A jacket with double lapels

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Finally I have an actual garment to show you, as I have finally pushed myself to snap some pics of a new jacket that comes straight out of my sewing desk.

I've been collecting pics of jackets with some interesting details on Pinterest for a while. I love unusual lapels, collars, button closures, and all the details that make a garment stand out from everything else you see. I am frequently inspired by more than one details at the same time, and then I try to fit all these details into a single garment. In such case the art is to keep the things simple and not over-do a garment, so that at the end of the day it looks well styled and not costumey. Along with that I try to stay loyal to my personal style and make a garment that's pretty and comfy, and that I would wear gladly, The worst thing is when you invest a lot of time and effort into a garment you're not thrilled with.

Left to tight: (1) unknown designer; (2) Alexander McQueen; (3) Haider Ackermann

This time I wanted to experiment with a double set of lapels. The idea came from the denim jacket (left on the picture) that I don't know who designed it. I loved the double set of lapels, as it's not a detail you can frequently see on clothes. However, I didn't want to make the jacket too casual, so I desiced to avoid using denim and twill. Leather sounded like a much better idea.

I also didn't want to use zipper, even though I normally like how it looks on jackets. But I have already made several jackets in a row which all feature zippers, so this time I wanted to make something different. So I thought of having a button closure with using metal frogs, like the one McQueen jacket had (in the middle on the picture). Along with the button closure, the McQueen jacket featured a gorgeous waist peplum that drew my attention. I didn't dare to make the peplum as voluminous as McQueen's is, but I did transfer some of its features to my jacket.

Finally, I wanted to add some eye catching detail to the back as well, so I added the folds to the back paplum resembling the ones I saw on Haider Ackerman's jacket (right on the picture).

You can see on the pictures below how the jacket turned out. I did'n make an exact copy paste of any of the details, but I did use the general ideas.

I used an artificial velour with a gorgeous weave, that can be easily mistaken for real leather suedue, as it looks and feels like one. I bought the fabric several years ago not having a clear idea of what I would use it for, so it sat down in the closet waiting for an inspiration. Since the fabric is woven, it is beautiful to work with - it can handle heat and ironing and it is not sensitive to needle penetration, so it was an easy job for me.

I really love the end result. I even think of copying the peplum detail on another jacket, and make it a bit more voluminous. We'll see what I'll think of meanwhile.

Related posts

• Alexander McQueen Jacket styled like Chanel
• How to hem a jacket with a peplum
• How to add a commodity pleat to a jacket lining
• How to sew sleeves on a jacket or a coat

Jakna sa duplim reverima

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Konačno imam konkretnu odeću da vam pokažem, jer sam se nakanila da uslikam novu, sveže sašivenu, jaknu.

Već neko vreme sakupljam na Pinterestu slike zanimljivih jakni sa neobičnim detaljima.  Volim da vidim interesantne revere, kragne, kopčanje, sve ono što čini da jedan komad odeće odskače u mnoštvu drugih stvari. Neretko me inspiriše više stvari istovremeno, i onda se trudim da spojim najbolje detalje koje sam videla na više različitih stvari u jedan komad odeće. U takvim situacijama mudrost je ne preterati, i pametno uklopiti elemente u jednu celinu, tako da ona na kraju izgleda skladno, a ne kao cirkuski kombinezon. Pored toga, trudim se da ostanem dosledna svom stilu, i napravim garderobu koja mi je udobna i lepa, i za koju sam sigurna da ću je rado nositi. Nema ničeg goreg od toga da utrošim silno vreme i trud u nešto čime na kraju nisam oduševljena.

S leva na desno: (1) nepoznat dizajner; (2) Aleksandar Mekvin; (3) Haider Ackermann

Ovaj put, htela sam da eksperimentišem sa duplim reverima. Ideja je potekla od teksas jakne (levo na slici), čiji dizajner mi je ostao nepoznat. Jako mi se dopala ideja dvostrukih revera - to nije nešto što svakodnevno možete videti na odeći. Međutim, nisam želela da jakna bude previše neobavezna, pa sam želela da izbegnem teksas, rips i keper kao materijale. Koža mi je zvučala kao mnogo bolja ideja.

Nisam želela da koristim rajsferšlus, iako volim kako on izgleda na jaknama. Ali već nekoliko uzastopnih jakni sam šila sa ovim detaljem, pa sam želela da ovaj put napravim nešto drugačije. Tu je uskočila ideja da kopčanje bude bez preklopa, uz pomoć žabica, kao na jakni Aleksanda Mekvina (slika u sredini). Pored kopčanja, Mekvinova jakna je imala i fenomenalan volan na struku, koji mi je jako privukao pažnju. Nisam se baš usudila da napravim tako raskošan volan, ali sam poželela da nešto od tog detalja prenesem na svoju kreaciju.

I konačno, poželeh da jakna bude jednako interesantna i s leđa. pa sam rešila da volan ukrasim pregibom kakav sam videla na jakni dizajnera Hajdera Akermana (slika desno). 

Kako sam spojila ove elemente možete videti na slikama ispod. Ni jedan detalj nisam identično prekopirala, ali sam iskoristila ideje.

Materijal koji sam koristila je veštački velur predivnog tkanja, koji tek kad mu se veoma približite otrkiva da nije u pitanju prevrnuta koža. Čak bi vas i dodir istog zavarao, jer je pod rukom osećaj identičan prevrnutoj koži. Tkaninu sam kupila pre dosta godina, bez jasne ideje šta od nje da sašijem, i čuvala za neku posebnu priliku. Materijal je tkan, tako da je fenomenalan za rad - odlično podnosi peglanje, i nije preterano osetljiv na ubode iglom, tako da nisam morala da se dovijam prilikom šivenja.

Jako mi se dopada krajnji rezultat. Toliko da razmišljam da ponovim detalj na leđima volana. Čak se razmišljam da kompletan volan ponovim na nekoj drugoj jakni, ali da ga učinim malo raskošnijim. Videćemo još šta će mi pasti na pamet.

Povezani članci

• Aleksandar Mekvin jakna u Šanel stilu
• Kako dodati faltu za komociju na postavi jakne
• Kako porubiti jaknu sa volanom na struku
• Kako prišiti rukave na jakni ili kaputu

Retrospektiva Sew News članaka

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Nisam baš najbolji bloger u poslednje vreme. Već sam pisala o tome u prethodnim člancima, ali stalno osećam potrebu da se dodadno opravdam pred vama, čitaocima, i dam vam uvid u to kako trenutno izgleda moj život. Dosta poslovno putujem, a zbog konstantnog mimoilaženja sa D. tokom radne nedelje, ne stižem da uslikam ono što šijem (a zaista šijem – imam da vam pokažem šest novih haljina, tri košulje i dve suknje, a imam i spremne neke tutorijale, koje već mesecima čuvam na računaru). U trci za svaki slobodni momenat, nekako je Štepalica počela da trpi. Nadam se da ću uspeti da nađem modus koji će me vratiti u kolosek, jer sve vreme osećam grižu savesti zbog toga što sam zanemarila blog.

Uporedo sa nepisanjem o novim stvarčicama koje sam šila, uspela sam i da preskočim da napišem koju reč o člancima koji su u međuvremenu objavljeni u Sew News časopisu. Dugujem vam čak tri članka – po jedan za svaki od izdanja koja su izašla u avgustu, oktobru i decembru. Zato ću ovaj put, umesto pojedinačnih članaka, dati retrospektivu ala „3 u 1“.

TR Suknja za avgust / septembar 2014.

U avgustu je objavljen moj članak u kom sam opisala tehniku za modelovanja kroja za veoma interesantnu „spiralnu“ suknju. Za modelovanje kroja Koristila sam tehniku transformacije i rekonstrukcije, koju je razvio Shingo Sato. Moj način modelovanja kroja je varijacija na temu njegove tehnike, budući da sam koristila papir umesto tkanine kao sredstvo modelovanja.

Suknja je zanimljiva i zbog svog oblika, jer je od struka do kukova krojena kao klasična uska suknja, odakle se širi zvonasto do obima koji je malo manji od punog kruga. Sastavljena je od samo tri krojna dela koji se nepravilnim oblicima i konturama gotovo spiralno prepliću od poruba ka struku, dajući suknju volumen i oblik. Gotov kroj je veoma neobičnog oblika, a sam proces krojenja i šivenja je netipičan. Naime, pri iskrajanju materijala ne vodi računa o pravcu niti tkanja, a pri spajanju materijala u suknju šnajder mora biti izuzetno precizan kako bi se delovi savršeno uklopili u konačni oblik.

Suknja je napravljena od dve vrste tkanine, što dodatno naglašava njen neobičan kroj. Model je takav da verujem da bi odlično stajao većini različitih ženskih figura. 

Ovaj članak je posebno zanimljiv jer ne daje precizna uputstva kako se kroj pravi, već je više dat kao skup smernica i ideja koje svako može interpretirati na svoj način i napraviti varijaciju na temu.

Šanel - Mekvin jakna za oktobar / novembar 2014.

U oktobrskom izdanju je izašao članak u kom sam predstavila veoma atraktivnu jaknu sa rajsferšlus zakopčavanjem, inspirisanu klasičnim Šanel kostimima i kožnom jaknom Aleksandra Mekvina. 

Kroj jakne potseća na kožne moto jakne sa skrivenim rajsferšlus kopčanjem. Kratak volan na struku ističe žensku figuru, a polu-ranglan rukavi daju određenu dozu oštrine. Kopčanje je dijagonalno postavljeno, od struka ka levom ramenu, pa preklop formira raskošne revere kada je jakna poluotkopčana ili potpuno otvorena.

Materijal je vuneni štof sa šarom koja potseća na pletene korpe, zbog čega ova jakna izgleda još zanimljivije. Gotovo identičan materijal je korišćen u Šanel kolekciji pre koju godinu, što me je potstaklo da jakni dodam ukras tipičan za ovu modnu kuću – našivene trake napravljene od istog materijala od kog je i jakna. Umesto pletenica tipičnih za Šanel, ja sam odabrala kratke rese, koje su prišivene za ivice preklopa jakne.

Članak daje detaljna upustva kako da napravite kroj za ovu jaknu, koristeći najosnovniji kroj sa brusnama. Ilustracije vas vode korak po korak kroz proces modelovanja svih krojnih delova, a uz članak su date i instrukcije za šivenje jakne.

Da potsetim, o ovoj jakni sam pisala prošle godine i na blogu, pa preporučujem da pročitate i tutorijale koje sam tada objavila.

Sirena haljina za decembar 2014. / januar 2015.

Najnovije izdanje sadži članak o haljini sa veoma zanimljivim faltama u origami stilu. Falte su tako aranžirane da potsećaju na krljušt ribe, pa sam kreaciju nazvala "sirena". Ovu haljinu sam šila pre tri godine, u Njujorku, a bila sam inspirisana origami tehnikom. Zanimljivo je da moja originalna ideja nije izgledala ovako, kako je vidite na slikama. Igrala sam se papirom neko vreme, kako bih dobila šablon za faltanje materijala, pa je ideja polako evoluirala od inicijalne do konačne. Papir i dalje čuvam, jer mi je dao još par ideja za igranje sa tkaninom.

Osnova haljine je bila kroj iz Burde, koji sam prilično izmenila, i dodala nafaltani panel kao ukras. U članku sam opisala kako se pravi ovakav kroj, i dala detaljan opis šivenja neobičnih falti. Zanimljivo je da postupak nije mnogo komplikovan, ali zahteva strpljenje i malo urednosti.

Materijal je vuneni štof u fenomenalnoj petrolejzelenoj boji. Falte na centralnom panelu podosta skupljaju materijal, a poželjno je da panel bude iskrojen iz jednog komada, pa sam vodila računa da kupim dosta materijala (mislim da sam imala oko 2.5 m, a kasnije sam ustanovila da je 2 m sasvim dovoljno). Preporuka za ovakve falte je da se koristi materijal koji se dobro prepeglava, i koji se ne tegli previše po dijagonali. Pored vune, verujem da bi se odlično manipulisalo i šantung svilom, trevirom, čvrstim lanom, bistrečom.

Povezani članci

• TR suknja
• Aleksandar Mekvin jakna u Šanel stilu
• Sirena haljina
• Kako porubiti jaknu sa volanom na struku
• Kako napraviti rese od ostatka materijala
• Kako dodati faltu za komociju na postavi jakne
• Kako skratiti rajsferšlus za jaknu

A retrospective of Sew News Articles

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I've been a bad blogger lately. I wrote about it before, but I keep having the need to justify myself in front of you, my readers, and give you some insight of what my life looks like at the moment. I have been travelling a lot for work, and D. and I can't get to match our working times, so I haven't been able to snap photos of the garments that I made (oh, I've been sewing - I have six dresses, three shirts and two skirts to show you, and I have some tutorials for you on my PC). While I have been running to grab and use every spare minute of time, Stepalica has been suffering. I do hope I'll find a way to get back to old routine, as I've been feeling guilty for neglecting the blog.

Along with not writing about the new garments that I've made, I managed to skip posting about my articles that were published in Sew News. I owe you reviews of three of these articles - one for each of the issues published in August, October and December, Therefore this time I'll share with you a "3 in 1" retrospective of my articles.

The TR Skirt in August / September 2014

The August issue featured an article in which I described a technique for drafting a very interesting "spiral"skirt. I used the TR technique by Shingo Sato to draft the pattern. I designed the pattern a bit differently than Shingo, as I used a paper instead of fabric as a drafting tool.

What makes this skirt interesting is its shape, since it is cut as a classic pencil skirt from the waist to hips, but it heavily flares from there to the hemline, making almost a full circle. It consists of only three patterns pieces with strange shapes that twist and swirl around each other thus giving the skirt its shape and volume. The pattern has an unusual shape and the process of cutting the fabric and sewing is rather atypical. One doesn’t have to pay attention to the grainline while cutting the fabric, and sewing has to be as precise as possible so that the pattern pieces are perfectly fit one with another into a final shape.

The skirt is made of two types of fabric, which additionally enhances the unusual cut. The model would suit various body types.

This article is especially interesting because it doesn’t give precise instructions for making the pattern. It is more of a set of guidelines and ideas that each seamstress can use to make her own variation of the given model.

The Chanel – McQueen Jacket for October / November 2014

The October issue featured an article where I presented a very attractive jacket with a zipper closure. I was inspired by Chanel suits and a leather jacket by Alexander McQueen. 

The pattern resembles a biker jacket with a hidden zipper closure. A short waist peplum enhances a feminine figure, while the semi-ranglan sleeves give the jacket some boldness. The zipper closer is laid diagonally over the front, going from waist towards the left shoulder, so that it forms rich lapels when the jacket is half closed or opened.

The fabric is a wool suiting with a basket weave, which makes the jacket look even more interesting. Chanel used an almost identical fabric in their collection few years ago, which inspired me to trim the jacket with a trim typical for this brand – I added a fringe detail made of the shell fabric. 

The article gives detailed instructions on how to draft the pattern for this jacket, using a basic jacket pattern as a starting point. The illustrations guide you through the drafting process and the article contains brief sewing instructions as well.

To remind you, I wrote about this jacket last year, so I recommend reading the tutorials I published along with it.

The Mermaid Dress in December 2014 / January 2015

The newest issue contains an article about a dress with a very interesting origami-style pleated detail. The pleats are arranged in such manner that resembles the fish flake, so I named the dress “Mermaid”. I made the dress four years ago while staying at New York, and I was obviously inspired by the origami folding technique. It is interesting to note that my initial idea didn’t look like the dress you see on the pictures. I played with some paper for a while, folded it in various manners before I choose the pleating pattern. I still have that piece of paper saved somewhere, as it has given me more ideas for playing with fabric.

The base pattern for this dress is a pattern from Burda Style magazine, which I altered a lot. The article describes how to make the pattern, and how to pleat the fabric to get the same effect. The pleating procedure isn’t a really difficult one, but it requires patience and neatness.

The fabric is a wool suiting in gorgeous petrol green. The pleats shrink a fabric a lot, and the central panel should be made from a single piece of fabric, so I used a lot of fabric for this dress (I think I had a piece of 2.5m, but realized afterwards that 2m would have been sufficient). I recommend using fabrics that do not stretch on bias, and that crease the folds well. Beside wool, I think you could use shantung silk, taffeta, gabardine, stiff linen.

Related posts

• The TR skirt
• Alexander McQueen Jacket styled like Chanel
• The Mermaid dress
• How to hem a jacket with a peplum
• How to make a fringe trim with fabric remnants
• How to add a commodity pleat to a jacket lining
• How to shorten a jacket zipper