by Rossana Gorys, MBA, Transformational Leader July 16, 2023   We’ve heard it before time and time again, but I’m going to tell you once more – the power of gratitude is real and it can also have an impact on reducing stress while promoting your overall emotional well-being. When practicing gratitude, we focus on the positive aspects of our life; we acknowledge all the good things that we have, and all the people in our circle. Gratitude simply means counting our blessings and acknowledging and noticing those simple pleasures in our life. So, how does it help with your ..read more

How to make hats by Marga van der Vet July 9, 2023 Making hats is a fun hobby because it allows you to make the exact hat that suits your style and that you like to wear. You can make hats in two different ways. In this blog I explain this and teach you about the basic knowledge of hat making. 1. Make hats according to a sewing pattern The first method is to make hats using your sewing machine and a sewing pattern. Vogue has beautiful hat patterns, but Simplicity, Kwik Sew, Butterick and other less known brands offer those as well. These sewing patterns often offer more hats or vari ..read more

How to be your own makeup artist by Marga van der Vet June 27, 2023 First, a note to all makeup artists (MUAs): Please do not get upset about this article or make false conclusions before reading. This article is not intended to put you out of business–not at all! I am a MUA myself (and a model) and I know, like almost all models and photographers do, that having a good MUA is very necessary in this business. Sometimes having a great MUA, like in beauty-pictures, is even the key to creating a good picture! I did not write this article to underestimate the very important role of MUAs in photo s ..read more

One woman’s journey into a tough online fabrics business When the pandemic of 2020 forced everyone indoors, I thought it was a great idea to start an online business. Everyone was going online at that time. We were all caught up in the YOLO effect. However, the pandemic and the economic conditions that followed made everyone weary, uncertain, even on the edge. Not the best time to start a business, for sure. And there I was, trying to launch my online fabrics business. The strange thing was that running my own business made me feel the happiest that I’ve ever been in my life. And so, let ..read more

by Elena Tran You may love, or hate, or be totally indifferent about Mademoiselle Coco Chanel. However, you cannot deny that she had good taste. She was an opportunist and a shrewd business woman. She was a woman who understood the power of mystery and the importance of discretion. She reinvented her past to elevate herself to the highest ranks of society. It wasn't easy for a woman to succeed then, and it is just as true now. There are those who say that she wouldn't have succeeded without the help of the powerful men and women in her life. It may be so, but even her ability to make the best ..read more

by Elena Tran Sleeves can make it or break it when it comes to couture garments. Coco Chanel was obsessed about making perfect sleeves and I know why. Not only do you  need to worry about matching the plaids or stripes pattern of the sleeves to the front of the jacket, but you also need to worry about the way the sleeve cap sits and, quite frankly, looks on a model. This is the most difficult section of the tailored Chanel-inspired jacket and I will do my best to give you as many tips as I can based on my personal experience. I used Vogue V8804 pattern in this tutorial but you can apply ..read more

by Elena Tran There are so many creative ideas for trims that can elevate your Chanel inspired jacket or dress to the level of haute couture. I recently completed another big project for Chanel inspired dress where I made a trim from smaller remnants of silk fabrics I had in my stash (another reason not to throw any fabrics out). Here is the video with step-by-step sewing tutorial instructions:   Begin by measuring the length of your trim and by drawing the design on the paper. You need to know the width of your trim, how many squares you need, how many rhinestones to order, etc. I ended ..read more

by Elena Tran I first learned how to sew rounded patch pockets when I took the course on sewing ladies' shirts. The principle of making couture rounded patch pockets is basically the same with the addition of hand-sewn lining and trim. Here is the sewing tutorial video for visual learners:  1. Start by cutting your pockets and the lining. Transfer all the markings. 2. Reinforce the fold line by stitching a strip of pre-shrunk seam binding or organza selvage along the fold line. 3. Fold and press the seam allowance on the sides, the bottom, and finally the top of the pockets. T ..read more

by Elena Tran Beautiful Chanel-inspired jackets have recognizable details which elevate them to the level of haute couture, like the famous Chanel patch pockets. If you've never made couture patch pockets for tweed jackets, the construction is a bit different from regular patch pockets. As usual, I am including the video and my notes about the process. The trickiest part about construction is matching the pattern of the patch pockets to the front piece. There are some tips and tricks that you can use for that, but the most important thing is you need to have extra fabric to play around ..read more

By Elena Tran This is the next part of our sewing tutorials about how to make a tweed jacket inspired by Chanel. We are now moving on to the side front. The main challenge with making a Chanel inspired tweed jacket is that it doesn’t have the conventional dart construction. The bust darts are converted to ease instead with the help of stays made from organza or any other light-weight interfacing. Once you master this technique, you will be able to repeat it on your next tweed coats, dresses and jackets. Here are the steps: Start by cutting a stay from light-weight fabric, like silk organ ..read more