Feb 3, 2014

Do you sew by the book?


A few days ago a reader wrote to me, saying the technique I wrote about the other day wasn't in accordance with the RTW garment construction method. Along with the comment, she gave me an insight on how the technique is properly executed. I'm thankful to the reader, as I learned a new method (I might even write that tutorial as well), but I didn't see a problem with the method I had shown you and that I've been using for years.
This made me to think - whether I sewed by the book and if that really mattered. 

sewing-by-the-book

If you follow my blog on a regular basis, you know I'm self-taught with sewing experience of twenty years. I learned the basics myself using the trial and error method. When I discovered the sewing community on the internet, I started absorbing as much information as I could find (did you know I actively followed more than 200 sewing blogs?), reproducing the things I saw, collecting ideas and learning tricks of the trade, but most of the stuff I figured out myself. And to be honest, I'm proud of that. Along the way I developed some techniques that might be unique and unconventional, but I've noticed these techniques suit me, I find it easier to sew using them or I find the clothes more comfortable that way. Therefore, that's my experience and everything I've been showing you here on the blog has been a result of my work, hence my best practice. Off course, you're free to not adopt my techniques and discard them if you think I'm doing things the wrong way.

I'm always keen on learning something new, especially if it's related to sewing. So, be assured I'll remember everything I saw or read related to this subject, because I'm really interested in it.

However, I think I already have enough experience to evaluate whether some technique or its variation is applicable or not, as well as to tell whether it's absolutely necessary or it gives some room for a different interpretation. Therefore, there are techniques I find absolutely irreplaceable, while for the others I think they leave some room for a different interpretation.

Generally speaking, I think that every creative hobbyst needs to experiment in order to get to know the medium he / she is working with, the tools he / she is using, and to find the techniques that suit him / her best; and I don't think it matters which hobby we are talking about. Along the way, the hobbyst breaks some rules, but the practice and experience lead him / her to a proper way of doing things, as he / she learns on his / her mistakes and discovers better and easier ways of accomplishing the same effect. As a result, the innovation can happen this way. Just remember the revolution Coco Chanel brought into garment construction...

I know some people who make some beautiful garments, but who have never used sewing patterns, nor have learned to draft them. They think of sewing as of a game and an adventure, and as of a way of expressing their creativity. Setting them some sewing rules to follow would mean stealing all the pleasure and excitement that sewing usually brings them.
It's clear I can't completely compare myself with such people, since my blog has some educational content and it's my duty to make sure everything I show you here is correct. However, I keep the right to apply and transfer the method that I find logical, practical and that I have used before; the method might or might not be in accordance with the RTW garment construction methods.

So, I'm curious to know - do you sew by the book or by your feel? If you follow some rules, where did you learn them?


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Šijete li po pravilima?


Pre neki dan me kontaktirala jedna čitateljka, i skrenula mi pažnju na to da tutorijal koji sam postavila na blog nije po standardima konfekcijske konstrukcije odeće. Uz komentar, dala mi je i pojašnjenje i opis pravilne tehnike. Zaista sam zahvalana čitateljki, jer sam naučila novi metod rada (možda jednom napišem i taj tutorijal), ali ja ne videh problem u metodi koju sam prethodno pokazala i koju koristim godinama bez ikakvih problema.
To me navelo na razmišljanje - koliko i da li šijem po pravilima, i u kojoj meri je to zaista bitno?

sivenje-po-pravilima-ili-osecaju

Ako pratite moj blog, znate da sam samouka, ali i da šijem već dvadeset godina. Osnove šivenja sam sama savladala, učeći na sopstvenim greškama i dovijajući se kako sam znala i umela. Kada sam otkrila da postoji čitav svet šivenja na internetu, počela sam da upijam sve moguće informacije do kojih sam mogla da dođem (znate li da aktivno pratim preko 200 blogova o šivenju?), reprodukovala viđeno, skupljala ideje i učila cake, ali većinu stvari sam sama ukapirala. I, da se ne lažemo, na to sam jako ponosna. Usput sam razvila tehnike koje su možda samo meni svojstvene, ali sam primetila da te tehnike primenjujem zato što mi odgovaraju, zato što mi je lakše da šijem na određeni način, ili zato što mi je odeća tako udobnija. Dakle, to je moje iskustvo, i sve što vam na svom blogu pokazujem je rezultat mog rada i ja to smatram svojom najboljom praksom. Vi ste, naravno, slobodni da moje tehnike ne primenite, čak i da ih osporite, ukoliko smatrate da grešim.

Naravno, uvek sam voljna da naučim nešto novo, i smatram da ću prestati da učim onda kada me više ne bude. Još ako je u pitanju šivenje, onda možete biti sigurni da ću zapamtiti sve što sam videla ili pročitala jer me ova tema generalno veoma zanima.

Međutim, već imam dovoljno iskustva na osnovu kog mogu da procenim da li je neka tehnika ili njena varijacija u praksi primenljiva ili ne, kao i da li je neophodna i apsolutno neprikosnovena, ili dozvoljava drugačiju interpretaciju. Zato ću za neke tehnike reći da je neophodno pridržavati se pravila, dok za druge smatram da imaju prostora za modifikacije, ili drugačije interpretacije.

Generalno uzev, smatram da svaki kreativac treba i mora da eskperimentiše, kako bi osetio medij na kom radi, upoznao alate kojima se služi, i otkrio tehnike koje mu najviše odgovaraju, bez obzira da li se radi o šivenju, slikanju, dekupažu ili nekoj drugoj oblasti kreativnosti. Usput, on krši pisana i nepisana pravila, ali ga vremenom praksa i lično iskustvo usmeravaju ka pravilnom radu, jer uči na greškama i otkriva bolje i lakše načine da postigne isti efekat. A to posledično vodi i ka inovaciji. Setite se samo revolucije koju je u konstrukciju odeće uvela Koko Šanel...

Poznajem par ljudi koji fenomenalno šiju, a nikad nisu koristili komercijalne krojeve, niti su od nekoga učili da šiju niti modeluju krojeve. Jednostavno, za njih je šivenje igra i avantura tokom koje ispoljavaju svoju kreativnost. Nametnuti im pravila po kojima treba da šiju značilo bi uskratiti im zadovoljstvo i uzbuđenje koje im ovaj hobi inače donosi.

Jasno je da se ne mogu potpuno porediti s njima, jer moj blog ipak ima edukativnu notu, i imam obavezu da sve što napišem i pokažem bude ispravno. Ipak, zadržavam pravo da primenim i vama prenesem metod rada koji je meni logičan, praktičan i koji sam lično isprobala, a koji možda nije striktno knjiški.

Zanima me da li vi šijete po pravilima ili po sopstvenom osećaju? Ako se pridržavate pravila, gde ste ih naučili?