Sewing Indie Month: Intervju sa Laurom - Sew Chic Patterns

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Danas imam zadovoljstvo da sa vama podelim svoju prepisku sa Lorom Neš, vlasnicom Sew Chic Patterns, a u okviru Sewing Indie Month događaja. Kada smo počeli tek da organizujemo ovaj događaj, svako od dizajnera je trebao da odabere potencijalne partnere za intervjue i tutorijale. Sew Chic Patterns je bio na mojoj listi od samog starta, jer sam se divila dizajneru koji stoji iza ženstvenih modela, inspirisanih retro modom, koji su zaštitni znak ove firme. Obradovala sam se kada smo se zaista uparile, i dobile priliku da se bolje upoznamo.

Dakle, dozvolite mi da vam predstavim Loru Neš, vlasnicu Sew Chic Patterns i majku četvoro dece. Lori dugujem veliko izvinjenje što kasnim sa objavljivanjem našeg intervuja, koji je bio zakazan za sredinu Maja. Iako smo ga kompletirale na vreme, užasna situacija sa poplavama, koja je zadesila Srbiju, me sprečila da objavljujem postove u poslednje dve nedelje.

Zamolila sam Loru da nam se predstavi svojim rečima, a evo šta je o sebi napisala.

Odrasla sam na zapadu SAD-a, a moja porodica se često selila. Moj otac je bio mehaničar, i provodio je dosta vremena sastavljajući zanimljive automobile i osmišljajući izume za potrebe trkačkih automobila. Moja majka je bila domaćica, koja je volela da kuva i šije. Od svoje treće godine pamtim je kako šije za svojom mašinom, praveći haljine za sestru i mene. Kada sam imala oko 10 godina, počela sam da ispoljavam sopstveni smisao za modu, i tražila sam od mame da me nauči da šijem. Do svoje 13. godine sam šila donji veš i ćebad za svoju Barbiku. 

Čak i kroz brak sam nastavila da šijem za svoju porodicu, a potom sam počela da šijem profesionalno, po narudžbini, kako bih malo dopunila kućni budžet. Radila sam za privatne klijente, ali i prepravke za potrebe butika i robnih kuća. Kada je najmlađe od moje četvoro dece krenulo u predškolsko, upisala sam fakultet kako bih stekla diplomu iz dizajna odeće. Trebalo mi je deset godina da diplomiram, budući da sam paralelno podizala svoju decu.

Da li si volela da šiješ po narudžbini i da radiš prepravke? Koji je najkomplikovaniji komad odeće na kom si radila u tom periodu?

Bilo je stvari koje sam volela kod tog posla, i onih koje nisam. Volela sam da pomažem svojim klijentima da izgledaju sjajno u dobro skrojenoj odeći, ali 99% njih nije želelo ništa originalno. Obično bi mi doneli sliku iz časopisa i tražili da kopiram kreaciju s nje. Pitala bih ih zašto ne kupe odeću od originalnog dizajnera. Nadali su se da bih mogla da sašijem istu stvar jeftinije, ili su želeli da izmene neki element dizajna. Vremenom sam postala veoma brza i dobra u dizajniranju odeće za različite tipove tela. Ipak, ni jedan od modela nije bio težak za izvesti, ali je zahtevao da mu posvetim dosta vremena. Ljudi nisu tražili stil koji bi bio kreativan i zanimljiv za šivenje. Tek kada sam počela da dizajniram odeću za školske proslave moje ćerke i da učestvujem u takmičenjima, mogla sam malo da eksperimentišem.

The Ehlen Blouse

Kako izgleda učešće u dizajnerskom takmičenju? Imaš li dobre ili loše uspomene na taj period? Kakvi su bili drugi učesnici? Da li generalno sebe smatraš takmičarski nastrojenom?

Uživala sam u takmičenjma. Ne zbog toga što sam nešto posebno sklona takmičenju, koliko zbog ciljeva koje sam sebi postavljala u tim trenucima. To je bio dobar način da unapredim svoju kreativnost i veštinu. Moj dizajn bi uvek prošao u sledeći krug, a par puta sam i pobedila. Volela sam da vidim svoje kreacije na modnoj pisti i da slušam reakciju publike. Takođe, volela sam i da vidim fenomenalne kreacije drugih učesnika. Takmičari su obično prijatni i puni podrške. Zanimljivo je učestvovati u takvim događajima.

The Victorian Vionnet Dress

Kada si shvatila da želiš da pokreneš sopstveni posao sa izdavanjem krojeva? Šta te je navelo da doneseš takvu odluku?

Znala sam da ću pokrenuti svoj posao, ali nisam bila skroz sigurna da li bih radila gotovu odeću, ili izdavala svoje krojeve. A onda sam imala priliku da predstavim svoju kolekciju na Nedelji mode. Reakcija publike je bila fenomenalna, ali nisam se osećala prijatno dok sam stajala sa ostalim profesionalcima u bekstejdžu. Molila sam se (bogu) za savet šta da radim, i tada sam shvatila da pravljenje gotove odeće nije za mene. Znala sam da se nikad ne bih osećala loše zbog učešća na hobi / krojačkom bazaru.

Kako uspevaš da podmiriš sve potrebe koje imaš vezano za posao, ali i za porodicu, obzirom da imaš četvoro dece (svaka čast!) i muža?

Kada sam pokretala posao, dvoje od četvoro dece su još uvek živeli sa nama, ali su već bili dovoljno odrasli da mi pomognu kada je trebalo, i da mi budu podrška. Uključila sam ih u proces donošenja odluka, tako što sam ih pitala za savet oko toga šta bi trebalo da radim, ili za mišljenje o dizajnu na kom bih radila. Sada su svi već u braku i ne živimo zajedno. Da nemam svoj posao, život bi mi bio jako dosadan! Moj muž čak i kuva sva jela!

Kako bi opisala svoje krojeve? Za koga su namenjeni? Kako zamišljaš dame koje nose odeću napravljenu prema Sew Chic krojevima?

Moj ukus za modu se nije menjao tokom vremena. Pre 15 godina nije postojao naziv pod koi bih svrstala svoj stil. Ljudi bi mi govorili da su moje kreacije retro, ali i moderne, pa sam smislila kovanicu Retro-Moderno. Sada se za ovaj stil najčešće koristi naziv Retro, ali ne znaju svi šta se tačno pod tim imenom podrazumeva. Moje kreacije su dizajnirane i za starije i za mlađe, i osmišljene su tako da odgovaraju i devojkama koje vole karnere, i onima koje više vole dobro ukrojene modele. Ukratko, mislim da su moje kreacije prikladne za svakoga.

The Fifth Avenue Dress

Gde nalaziš inspiraciju za krojeve?

Obično se ugledam na dizajnere s početka 20. veka. Na ljude poput Kristobala Balenciage, Čarlsa Džejma i Madelin Vinonet.

Koliko često objavljuješ nove krojeve? Koliko vremena ti treba da napraviš kroj, od inicijalne ideje, do momenta kada je spreman za prodaju?

Trudim se da objavim makar po jedan kroj svakog proleća i jeseni, ali to nije uvek pravilo, jer drugi projekti i obaveze umeju da se ispreče. Vreme koje mi je potrebno za objavljivanje kroja zavisi od kompleksnosti kroja i problema na koje usput nailazim. Postoji više faza u pravljenju kroja, a potrebno je da se kroj testira i proveri u svakoj od njih.

The Gienseng Dress

Možeš li da opišeš proces pravljenja kroja?

Naravno, sve počinje sa idejom. Ljudi me obično pitaju da li crtam skice, ali ne, kod mene dizajn kreće od ideje i na dalje evoluira. Obično napravim prvi model i sašijem uzorak kako bih ga proverila. Nošenje i upotreba uzorka je bitan deo testiranja. Kada sam zadovoljna dizajnom, šaljem kroj na skaliranje po veličinama. Tokom ove faze radim na pisanju instrukcija za šivenje. Kada dobijem kroj nazad, sledi još jedno testiranje, ovaj put uz instrukcije. Osoba koja mi testira kroj je početnik u šivenju, tako da je odlična za ovaj deo posla. Naravno, nakon toga sledi i fotografisanje modela, dizajn ambalaže i sl.

Da li radiš sama, ili imaš i zaposlene ili angažuješ pomoć?

Volim da radim sama, ali sada sam u fazi kada moram da angažujem i pomoć, jer dan ima premalo sati za sve poslove koje moram da odradim.

The Tia Dress

Imaš li omiljeni i omraženi deo / fazu pravljenja kroja?

Volim da dizajniram, ali nemam dovoljno vremena da se tome posvetim koliko bih želela. Deo koji najviše mrzim je pisanje instrukcija za šivenje. S vremenom je i to postalo lakše, ali i dalje najmanje volim taj deo posla.

Kolko vremena ti je bilo potrebno da razviješ posao? Imaš li dalje planove za razvijanje Sew Chic Patterns? Gde vidiš sebe i svoju firmu za 5 ili 10 godina?

Prve godine poslovanja sam iskoristila da postavim infrastrukturu za dalji rad - napravila sam dobar vebsajt i obezbedila sam održive metode za razvoj, štampu, slanje krojeva, kao i za korisničku podršku za klijente. Nisam pozajmljivala novac kako bih  pokrenula posao, pa sam u njega ulagala onom brzinom koju su mi prodaja i veme dozvoljavali. Trebalo mi je oko tri godine da zaista razvijem posao. Nemam mentora koji bi me vodio kroz posao, ali sam religiozna, i svoje smernice dobijam kroz molitvu. O mojim religioznim stavovima možeš pročitati ovde.

Gde će biti moj posao za 5 ili 10 godina? Zaista ne znam, ali se nadam na neko dobrom mestu!

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I, kad već pričamo o Sew Chic Patterns, pogledajte kako Ronda, sa bloga Rhonda's Creative Life, planira da izmeni jedan od zanimljivih Lorinih krojeva, Myrtlewood haljinu.

Veliko hvala Lori na sjajnom intervjuu. Uživala sam u našoj prepisci, a kao početnik u vođenju posla bilo mi je izuzetno zanimljivo da čujem kako je izgledao razvojni put iskusnije koleginice. Nadam se da ću i sama postići sličan uspeh, a Lori želim još mnogo sjajnih kreacija i divnih krojeva koje ćemo svi sa uživanjem koristiti.

Povezani članci

• Sewing Indie Month - Džulija Garmenter u gostima
• Sewing Indie Month (Mesec Nezavisnog šivenja)

Sewing Indie Month: An Interview with Laura - Sew Chic Patterns

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Today I have an honor to share with you my chat Laura Nash, owner of Sew Chic Patterns, as a part of Sewing Indie Month. When we started organizing this event, we (the designers) had to pick the potential partners to pair with for interviews and guest tutorials. Sew Chic Patterns was on my list form the very beginning, as I admired the designer who stood behind the feminine, retro inspired models of the brand. I was so thrilled when we actually got to pair together and got to know each other better. 

So, let me introduce you to Laura Nash, an owner of the Sew Chic Patterns, a pattern designer, and a mother of four. I owe Laura a big apology for being late with publishing the interview, which was scheduled for the mid of May. Even though we completed it on time, the horrible situation that shook up my country stopped me from publishing posts in the last two weeks. 

I asked Laura to introduce herself in her own words, so here's what she wrote.

I grew up in the western United States where my family moved a lot. My dad was a mechanic and he spent his time building funny cars and inventing products for the race car circuit. My mother tried very hard to be a stay-at-home mother. She liked to cook and sew. I remember her at the sewing machine from about age 3, where she made matching dresses for my sister and I. At about age 10 I began to exert my own sense of fashion, and asked my mother to teach me how to sew. By age 13 I was sewing bras and blankets and designing for my Barbie doll. 

Even through marriage I continued to sew for my family, and then to help with income, I began sewing professionally for private clients and doing alterations for high end stores. Once my youngest of 4 children was in preschool, I began working on a college degree in apparel design. It took me 10 years to complete, all while raising my children. 

Did you like the custom sewing and alterations? What was the most difficult garment you had to work on at the time?

There were parts that I liked, and parts I didn’t. I liked helping my customers to look great in well-fitting garments, but 99.9% of them did not want anything original. They would bring me a photo from a magazine and ask me to copy it. I would ask them why they don’t buy it from the original designer? They always hoped I could make it for less, or b) they wanted some design element changed. I became very good and fast at designing for, and fitting many figure types. None of the designs were difficult, just time consuming. People didn’t ask for styles that were creative and fun to sew. It was designing gowns for my daughter for high school dances that I could experiment a little, that and for competition. 

The Ehlen Blouse

What does it look like to participate in a design competition? Do you have good or bad memories of that period? What are other contestants like? Do you think of yourself as of a competitive person?

I loved doing competitions. Not because I feel particularly competitive, but because it gave me something to reach for, a way to advance my creative and technical skills. My designs were always accepted, and I did win a few times. I loved seeing my fashions in a runway show and listening for the audience reaction. I loved seeing the really fabulous designs of others. The contestants are usually kind and complimentary. It’s an exciting venue to be a part of.

When did you realize you wanted to run your own business with pattern publishing? What moved you to make such decision? 

The Victorian Vionnet Dress

I knew I would be starting a business, but was a little on the fence about doing ready to wear, or publishing patterns. Then I had the opportunity to present a collection at Fashion Week. The audience reaction was phenomenal, but I didn’t get a good feeling being backstage with the other professionals. I had been praying about what to do, and that is when I knew that the ready to wear market was not for me. I knew that I would never be embarrassed to be a part of the sewing/craft market. 

How do you handle all the responsibilities you have as a business owner, a mom of four (respect!) and  a wife? 

While I was moving to a full business set up, I had 2 kids still at home, but they were getting old enough that I could rely upon them for help and support. I included them in making decisions by asking them what they thought I should do, or if they liked a certain design I was working on. Now they are all married and live away from me. If I didn’t have my work, life would be so dull! My husband now cooks all the dinners too!

How would you describe your patterns? Who are they for? How do you envision the ladies who wear the garments made using Sew Chic patterns? 

My design aesthetic has never changed. 15 years ago, there was no name for my sort of style. People told me that my designs were “old fashioned” but then also “modern”, so I came up with the word “Modern-Vintage”. Now the name that is often used is “Retro”, but not everyone around the world knows what that means either. My styles are fitted and designed for both old and young, and created to please both the girl who loves frills along with the tailored type. In short, I envision them wearable by everyone. 

The Fifth Avenue Dress

Where do you find the inspiration for your patterns? 

I look to the masters of design from the early 20th century. People like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Charles James and Madeleine Vionnet. 

How frequently do you publish new patterns? How much time does it take you to make the pattern, from the initial idea to the moment of launching it for sale? 

I try to publish at least one new pattern every Spring and Fall, but it doesn’t always work out for me. Other deadlines and responsibilities do get in the way. The time it takes depends upon the complexity of the pattern and how many problems I encounter. There are several steps to building a pattern, and it must be tested and checked at every stage.

The Gienseng Dress

Can you describe the process of making a pattern? 

Of course it starts with an idea. People usually ask me if I do a sketch, but no, I start with an idea and it evolves from there. I make a first draft and sew the sample to evaluate. Wearing the sample is also an important part of this. Once I am satisfied with the design, it goes off to the grader. During this time I get the instructions written. When it comes back, it must be tested again with the sewing instructions. My tester is a beginning sewer, so she does a good job with this. Of course there are photos to be taken, packaging to design etc.

Do you work alone, or you have employees / hire help? 

I like working alone, but now I do hire help because there is not enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks alone.

The Tia Dress

What are your most and least favorite parts / stages / phases of the process of making a pattern? 

I love designing, but I don’t get to do that nearly enough. The part I dislike the most is writing the sewing instructions. It gets easier with time, but I still like it the least.

How much time did it take to develop your business? Do you have further plans for growing Sew Chic Patterns? Where do you see yourself and your company in 5 or 10 years? 

I used the early years to lay an infrastructure for these busy days, such as building a good website and creating sustainable methods to develop/print/ship/and service my customers. I did not borrow money to start my business so I invested only as quickly as sales and time would allow. It took about 3 years to really get going. I do not have a business mentor, but I am religious, and I take my cues and direction from prayer. You can read about my religious convictions here.

Where will my business be in 5 or 10 years? I really don’t know, but I hope somewhere good!

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And since we're talking about Sew Chic Patterns, take a look at how Rhonda of Rhonda's Creative Life, plans to alter one of the many interesting Laura's patterns, the Myrtlewood dress.

Big thank you to Laura on a great interview. I really enjoyed our chat, and it's been so interesting to me to learn about how my experienced colleague developed her business. I hope I'll reach the same success as she did myself, and I wish to Laura lots of great creations and beautiful patterns we'll all be happy to use.

Related articles

• Sewing Indie Month - Julia of Garmenter as a guest on Stepalica
• Sewing Indie Month

Sewing Indie Month - Julia of Garmenter as a guest on Stepalica

KLIKNITE za tekst na srpskom

I am thrilled to introduce you to Julia, a talented designer that stands behind the blog Garmenter, which has a rather interesting business concept, the one you won't see often. You see, Garmenter sells basic sloper patterns, which can be used for further pattern alterations and making your custom designs. Moreover, the patterns aren't printed on a paper, but on a muslin fabric, so that you can directly cut the pattern from the fabric and make the sloper according to your measurements. Once the pattern is fitted and adjusted to your body, you can use it as a basis for drafting your own patterns, or you can follow the great instructions given on the Garmenter site, that guide you through drafting various models. So, not only do you get the sloper pattern, but you also get great pattern drafting lessons and help with fitting and adjusting the pattern.

The Madeleine dress and i Aleksa skirt are just some of the many models you can find on Julia's blog, so I advise you to visit her website and learn more about her ideas and perhaps learn some new techniques.

Julia was kind to share with you a great tutorial for making a mini pleated skirt, which can be made wihtout a pattern! She says she was inspired by my Zlata skirt, which makes me feel flattered.

Zlata Inspired “no-pattern” Skirt Tutorial

As a part of Sewing Indie Month, I have the honor of crashing wonderful AnaJan’s blog for the day with a tutorial of my choice! So I thought I’d do a very simple skirt tutorial inspired by Stepalica’s Zlata Skirt, but for which no pattern is needed.

All you’ll need is about ½ m of a somewhat thick knitted fabric (I searched and searched for a good neoprene fabric, but eventually had to give up), matching thread of course, 3 cm wide elastic to go around your waist, and all the usual bits and bobs necessary for a sewing project.

Steps to Follow:

1. Cut Your Rectangle
This whole skirt starts off from a simple rectangle. The size of this rectangle is determined by 2 measurements:

• The waist measurement (x), which is where you want the waistline of your skirt to be placed, minus around 3 cm to account for the stretchiness of the knitted fabric, and plus 30 cm for the fullness in the bottom. It’s these 30 cm we are gonna remove with pleats later on.
• And the skirt length (y), which is simply the length between the waistline and the place on your thigh you want your skirt to end, plus 4 cm for the hemline seam allowance.

2. Distribute the Pleats
The job of the pleats in this design is to remove the 30 cm we added on the last step, but only around the waist, and in an evenly distributed manner around the waistline. In this case, the fold of our pleats will be of 3 cm, giving us 10 pleats to work with. But before we do that, we need to figure out the distance between each pleat, and for that we need our good ol’ friend x from last step. All you have to do is divide x by the amount of pleats we’re doing (10 pleats, that is), and you have the distance between the pleats (or what we hereafter will be calling “z”). So: x / 10 = z. Now, lets put the pleats in place!

• Since this is just one big rectangle, it will only have 1 seam holding it together, and that seam is the CB seam (“center back”). This seam however, will be placed between 2 pleats, so that the distribution of these isn’t affected. This means that on each end of the rectangle we will begin with a half z (or “z/2”) rather than a whole z. This way it will be like a whole z once the CB seam is sewn together.
• As we determined before, begin with a z/2 on one side of the rectangle. Follow that with a pleat of 3 cm, and then continue with a full z. Continue this way until you have 10 pleats, and end it with another z/2.
• In the end, the distribution should be something like this:
  z/2 , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z/2

* I simply used pins to mark where each pleat should go.

3. Mark the Pleats’ Length
To know where the pleats end, or in other words where you should stop sewing the pleats closed, sew a horizontal basting stitch between 12-15 cm from the waistline.

4. Press and Pin the Pleats

On you ironing table, press each pleat shut following your distribution from step 2, and pin them in place as you go along.

5. Sew and Press the Pleats
Once all the pleats are pressed and pinned, stitch vertical straight seams from the beginning of the pleat to the basting stitch. Of course remembering to backstitch at both the beginning and ending of you seam. Here you can choose what kind of pleats you want.
You can either press them as they are toward one side or the other, or do like me and press them open like box pleats. Anyway you choose, fasten each pleat with a pin as you press them.

6. Attach Elastic to the Waistline

Since we’re working with knitted fabric, we need to somehow make sure that our skirt stays put around our waist and doesn’t just slide down our thighs. This we’ll do with some trustworthy elastic. So, take a wide elastic band and attach it to the right side of the waistline using a serger or overlock, or just a good old zigzag stitch.

7. Close the CB Seam, Turn, and “Stitch-in-the-Ditch”
Before we finish up on the waistband, close and press the CB seam using the same stitch as with the elastic band. And for the waistband, there are just 2 steps to follow.

• First, turn the elastic band toward the inside of the skirt, and fasten it with one pin between each pleat.
• Second, from the outside of the skirt “stitch-in-the-ditch” on every pleat seam to fasten the elastic, without it showing on the outside. “Stitch-in-the-ditch” means that you carefully sew 2 or more layers of fabric together by carefully stitching exactly along a seam.

9. Finish the Hemline

And all that’s left now is the hemline, where an invisible stitch would be the classiest way to go I think. Otherwise, the way to do knit hemlines usually is a twin stitch, which gives a more sporty finish.

And voilá!

Hope you enjoy, and happy Sewing Indie Month!
/Julia, from www.garmenter.com

Sewing Indie Month - Džulija Garmenter u gostima

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Danas imam zadovoljstvo da vam predstavim Džuliju, dizajnerku koja stoji iza bloga Garmenter, koji ima veoma zanimljiv koncept poslovanja, kakv nisam imala prilike da vidim ranije. Naime, Garmenter prodaje krojeve za osnovne krojeve, od kojih kasnije možete napraviti bilo koju varijaciju modela. Takođe, krojevi nisu štampani na papiru, već na pamučnom platnu, tako da možete direktno sa platna da iskrojite kroj i sašijete ga prema svojim merama. Jednom kada ste korigovali kroj tako da vam je potpuno taman, možete ga koristiti kao osnovu za pravljenje vašeg kroja, ali možete i pratiti fenomenalna i veoma jednostavna uputstva za pravljenje modela, koja se nalaze na samom sajtu Garmenter. Dakle, ne dobijate samo kroj za osnovni model, već i lekcije iz modelovanja krojeva, kao i pomoć za kroigovanje modela kako bi bolje stajao na vašem telu. 

Madeleine haljina i Aleksa suknja su samo neki od mnogih modela za koje možete naći instrukcije na Džulijinom blogu, pa vam savetujem da posetite njen blog i pokupite njene sjajne ideje i naučite neku novu tehniku.

Džulija je bila ljubazna da sa vama podeli sjajan tutorijal za pravljenje mini nafaltane suknjice, koju možete napraviti i bez kroja! Kaže da je bila inspirisana mojom Zlata suknjom, što mi je veoma drago.

Tutorijal za suknju bez kroja, inspirisan Zlata suknjom

Kao deo događaja Sewing Indie Month, imam čast da gostujem kod AneJan, sa tutorijalom po mom izboru! Zato sam pomislila da napravim tutorijal za jednostavnu suknju, inspirisanu Štepalicinom Zlata suknjom, ali bez korišćenja kroja.

Sve što vam je potrebno je oko pola metra relativno debelog trikotažnog materijala (dugo sam tražila dobar neopren materijal, ali sam na kraju morala da dignem ruke od njega), konac u odgovarajućoj boji, lastiš širine 3 cm kao pojas, kao i sve uobičajene džidžabidže koje koristite prilikom šivenja.

Koraci:

1. Iskrojte pravougaonik
Ova suknja se pravi od jednostavnog pravougaonika. Dimenzije pravougaonika zavise od dve veličine:

• Obim struka (x), na mestu gde će se nalaziti pojas suknje, umanjen za 3 cm, kako bi se uzela u obzir i rastegljivost trikotažnog materijala, i opet uvećan za 30 cm kako bi suknja imala širinu pri porubu. Ovih 30 cm ćemo ukloniti faltanjem.
• I dužina suknje (y), određena dužinom između pojasa suknje i tačke na butinama gde želite da se nalazi poub suknje, uvećana za 4 cm, za pregib poruba.

2. Rasporedite falte
Svrha falti kod ovog modela je da uklone onih 30 cm viška koje smo dodali u prethodnom koraku, ali samo duž pojasa, i to tako da su falte ravnomerno raspoređene duž pojasa. U ovom slučaju, pregib falti će iznositi 3 cm, što da ćemo imati ukupno 10 falti. Pre nego što počemo da faltamo suknju, potrebno je da odredimo rastojanje između falti, za šta nam treba veličina x određena u prethodnom koraku. Sve što treba da uradite je da podelite x sa brojem falti koje imate (u našem slučaju 10), i dobićete rastojanje između falti (ovu veličinu ćemo ubuduće zvati “z”). Dakle, x / 10 = z. A sad, da napravimo falte!

• Pošto je ovo jedan veliti pravougaonik, imaće samo jedan šav koji spaja delove, a to je središnji zadnji šav. Međutim, ovaj šav će biti postavljen između dve susedne falte, kako ne bi ometao raspored istih. To znači da ćemo početi sa svake strane pravougonika, udaljivši se za z/2 od ivice Na ovaj načun, rastojanje između dve falte sa obe stane šava biće jednako z.
• Kao što smo već utvrdili, počnite od tačke udaljene za z/2 od jedne od ivica pravougaonika. Udaljite se od te tačke za 3 cm, obeležite tačku, pa se potom udaljite od nje za dužinu z. Nastavite dok ne dobijete 10 falti.
• Na kraju, raspored falti bi trebalo da izgleda otprilike ovako:
  z/2 , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z , 3 , z/2

* Koristila sam špenadle da obeležim falte.

3. Obeležite dužinu falti
Kako biste znali gde se falte završavaju,  ili kako biste znali gde treba da zaustavite šav, profircajte vodoravan štep na otprilike 12 - 15 cm od pojasa.

4. Prepeglajte falte i pričvrstite ih špenadlama

Na dasci za peglanje prepeglajte svaku od falti, tako da je zatvorena, i usput je pričvrstite špenadlama.

5. Prošijte i ispeglajte falte
Kada su sve falte prepeglane i pričvršćene špenadlama, prošijte ih vertikalnim šavovima od vrha pravougaonika do firca. Ne zaboravite da ojačate šav na početku i kraju. U ovom trenutku možete odabrati tip falti koje želite da ima vaša suknja.
Možete sve falte prepeglati u jednom smeru, ili ih prepeglati simetrično dvostrano tako da prave olfaltne. Kako god da odlučite, pričvrstite svaku od falti za glavni materijal prilikom peglanja.

6. Prišijte lastiš za struk

Pošto koristimo trikotažni materijal, moramo se osigurati da nam suknja neće spasti niz butine. U tu svrhu ćemo koristiti stari dobri lastiš. Dakle, uzmite širok lastiš i pričvrstite ga za lice materijala, koristeći endlericu ili jednostavan cik cak bod.

7. Zatvorite zadnji šav, izvrnite suknju i prošijte uz ivicu
Pre nego što  završimo posao na pojasu, proštepajte zaBefore we finish udnji šav, koristeći isti bod koji ste koristili i za prišivanje lastiša. Za kompletiranje posaja, pratite sledeća dva koraka.

• Najpre, prevrnite lastiš ka naličju suknje, i pričvrstite ga sa po jednvake dve falte.
• Potom, šijući sa lica suknje, prišijte lastiš za glavni materijal koristeći niz vertikalnih šavova prišijte lastiš za materijal tako da štep ide duž šava falte. Na ovaj način sakrivate štep unutar postojećeg vertikalnih šavova.

9. Porubite suknju

Sve što je ostalo da se uradi je da porubite suknju, pri čemu je nevidljivi bod najelegantniji način da se ovo izvede. Umesto njega, možete koristit i dupli štep, što će suknju dati sportski izgled.

I voilá!

Nadam se da ste uživali, i želim vam srećan Sewing Indie Month!
/Julia, from www.garmenter.com

Sewing Indie Month

* KLIKNITE za tekst na srpskom

Dear readers, I wish you a happy Labor day! I'm not sure if this international holiday is being celebrated around the world as it is in Serbia - traditionally we do not work during the holiday, instead we use the sunny spring days to overeat with the barbecue meat :). I decided to join the holidays with a vacation time and visit the seaside in Montenegro. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough for sunbathing if not for swimming in the sea.

May will be a month with lots of happenings, and hopefully an interesting one. You see, this month I have joined the forces with numerous indie pattern companies from all over the world, to organize a very interesting event called Sewing Indie Month. We will promote our work and the work of our colleagues, we'll share our lives, patterns, and techniques with you, we'll teach you pattern drafting and show you how to remodel some of our patterns.

Mari Miller, the owner of Seamster Patterns is the brain behind this event and she did an amazing job organizing it. Thanks to her we all got to get to know each other better and promote our designs. So, check out the Seamster Patterns to get the details of the Sewing Indie Month.

Along with 21 indie pattern companies, we have four well known bloggers who will stand by our side, with their great ideas and skill assets. Laura - Lilacs and Lace, Jenny - Cashmerette, Rhonda - Rhonda's Creative Life and Wanett - Sown Brooklyn will host four sewalongs with different themes, which will guide you through sewing our models, they'll show you their interpretations of the garments made after our patterns, and give away the prizes we have prepared for the participants. So, if you're up for a challenge, follow the Sewing Indie Month, participate in a sewalong theme that suits you the most, submit your finished creation, and perhaps you'll win a prize!

Guest blogging at Lolita Patterns

Within the Sewing Indie Month I'll pair up with four other designers - I will introduce you to two of my colleagues, who will guest blog on Stepalica, and I will guest post on the blogs of two lovely ladies.

Amity of Lolita Patterns and I paired up to teach you a bit about pattern drafting. Lolita Patterns specializes in drafting professional office appropriate patterns that are influenced by Japanese Lolita style elements. Her designs are feminine, yet very bold and a bit eccentric. Lolita Patterns provide a wide range of sizes and variations to original design.

Just take a look at this lovely purple lace Gunmetal dress. The ruched sides and the corsage inspired lacing at the front are obviously inspired by cosplay and Gothic Lolita, but Amity made them subtle which makes this dress great for both casual and formal occasions.

click to source

The Sugar Plum dress is perfect for an office, but I can see it styled up for a formal occasion such as wedding or a cocktail.

click to source

My guest blogging at Lolita Patterns  will show you how to draft a pattern for a rather unusual skirt. I got an idea for this skirt from a commercial for a YSL bag. The bag itself didn't impress me as much as the skirt from the photo did. Just look at those lines - such an ingenious design! My interpretation is slightly different, but I kept the basic design of it.

At first glance is looks like a basic pleated skirt, but take a closer look at it and you'll notice it's a skirt with a twist, or should I say - a twisted skirt. The knife pleats are slightly angled, thus making the twist effect.
This kind of skirt is perfect for office and work environment, but it could look quite casual if made from denim, twill or cotton. It is suitable for plain fabrics or those with floral or abstract prints, but I'd advise you to avoid using plaid and striped fabrics, since those can be challenging for matching.
A pattern for this skirt is really easy to make, especially if you have a pattern for a basic pencil skirt - with just a few cuts you can transform it into this lovely and unusual skirt. To read the tutorial, visit Lolita Patterns blog.
Jewelry made by Anya - Studio Artesania

So, if you haven't already checked Lolita Patterns, I invite you to take a look at my tutorial, by following this link! Let us know what you think, and if you liked the instructions, please share them!

Sewing Indie Month (Mesec Nezavisnog šivenja)

* CLICK to read the text in English

Srećan vam prvi Maj, dragi čitaoci! Nadam se da ste smislili sjajan način da provedete praznike i da ćete uspeti da se odmorite. Ja sam odlučila da zbrišem na more, da odem na rani godišnji odmor, koji se sasvim slučajno spojio sa praznicima. Biću narednih dana u Crnoj Gori, i nadam se da će biti dovoljno toplo da se osunčam, a možda i okupam. Unapred sam ispisala nekoliko postova, tako da neće biti prekida u objavama novih članaka, ali ću manje biti aktivna na društvenim mrežama, ako me pratite preko Pinteresta ili Fejsbuka.

Maj će biti dinamičan mesec za mene, a nadam se veoma interesantan za sve vas. Naime, naredinh dana ću, u savezu sa brojnim dizajnerima krojeva širom sveta, učestvovati u sjajnom događaju, pod imenom Mesec Nezavisnog Šivenja (Sewing Indie Month). Promovisaćemo svoj i rad svojih kolega, upoznavati vas sa našim životima, krojevima, tehnikama, učiti vas modelovanju i pokazati vam kako da preradite neke od naših krojeva. 

Mari Miler, vlasnica Seamster Patterns, je osoba koja stoji iza ovog događaja, i osoba koja je obavila fenomenalan posao oko organizacije istog. Zahvaljujući njoj smo dobili mogućnost da se međusobno bolje upoznamo i uzajamno promovišemo. Zato, savetujem da zavirite na sajt Seamster Patterns i pogledate sve detalje vezane za Mesec Nezavisnog Šivenja - Sewing Indie Month.

Zajedno sa 21 dizajnerom, imamo i četiri veoma popularne blogerke koje će biti rame uz rame sa nama, nudeći svoje ideje i znanja kao podršku. Lora - Lilacs and Lace, Dženi - Cashmerette, Ronda - Rhonda's Creative Life i Vanet - Sown Brooklyn će organizovati tematsko šivenje, kojim će pokriti četiri različite teme, a vodiće vas kroz šivenje naših modela, pokazivati vam svoje interpretacije odeće napravljene prema našim krojevima, a za sve učesnike su spremljene veoma interesantne nagrade i pokloni. Zato, ako ste raspoloženi za izazov, pratite Mesec Nezavisnog Šivenja, uključite se u tematsko šivenje koje vam po temi najviše odgovara, aplicirajte sa svojom gotovom kreacijom, i možda osvojite jednu od vrednih nagrada!

Gost blogovanje na sajtu Lolita Patterns

Tokom Meseca Nezavisnog Šivenja udružiću se sa četiri dizajnera, koje ću vam predstaviti na svom blogu, ali i kod kojih ću gostovati kao bloger.

Danas gostujem kod preslatke Amiti, koja stoji iza Lolita Patterns krojeva, a u postu koji sam napisala specijalno za njen blog ću vas malo učiti o modelovanju krojeva. Lolita Patterns je specijalizovana za modelovanje krojeva koji su prikladni za poslovnu i kancelarijsku sredinu, ali ovi krojevi su prilično inspirisani elementima japanske Lolita subkulture. Lolita krojevi su izuzetno ženstveni, a istovremeno su veoma upečatljivi i pomalo ekscentrični. Krojevi su ponuđeni u velikom opsegu veličina, kao i u varijacijama u odnosu na originalan model.

Pogledajte samo ovu divnu čipkanu haljinu pod nazivom Gun Metal. Nabrani paneli sa strane, kao i pertlanje koje je nalik na ono koje možete videti na korsetima su očigledno inspirisani kostimima i Gotik Lolita stilom, ali Amiti je dizajnirala model tako da ovi detalji budu suptilni, pa je haljina idealna i za neobavezne i za formalne prilike.

preuzeto odavde

Sugar Plum haljina je savršena za kancelarijske prilike, ali mogu da je zamislim stilizovanu tako da odgovara formalnim prilikama poput svadbe ili koktel žurke.

preuzeto odavde

Današnje gostovanje na sajtu Lolita Patterns je u vidu tutorijala, u kome ću vam pokazati kako da napravite kroj za jednu prilično neobičnu suknju. Inspiraciju sam dobila sa reklame za YSL tašnu, na kojoj me sama torba nije previše fascinirala, ali zato me je suknja oborila s nogu. Iskošene falte su genijalan detalj, koji prosto mami pogled. Moja interpretacija suknje je malo drugačija, mada sam se potrudila da zadržim linije originalnog dizajna.

Na prvi pogled, suknja izgleda kao klasična nafaltana suknja, ali pogledajte je malo bolje i primetićete da je suknja malo - uvrnuta. Falte su postavljene pod uglom, što daje utisak da je suknja uvrnutač
Ovakva suknja je odlična za poslovno okruženje i kancelariju, ali bi mogla da izgleda prilično neobavezno ukoliko bi bila napravljena od teksasa, kepera ili pamuka. Kroj je pogodan za jednobojne materijale, kao i za tkanine sa cvetnim ili apstraktnim printom, ali vas savetujem da izbegavate prugaste i karirane materijale, jer su oni prilično komplikovani za uklapanje šara.
Kroj za ovu suknju se veoma lako pravi, pogotovo ako imate kroj za ravnu suknju - sa samo par rezova možete običan kroj transformisati u ovaj lep i neobičan model. Posetite Lolita Patterns blog i pročitajte instrukcije koje sam spremila za vas..
Za nakit se postarala Anja - Studio Artesania

Dakle, ako već niste pogledali, obavezno posetite blog Lolita Patterns, prateći ovaj link, gde vas čeka tutorijal za pravljenje kroja za ovu suknju. Javite nam vaše utiske, a ako vam se svide instrukcije, molimo vas da ih podelite dalje na internetu!