Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, OTTOBRE design. In Tuula's words:
"OTTOBRE design® is a fashion magazine specialising in children's fashion in sizes 62 cm-170 cm, and women's fashion in European sizes 34-52. Our magazine includes high-quality, full-scale pattern sheets and complete instructions on how to sew them.
Visit our blog and our Etsy shop."
SouleMama: What does a typical day at work look like for you?
Tuula: Here in the Ottobre office we hardly ever have exactly similar days following each other. Every day has new and different challenges depending on which step we are in making the magazine. If we are on "designing and sewing" we make the design drawings, draft the patterns, cut and sew the clothes. Then we meet our little (or sometimes bigger) models and fit the clothes for them. Then we discuss the photoshoots. We try to fit timetables so that each family can follow their own daily routines with naps and regular mealtimes and bring us kids with happy faces.
When we are on "photoshoot" the days tend to have little electricity in the air! We paint or hang wallpapers on the walls, pick up the needed props and furnitures and prepare everything for the FINAL day. The tension rises... Next days are full of hairdressing, powderpuffs and try-out posings. Our photographer Timo travels all the way from Helsinki to the Arctic circle (1000 kms is appr. 630 miles) and we have the final photoshootings.
All our little modelling kids are very nice and smart and behave well. Those days are full of excitement and joy for kids, but also for us all here in our design studio. - Do the clothes fit well? Did we remember to lenghten his sleeves? How are the colors matching? And almost every time it happens that we sew few final stitches on the morning of the photoshoot.
"Instructions and layout" days follow the photoshooting days. Those days are rather quiet, because everyone is working so intensively at her or his own desk. We meet on coffee breaks and discuss about the themes and details. Our graphic designer chooses the best photos and starts making the rought drafts of each page and theme. She draws all the needed illustrations and prepares the selected photos. While the colour pages are in the works, our sewing department is writing the instructions. Then the Finnish instruction texts are sent to all our lovely translators around the world to be translated in English, German, Dutch, Swedish, French and Russian languages.
We digitize the patterns and grade them to several sizes. We print the graded patterns, inspect the grading with size charts very carefully and make trial versions of the biggest and smallest pattern sizes. Then after everything is checked, corrected and double-checked, we transfer the patterns to pattern sheets.
Finally, in the end all the threads are ties together -color photo pages, instructions, pattern sheets and editorial... And TA-DA! Like a miracle happens and again one magazine is ready to be sent to printers. A few days later we start the same carousel again. So as you see - we are working in an office far away from boring, where every morning brings fresh new ideas and creativity.
SouleMama: Is there a special place that inspires you?
Tuula: My working days are a rather hectic time, so my favourite place is my home and there, our living room, where my drawing table is. We have a huge river right in our back yard and a high hill with spruce forest just across the river. When I look out from my window I'm in the heart of the nature. The view looks different every day. The river is changing all the time. In winter it is covered with ice and snow and on sunny days we can see people skiing over the river. In summer we swim on the river and when the autumn nights begin to darken it slithers like a glow-worm in star light. This scenery makes me calm and peaceful every day.
For today's giveaway, OTTOBRE design is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8:00 am EST on Monday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is...
With a grand baby making his appearance in September I have a lot of stitching to do and these fabrics would be put to use right away. Thank you for the chance
Posted by: Betsy
Thank you, OTTOBRE design!