Feb 23, 2013

Pitanja i odgovori / Q&A

Pre neki dan sam od jedne čitateljke dobila email sledeće sadržine:
Početnik sam u šivenju i trenutno pokušavam da nađem svoju veličinu za šnitove iz Burde. Nije mi jasna njihova tabela jer za svaku meru pojedinačno stoji drugi konfekciski broj....moj broj je inače 42 ali ne znam da li je to isto i po Burdi. Kako da se snađem?

A few days ago I got an email from a reader, with the following content:
I am a beginner at sewing and I'm trying to find my size for Burda Style patterns. I don't get their size chart, since each of my measurements corresponds to different size... I'm normally size 42 when buying RTW, but I'm not sure if I can use the same size when using Burda's patterns. What am I supposed to do?

Prvo da napomenem da smo svi različito građeni - neko ima široka ramena, neko velike grudi, neko uske kukove, neko kratak torzo, itd. Uklopimo sve moguće kombinacije telesnih osobina i dobićemo jako mnogo različitih mera/veličina. Dakle, nemoguće je očekivati da svaki kroj svima odgovara, jer su komercijalni krojevi pravljeni prema nekim uopšteno definisanim merama. Čak i u modnoj konfekciji, primetićete da vam modeli određene marke odlično stoje, dok vam modeli druge marke nikako ne pristaju, čak iako su iste veličine. Ovo je iz razloga što svaka modna kuća definiše svoju tabelu mera za svaku veličinu. To znači da uopštena veličina koju ste navikli da kupujete ne mora da odgovara veličini komercijalnog kroja. 

I have to point out every single one of us has a unique body shape - one has broad shoulder, some have big breast, some have narrow hips, some have short torso, etc. Try combining different body features and you'll get a lot of different measurements/sizes. Therefore, it's impossible to expect that every pattern fits every person, since commercial patterns are made according to some general measurements. Even in RTW you'll notice that models from different brands can fit you quite differently even though they're the same size.

U skladu sa tim, Burda ima svoju tabelu mera i odgovarajućih veličina, koja je najverovatnije jedinstvena za njihove modele (kliknite na sliku da je uvećate). Italijanski časopis La Mia Boutique i španski Patrones imaju potpuno drugačije sisteme mera. 

Therefore, Burda Style has its own size charts that's probably unique and corresponds only to their patterns (click on picture to enlarge it). The Italian La Mia Boutique and Spanish Patrones have completely different size charts.


Pošto već pričamo o merama, jako je bitno da se pravilno izmerite. Detaljne instrukcije za uzimanje mera možete naći na linku ispod, a možete se poslužiti i slikom ispod.

Since we're talking about measurements, I'd like to point out the importance of taking measurements properly. You can find detailed instructions for taking measurements following the link bellow, or you can use the picture displayed bellow.



Postavlja se pitanje - kako odrediti koja vam veličina odgovara kada svakoj vašoj meri odgovara različita veličina? Burda je devedesetih godina počela da izdaje krojeve u više veličina, što rešenje ovog problema čini veoma jednostavnim. Mnogi drugi komercijalni krojevi su takođe dati u više veličina, pa je postupak koji opisujem primenjiv i na njih. 
Primera radi, uzimimo da vaše veličine variraju od 36 do 40, prema sledećem principu:
  • Obim grudi - vel. 36 
  • Obim struka - vel. 38 
  • Obim kukova - vel. 40 
  • Širina ramena - vel. 40 
  • Dužina leđa - vel. 40
  • Obim vrata - vel. 38 
Napomena: radi preglednosti, ja sam izvukla na papir kroj u sve tri pomenute veličine, ali izmena kroja se može vršiti prilikom vađenja istog, precrtavanjem odgivarajuće veličine i korekcije direktno sa krojnog lista na papir. Veličine 36, 38 i 40 označene su plavom, zelenom i crvenom bojom, respektivno. Korigovan kroj iscrtan je crnim flomasterom. Za potrebe ovog tutorijala, ja sam koristila kroj za haljinu iz Burde 11/2012, #122, ali postupak je isti za sve modele.

The question in - how to define a size, when each measurement corresponds to a different size? Burda Style started printing multisized patterns during the '90ies, which makes a solution to the problem quite simple. Many other commercial patterns are also given in several sizes, so the following procedure can be applied for them too.
As an example, let's say the body measurements correspond to sizes 36 - 40, as following:
  • Bust circumference - size 36 
  • Waist circumference - size 38 
  • Hip circumference - size 40 
  • Shoulder width - size 40 
  • Back length - size 40
  • Neck width - size 38 
In order to make this tutorial clear, I traced a pattern in all three sizes. However, the alteration can be done while tracing the pattern, drawing alterations directly on the tracing paper. Sizes 36, 38 and 40 are marked in blue, green and red, respectfully. The final pattern is marked with black pen. I used a dress pattern from Burda Style 11/2012, #122, but the procedure can me used for any model.

Krećemo od gornjeg dela haljine, gde nam mere variraju od veličine 36 do 40. Pošto obim grudi odgovara veličini 36, a obim struka vel. 38, korigujemo kroj od pazuha ka struku, praveći prelaz od manje ka većoj veličini u tom smeru. Kopiramo brusnu koja odgovara vel. 38. Širina ramena i dužina leđa odgovaraju vel. 40, pa taj deo kroja kopiramo u odgovarajućoj veličini, korigujući kroj duž otvora za ruku, tj. smanjujući ga prema vel. 36. Primetite da, ako je dužina manja ili veća, kopiraćemo onu veličinu na ramenu koja odgovara toj veličini. Širinu ramena možemo lako suziti ili proširiti po potrebi. Izrez oko vrata smanjujemo od vel. 40 do vel. 38. Ovde mi se podvukla greška - izraz oko vrata moramo podići kako bismo ga smanjili, tj. spustiti kako bismo ga povećali.

We're starting from the top pattern pieces, where measurements vary between sizes 36 and 40. Since bust circumference corresponds to size 36 and waist to size 38, we're altering the pattern from the underarm point towards the waist, making a smooth shift from the smaller to the larger size. We're copying a dart in size 38. Back length and shoulder width correspond to size 40, therefore we copy this part of the pattern in its size, and make an alteration on the armhole, by reducing the size from 40 to 36. Note that in case when back length is smaller or greater we well copy the corresponding shoulder size. Shoulder width can be adjusted as needed.  Alter the neckline by reducing the size from 40 to 38. I had a mistake in the previous sentence - the neckline needs to be pulled up in order to reduce it, or pulled down in order to enlarge it.


Isti postupak ponavljamo za zadnji deo kroja.

Repeat the process on the back top panel.


Mere za donji deo tela variraju od vel. 38 do vel. 40, od struka prema kukovima. Dakle, krećemo od vel. 38 na struku i glatkom krivom linijom širimo kroj ka vel. 40. Koristimo brusnu za vel. 38, kao i na gornjem delu kroja. Isti postupak ponavljamo i za zadnji deo suknje.

Bottom body measurements vary from 38 to 40, going from waist to hips. Therefore, we're starting from the size 38 at the waistline, and flare the pattern with a smooth curve towards the size 40. Use the size 38 dart, as you did on the top pattern pieces. Repeat the process for the back skirt pattern.


Na ovaj način dobijamo kroj koji odgovara našim merama. Jednostavno, zar ne? Ipak, napominjem da ćete najverovatnije morati ponegde da dodatno korigujete kroj prilikom samog šivenja. Takođe, želim da naglasim da su ovo najelementarnije korekcije kroja. Budući da je čitateljka početnik u šivenju, mislim da je ova lekcija dovoljna za sada. Kada malo savlada osnove šivenja, može početi da se bavi detaljnijim korekcijama kroja za savršen izgled garderobe.

This way we've gotten us a pattern that suits our measurements. It's quite easy, isn't it? However, I have to point out you'll probably have to make some additional tweaks to the pattern during the sewing process. Also, I'd like to point out these are the basic pattern alterations. Since the reader is a beginner in sewing, I think this lesson is enough for her skill level. Once she gets the basics, she'll be able to make some detailed pattern alterations in order to get a perfect fit.

Feb 21, 2013

Mnogo buke ni oko čega / Much ado about nothing

TR Platforms Final takmičenje je počelo 17. Februara, ali moram vam reći da sam rešila da odustanem od istog. Iznenađeni ste? Iskreno, mučila sam se da donesem ovu odluku, ali sam ubeđena da sam dobro postupila. A razlog? Previše obaveza! Tokom masterklasa sam zaista uživala u radu, učeći nove tehnike, ali sam istovremeno bila jako opterećena kratkim rokovima i ličnom ambicijom, preklopljenom sa privatnim obavezama koje nisu mogle da čekaju. Povremeno sam se osećala kao da je masterklas još jedan posao koji moram da radim, što i nije tako zabavno. 
Uz sve to, uzmite u obzir i to da živim u malenom stanu, u kome imam samo jedan sto (trpezarijski) i za njim šijem. Kako mi nije uvek bilo zgodno da svaki čas sklanjam šivaću mašinu, previše često nam se dešavalo da jedemo hranu iz krila. Par puta sam rekla kako je moj muž postao taoc mog šivenja. Ni malo lep osećaj... On se zapravo i nije bunio, ali sam ja previše često osećala krivicu jer ga maltretiram. Nisam mogla da se dogovorim sa prijateljima da odemo na običnu kafu, jer nikad nisam znala koliko vremena će mi trebati da završim zadatak.
Jedva sam čekala da se završi kurs, a onda sam saznala da sam prošla u finale. Naravno, mnogo mi je imponovalo i bila sam izuzetno ponosna, ali pomislih - još tri meseca ovakvog života!?! Kako je vreme odmicalo, malo sam zaboravila na stres, opustila se, i pomislila kako bih zaista mogla da izguram takmičenje do kraja. Ali, prvi zadatak me odmah podsetio na sve probleme i frustracije koji me čekaju u naredna 3 meseca. Zaključih da nije vredno truda. Toliko je drugih stvari kojima želim trenutno da se bavim (i pored silnog šivenja ja ostadoh željna nove garderobe!), prijatelja koje želim da vidim i mesta koje želim da obiđem. Sada imam vremena za sve to. 
Posle toliko buke oko mog prolaska u finale, nekako osećam kao da dugujem svima izvinjenje. Već me nekoliko prijatelja pitalo koji je moj rad, jer su hteli da glasaju za mene. Hvala im na pažnji i želji da mi pomognu!
Ja ću, svakako, nastaviti da pratim zbivanja na takmičenju, jer me jako zanima da vidim naredne zadatke koje će Shingo Sato postavljati pred takmičare.
Dole možete videti neke od mojih omiljenih. Da podsetim, takmičenje možete pratiti na ovoj stranici.

The TR Platforms Final competition started on February 17th, but I have to inform you I have decided to quit it. Are you surprised? To be honest, I struggled making this decision, but I'm sure I made the right one. The reason? Too much obligations! During the TR Masterclass I really enjoyed the work and learning new techniques, but I was at the same time overwhelmed by short deadlines and my personal ambition, that overlapped with private duties that couldn't wait. From time to time I felt as if the masterclass was a second job I did, which wasn't fun at all.
Along with these, have on mind I live in a tiny apartment, where I have only on table (a dining one), where I sew. It wasn't convenient to me to move the sewing machine all the time, and my husband and I had our meals by holding plates in our laps for too many times. A few times I felt the husband was a hostage of my sewing. It didn't feel nice... He didn't complain at all, but I felt guilty all the time. I couldn't make any arrangement with my friends to go for a plain cup of coffee, since I never knew how much time I needed for completing a task.
I couldn't wait for the course to end, and then I found out  I had qualified for the finals. I was proud off course, but I secretly thought - three more months of living like this?!? As the time went by, I forgot about all the stress and relaxed, and I even thought I could pull the competition off. However, the first assignment reminded me of all the issues and frustrations that awaited me in the next 3 months. I decided it wasn't worth it. There are so many other things I want to do now (with all that sewing I was in need of new wardrobe!), friends I wish to meet with and places I'd like to visit. Now I have the time for this.
After all that ado about my qualifications for the finals, I feel I have to apologize to everyone. A few friends have already asked me about my task, they wanted to vote for me. I'd like to thank them for the attention and the wish to help me!
I'll keep on following the competition, as I am really curious to see the tasks Shingo Sato will give to the contestants.
Bellow are some of my favorites. To remind you, you can follow the competition on this page.










Feb 15, 2013

"Corset Making for beginners to intermediate" (Kritika knjige / Book review)


Upravo sam pročitala knjigu “Corset Making for beginners tointermediate”  (Pravljenje korseta za početnike) autorke Džulije Bremble, koju sam dobila preko sajta Vivebooks, u zamenu za kritiku iste. U pitanju je knjiga u elektronskom obliku, u PDF formatu, praćena video tutorijalima, linkovima na detaljnija objašnjenja i tehnoke i sa dosta fotografija i ilustracija na ukupno 97 strana. To je sveobuhvatni vodič koji nudi sve informacije o korsetima iz viktorijanskog doba i njihovoj konstrukciji.
Knjiga sadrži više poglavlja, počevši od onog koje vas upoznaje sa autorkom Džulijom Bremble. Dalje sledi poglavlje koje opisuje istoriju korseta i njihovu funkciju, način na koji se isti koriste, i daje savete o tome kako korset treba da stoji na telu. Knjiga potom daje informacije o svom alatu i priboru potrebnom za konstrukciju korseta, sa opisom različitih fišbajna i pozamanteriji, kao i listu svih materijala potrebnih za rad. Naučićete o tome koliki dodaci za komociju su potrebni na korsetu, kako da podesite kroj prema sebi, kao i ta napravite test kroj. Konačno, knjiga daje primere dva korseta - jednoslojnog i dvoslojnog korseta. Volela bih da knjiga ima uključene i instrukcije za pravljenje kroja za korset. Umesto toga, knjiga savetuje da koristite kroj koji se može kupiti na sajtu www.trulyvictorian.com, ali mislim da se mogu koristiti i drugi komercijalni krojevi.
Knjiga je namenjena osobama sa početnim i srednjim znanjem šivenja. Iako su sve potrebne informacije navedenje u knjizi (detaljne instrukcije za šivenje, sve tehnike su pojašnjene jasnim ilustracijama i / ili  fotografijama i video snimcima), mislim da šivenje korseta nije pogodno za potpune početnike. Sama autorka navodi "Ako ste opušteni prilikom šivenja, imate solidno znanje o osnovnim krojačkim tehnikama i možete da šijete po pravoj liniji, možete da napravite i korset.", što znači da morate imati neko iskustvo u šivenju, ali možete biti početnik u šivenju korseta. 
Prošle godine sam napravila haljinu koja ima korset sa fišbajnima inkoroporiran u nju, ali volela bih da sam pročitala knjigu pre nego što sam počela da radim na haljini. Mislim da se metode i tehnike opisane u knjizi mogu primeniti na različite vrste korseta (na primer, na one sa korpama za grudi), kao i na haljine bez bretela sa ugrađenim fišbajnima, a sigurna sam da ću u budućnosti imati prilike da primenim sve što sam iz knjige naučila.



I’ve just read the “Corset Making for beginners tointermediate” by Julia Bremble , that I got from the Vivebooks website, in exchange for the book review. It is an ebook, in PDF format, accompanied by several video tutorials, hyperlinks to more detailed explanations of terms and techniques and lots of pictures and illustrations on total of 97 pages. It is a comprehensive guide that provides all the information about Victorian era corsets and their construction.
The book contains several chapters, starting with an introduction to the author, Julia Bremble. Following is a chapter describing history of corsets and their function, the way they work and that gives some advice on basic fitting. The book next provides you with information about all the tools one needs when constructing a corset, with descriptions of different boning types and the hardware the corset is constructed of, list of all the fabrics and notions required for building a corset. You’ll learn about the ease the corset needs, how to fit the pattern and make a toile/muslin.  Finally, the book gives two examples of corset constriction – single layered and double layered corsets. I wish the book had information on drafting a corset pattern. Instead, you’re advised to use the corset pattern which can be bought from the www.trulyvictorian.com website, but I think other commercial patterns could be used too.
The book is intended for beginner to intermediate skill level. Even though all the needed information is enlisted in the book (detailed instructions for garment construction, all the techniques are explained with clear illustrations and / or photographs and videos), I don’t think corset making is appropriate for absolute beginners. The author herself states “If you are comfortable behind a sewing machine, have a good working knowledge of basic sewing techniques and can sew a straight line, you can build a corset.”, which means that one needs to have some sewing experience, but one can be a beginner in corset construction.
Last year I made a dress with boned corset built in it, but I wish I had read this book before I started working on it. I think the methods and techniques described in the book can be applied on various styles of corsets (i.e. with bust cups), and on boned strapless dresses, and I’m sure I’ll use the learnt in the future.

Feb 14, 2013

Knjige preda mnom / Books ahead of me

U poslednja dva meseca sam, na krajnje neobičan način, obogatila svoju biblioteku krojačke literature sa par knjiga o kojima tek treba da pišem kritike. No, mislim da je zanimljivo i da podelim sa vama priču o tome kako sam došla do ovih knjiga.

I've added some new books to my sewing library in the most unusual way in the last couple of months. I'm yet to write critiques on these books, but I think it would be interesting to share with you how I got them.

Prvo me je u Decembru kontaktirala Dibs, porukom da bi htela da mi pokloni knjigu The Art of Manipulating Fabric (Umetnost manipulacije tkaninom), autorke Kolet Volf. Iskreno, skeptik u meni je odmah pomislio - a zašto bi neko baš meni poklanjao knjigu? Iako sam sa njom ranije  imala komunikaciju preko blogova, kroz komentare i savete koje smo razmenile, nisam verovala da neko može da bude toliko bezuslovno velikodušan. Kontraktirala sam Dibs, uverih se da je zaista mislila ono što je napisala, i ostadoh bez teksta! Kako se zahvaliti osobi koju nikada niste sreli na ovakvom gestu? Uzvratih sa par brojeva italijanskog časopisa La Mia Boutique, i nešto materijala, ali mislim da to nije dovoljno. Knjiga je stigla, listam je svaki dan, nalazim nove fenomenalne ideje u njoj i smišljam dizajn u koji bih mogla da  ih uklopim. Hvala ti Dibs! Nadam se da ću imati prilike da te jednom častim kafom :-)

I was contacted in December by Dibs, with an email that said she wanted to send me a book The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolf. Honestly, a septic inside me thought - why would anyone give me, out of all the people, a book? I had a communication with Dibs before, via comments we had exchanged, but I couldn't believe one could be as unconditionally generous as she was. I contacted her back, and she assured me she was serious, but left me speechless. I mean, how to thank to a person you had never met for such a lovely gesture? In return, I sent her some issues of the Italian magazine La Mia Boutique and some fabric from my stash, but I don't think was enough. I received the book and I browse through it every day, finding some fantastic ideas in it, as I try to think of a design I might incorporate them in. Thank you so much Dibs! I hope I'll have a chance to take you to a cup of coffee :-)


Krajem Januara sam na blogu Kate Sews videla kratak oglas da izdavačka kuća Vivebooks traži ljude koji su voljni da napišu kritiku jedne od knjiga koje imaju u ponudi, a za uzvrat im nudi besplatan download iste knjige. Odmah sam se prijavila za knjigu "Corset Making for beginners to intermediate" (Pravljenje korseta za početnike) autorke Džulije BrembleI tako, dobih još jednu knjigu! Inače, kritiku knjige koju je napisala Kejt, možete pročitati na njenom blogu. Moja kritika me tek čeka, sad znate čime ću se baviti za vikend!

By the end of January I saw an announcement on the Kate Sews blog saying the publisher Vivebooks was looking for people who were willing to write a review on one of their books. In return, those people would get the book for free. I applied for writing a review of "Corset Making for beginners to intermediate"  by Julia Bremble. So, I got another book. You can read Kate's review on the book on her blog. My review is awaiting for me, now you know what I'll be doing this weekend!


Danas saznah da sam osvojila i treću knjigu, u nagradnoj igri koju je organizovala Marina, autorka bloga Frabjous Couture! U pitanju je knjiga Tailoring, The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket (Krojenje, Klasičan vodič za šivenje savršene jakne). Uslov nagradne igre bio je da opišemo kome smo zahvalni što smo naučili da šijemo. Evo šta sam ja napisala: 

Zahvlana sam svojim roditeljima što su mi dozvolili da učim da šijem. Potpuno sam samouka kad je reč o šivenju. Počela sam u detinjstvu, kada sam pravila odeću za svoje Barbi lutke. Sećam se situacije kada je moj tata usisavao sobu u kojoj sam obično šila. Klečao je dok je čistio, a odjednom je jauknuo od bola kada mu se špenadla zabola u koleno. Kaznili su me na nedelju dana, zabranom da šijem, Nakon toga su mi dali šivaću mašinu, a to je bio početak jednog divnog prijateljstva koje i dalje traje!

Today I found out I won a third book in a giveaway organized by Marina, author of the blog Frabjous Couture! It's Tailoring, The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket. Rules of the giveaway said to write down who we were thankful to for teaching us to sew. Here's what I wrote:

I'm thankful to my parents for letting me learn to sew. I was self taught when it comes for sewing. I started in my early youth, by making clothes for my Barbie dolls. I remember a situation when my dad was vacuum cleaning the room where I used to sew. He was on his knees and all of the sudden he screamed in pain as a pin perforated his knee. I was punished for a week, being forbidden to sew. After a while my parents gave me a sewing machine, and that was a beginning of a beautiful friendship that still lasts!

Feb 11, 2013

Dugo se nismo gledali / Long time no see

Davno je bilo kada sam postavila svoju sliku na blog, možda ste do sada zaboravili kako izgledam :-). Kada sam upisala TR kurs, nisam imala mnogo vremena da dodatno šijem. Radila sam na haljini sa zmijskim printom, i završila je, davno, ali nisam imala prilike da je uslikam. Kada se kurs završio, požurila sam da dovršim započeto, pa sam sinoć napravila poslenje šavove na kaputu o kom sam pisala ranije. Zapravo, to je više mantil nego kaput, budući da je od pamučnog kepera. Još uvek je hladno za šetkanje u mantilićima, pa sam se uslikala ispred svoje zgrade i brže-bolje vratila nazad u stan, da se zgrejem. Kaput mi se mnogo dopada. Jedina korekcija koju bih bih uradila je da produžim rukave za otprilike 2 cm, jer su mi za nijansu kraći od optimalne dužine. Uz kaput sam obukla i pomenutu haljinu, da vam pokažem da sam je završila i da veoma lepo izgleda. Nisam se usudila da skinem mantil po zimi, tako da ćete samo delimično moći da je vidite, ali biće još prilike.

It's been a long time since I last posted a photo of me on the blog, you might have forgotten how I looked :-). When I enrolled the TR Masterclass I didn't have much time for additional sewing. I did work on the snake print dress, and actually finished it, but I didn't have the time to snap some photos of it.When the course ended, I hurried to finish the started, and last night I made the final stitches on the coat I wrote about before. It's more a trench coat than a coat since it's made of cotton twill. Still being too cold to go out in a light trench, I quickly snapped a few photos in front of my building and hurried back home to warm. I really like the coat. The only thing I wish I had done different relates to sleeves length, it would have been better if they were 2cm longer. I wore the snake print dress under the coat, to show you it's finished and it looks good. I didn't dare to take off the coat on this weather, so you'll see just a part of it.






  

Feb 10, 2013

Februarsko - Martovsko izdanje Sew News magazina / February - March issue of Sew News magazine

Pre neki dan sam dobila novi paket sa Februarsko - Martivskim izdanjem Sew News časopisa za 2013. godinu, u kom sam pisala o maslinasto zelenoj haljini sa origami detaljima na okovratniku. Ovu haljinu sam napravila pre par godina i jedna je od omiljenih haljina koje imam. 

A few days ago I received a package containing the February - March issue for 2013 of Sew News magazine. The issue features an article about the olive dress with origami detailing on neckline. I made the dress a few years ago, and it's one of my favorite dresses.


Origami detalj nije moj originalan dizjan, moram da priznam. Veoma sličnu haljinu videla sam na blogu koji vodi Sigrid (veoma talentovana dama sa odličnim smislom za stil, od koje sam više puta krala ideje). Haljina me momentalno raspametila i želela sam da napravim sebi istu. Međutim, kroj koji je Sigrid koristila je iz holandskog časopisa Knip mode, koji se ne prodaje u Srbiji, tako da sam morala da smislim način kako da napravim kroj. Rešila sam da ne napravim identičnu kopiju, već sličnu verziju. Trebalo mi je malo vremena da smislim kako da modelujem falte, igrala sam se papirom dok nisam dobila željeni rezultat. Bila sam jako ponosna na sebe zbog ove haljine!

The origami detail is not my original design, I have to admit. I saw a very similar dress on Sigrid's blog (she's a very talented seamstress from Netherlands, who has a great sense of style, and whose ideas I've stolen more than once). The dress blew me away instantly and I wanted to make myself one. However, Sigrid used a pattern from the Dutch magazine called Knip mode which can't be found here in Serbia, so I had to figure out a way to make the pattern. I decided not to make an identical copy of the dress, but a similar version of it. It took me some time of brainstorming on the origami pleats; I played with paper until I got the effect I needed. I was so proud of my for this dress!

Kao i obično, evo par slika da vidite kako haljina izgleda na meni.

As usual, here are a couple of photos so you can see how the dress looks on me.



Uz članak o haljini, Sew News je objavio i intevju sa mnom na svom zvaničnom blogu.

Along with the dress article, Sew News published an interview with me on their official blog.

Feb 5, 2013

Novi kaputić na pomolu / A new coat, work in progress

Htela sam da vam pokažem na čemu radim trenutno. U pitanju je kaputić / mantil koji je manje - više kopija kaputa koji sam pre par godina videla u jednoj prodavnici. Oduševila sam se modelom, ali ne i cenom, tada, i od onda planiram da sašijem svoju verziju. Kaput je vrlo zanimljivog kroja, koji krasi velika asimetrična kragna. Skircirala sam ga kod kuće, po sećanju, da ne bih zaboravila detalje. Crtež nije idealan, skica u sredini ima očigledan problem, jer leva i desna strana nikako ne mogu biti simetrične, no dobro.

I wanted to show you what I'm working on at the moment. It's a coat / trench which I more or less copied from a coat I saw in a store a few years ago. I loved the shape of it, but didn't like the price, and ever since I've been thinking of making my own version of it. The coat has a very interesting seaming, and is adorned by a big asymmetrical collar. I made a sketch of it at home, drawing all the details I could remember. The drawing isn't ideal, the sketch in the middle has an obvious problem, since the left and right sides can not be symmetrical, but I don't care much about it.


Originalna ideja je bila da napravim zimski kaput, od divne kobaltno plave vune koje imam. Međutim, biću krajnje iskrena, od kako sam shvatila da sve vreme forsiram pogrešne boje u garderobi, zaključila sam da kobaltno pava nije dobra ideja. Žuto - maslinastu kombinaciju sam sasvim slučajno izabrala, kao i mnoge kombinacije u poslednje vreme: materijali su se našli jedan pored drugog, i meni se upalila lampica. Inače, žuti materijal sam dobila od prijateljice pre par godina, i odložila ga sa strane, za neki test kroj, jer mi se boja nije dopala. Sada, što ga više gledam, sve više mi se sviđa. Žuti materijal je fin pamučni keper, dok je maslinasti pamuk sa elastinom. Otprilike su iste debljine i čvrstine, što je veoma zgodno. Ipak, sve delove sam ojačala lepljivim platnom srednje debljine, jer sam želela da kaputić lepo drži formu. Gornju kragnu sam učvrstila sa dva sloja flizelina.
Evo kako izgleda kaputić. Rukavi i kragna su pričvršćeni špenadlama, a džepovi još uvek nisu prišiveni, samo je paspuliran otvor džepa, ali već vidim da će super izgledati. 

The initial idea was to make a winter coat, using a gorgeous cobalt blue wool I have. However, I'll be quite honest, once I realized I've been using wrong colors for clothing, I figured the cobalt blue wasn't the best idea. The yellow - olive combo came to me spontaneously, as many other combinations I've been choosing recently: the fabrics stood next to each other and I had an AHA moment. Just so you know, the yellow fabric was a gift from a friend, that I put aside to use for testing patterns, as I didn't like the color. Now, the more I look at it, the more I like it. It's a nice cotton twill, and the olive fabric is a cotton with some elastin in it. The two have approximately same thickness and sturdiness, which was really convenient. However, I fused all the pieces with a medium weight interfacing, since I wanted a coat that has a shape. The top collar was fused with two layers of interfacing.
And here's how it looks. Sleeves and collar are just pinned to the body, and the pockets aren't sewed yet, I've only done the welt part of them, but I can see it will look great when finished.


Kao osnov za kaput koristila sam kroj Burde 10/2005, #116. Ovaj model sam već koristila za dva kaputa: S kaput i roze kaput sa velikom kragnom, tako da je već isproban, svi problemi na njemu su korigovani i znam da mi dobro stoji. Kako je to zgodno! Ovaj put sam najviše posla imala oko kragne i prednjeg dela, koji su asimetrični, ali sam uživala u procesu. Nadam se da ću uskoro završiti rad, i pokazati vam kako izgleda na meni.

I used the BWOF 10/2005, #116 coat pattern as a base. I've used this pattern already for two coats: the S coat and the pink coat with an oversized collar, which means it's been tried and trued, and I know it fits me nice. How convenient! This time I had to draft a collar and to work on the front panels, because these parts were asymmetrical, but I enjoyed the process. I hope I'll finish working on this coat soon, and show you how it looks one me.