magdamagda design studio

Today about the collar - as I said before I wanted something dramatic, but not overwhelming. A natural extension of the dress, the  way flowers grow on the stem:). So the fabric spoke to me after all (I let it take its time...gave it a few days...) I tested the idea and being pleased with the result I went for it!          I did not know how much fabric I need, so rather than approximate this time and cut, I preferred to stitch along the edge of the bulk fabric and cut only after I got enough to roll it around the neckline. That was fun! I straight stitched together 2 consecutive blue stripes, the golden stripe between them forming a taller rib. Then stitched the next 2 blue stripes and got the next golden rib. The length of the stitches varies between 9-5 cms, but for a natural look I didn't measure anything while stitching, I just went like "ok, now shorter and shorter stitches...now we make them longer and longer again..." I n...

French darts - can you resist them? There's something so refined about them! In my dress I love how the bodice darts meet the skirt ones on the sides- and I love even more that I turned the back skirt dart into a continuous semicircular one! Some tips: - place the tip of the dart one inch lower than the bust line - reinforce the seam to prevent stretching Also check out this blog post for more helpful info! http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/sewing-a-french-dart/            The skirt's waist line will be more curved because of moving its dart in French dart position, so more prone to stretching. It is going to be attached to a straight grain piece - the waistband, so after stitching them together the seam won't stretch like in the case of French darts where both sides that go into the seam are non-straight grain. But the skirt's upper line can stretch before or while attaching the waistband so it's better to tak...

        Oh yes! Finishing a dress that I've been postponing for a month now - what a great feeling! The shape went through a lot of changes from idea to reality- the buttoned closure and length are the few things they have in common. I chose French darts for fitting and kept them for the bodice and the front skirt while the back skirt darts turned into an unique semicircular dart!           I couldn't have anticipated I'd be choosing yellow and silver buttons for this golden-turquoise print but I don't regret it at all! After the buttons, the yellow trim came natural as a choice, but it's yellow and golden! First of all, I haven't been a fan of gold or golden before coming to India. So I'm sure my frequent choices of golden fabrics are somehow culturally influenced. Then combining golden and silver- no way- I thought! And here I am gladly breaking that rule without thinking twice:)) Buttoned...