New BurdaStyle post: Beeswax, the Unsung Notion

Readers, yes, this time I was inspired by... beeswax. If you are asking yourself whether this notion deserves so much attention, check out the post for some tips and useful information! And if you have more to add, please feel free!

Click the badge to read the post on BurdaStyle:



What about you, where do you use beeswax in sewing?

Read more...

the Burdastyle Sewing Handbook released!

Dear Readers,

As a part of a larger BurdaStyle guest blogger team, I wanted to share with you this news from the BS editors: 

Today is the day. The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook hits retailers in the United States and we can hardly contain our excitement (international members: you can order your copy from a U.S. retailer and have the book shipped internationally)! If you haven’t had a chance yet, make sure to check out our dedicated page to get an exclusive preview of the book including pictures, pattern previews, technical drawings and more, then snag your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound or wherever books are sold!

And international members – mark your calendars because The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook will be released to international retailers in January 2012, while the eBook version will be available for download through iTunes, Amazon and other online outlets on December 12th, 2011. Make sure to stay tuned as we share more info, behind the scenes peeks and great projects straight from our very first book!

I haven't seen the book myself but have already heard some nice reviews. So, check out Burdastyle links above to find out more!

Read more...

Books for Couture Enthusiasts and updates

Readers, forgive me for patchy posting these two weeks! These are my last days in my current job, and I got loads of work to do before I finally leave. I have been sewing nevertheless, and, once things calm down this weekend, I will upload all the images and posts and tutorials that I am so keen on sharing with you! These will include a sneak peek into the inside of my LBD, which I just recently finished and which I started as a part of my class with Susan Khalje in June. I've learned some great new couture techniques and want to share them with you.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in some couture-related books from my library, read my new post on Burdastyle



Thanks,
Marina

Read more...

Muslingate

I am amazed and amused at how a simple post on making a toile turned into a Muslingate.

I am talking about my Burdastyle guest blog post. The post triggered lots of positive comments and great questions. Of course, some readers also explained how they never make a toile, or, even, how toiles are a waste of time. That’s ok, right? I believe in personal choice, and we all want to have an opportunity to express our opinions.

But there were also some pretty fiery comments, like the one Gertie decided to comment at on her blog. I read her post on Google reader, before, couple of hours later, she removed it from her blog.

“Enough people were irritated by my directly quoting a Burdastyle comment that I figured I should take my earlier post down lest I offend anyone else,” she said

Ok, here is the culprit:

“Unfortunately it seems to me that this one-upmanship in the couture standards (as if every single summer dress needed to be a work of art) has been muddled with working methods of past custom dressmakers, so that innocent beginners now thing it’s normal to muslin every t-shirt. As a result they have encouraged pattern companies to be even more slack in sticking to their defined sizes. So one now often needs to do a muslin when sewing up the big 4, which seem to be morphing from merely strange sizing to really all over the place. Sigh.”

I did comment on this on Burdastyle, readers. Nothing scandalous - be disappointed :-) but, seriously, do you think pattern companies are lurking in the blogosphere looking for a pretext for neglecting their jobs?.. or, is there really a need to protect ‘innocent beginners’ from negative side effects of muslin-making?..

Now, about directly quoting the comment here. I posted it, readers, because I have something to say about it. I know it may seem ‘frightening’ to some that a comment can be reposted and responded to, but that’s the essence of social media we all are part of– we act and react. There is nothing bad about it. We do want to be nice to each other, but we also want to be able to express our opinions, like that person who posted the initial comment on Burdastyle.

Now, do comment, criticize, argue, but ‘keep it civil’ as Gertie said. I believe constructive debates are very useful!


I am adding this edit after I read Gertie's comment that she intends to repost her post with some changes. I am looking forward to it!

Read more...

New post on BurdaStyle and the winner of the Crescent Skirt Pattern

Readers, check out my next post on BurdaStyle blog! This week we toile, yay! Click the Burdastyle banner below to read the blog post



Now, the winner of Tasia's Crescent Skirt is...

...Creative Mama of Adithis Mama Sews. She said:

"I self draft my patterns, but would love to see how a commercial pattern is. Here, in India, we don't get commercial patterns for sale. I have downloaded a few of Burda's free patterns, but never have seen a commercial pattern with a cover, I would love to see how it works."

Congratulations, Creative Mama, and enjoy the pattern. I can only recommend Tasia's patterns, and check out her Sew-Along for the Crescent Skirt. Now, all you need to do is to send me a mail with your address at mvk(dot)fashion(at)gmail(dot)com.

Readers, I wanted to thank you for your suggestions for my Burdastyle posts. I will try to cover all of the topics you suggested, and as a small teaser, I am planning a post on boning and structure of a couture garment, will update you later on this one! Stay tuned!

Read more...

70 Hours to the Dream: my new Burdastyle blog post!

Dear readers, if you are still not tired of the Classic French Jacket Class, please read this Guest Post on Burdastyle.com!



I am blogging on Burdastyle every two weeks, sharing my experiences (and failures) in learning couture sewing. If you have any suggestions for next topics, I would love to hear them! I will be happy to research, try and write about anything couture - the more challenging, the better! :-)

Read more...

Burdastyle Day party!

Burdastyle has somehow become the focus of this week for me. First, my guest post has appeared on their website, and then, on Thursday, I went to the Burdastyle Day party at Purl Soho here in New York. It was small and sweet, and I had a chance to meet the Burdastyle team and some of my favourite bloggers and Burdastyle members! How cool is that?

Most of the images I took turned out blurry (blame the iPhone), sorry, but here are my favourites:

I finally met Marcy of Oonaballoona! She is one of my favourite bloggers!

...and my celebrity moment :-) 

Visit Burdastyle photostream for better shots of this fun event! And, thank you Burdastyle, for organizing this meetup!

Have you attended a Burdastyle party in your area? Do you occasionally meet other sewing and fashion bloggers?

Read more...

For the Love of Couture: read my blog on Burdastyle!

Yes, I am a new guest writer for Burdastyle.com!

Someone read this blog and thought I have something to say. And, yes, I do! I love sewing, I love couture, and now I can talk about it in front of the one of the largest sewing communities on this planet!

The first post has been uploaded this Wednesday - it's a couture quiz and I hope you will enjoy it. Check out the follow-up posts starting from the end of May. And if you want to comment, or suggest new posts - please do. I love getting your feedback!

Finally, I wanted to say thank you, dear readers! Thanks to you I take advantage of every minute of my really busy life to sew, to learn new techniques and to blog about it! It is very motivating to be a part of such a supportive and passionate community!

Read more...