designing for dancing !!!

As my profile says it all .....  I am a fashion designer with  15 years of experience in designing and teaching .
 This is the story when my friend who had to perform in a dance show requested me to design a garment for her . She has a figure I would kill for ! She loves dancing and she approached me expecting a professional help and design . I had to do justice not only to her expectation but also my designing skills which had been rusting for quite some time . I love my work , I love designing which had taken a back seat for around five years but I like you don't forget how to ride a bicycle even after years I didn't forget how to design . I was still a designer at heart and I had to prove this to myself . I wanted to experiment with my designing skills and poses . I had little knowledge about her dance and it was important for me to know the dance first before I pulled out my sketchbook and started designing as I am not much a dance entusiast . So I went to see her dancing to understand different poses which would allow me to design the perfect garment that not only complemented her figure but also gave her an edge over the others .

First I made a mood board which would allow me to understand the concept .

First I made a few poses and then short listed one pose :

Finally I decided to give her a sequined dress with sequined stilettos which would play with the lights and add drama to her dance . Since I got a seamstress to sew the garment now I had to work on the footwear . I used scraps from the fabric of her dress and glued it to her stilettos . It looked amazing . It perfectly complemented her garment .She got lots of complements for her dance and her dress which helped me to get a few orders ! So my designing took off again .......

I thought I should share this design and the story ;-)
 

DIY

If  you  love  one  of  your  skirts  and  just  can’t  throw  it  away  and  it  has  been  lying  in  your  wardrobe  collecting  dust ? This  is  something  for  you !

I  love  this  skirt  and  wouldn’t  throw  it  away . I  had  spilled  acid  while  working  in  textiles  lab  which  had  caused  discoloration and  damaged  the  fabric . I  decided  to  alter  the  skirt  and  worked  out  a  new  design  using  which  I  eliminated  the  damaged  section  of  the  skirt  but  retained  the  silhouette  of  the  skirt  with  little  drama .

Here  is  the  method  if  you  want  to  make  the  skirt  from  scratch .

Patterned & ruched  panels .

1.      Trace  the  basic  skirt  block  front  and  back .

2.      Taper  side  seams  at  hemline  by  1  inch.

3.      To  add  pattern  on  the  front  block  draw  lines  as  shown  in  the  diagram .

4.      Mark  each  section  as  desired .

5.      Cut  through  the  lines  and  separate  each  section .

6.      Cut  fabric  on  bias  for  adding  gathers/ ruching the  panels  [ fabric  length =  half  or  twice  the  length  of  the  central  panel  according  to  the  fullness  required . Width  = width  of  the  each  panel  ].

7.      Gather  / pleat  the  fabric  neatly  and  place  as  shown  in  the  diagram .

8.      Heat  set  the  gathers / pleats .

9.      Finish  the  skirt .  

Add  seam  allowance  and  hem  allowance .

 

Happy sewing !

If you know how to sew and own a sewing machine and want to experiment with the knee length pencil skirt that has been lying in your wardrobe try this out !

If  you  know  how  to  sew  and  own  a  sewing  machine  and  want  to  experiment  with  the  knee  length  pencil  skirt  that  has  been  lying  in  your  wardrobe  try  this  out !  

It  was  getting  very  boring  so  me  and  my  colleagues  decided  to  have  a  theme  day . As  it  was  a  weekday  so  we  could  not  have  chosen  Hawaiian  theme  or  traditional  was  out  of  question  as  we  had  some  delegates  visiting  our  office .

After  many  proposals  and  disposals  it  was  agreed  for  women  the  dress code  would  be  pencil  skirt  with  classic  cut  shirt .

Shirt  was  fine  but  simple  knee  length  pencil  skirt  was  not  happening . Every  lady  in  the  office  was  going  to  be  dressed  in  knee  length  pencil  skirt  prints  or  no  prints  in  monochromatic  colors . So  I  manipulated  my  simple  knee  length  pencil  skirt  to  a  new  style . As  a  designer  I  am  extremely  comfortable  in  sewing  a  skirt  in  less  than  an  hour . I  pulled  out  the  basic  skirt  sloper  and  traced  out  a  new  pattern . I  finished  my  skirt  and  thought  I  should  share  the  method  with  you .

 

Here is the method for you to DIY .

Basic skirt variation - I

1. Trace the basic skirt block front and back .

2. Taper side seams at hemline by 1 inch.

3. To add pattern on the front block draw lines as shown in the diagram - 1.

4. Mark each section as I , II and III as shown in the diagram .

5. Cut through the lines and separate each section as shown in daigram - 2 .

6. Cut fabric on bias for adding gathers in the central panel [ fabric length = half or twice the length of the central panel according to the fullness required . Width = width of the central panel ].

7. Gather / pleat the fabric neatly and place as shown in the diagram - 2 .

8. Heat set the gathers / pleats .

9. Finish the skirt .

Add seam allowance and hem allowance .

 

‘Others’ hate list !!!!

If you are affluent , competitive and committed and have proved it to yourself and the rest, Congratulations ! you have secured a place for yourself amongst the top in the hate list of 'others'.

You are affluent you know it so does everyone , you have also managed to prove you are highly competitive and committed . Others hated you earlier simply for your affluence, now they hate you more for being competitive and committed ! You need to tell your haters to line up if they want to kill you as there must be a long queue of others who wish to do the same to you.

Affluent : You are not as affluent as Paris Hilton but you can easily differentiate between the original and knock off .

You are wealthier than their imagination and are surrounded by friends who are far from true and have little or no knowledge of ‘real people’. You are walking talking brand advertisement clothed in Chanel with a Fendi in your arm and Ferragamo stilettos . You fear their flats , flip flops and sneakers or might not but you definitely ooze of luxury and money. It’s not your mistake that you have a very sound knowledge of international brands and live in luxury but what you don’t know clearly is you are making them feel small and  hypothetically telling them ‘I am too good for you!’ If you are one such darling, you would like to take a close look around and may God be with you!

 

Committed : Even villains are committed they have an ideology , excellence and plan , however twisted it might be .

Whether in a relationship or at work you are committed . You want to lead by setting an example with your hard work and quality. You are the boss and there is no greater motivation than the boss working alongside in trenches but this definitely is challenging the commitment and competence of the others. If you are one such sweetheart, you are soon going to be the topic of gossip near water cooler , in canteen , at cross roads , get together , …….  may God bless you with endurance!

 

Competitive : Everything is fair in love and war and so in competition.

Winning defines your personality. You believe in competition and every competition is like an opportunity to win a medal or trophy [hypothetical]. You like to win at any cost let come hail or let come storm. You will work hard , smart and creatively to win . You winning is making others feel like losers because ‘the first runners up is the first loser’ always remember this . If you are one such sugar , you are nothing less than chilies in others eyes …… may God help you prosper!

 

Being nominated in others hate list doesn’t forbid you from having one of your own !

If you have complaints with my post you can enlist me in your hate list ! Thank you.

Love yourself and others will hate you !

If you are beautiful , intelligent , hardworking and confident and are sure about any or all of these qualities you are screwed !

Beautiful : You don’t look like Angelina Jolie but look beautiful .

Whether you are single or married , you are beautiful and know about it , you don’t have to be sure about it as there is no standard face to qualify you as beautiful or disqualify you , you are a threat ! If the women around you keep their distance from you and men drool over you, you are definitely prettier than the rest in the room . For single women you are a competition and for married you are a seductive temptress . They will  discuss beauty products with you to keep you away from their men or the men they are eyeing whether or not you know about any. They will hate you no matter what whether you are in competition or whether or not you are going to steal their men . God bless you if you fall into this category !

 

Intelligent : You are not Einstein but are intelligent enough to understand the difference between universe and stupidity .

It’s good to be intelligent but if you are smart as well you are a threat not only to women but men as well . If your wisdom of speech is making people run to google or get a dictionary your audience feels smaller . Keep your words simple and wisdom is not for everyone so don’t preach it . The world is a big bad place and your words are hurting them so keep the mood light and the preaching lighter . Make sure your debate is not alienating people and if it does you are a ‘bitch’ and people will soon alienate you and may God be with you ! As the rest have left your side .

 

Hardworking : You work as hard as an ant .

Whether  you are a home maker working full time at home or are a professional your working beyond the described duty is making others look bad . Well if you believe ‘work is worship’ , ‘rest is rust’ and ‘hard work is yeast that raises the dough’ etc.  then your attitude is like a dagger into people’s  peaceful lives . If you don’t approve of all this and say people should work hard like yeast and raise their lazy asses and half mast bodies to the occasion or let you live with yourself . Definitely , they will let you live with yourself but not long before they stab your back with vengeance . All the best if you are one such person !

 

Confidence : You don’t have to be Alexander the great to be confident .

If you are certain your chosen course of action is the best and/or most effective let be at home or in the workplace  you are definitely confident but from others perspective you are arrogant even though you proved yourself right a million or zillion times and are going to prove yourself again but you are ‘a arrogant slut’ labeled and approved and stamped and ……  If you’ve got it and you flaunt it  ! beware your neighbor’s name is Misery and she’ll hate you .Your confidence and got – getter attitude is  making others feel less confident  and/or  less of an achiever you are screwed and people will hate you do anything to everything to bite your ass off  and only God can help you .

 

You can like yourself but don’t love yourself , love others if you love company ; if you love yourself the others  will hate you !