala dovoljno vremena da šijem tempom koji mi odgovara. Takođe, u nekim situacijama sam bila besna jer nemam sve alate potrebne za kvalitetan rad - ovo se ponajviše odnosi na opremu za peglanje; profesionalna pegla na paru, kao i par pomoćnih alatki za raspeglavanje šavova bi mi mnogo pomogli. Još jedan krajnje subjektivan problem me donekle omeo - nisam želela da koristim lepe i kvalitetne materijale na eksperimentalne krojeve, koji nisu nosivi, pa sam se koristila isključivo ostacima tkanina koje imam. To je umnogome uticalo na dizajn i izgled mojih zadataka. 

I know I didn'd do my best during the course. Many times I had to work in a rush, and sometimes I simply did the tasks with half of my energy, since I hadn't had enough time to sew in a rhythm I was used to. A few times I was frustrated because I didn't have all the tools that were required for a nice, quality work - this mostly refers to the pressing equipment; a professional steam iron, and a few more pressing tools would have been quite helpful. Another issue distracted me too - I didn't want to use nice, quality fabrics on experimental non wearable patterns, so I was restricted to the fabric remnants from my stash. This affected the design and appearance of my works.

No, ja sam zadovoljna svojim učinkom. Kada sam upisala kurs, nisam znala da će prerasti u takmičenje niti da postoji finale na kraju. Želela sam da naučim nove tehnike od majstora čiji rad pratim već godinama. Nije da sam bila potpuno ravnodušna, jer ja sam veoma takmičarski nastrojena. Želela sam da budem najbolja i da se plasiram u finale. Posle poleta u prvoj polovini kursa sam verovala da će se to i desiti. Međutim,  drugi deo masterklasa je bio pravi izazov i mnogo teži - imali smo mnogo ozbiljnije zadatke i duplo manje vremena za svaki od njih, a ja sam imala sve više privatnih obaveza koje nisu mogle da se odlože. Prvi rad koji sam tlošije uradila me gotovo demotivisao; moja ambicija je toliko velika da često idem po principu "sve ili ništa". Zamalo da potpuno dignem ruke. Mudre reči jedne od učesnica kursa su me otreznile, i jako sam joj zahvalna na tome! 

However, I am satisfied with my outcome. When I enrolled the course, I had no idea it would become a competition and that there was a finale at the end. I just wanted to learn some new techniques from the master whose work I had been following for years. I wasn't indifferent either, since I'm a very competitive person. I had ambitions to be the best in the group and to qualify for the finale. After the success I had in the first half of the course, I started believing it was actually achievable. However, the second part of the course was a true challenge and far more difficult than the first part - we had much more serious tasks and half the time to finish them, and I had more and more personal things to do that I couldn't reschedule. The first item I didn't do well almost made me give up; my ambition is that strong that I usually follow the "all or nothing" motto. I had almost given up the course. Wise words from a fellow participant were a wake up call, and I'm very thankful to her for that!

Mnogo sam naučila za ova dva i po meseca i veoma sam inspirisana kako samom tehnikom, tako i fenomenalnim radovima ostalih učesnika iz grupe. Iskustvo je zaista neverovatno i za svaku pohvalu. Shingo Sato je najavio novi masterklas koji bi trebalo da počne sa radom u Maju 2013. Ukoliko ste zainteresovani za kurs, od srca vam ga preporučujem, ali znajte da ćete imati pune ruke posla, jer nije nimalo lak.

I've learnt a lot in these two and a half months and I am very inspired by the technique as well as the fantastic works my fellow participants did. The experience is really amazing and I couldn't praise it enough. Shingo Sato has announced a new masterclass that should start in May 2013. If you're interested in it, I highly recommend it, but be aware of the amount of work you'll have, since it's not an easy course.

TR Masterklas, zadatak br. 15 / TR Masterclass, task no. 15

15. zadatak za TR Materklas podrazumevao je integraciju rukava u kroj bluze, uz par smernica: rukav je trebalo rekonstruisati tako da nema klasičnog šava na otvoru za ruku. Bluzu i rukav trebalo je dizajnirati prema ličnom dizajnu. Ovaj put, odabrani materijal je diktirao oblik (pošto je u pitanju veoma mek materijal koji ne drži formu i odlično se drapira), pa sam napravila falte na rukavima i bluzi. Pri tom, vodila sam računa da uklopim karo šare gde god je to bilo moguće.

The 15th task for the TR Masterclass was to integrate sleeve with a blouse, with a few directions: the sleeve was supposed to be reconstructed so that a classical arm hole was avoided. The blouse and sleeve were drafted according to my design. This time, the fabric I chose defined the shape (it's a very soft fabric that drapes well), so I made pleats on the sleeves and blouse. I tried to match all the plaids wherever it was possible.

TR Masterklas, zadatak br. 14 / TR Masterclass, task no. 14

Nakon što sam završila prethodni rad, rešila sam da predahnem par dana, i uživam u nekim drugim aktivnostima, koje nemaju veze sa šivenjem.  

No, ubrzo sam ipak morala da sednem za mašinu kako bih radila na novom zadatku. Ovaj put, trebalo je da integrišemo rukav u kroj, ali na veoma neobičan način. Umesto klasičnog kužnog šava duž otvora za ruku imamo prilično vijugav šav koji spaja rukav sa telom bluze. Koristila sam dva materijala u istoj boji, od kojih jedan jednobojan a drugi sa sivim prugama. Očekivala sam da se prelaz između tkanina biti očigledniji, ali se nadam da je ipak dovoljno vidljiv.

After finishing my previous task, I decided to take a few days off and enjoy in some activities other than sewing. 

However, I had to start working for a next task soon afterwards. This time we were supposed to integrate a sleeve into the pattern, in a very unusual way. A classic armscye seam was replaces by a curvy seam that connects a sleeve with a bodice. I used two different fabrics, one being plain and the other striped. I was hoping the two would provide a better contrast than they did, but I hope the seam is visible enough.

Dopuna:

Nisam bila zadovoljna slikama, jer se šav gotovo nije ni video. Slikala sam noću, uz jak blic, a potom pokušala da ispeglam stvar podešavanjem osvetljenja i kontrasta na slici. Jutros sam ponovo uslikala bluzu, pa se nadam da su linije šava vidljivije.

Update:

I wasn't pleased with the photos above, since the seam line was almost invisible. Those pics were taken at night with a flash, and afterwards I tried to fix the brightness and contrast. This morning I snapped a few more photos again, and  hope the lines are more prominent now.

TR Masterklas, zadaci br. 12 i 13 / TR Masterclass, tasks no. 12 and 13

Danas postavljam dva rada, budući da nisam stigla da napravim dva zasebna posta. 

Today I'm posting two projects, since I didn't manage to make two separate posts for them.

Zadatak br. 12 poredstavlja rekonstrukciju bluze sa volanom na struku, pravljenjem vertikalnih zakrivljenih šavova. Nisam imala pri ruci materijale u knotrastnim bojama, pa sam šavove naglasila štepovima u tamnijoj boji. Nisam prezadovoljna ovim radom, i posle njega sam se prilično demoralisala, i počela da sumnjam u sebe i u to da sam dorasla zadatku i kursu. Ipak, dva loša rada u nizu su za mene i moj ego previše. Zahvaljujući divnim rečima podrške devojke iz moje grupe, uspela sam malo da se umirim i ohrabrim. Ali, znala sam da naredni rad mora da bude savršen.

Task no. 12 represents reconstruction of a blouse with peplum, by making vertical curved seams. I didn't have contrasting fabrics so I emphasized the seams by contrasting topstitching. I'm not pleased with this work, and after making it my mojo was quite down, I even started doubting in myself and questioning if I was up with the task and course. I mean, two bad works in a row were too much for me and my ego. Thanks to supporting words from a girl from my group I managed to get together and encourage myself. However, I knew the next work needed to be prefect.

Zadatak br. 13 predstavlja integraciju kutije u obliku srca. Ovim radom sam posebno zadovoljna, a čak sam dobila i ocenu 10 za njega :). Nisam ispunila samo svoja, već i Satoova očekivanja. 

Sad sam spremna da se suočim sa sledećim zadatkom!

Task no. 13 represents a heart shaped box integration. I'm very pleased with this work, and I even got a mark 10 for it :). Not only I fulfilled my expectations, it seems like I fulfilled Sato's, too.

I'm ready now to face the next task!

A evo i najboljih radova iz svih materklas grupa, rađenih tehnikom TR drapiranja. Ponosna sam što je i moj rad među njima.

And here are the best works selected from all masterclass groups, made using the TR draping technique. I'm proud to have my work among these.

I na kraju, pomislih da će vas zanimati informacija da je Shingo Sato najavio formiranje nove masterklas grupe, koja će početi sa radom u Maju ove godine. Za više informacija, predlažem da posetite Facebook profil Shingo Sato-a.

Finally, I thought you'd be intersted to know Shingo Sato had announced forming a new masterclass group, that would start working on May 2013. For more information, I suggest visiting Shingo Sato's Facebook profile.

TR Masterklas, zadatak br. 11 / TR Masterclass, task no. 11

Evo mog poslednjeg rada za TR Masterklas. Trebalo je integrisati dve kutije - jednu četvrtastu i jednu trougaonu -  u kroj. Moram da vam priznam da mi je ovaj zadatak, sasvim neočekivano, zadao velike probleme i nikako nisam zadovoljna rezultatom, jer to može i treba mnogo bolje da izgleda. No, šta je, tu je, tešim se da je bitno da ispoštujem rok.

Here's my latest work for the TR Masterclass. We were supposed to integrate two boxes - a rectangular one and a triangular one - into a pattern. I have to admit this task gave me a headache, and I am not satisfied by the end result, since I know this should look much better. Well, what's done is done, I console myself it's important I met the deadline.

Žongliranje / Juggling

Ovih dana neprestano šijem. Toliko da već priželjkujem malo slobodnog vremena za neke druge aktivnosti. Ipak, više od svega me opterećuje to što mi se prepliću različite obaveze, na kojima moram istovremeno tj. paralelno da radim. Do sada sam ja diktirala ritam rada, prema sopstvenom raspoloženju. Međutim, uz konstantne obaveze za TR Masterklas i Sew News časopis, više nisam u mogućnosti da čekam momenat krojačkog raspoloženja, već moram da rasporedim zadatke tako da u zadatom roku završim sve što je potrebno. Prebrojala sam sve obaveze kojima trenutno žongliram, i utvrdila njihove prioritete, rokove, kao i težinu svakog od njih, i evo šta me sve čeka na radnom stolu:

I've been sewing these days non-stop. I've started dreaming of some spare time for other activities. Most of all, I'm overwhelmed by different commitments that need to be worked on simultaneously. So far I've been defining a working rhythm, according to my mood. However, with constant commitments I have for the TR Masterclass and the Sew News magazine, I'm no longer in a position to wait for the working mojo to appear, and I need to define a working schedule in order to complete my duties in time. I've enlisted all the tasks I'm juggling at the moment, and defined their priorities, deadlines and difficulties, and here's what's waiting for me on a working desk:

1. Uraditi domaći za TR Masterklas. Visoki prioritet, relativno teško. Potrebno vreme: 1 dan, rok: 10.1.2013.
   TR Masterclass homework. High priority, relatively difficult. Time frame: 1 day, deadline: 10.1.2013.
2. Napisati članak za Sew News. Visoki prioritet, relativno lako. Potrebno vreme: nekoliko sati, rok: 14.1.2013.
   Write an article for Sew News. High priority, relatively easy. Time frame: a few hours, deadline: 14.1.2013.
3. Sašiti kaput za naredni članak za Sew News. Relativno visok prioritet, relativno teško. Potrebno vreme: oko nedelju dana, rok: 15.3.2013.
   Sew a coat for the Sew News article. Relatively high priority, relatively difficult. Time frame: about a week, deadline: 15.3.2013.
4. Otvoriti rupice za dugmad na maminoj košulji. Relativno nizak prioritet, veoma lako. Potrebno vreme: 15 minuta, rok: u narednih 10ak dana.
   Sew buttonholes on mom's shirt. Relatively low priority, very easy. Time frame: 15 minutes, deadline: in 10 days.
5. Popraviti suknju za mamu. Relativno nizak prioritet, relativno lako. Potrebno vreme: par sati, rok: u narednih par nedelja.
   Fix mom's skirt. Relatively low priority, relatively easy. Time frame: a few hours, deadline: in a few weeks.
6. Završiti haljinu za drugaricu. Veoma nizak prioritet, relativno teško. Potrebno vreme: nekoliko dana, rok: do Juna 2013.
   Complete the dress for a friend. Very low priority, relatively difficult. Time frame: a few days, deadline: June 2013.

Uz to, dodajte i krojeve i stvari koje treba da napravim za SITAM ispit (iako ispit još nije zakazan, okvirni plan je da na proleće utvrdimo datum, a do tada bih morala da imam sašiven bar deo potrebne garderobe): suknju, pantalone, bluzu, haljinu, blejzer (kao minimum).

Add to this patterns and garments I have to make for the SITAM exam (even though the exam hasn't been scheduled yet, a rough plan is to set a date on spring, and I need to have at least some of the required garments made by then): a skirt, a pair of pants, a blouse, a dress, a jacket (as a minimum).

Ono što mene u ovakvim situacijama buni nije logičnost koraka, već želja da radim na određenoj stvari. Recimo, trenutno sam veoma raspoložena da šijem novi kaput. Takođe, volela bih što pre da završim haljinu koju sam počela da šijem drugarici, jer se plašim da će mi radni elan splasnuti ako se šivenje previše razvuče. Ambicija da se pokažem i dokažem na TR Masterklasu je velika, pa mi je veoma bitno da svaki zadatak uradim kvalitetno i uredno, a to traži vreme. I naravno, na SITAM ispitu želim najbolju ocenu, a to znači da moram da sašijem dosta stvari (više od traženog minimuma), i one moraju biti savršene, a za to je opet potrebno vreme i koncentracija. 

What confuses me in these situations is not the logical schedule, but my desire to work on a certain garment. For example, I'm in a mood to sew a new coat. Also, I'd like to finish the dress for a friend ASAP, because I'm afraid my working enthusiasm would disappear if the project is taking too long to finish. My ambition to prove myself on the TR Masterclass is really high, and it's very important to me to finish each task well and neatly, which requires time. And off course, I want to get the best grade on the SITAM exam, which means I need to sew a lot of garments (more than the required minimum), and they need to be sewed perfectly, which requires time and concentration.

Kako se vi borite sa ovakvim situacijama?

How do you deal with multitasking?

Tamna zima ili tamna jesen? / Deep winter or deep autumn?

Da li ste se bavili analizom boja? Vodite li računa o tome koje boje vam dobro stoje, i nosite li samo te boje, ili se ne obazirete na to, noseći ono što vam se sviđa? Isto pitanje je postavio Piter pre neki dan na svom blogu, i doveo me u razmišljanje. 

Have you ever consulted a color analysis? Do you wear only those colors that suit you, or you simply wear the ones you like? Piter asked the same question a few days ago and made me thinking.

Da bih nastavila sa daljom pričom, moram da napravim malu digresiju. Počela sam da se šminkam kada sam imala 17-18 godina. Kao i svaki početnik, nisam znala šta mi stoji i koje boje da koristim, pa sam se poslužila stručnom literaturom. Naime, pozajmila sam od rođake knjigu o šminkanju i tada sam saznala da postoji tzv. analiza boja, koja ljude razvrstava u četiri osnovna grupe, a na osnovu njihovog izgleda, tj. dominantnih boja kože, kose i očiju. Prepoznala sam se kao crnka svetle puti i zaključila da sam tip Zima, kojoj stoje hladne, jarke boje. Počela sam da koristim sive i srebrne senke i stavljala crveni karmin, jer je to bila preporuka stručnjaka. I to je izgledalo otprilike ovako:

Let me explain myself. I started using makeup when I was 17-18. As a beginner, I didn't know what looked best on me and which colors suited me, so I used a specialized literature. I borrowed a makeup book guide and found out there was a so called color analysis which recognized four basic types of people, based on their appearances, meaning colors of their skin, hair and eyes. I recognized myself as a pale dark haired girl, and concluded I was a Winter. And Winters suited cool bright colors. I started using silver and gray eye shadows and red lipstick and ended up looking like this: 

Po mom mišljenju, ne baš sjajno, mada ne mogu reći da je to izgled nad kojim bih se zgrozila. Ali, verujem da šminka  nije istakla ono najbolje na meni. 

Not great in my opinion, though I can't say it was a terrible look. However, I see the makeup didn't emphasize the best on me.

Godinama kasnije postala sam svesna da nisam tipična Zima, jer mi samo neke hladne boje stoje sjajno. Primera radi, ova plava boja (jedina među svetlo plavim nijansama koja mi se dopada) me čini bledom i anemičnom. 

Years later I was aware I wasn't a typical Winter, since only some of the bright colors suited me. As an example, this shade of blue (which is the only shade of light blues I like) makes me look very washed out.

Ali, ako nisam prava Zima, koji sam tip? Nakon što sam pročitala Piterov post, rešila sam da utvrdim koje su moje boje. Unazad par dana sam studirala po internetu sve članke na temu analize boja, i shvatila da, sem nevedena četiri tipa, postoje i pod-tipovi, koji malo bliže određuju kolorit koji svakom tipu najbolje stoji.

Pored osnovnih karakteristika, ispituje se osvetljenost i kontrast, kao i hladnoća / toplina boja koje čine izgled pojedinca. 

But, if I'm not a Winter, which type am I? After reading Peter's post, I decided to determine my coloring. For the last few days I've been studying over the internet all the articles I could find about color analysis and found out there were, beside the basic four types, several more sub types, that closely and more accurately defined one's colors.

Along with the basic characteristics,  hue / saturation and coolness / softness of one's colors is considered.

Shvatila sam da postoje dva podtipa koji najviše liče na mene: Tamna Zima i Tamna Jesen. Ovi tipovi se prelivaju iz jednog u drugi, a karakterišu ih veliki kontrasti u osnovnim bojama kože, očiju i kose, kao i tamne i jake boje koje im pristaju. Razlika između ova dva tipa je zapravo u tonu kože: Zima ima plavičast ton kože, dok Jesen ima žućkasto-maslinast. I tad sam počela da razmišljam da ja uopšte nisam tip Zima, već tip Jesen, što je bilo prilično iznenađujuće, jer sam Jesen povezivala sa narandžasto - smeđim tonovima, crvenkastom kosom i zelenim očima (stereotip).

I realized there were two sub types that looked like me: Deep Winter and Deep Autumn. These types blend into each other and their major characteristics are deep contrasts in basic skin, hair and eyes colors, along with the bright colors that suit the wearer. The difference is in the skin tone: Deep Winter has a blueish undertone, while Deep Autumn has a yellowish one. That's when I started thinking I wasn't Winter at all, but a Autumn. It was a big surprise to me, since I've always related Autumn to orange - brownish tones, with red hair and green eyes (a stereotype).

Počela sam da kopam po svojim slikama, ne bih li objektivno sagledala sebe. Našla sam dve slike na kojima sam bez šminke, ali malo potamnela od sunčanja. Kao što vidite, moja koža ima maslinast ton. Kosa ima diskretan crveni pigment, i nije crna, već tamno smeđa, a oči su mešavina maslinasto zelene i svetlo smeđe boje. A to su tipične karakteristike Tamne Jeseni.

So I started digging in my photos, determined to see myself objectively. I found two pictures where I had no makeup, but I tanned a bit. As you can see, my skin has an olive undertone. Hair has a discrete red pigment and it's dark brown, not black. Eyes are mixture of olive green and light brown. And these are typical characteristics of Deep Autumn.

 

Zatim sam uzela da gledam boje koje nosim, i upoređivala koje mi bolje stoje.

Then I analysed the colors I wear and compared them.

Lavanda ljubičasta, spram tamno ljubičaste: bolja je tamna. Iako obe spadaju u hladne boje, tamno ljubičasta je bliža nijansama Tamne Jeseni.

Lavender vs. eggplant: eggplant wins. They are both cool colors, but the eggplant is closer to the Deep Purple coloring.

 

Srebrna spram nežne slonovače: pobeđjuje slonovača!

Silver vs. ivory: ivory wins!

 

Jarko zelena spram maslinaste: u maslinastoj izgledam prirodnije (mada se meni dopada i jarko zelena kako mi stoji).

Bright green vs. olive: olive makes me look natural (though I like how I look in bright green too).

  

Ipak, najviše me iznendadilo ovo poređenje: sivo srebrna spram zemljane boje senfa. Zdravije i upečatljivije izgledam u zemljanoj nijansi.

I was most surprised by this comparison: silver gray vs. earthy mustard. I look healthier and more prominent in the mustard.

 

No, da pokažem da nisu sve klasične zemljane boje bolje za mene. Sivo žuta haljina mi mnogo lepše stoji od svetlog kompleta koji preliva boje slonovače, zlatne i maslinasto zelene. Ali, i ovo je u skladu sa osobinama Tamne Jeseni, kojoj se preporučuje da nosi kontrastne kombinacije.

And here's a proof not all typical earthy colors are for me. The yellow - gray looks much better on me than light suit in ivory, gold and olive. However, this is what color analysis have recommended to the Deep Autumn - to wear contrasting colors.

 

I konačno, evo preporučene palete boja. Raduje me što su maslinasto zelena i tamno ljubičasta medju njima, jer volim da ih nosim. Takođe, tu je i limeta zelena, još jedna od dragih boja.

Finally, here's the recommended color palette. I'm happy to see olive and deep purple among these, since I love wearing them. There is lime green too, one more of the favorite colors.

Ono što ovde nedostaje je smaragdno zelena, u kojoj verujem da super izgledam.

What's missing here is an emerald, which looks great on me, I think.

Mislite li da sam pogodila svoj kolorit, ili pak grešim? Ja još uvek nisam 100% sigurna, ali sam voljna da malo više obratim pažnju na boje. 

So, do you think I discovered what my coloring is, or am I wrong? I'm not 100% sure I've found the right palette, but I'm willing to pay attention to colors in the future.

TR Masterklas, zadatak br. 10 / TR Masterclass, task no. 10

Evo i novog zadatka, tačnije, tri nova zadatka. Trebalo je da napravimo tri džepa, prateći date instrukcije. Prvi džep naoko izgleda kao klasičan paspul džep, ali i nije baš. Drugi ima i treću dimenziju i oblik slova "V". A treći zapravo ima dva džepa smeštena jedan u drugi. 

Here's a new task, or should I say three new tasks? We were supposed to make three pockets, following the given instructions. The first one looks like a welt pocket with a twist. The second one has a third dimension and a shape of the letter "V". The third one actually has two pockets, one placed inside the other.

Ovim smo zvanično ušli drugi deo kursa, gde su propozicije malo izmenjene. Naime, više nema izbacivanja iz grupe, ali će svaki zadatak ocenjivati Shingo Sato. Takođe, instrukcije koje imamo na raspolaganju su manje detaljne nego inače, a od nas se očekuje da radimo brže, u kraćim vremenskim rokovima. Ko ne uradi zadatak na vreme, neće biti ocenjen, što znači da će imati manji ukupan broj bodova. Pri tom, očekuje nas istovremeni rad na nekoliko paralelnih zadataka. Biće zanimljivo!

With this task we have officially entered a second phase of the course, which has a slightly different rules. There are no more disqualifications from the masterclass, and each task will be graded by Shingo Sato himself. Also, the instructions we are given are less detailed than usual, and the participants are expected to work faster, in shortened time frames. The ones who fail to complete the task in time won't be evaluated, meaning they'll have less total score. Also, we're gonna multitask, working simultaneously on several tasks. It's gonna be interesting!

Osvrt na 2012. godinu / A review of 2012

2012. godina je iza nas, i ne mogu a da ne razmišljam o tome kakva je bila. Bila je, u najmanju ruku, turbulentna! Obeležile su je velike životne odluke, koje sam, kako izgleda, donela na brzinu, ali zbog kojih nisam ni na tren zažalila. 

2012 is behind us and I can't help but thinking about how it was. It was, at least, turbulent! It was marked by serious life decisions, that appeared to be made in a rush, but I haven't regret for any of them.

Sa krojačke strane gledišta, moram da priznam da nije bila spektakularna. Šila sam manje no ikad, a stvari koje sam napravila mahom nisu bile upečatljive.  Ne kažem ni da su bile loše, ali mislim da  se nisam pokazala u najboljem svetlu, iako se gotovo cela godina vrtela oko šivenja. 

Krajem pretrošle godine sam upisala kurs u školi SITAM, koji nije ispunio moja očekivanja. Zbog ličnih problema sam rešila da napustim školu mesec dana pred kraj kursa, i nisam išla u Padovu u Italiji na polaganje finalnog ispita. Ovo sam doživela kao lični poraz, jer sam smatrala da bi kurs modelarstva za mene bio ostvarenje snova. Ipak, pojavila se nova šansa, sasvim neočekivano. Vlasnik škole, gospodin Padovani, me lično pozvao da dođem na polaganje ispita kada budem spremna. Naime, gospodina Padovanija sam upoznala u školi, kada je bio u poseti Beogradu, i tada sam od njega dobila dosta komplimenata na račun mog rada. Bio je iznenađen što nisam izašla na ispit, pa me pozvao da ovu formalnost obavim u novom terminu. Planiram da ovu šansu iskoristim, i veoma sam zahvalna na novoj prilici, ali ću ispit morati da uskladim sa ostalim obavezama, tako da još uvek nismo zakazali ispit.

Do Novembra, kada sam upisala TR Masterklas, sašila sam par stvarčica, među kojima su sivo-žuta satenska haljina i moja venčanica bile najupečatljivije. 

From a sewing point of view, I have to admit 2012 wasn't spectacular. I'd never sewn less, and the items I made were not all that eye catchy. It's not that they were bad, but I think I didn't do my best, even tough the whole year was all about sewing.

At the end of 2011 I enrolled the sewing course at SITAM school, which didn't fulfill my expectations. Due to some personal issues I decided to leave the course a month before the end, and I didn't go to Italy to the final exam. It was a personal defeat to me, since I had thought pattern construction course would be a dream come true to me. However, a new chance came my way, quite unexpectedly. The school's owner, Mr. Padovani, personally invited me to take the exam when I'm ready. I med him in the school, when he visited Belgrade, and he gave me a lot of compliments for my work. He was surprised I didn't take the exam, and offered me to complete this formality in a new term. I plan to use this chance and I am very grateful for the new opportunity, but I'll have to schedule the exam according to the other responsibilities. Therefore, we haven't scheduled the exam yet.

By November, when I enrolled the TR Masterclass, I made a few garments, among which the yellow-gray dress and my wedding dress were the most distinctive ones.

No, kurs kod Shingo Satoa mi je potpuno vratio volju za šivenjem i probudio inspiraciju. Poslednja kreacija u nizu, Nugat haljina, je stvar kojom se veoma ponosim, i jedva čekam da je završim pa da je pokažem u njenom punom sjaju.

However, the Shingo Sato's course brought back my sewing mojo and inspiration. The last creation I worked on, the Nougat dress, is an item I am very proud of and I can't wait to finish it and show it in all its glory.

Emotivno, 2012. godina nije bila ni malo dosadna; čak naprotiv, bila je prilično iznenađujuća.

Krajem Aprila upoznala sam svog muža. Ne, niste me pogrešno razumeli, znamo se samo osam meseci! Trebalo nam je čitavih mesec i po dana da shvatimo da je to što imamo baš ono što nam je oboma trebalo i rešili smo da se venčamo. Ja nisam bog zna koliko romantična osoba, nije bilo vereničkog prstena, svečane večere i prosidbe na kolenima. Zapravo, ja sam bila ta koja je zaprosila njega rečima "aj' se venčamo!". On se premišljao cele dve mikrosekunde :). Okruženje je bilo šokirano, svi redom su pretpostavili da sam trudna, jer nikome nije bilo jasno kako i zašto to radimo na prečac. 

Neočekivana udaja me naterala da rešim problem stambenog pitanja. Unazad četiri godine sam bila u potrazi za stanom. Par puta sam bila veoma blizu realizacije, ali me svaki put drugi problem osujetio u tome (jednom je bila cena, drugi put uslovi kreditiranja, naredni put sumnjiva dokumentacija koju je investor imao za stan, na kraju je i moja firma počela da redukuje zaposlene i smanjila nam plate). Ovaj put, imala sam jak motiv da nađem rešenje za sve probleme i konačno kupila stan. Nije da nisam napravila kompromis: budžet kojim sam raspolagala je bio relativno mali, pa je i stan minijaturan, ali moj je! Stan sam uzela sredinom jula, a uselili smo se mesec dana kasnije, spremni da tu gradimo svoju budućnost.

Plan je bio da se uzmemo krajem Avgusta, ali me u tome osujetio ozbiljan problem sa jetrom, zbog kog sam provela deset dana u bolnici. Iako nisam paničila niti očajavala, ne mogu da kažem da mi je bilo svejedno. Imala sam svojih par minuta krize, ali ipak moram da istaknem da sam u bolničkoj sobi bila glavni animator cimerkama i terala ih da, umesto na svoje zdravstvene probleme, misle na to kako da se zabave najbolje što mogu u bolničkim uslovima. Ubrzo sam nabavila vunicu i igle za štrikanje i počela time da se zanimam. Dugo nisam štrikala, tako da moji pokušaji nisu rezultirali konkretnom bluzom, ali u tom trenutku bilo mi je najbitnije da okupiram misli nečim što nije bilo vezano za moje zdravlje. Štrikeraj je postao glavna atrakcija u sobi, pa su i moje cimerke počele da pletu, svaka u granicama svog umeća. Bilo je sjajno videti promenu u njihovom ponašanju - odjednom je najveći problem postala petlja u pletivu, a ne klinički rezultati. 

Evo me, par meseci od izlaska iz bolnice, zvanično zdrava, iako još uvek nisam ona stara. Imam probleme sa imunitetom, hroničnim nedostatkom energije, i svesna sam da ne izgledam najbolje. Uz to, moram da se pridržavam određene dijete, i ne smem previše fizički da se naprežem, zbog čega sam se ugojila. To je ponekad frustrirajuće (pre neki dan sam imala pravu malu dramu ispred ogledala), ali imam bezuslovnu podršku svoje porodice i prijatelja, a to mnogo znači. Situacija nije idealna, ali i pored toga sam srećna.

Udala sam se u Oktobru, i provela fenomenalan medeni mesec u Rimu. 

Emotionally, the 2102 wasn't dull at all; it was rather surprising, in fact.

I met my husband in April. No, you haven't misunderstood me, we've been knowing each other for eight months only! It took us a month and a half to realize that what we had was exactly what we needed and so we decided to get married. I'm not a romantic girl, so there was no wedding ring, no special dinner nor a proposal with him on the knees. Actually, I was the one who proposed him with the words "let's get married!". It took him two microseconds to reply :). Our friends and family were in shock, and everyone assumed I was pregnant, because no one understood our rush.

An unexpected wedding forced me to solve a housing issue. For the pas four years I had been in a search for a flat. I was close to buying several times, but each time a different problem stopped me (once it was a price, the other time the mortgage conditions weren't acceptable, the third time the contractor didn't have clean papers for the flat, and finally, my firm cut off employees and lowered the salaries). Well this time I was really motivated to solve all the problems and finally I bought a flat. I did make a compromise tough: I had a limited budget, therefore the flat was a tiny one, but it was mine! I bought the flat in July, and we moved in a month later, ready to build our future over there.

The plan was to get married in August, but a serious liver issue put me to the hospital for ten days and changed my plans. I didn't panic, but  I didn't feel great either. I had a few minuted of emotional crisis, but I have to point out I was the main comedian to my room mates in the hospital, forcing them to think of the ways to have fun while being there, instead of thinking of their medical problems. In a short time I had my knitting needled and a yard with me and stared playing with it. I hadn't knitted in a long time, so my knitting efforts didn't result with a garment, but at the time it was enough just to distract my thoughts from the health issues. The knitting promptly became the major attraction in my room, and all of my room mates started knitting too, each one according to their skills. It was great to see the change - all of a sudden the major problem was a knitting loop, instead of the clinical tests.

So here I am, months after I left the hospital, officially healthy, but I'm not the same. I still have problems with the immune system, I suffer from constant lack of energy, and I'm aware I don't look great. Additionally, I'm on a certain diet, and I'm not allowed exercise, which lead to gaining weight. It's sometimes frustrating (a couple of days ago I had a real drama in front of a mirror), but I have an unconditional support from my family and friends, and that means a lot. The situation is not ideal, but I am happy never the less.

I married in October and went on a great honeymoon to Rome, Italy. 

Život bi bio idealan kada bih još imala i dobar posao (pomenuh već da je firma ranije imala probleme u poslovanju; sada su ti problemi u fazi kulminacije i intenzivno tražim novi posao), ali se nadam da će 2013. to doneti.

The life would be perfect if I had a good job (I mentioned before my firm had problems; these issues have culminated and I intensively look for a new job), but I hope the 2013 will bring that too.

Srećna Nova Godina / Happy New Year

Nadam se da ste se sjajno proveli sinoć, i da ste iz stare u novu godinu ušli nasmejani i veseli.

Srećna vam Nova Godina!

I hope you had a great time last night and that you entered a new year cheerfully and with a smile.

Happy New Year!