Uni- or Unique-form

It's "back to school" and millions of students are pulling out their school uniforms. And curiously, no matter what continent or country, no matter the diversity of styles and clothes around the world, school uniforms are uni-form: in the choice of darkish colors and a somewhat European designs.

How can that be, you ask, that school uniforms in Africa, look the same as in Asia, as they do in Latin America, Europe and elsewhere in the world? The answer is simple: thanks to a certain colonial influence, many school systems around the world were modeled after the European school system not just with respect to their curricula but also their fashion.

Take the "traditional" Japanese school uniform: the boy's secondary school outfit, the gakuran, which sports a dark jacket with stand-up collar and buttons down the front, is modeled after the Prussian army uniform worn in the 1870s when Japan was looking to Europe for ideas to build its education system. Today, school uniforms have become a Japanese fashion item inspiring fashion parades to show off latest designs. Especially the sailor fuku, the naval uniform worn by girls is well known thanks to its appearance in Japanese cartoons known as mangas. Nevertheless, the super-short skirts that you may have seen be worn by Sailor Moon, the High School Girls or in Gonz·lez IÒ·rrituís Film Babel are likely to be fiction rather than reality: there is a minimum length for skirts in schools and teachers do enforce them; although, I wouldn't vouch for what happens outside school.

In the US school uniforms, especially in public schools, have not just a shorter but a less inspiring history. Uniforms or strict dress codes started to b introduced in the 1980s to "prevent kids from shooting each other over designer sneakers". Whether it helps is difficult to say but, it has sparked some strong reactions not just in children but also in parents who feel their freedom of expression to be violated. But do dress codes and uniforms really have to infringe on rights? Maybe a uniform design contest could turn a nerds uni-form into a unique-form and a fashion statement · la Japan.

And in case you are looking for a new supplier, you can have your new batch of school uniforms hand tailored by HandCrafting Justice and give mothers in Mexico and Laos the opportunity to send their children to school, too.

Despite our best intentions, sometimes we end up with fabric in our stash that just screams "what was I thinking?". Rather than let it take up space (either in our homes or gasp a landfill), why not clear some space and donate it to a good cause at the same time?

Reading through the Dutch site Naaipatronen, I've just learned about Stichting Toekomst Rwanda (Future Foundation Rwanda), a charity set up by a Rwandan refugee in The Netherlands to help underage mothers and children still vulnerable in Rwanda. They're taught skills and given homes, and just because they're on the other side of the world doesn't mean they're very different from us BurdaStyle sewers - when asked, they said they wanted to set up a sewing studio! So in October the charity is taking several sewing machines and a seamstress to train the girls but they're now in need of fabric and haberdashery donations to take along to them!

So have a look through your stash and if there's anything you can spare, send it to Stichting Toekomst Rwanda, Weipoortseweg 89, 2381 NJ Zoeterwoude, The Netherlands or get in touch through info@stichtingtoekomstrwanda.nl.

And with all that new-found space in your sewing room, you may just have to go fabric shopping!

1. Where are you from and/or where do you live?

I originally come from a small town in Germany, called Eisleben, but since I started studying I live in Halle, which is only 30 km away from my hometown.

I think the really first thing I made was some patchwork pillow case, I must've been 13 years old. Then a long pause followed until 6 month ago I decided to start sewing again, because I wanted garments that actually suit and appeal me! I searched the internet and found BurdaStyle, and the story began ;)

Ask my boyfriend, actually half of the time I search the internet for fabrics and/or patterns, the other half I sew ;D No, that is not exactly the case, but I'm a little bit of a fabric-addict and sewing became my hobby number one. I don't have my own sewing machine and only have the possibility to sew, when I visit my parents on weekends or during semester break. I actually could buy my own sewing machine, but I think that would change my priorities to the disadvantage of my study ...

I absolutely love to start a new project, to transfer the pattern, to cut the fabric and the first steps of sewing, because mostly they're the easiest and fastest ;) To finish a project completely is also very satisfying! Not so enjoyable is a project that just doesn't come to an end, because the fabric is difficult to handle and I have to rip seams and redo a lot of steps or I have to alter a lot until the fit is how I imagined it (which could take long, because I'm a little perfectionist).

I never thought about this opportunity, but I guess it would be really cool to make a dress for an actress for her Oscar night or something, but I think I have to practice a little bit until I get there ;)

Of course I love the patterns, the How-To-section and the other member creations! It is a great inspiration and very interesting to see what other people are doing! And the forum is a great platform when you have questions!

BurdaStyle is a really great site, but as I am from the design field I think you should check on the usability! Especially the forum and the profile site are a little bit confusing.

I don't have a real motto, but in the past "Wait and see" turned out to be a good advice ;)

Hey everyone, We have noticed that there has been quite a hubbub about the new quilt pattern. The reactions have been both positive and negative, either way very passionate. We at BurdaStyle are always trying to think outside the box and use new and innovative techniques. We like to invent and create new things at the risk that some are a success and some might still need some tweaking. We are glad to see that some saw it as an inspiration, using the technique to make something for their own, for the others we hope that the next pattern will be more satisfying. Thank you for all the comments both positive and negative.

What is the perfect accessory to accompany your new back to school clothing? Why, a headband of your own design! How many scraps do we acquire as seamsters & seamstresses that end up in the garbage? More than we care to recognize. And while we can collect scraps to make lovely quilts, as featured this week on BurdaStyle, it's always fun to learn a quick & simple way of making something new & fashionable...it less than an hour! So how do we start?

• Find a strip of fabric, whatever color suits your fancy, and adjust the length to be at least the circumference of your head (or 3 times that amount in my case as I want to be able to tie mine at the base of the neck and have the straps drape down my back).
• Determine your width, mine was 2.5" to begin with, and after folding and sewing a long tube, the final width was 1".
• Turn your tube inside out and you've got the headband already. (If this seems vague, try this How-To created by BurdaStyle)
• Next, embellish the headband with anything of your liking, I opted to use feathers as I have been wanting a faux-fringe around my face.

BurdaStyle Is giving away 4 copies of our very own Nikkishell’s MixTape Zine. This is a great zine full of interesting articles (as you can see from above.) The first 4 people to comment on this blog post will receive their very own copy of MixTape issue 5. Enjoy!

It still causes me to flinch when I hear it but, yes, it is time to think about back to school. Some of our interns have already left us, people are packing up for college, making sure they have the right pencils and note books, and that means that summer is winding down. Last week we announced our Messenger bag, which is an awesome way to make sure everything stays with you through the school day. There is also a great two part How To by milliesewly which shows another great bag for books. Fall fashions abound on BurdaStyle (the Thai pants are perfect for lounging around.) Get sewing and enjoy the fall!

I am so glad I am making a muslin for the Jorinde jacket. It seems the pattern needs to be changed in many places for it to fit me properly. I’m pretty short (5’2”) and have found that the jacket doesn’t fit quite so well in length especially between the armhole and the neck, the armhole is a little too big which feels uncomfortable when I lift my arm. To remedy this I will shorten the front and back pattern pieces between the top and bottom of the armhole and also at the corresponding location on the sleeve cap. Doing this will also raise the hemline but I may raise it a little more to sit just on or below the hips.

A few other alterations I’ve decided I will make will be to shorten the sleeves; they’re about oh 6 inches too long! I’ll also change the shape of the collar; I’m not quite fond of the shape it is in the pattern. I’ll sketch out a few ideas before deciding. The back of the jacket is also a little ‘poofy’ so I need to come up with an alteration to fix that and I’m undecided about whether to keep the pockets as they are, change them or not have them at all. Suggestions please!

I’ll be making a second muslin this week to test out these alterations before starting on my final jacket. I’m using the book Fast Fit to help me with my alterations, it’s a great resource for easy pattern alterations for all figures. I’m also going to be researching interfacing and lining a jacket.

There’s still time to take part in the sewalong!

How to Find a Local Sewing Group

"How can I find other sewers near me?" It's a common request on the forums here and one I used to ask myself when I was learning to sew. As helpful as visual how tos and online sewalongs are, sometimes you just need someone to physically show you what to do to get that "Eureka!" moment in your head.

I found a great sewing and costuming group here in London on meetup.com, and there are a lot of other sewing, craft, quilting, and stitch & bitch groups all over the world listed here, too. Our particular group gets together once a month or so for a chat and coffee, and we all bring what we've been working on for help and advice (or just a bit of "ooh that's nice!") and discuss local stores and suppliers. There's a great mix of ages and abilities, from retired, expert Saville Row tailors to absolute beginners, but everyone there has a shared passion for sewing. If you're in the US, it's also worth finding out if there's an American Sewing Guild (ASG) chapter near you. Who knows, you might discover that one of your neighbors also has a secret passion for fabric and patterns!

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to take a moment and introduce you to the last of the newest members of out blogging team. Our new contributor to the Sewing Universe News Feed is someone you are all very familiar with. She is all around the site posting great creations and fielding all kinds of questions. May I present to you Melissa Fehr otherwise known as squirrellypoo! We are so excited to have her blogging for us from the other side of the puddle!