Sewing Indie Month

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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.

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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.

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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!