Štepalica

Haljina - riblja kost / The chevron dress

2013-05-15T10:12:00.001+02:00

Nisam se oglašavala prilično dugo. Iskreno, nisam mnogo ni šila, bila sam prilično preokupirana poslom i nekim novitetima iz tog domena za koje se pripremam (više o tome u nekom od narednih postova). Ipak, uspela sam da se nateram da sašijem zanimljivu haljinu.

I haven't posted in a while. To be honest, I haven't sewn much, I was rather preoccupied by work and some new things I'm planning to work on (more on that in some of the future posts). However, I did manage to make an interesting dress.

Davno sam kupila veoma neobičan materijal - taft sa prozirnim prugama u organdin tkanju. Materijal deluje blago pogužvan i gotovo da ima reljefnu teksturu, pa mi je bio baš zanimljiv kada sam ga videla. Uzela sam 2m, ne znajući šta bih tačno napravila od njega. U više navrata sam ga zagledala, dobijala i gubila inspiraciju da ga pretočim u neku lepu haljinu, i tako je par godina odležao u ormanu. Ponajviše mi je smetala njegova tekstura, kao i osećaj tkanine na koži - u pitanju je sintetika, tako da užareni grubi taft nije baš najbolji izbor za udobnu letnju garderobu.

I bought an unusual fabric ages ago - it's a taffeta with transparent striped in organza weave. The fabric is slightly wrinkled and has a textured feel to it, it was really interesting to me when I saw it. I bought 2m with no idea of what I'd make of it. I did consider using it for several different projects, but it never felt right, so it sat in the stash for few years. I had mixed feelings about it, since the fibers were all synthetic, and it felt bad next to the skin.

Konačno, pade mi na pamet da iskoristim ono najlepše na materijalu - organdin pruge - i dodatno ih naglasim uklapanjem u šaru riblje kosti. Koristila sam već poznati kroj iz Burde 09/2012, #134, s kojim sam se oprobala šijući ovu haljinu. Kroj je bio sasvim pogodan za pravljenje riblje kosti, a ja ga jako volim, između ostalog, i zbog toga što ima džepove. Bočne panele na haljini sam postavljala tako da pruge budu horizontalne, što je dodatno naglasilo lep kroj haljine.

Finally, it occured to me to use the best feature of the fabric - the organza stripes - and accentuate them more by arranging them into chevron pattern. I used a familiar pattern from Burda Style 09/2012, #134, I used for sewing this dress. The pattern was perfect for sewing chevron, and I like it even more because it has pockets. The side panels have horizontal stripes, which additionally emphasizes the beautiful pattern.

Već sam pisala o tehnici koju koristim za uklapanje pruga kod šivenja riblje kosti, pa ako vas zanima, pročitajte ovaj članak (opisana tehnika je zgodna za uklapanje prugastih i karo materijala, bez obzira na pravac linija).

I wrote about the technique I use when sewing stripes in chevron pattern, so read this post if you're interested in it (this technique can be used when aligning stripes and checkers, no matter what stripe direction you're setting).

Unapred se izvinjavam zbog loših slika - fotografisala sam noću, veče pre no što sam poslala haljinu na put, pa je ovo najbolje što imam da vam pokažem.

Sorry for the lousy photos - I snapped them a night before I sent the dress to a trip, and this is the best I can show you at the moment.

Da bih zaštitila kožu od užarenog tafta, morala sam celu da je postavim. Postava u kontrastnoj boji je dodatno naglasila providne pruge (koje su tamno ljubičaste, kao i ostatak materijala). Rešila sam da postavu i spoljni materijal šijem kao jedan sloj tkanine. Na ovaj način sam prikrila dodatke za šavove, koji bi se provideli kroz organdin pruge (gledano s lica haljine), ali sam ih zato učinila veoma upadljivim sa naličja haljine. Da bih malo ulepšala izgled haljine s naličja, sve dodatke za šavove sam paspulirala. Sve ovo je dodatno produžilo izradu haljine, ali je zato krajnji rezultat više nego dobar.

I had to line the dress to protect the skin from the taffeta fabric. A lining in contrasting color made the transparent organza stripes mode prominent (they are originally deep purple, like the rest of the fabric). I decided to sew the shell fabric and the lining as a single layer. This way I hid the SAs that would be visible through the organza stripes when looked from the face of the dress. On the other hand, this way the SAs were completely exposed on the inside of the dress, therefore I finished them with bias band. All this took some extra time, but the end result was more than good.

Osim vremena potrebnog da sašijem haljinu, imala sam i malu peripetiju sa prišivanjem skrivenog rajsferšlusa. Zbog duplog sloja tkanine nisam mogla lepo da priđem iglom ivici rajsferšlusa, pa sam morala više puta da popravljam šav. Ovo je posebno bilo komplikovano na struku, gde se presecaju uzdužni i horizontalni šavovi, i gde je tkanina još deblja. Na kraju, ne mogu reći da je rajsferšlus 100% nevidljiv, ali mislim da bolje od urađenog nisam mogla da izvedem.

I had a minor issue with an invisible zipper. Since I sewed a double layer of fabric, I couldn't set a needle as close to the zipper teeth as it should have been. This was especially difficult at the waist, where horizontal and vertical seams meet, thus making the fabric even thicker. Finally, I can't say the zipper is 100% invisible, but I think it's the best I could do.

Sew News magazin April - Maj 2013. / The Sew News magazine April - May 2013

2013-04-29T17:48:00.001+02:00

Upravo sam dobila novo izdanje Sew News časopisa, za April / Maj 2013. godine. U ovom broju sam pisala o slatkoj prolećnoj bluzici koja ima nabore ispod grudi i zanimljive diskretne karneriće na rukavima. Ovo je jedna od najprijatnijih bluza koje imam, jer je pravljena od predivnog, laganog indijskog pamuka, koji se gotovo i ne oseća na telu. Ono što bluzu čini dodatno zanimljivom je to što se može nositi u ležernim, svakodnevnim kombinacijama, ali uz poslovnu odeću može izgledati veoma klasično i elegantno.

I've just gotten a new issue of Sew News magazine, April / May 2013. In this issue, I write about a cute spring blouse that has gathers under bust and interesting discrete ruffles on sleeves. This is one of the coziest blouses I have, since it's made of gorgeous light seersucker, which is weightless on a body. What makes the blouse additionally interesting is that it can be worn in both casual and work appropriate outfits.

A evo kako košulja izgleda na meni.

And here's how the blouse looks on me.

Vešte ruke - novi časopis u regionu / Skillful Hands - a new magazine in the region

2013-04-20T19:58:00.003+02:00

Od 24. Aprila možete naći na kioscima novi domaći časopis pod nazivom "Vešte ruke". Magazin je posvećen različitim ručnim radovima, a predstavlja hrabri izdavački potez Milje Lukić, dugogodišnje novinarke i profesorke srpskog jezika. Časopis se distribuira u regionu, pa se može kupiti u Srbiji, Crnoj Gori, Republici Srpskoj, kao i u Bosni i Hercegovini. Sledeći broj je planiran za Oktobar, a u budućnosti će, nadamo se, izlaziti kvartalno, a možda i češće.

Časopis pokriva više različitih hobija - pačvork, heklanje, štrikanje, šivenje, dekupaž, ideje za pravljenje zanimljivih frizura i još mnogo toga. Ono što me dodatno raduje je što ovaj časopis nudi raznolik i zanimljiv sadržaj, na formatu A4 i sa kvalitetnom štampom i jasnim fotografijama - nešto što je jako nedostajalo kreativcima sa ovih prostora. Iza Milje stoji veliki broj kreativaca koji su, kao saradnici časopisa, pisali o onome što najbolje znaju da rade i time podelili svoje znanje sa vama.

Na moje zadovoljstvo, Milja mi je ponudila saradnju od prvog broja, tako da među mnogim člancima možete pronaći i moj, koji opisuje kako se od jednog kroja za košulju može napraviti čak sedam različitih bluza, koje međusobno jedva da liče. Posebno sam srećna što se na naslovnoj strani nalazi moja bluza, koju nosi prelepa Sofija Rajović.

Želim da čestitam Milji na hrabrosti i da joj poželim puno sreće, jer bih jako volela da ovaj pilot projekat uspe. Nadam se da će vam se časopis svideti i da će za ovim uslediti još mnogo, mnogo brojeva.

Starting from April 24th, a new crafting magazine called "Skillful Hands" is being published in Serbia. The magazine represents a brave publishing project of Milja Lukić, a long time journalist and teacher of Serbian language. The magazine is being distributed in the region, and it can be bought in Serbia, Montenegro, Serbian Republic, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The next issue is scheduled for October, but hopefully in future it will be published more frequently.

The magazine covers several different hobbies - patchwork, crochet, knitting, sewing. decoupage, hair styling, and many more. What I really like about it is that it offers an interesting and comprehensive contents, on A4 format and with quality print and photos - something we have missed for a long time here, in the regions. Milja gathered numerous creative authors which collaborated on the magazine, writing about what they knew best, thus sharing their knowledge with the readers.

I was offered to write as a collaborator on the very first issue, so you can find my article, among many others, which describes how one can make seven different blouses using a single shirt pattern. I am especially happy that my blouse, worn by gorgeous Sofija Rajovic is put on the cover page of the magazine.

I would like to congratulate to Milja for her braveness and to wish her luck, because I'd love to see this pilot project reach success. I hope you'll like the magazine and that this issue will be followed by many, many more.

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-04-14T19:21:00.005+02:00

Joanna Mastroianni

Stephane Rolland

Chanel

Gucci

Oasis-Stores.com

Jason Wu

"Alicia Dress" by Coast-Stores.com

Alexander McQueen

Oasis-Stores.com

Dice Kayek

Reem Acra

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-04-07T12:31:00.001+02:00

Ove nedelje sam proslavila 34. rođendan, volela bih da sam mogla sa vama da podelim ovakvu tortu :)

I turned 34 this week, I wish I could have treated you all with such a cake :)

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Zac Posen

Gattinoni's dress for Ingrid Bergman

Cocktail dress .1951 .Jean Dessès

Roland Mouret

Giorgio Armani

Alexander McQueen

Christian Dior

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-03-31T15:22:00.000+02:00

John Richmond

Alexander McQueen

Gareth Pugh

Alexander McQueen

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Hervé Léger by Max Azria

Chloe

Alexander McQueen

Valentino

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Giambattista Valli

Giorgio Armani

Valentino

Hannoh

nepoznati dizajner

unknown designer

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-03-24T11:52:00.000+01:00

Elizabet Holt

Rad za TR Platforms Final

A work for the TR Platforms Final

nepoznat dizajner

uknown designer

Fendi

Dona Karan

nepoznat dizajner

uknown designer

Elizabeth Hawes, 1936

nepoznat dizajner

uknown designer

Opalgiallo Cristina

Rad za TR Platforms Final

A work for the TR Platforms Final

Divna Jurić Davidović

Rad za TR Platforms Final

A work for the TR Platforms Final

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Christian Dior

Alexander McQueen

Armani Prive

Givenchy

Skoro pa šivenje / Almost sewing

2013-03-19T11:51:00.001+01:00

Dugo nisam postavila ništa od svojih radova, mada jesam šila. Napravila sam mužu još jednu lepu košulju, i sad čekam zgodan momenat da ga ulovim na delu i uslikam.

I haven't written a post with my creations in it for awhile, but I did sew. I made a shirt for my husband, and now I'm waiting for an appropriate moment to snap a few photos.

No, u međuvremenu, pomislih da bi bilo zanimljivo da napišem post o onome na čemu sam radila. Nije baš šivenje u pitanju, ali definitivno jeste ručni rad. U pitanju je mala polica za diskove kojoj pokušavam da nađem prenamenu. Polica je vrlo zanimljiva, od punog drveta, sa urezanim tribal motivima, i valovitog oblika iz profila. Relativno je mala, jer joj je originalna namena bila za diskove - osnova police je oko 13 cm x 14 cm, a visoka je oko 40 cm. Kupila sam je na etno bazaru ručnih radova u Atini, pre 7 godina, jer me potpuno opčinila. Zgodno je stala u kofer, i klackala sa sa mnom do Beograda.

Na žalost, polica nikad nije dobila konkretnu praktičnu namenu. Sa napretkom tehnologije, broj diskova koje sam imala se lagano smanjivao u korist fleš memorije i eksternih hard diskova, tako da nije bilo potrebe da u njoj čuvam CD-ove. Umesto toga, u policu sam stavljala sitnice s kojima nisam znala gde bih ih drugde tutnula. Kada sam kupila stan, policu sam ostavila kod roditelja, jer se nije nigde uklapala.

Pre koji dan sam pričala sa rođakom i pomenula policu, rekavši kako ne znam gde bih joj našla mesto u stanu, na šta rođaki pade sjajna misao na pamet - da policu smestim u kupatilo.

Kako bih zaštitila drvo od vlage, prelakirala sam ga mat lakom, i rešila da policama dodam i fioke.

Meanwhile, I've thought it might be interesting to write a post about the things I had worked on. It's not sewing, but it's definitely DIY. I've worked on repurposing a tiny CDs shelf. The shelf is really interesting, it's made of wood, and it has engraved some tribal motifs on sides and top, and it has a wavy shape on the side. It's relatively small, since its original purpose was to store CDs - the base is 13 cm x 14 cm, and it's 40 cm tall. I bought it 7 years ago on some ethno market in Athens, Greece. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. Conveniently, it fit in my suitcase and rode with me back home to Belgrade.

Unfortunately, the shelf never got a practical use. As the technologies advanced, the amount of CDs reduced and I never kept them in the shelf. Instead, I used the shelf for storing tiny stuff I didn't know where else to put. When I bought a flat, I left the shelf at my parents' house, since I couldn't find a place for her at my home. A few days ago I mentioned the shelf to a cousin, saying I couldn't find a place for it. The cousin had a great solution - to put it in a bathroom.

To protect the wood from moisture, I painted it with a matte varnish, and I decided to add drawers to the shelf.

Pogled iz ptičje perspektive.

Bird eye view.

Inspiracija su mi bile pletene korpe od kanapa, kakve viđam po raznim sajtovima i časopisima o uređenju enterijera. Jako mi se dopada kombinacija punog drveta i kanapa, pa sam rešila da od kartona napravim male fioke - korpe i prelepim ih kanapom. Vodila sam računa da kutije prate oblik police, pa zato imaju ovako neobičan oblik.

Korpe u procesu pravljenja.

I took woven baskets I see on various home decoration websites and magazines as an inspiration. I really like the combination of wood and rope, so I decided to make the drawers out of cardboard, and glue rope to them. I wanted to have the drawers that would be in line with the shape of the shelf, therefore the odd shape.

The baskets in progress.

Korpa pored rolne toalet papira, da steknete uvid o dimenzijama.

A basket next to the roll of toilet paper, to get an idea of its dimensions.

Evo kako izgleda polica sa fiokama. Divno su se uklopile zajedno, i baš sam zadovoljna oblikom kutija.

Here's how the shelf looks with drawers in. They fit together great, and I'm very pleased with the shape of the baskets.

Kako bih lakse otvarala fioke, korpama sam dodala ručkice nalik na brkove :). U suštini, isplela sam pletenice od 4 niti kanapa i zalepila ih za fioke. Kako bih se osigurala da se ručkice neće odlepiti, dodatno sam ih prišila za kanap na korpama.

To make the drawers opened easily, I added handles that looked like mustaches :). I braided 4 threads of rope and glued the braids to the baskets. To fix them to the drawers additionally, I sewed them on to the rope on the baskets.

Detalj izbliza.

Detail.

A evo kako polica izgleda u svom novom staništu. Dok nisam stavila toalet papir pored kutije, nisam tačno znala gde ću smestiti policu u kupatilu. A onda mi je sinulo da je savršena kao držač za papir! Sasvim zgodno, u kupatilu nemamo držač, a pored WC šolje imamo savršen ćošak za policu. U donjim fiokama mogu da držim uloške i slične higijenske sitnice. Vrlo je moguće da će vlaga vremenom deformisati kutije, ali me to ne brine previše, uvek mogu da ih zamenim novim.

Here's how it looks in its new habitat. It was not until I put the toilet paper next to the basket that I knew where I'd put the shelf in the bathroom. And then I had the A-HA moment - it was perfect as a paper holder. Quite conveniently, we didn't have a paper holder in the bathroom, and there was a perfect corner next to the toilet for the shelf. I can keep sanitary napkins or other sanitary items in the lower drawers. It's possible the moisture might deform the baskets in time, but I can always replace them with new ones.

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-03-18T11:41:00.000+01:00

Viktor & Rolf

Zac Posen

Burberry

Alexander McQueen

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Burberry Prorsum

Sacks Fifth Avenue

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Prabal Gurung

nepoznat dizajner - ovo moram da napravim!

unknown designer - I've got to make this one!

Iris Van Herpen

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-03-10T19:08:00.007+01:00

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Madame Grès, 1939

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Zac Posen

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Karen Millen

Divna Jurić Davidović (FedRa)

Rad za TR Platforms Final 2013 takmičenje

A work for the TR Platforms Final 2013 competition

Aleksei Mladenov

Jedan od finalista TR Platforms Final 2013. takmičenja

One of the finalists of the TR Platforms Final 2013. competition

Nedeljna doza inspiracije / Weekly dose of inspiration

2013-03-03T21:48:00.004+01:00

Pre nekog vremena sam otvorila nalog na Pinterestu, i konačno našla način da na organizovan i sistematičan način skupljam fotografije koje me inspirišu da šijem. Oni koji prate moju Facebook stranicu već znaju da tamo postavljam dosta tih fotografija, ali pomislih da bi bilo lepo da ih podelim i sa onim čitaocima koji nisu veliki zaljubljenici društvenih mreža. Zato sam rešila da pokrenem nedeljnu rubriku u okviru koje ću sa vama deliti svoje pronalaske. Moram da napomenem da za mnoge kreacije ne znam ko je njihov dizajner, ali ću navoditi imena kreatora za one stvari za koje znam ko je njihov tvorac. Ukoliko prepoznate kreatore koji nisu navedeni, molim vas da mi ostavite komentar, pa ću ažurirati post.

U svakom slučaju, napominjem da nad ovim fotografijama nemam nikakvo autorsko niti copright pravo.

Some time ago I opened a Pinterest account and finally found a way to collect inspiring photos in an organized and systematic manner. Those who follow me via my Facebook page know I post a lot of these pics over there, however I thought it would be nice to share them with those of you who are not interested in social networks. Therefore, I decided to run a weekly column where I'll share with you my inspirational finds. I have to point out I don't know names of the designers of many of these garments, but I'll post the names of those I know of. If you know the names of the designers I omitted, please post them in the comments section and I'll update the post.

Anyway, I have to mention I have no copyright on the following photos.

Istambulski modni institut

Fashion institute from Istanbul, Turkey

https://www.facebook.com/ESMODISTANBUL

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Karen Millen

Chanel

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Dona Karan

haljina - Dona Karan, kaput - Emilio Pucci

dress - Dona Karan, coat- Emilio Pucci

Erica Scheepers

https://www.facebook.com/erica.scheepers

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Bottega Veneta

nepoznat dizajner

unknown designer

Pitanja i odgovori / Q&A

2013-02-23T15:22:00.001+01:00

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.

http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/how-to-measure-yourself

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.

Mnogo buke ni oko čega / Much ado about nothing

2013-02-21T22:18:00.002+01:00

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.

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

2013-02-15T14:28:00.003+01:00

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.

Knjige preda mnom / Books ahead of me

2013-02-14T13:55:00.002+01:00

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 Bremble. I 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!

Dugo se nismo gledali / Long time no see

2013-02-11T20:06:00.000+01:00

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.

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

2013-02-10T16:12:00.001+01:00

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.

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

2013-02-05T16:45:00.003+01:00

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.

Suknja za mamu / A skirt for mom

2013-01-31T10:34:00.002+01:00

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

2013-01-30T11:41:00.003+01:00

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)

2013-01-28T19:45:00.002+01:00

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

2013-01-26T09:10:00.002+01:00

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

2013-01-20T01:05:00.001+01:00

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

2013-01-15T22:27:00.003+01:00

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

2013-01-11T09:52:00.002+01:00

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.