I first "met" Ana online when I registered for a BurdaStyle account in the summer of 2008. Ana has always been very active on BurdaStyle, and always seemed a step ahead of everyone. Everything she makes exudes elegance and perfectionism.
This is why I have been following her sewing journey ever since and am always excited to see her newest projects. To me Ana is probably one of the most skilled and talented dressmakers in our online community and it is therefore only logical that she would have her own pattern line. So, when Ana contacted me to ask if I would want to sew her "Nougat dress" for my blog, it was a no-brainer - Of course, I will!
But let Ana tell of her pattern line and inspirations herself in a very interesting interview:
When did you first become interested in sewing your own clothes?
I've always been very creative, even as a young kid. There has always been something that occupied me - drawing, knitting, embroidering, hand-sewing, making friendship bracelets... I was interested in all kinds of DIY. However, I made a first garment on a sewing machine when I was fourteen (which was twenty years ago).
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| The Mermaid Dress |
I've been writing for Sew News (www.sewnews.com) for almost five years now. I'm the author of the "Pattern Play" column, and occasionally I write additional articles about some interesting sewing techniques.
Other than that, I was one of many collaborators who participated in Burda Style Sewing Handbook with their variations on the given patterns. I did a blouse variation for the book. I wrote several articles on pattern alterations for the website, too.
I also write for a couple of Serbian sewing and DIY magazines.
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| Ana's Sailor Pants on the front cover of Sew News (includes an excellent tutorial on how to change any trouser pattern into sailor pants) |
I am really curious to know if there is a big DIY and sewing scene in Serbia (and other Ex-Yugoslavian countries). Is sewing your own clothes popular in your country?
At the time I started sewing I was a real loner in my hobby. I knew no one of my age who was interested in any sort of crafts. Everyone was interested in wearing the finished garments but no one wanted to give DIY a try. These days see more and more young crafters of all kinds.
When it comes to sewing, there is a certain sewing community, and I think It's been growing lately. I've met a lot of talented people, but mostly through Facebook (which is really popular in Serbia). We also have some great bloggers, but I've noticed there's quite different approach to blogging here in Serbia, compared to the one I noticed abroad. Serbian bloggers usually blog about the finished garments, and rarely share their knowledge about the techniques they've been using.
What made you decide to start your own pattern line?
I've been looking for a way to make sewing my profession for ages. When I was a younger and less experienced dressmaker, I thought sewing by order or selling my handmade garments would be the only way to earn money from sewing, and I wasn't interested in that.
Later on, I started playing with patterns and discovering how fascinating it was. I came to the point when I was able to completely control the pattern and how the final garment would look. I started drafting some rather simple garments and sharing some of the patterns for free with my readers and the other members of BurdaStyle community.
That's when I started experimenting more and incorporating my designs into the pattern, and I got some really nice feedback from my readers for these garments. That moved me to think pattern making should be my next professional move.
Can you tell us a little bit about your design and drafting process? How did the Nougat dress develop?
The Nougat dress was designed during the TR (Transformational Reconstruction) Masterclass held by amazing Shingo Sato, that I attended back in November 2012. I made some quite interesting and unusual pieces during the course, but the Nougat stood out as one of my best designs. I really liked how it looked, so I decided to make it my debut pattern.
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| One of Ana's TR proejects |
Then I draft a muslin and true the pattern and copy it back to a paper. I scale the pattern to all the sizes and test it by sewing an actual garment in my size. I do everything manually, as I don't have a pattern drafting software (it's too expensive for my budget at the moment).
I usually draft a pattern in a size or two smaller than the one I wear, so that I can test the scaling on myself once I make the garment. Depending on a complexity of the garment, I test the pattern in several sizes, to make sure the scaling is well done.
Once the pattern is drafted, scaled and tested, it's ready to be digitalized.
Who is your pattern designed for? Do you need an advanced skill level to sew the Nougat dress?
The Nougat dress pattern includes three variations / views, to accommodate for different sewing skills levels.
The original Nougat dress (view A) is a challenging pattern, with 37 pattern pieces and 50 panels to sew (78 if you add interlining, like I did), and lots of seams to match and unusual gathers to make. That's a lot of work to do on a single dress and it requires a skillful, determined and patient dressmaker. I tried to make the pattern sheets as easy to understand and fit as I could.
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| Ana's View A Nougat version |
View B is a much easier one, for an intermediate skilled seamstress. It has only 8 pattern pieces and 18 panels to sew.
View C is an easy one, with only 5 pattern pieces and 14 panels to sew together.
How is your pattern sized and is it drafted with a particular body shape in mind?
I am used to sewing Burda Style patterns and I like their measurements as they fit my body well so I used their charts as a starting point. However, I think I left more ease in the bodice than Burda Style normally does, so I think the sizes are shifted a bit.
I didn't have any particular body shape in mind when I drafted the pattern. However, as I have a body shape that's between hourglass and pear ("8" according to some body shape systematizations), I do lean towards structured, well fitted garments and a classic style, so I expect Stepalica Patterns would fit better persons who are of similar shape to mine.
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| Ana's View B Nougat version |
Do you have any plans for the future of Štepalica Patterns?
I am in a process of drafting a new pattern, that should be released sometime late December - early January. I'm still working on my day job, and it takes me a lot of time to draft, scale, test and re-draw a pattern. My goal is to shift completely to pattern making, so I hope Štepalica Patterns will do well in the close future.
Also, I would like to offer printed patterns in the future, since I'm aware many sewists dislike PDF patterns and prefer the ones printed on a tissue paper.
One final question: You have sewn and designed so many great garments, it is hard to keep up with all of them. Do you have a favorite?
It's a tough one! :) I guess the "S" coat would be my favorite item, though it's not the one I've been wearing the most.
Thanks, Ana, for the interview!
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Ana is also generously offering up one pattern for one of my readers. You can enter the giveaway by commenting on this post.
The closing date for this giveaway is Fri, 30 Nov 2013. The Giveaway is open internationally.
Please don't forget to leave a contact e-mail address!
Good luck!