Burda Style For people who sew

1. Where are you from and/or where do you live?
I’m from Heidelberg, Germany. It’s quite a “green” city, which explains why my mindset is eco-friendly and I’m inspired by the environment…I do my part by making things myself, recycling old fashion, or creating my own fashion out of organic materials which I know weren’t produced in sweatshops.

2. What was the 1st thing you made? How did you start sewing?
My mother is a seamstress, so maybe I was born with that sewing-gene! Actually, my mother never wanted to be bothered with my silly sewing projects when I was a kid and so I discovered at an early age that I could try it out myself. Nowadays, if someone tells me I can’t do something, I find some way to do it anyway. My mother’s impatience shaped me into the woman I’ve become, a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer!

My mother DID have me mend old socks, though. When I was 12 years she had a good week and sent me and a friend of mine into a local Pfaff-Shop to choose a Burda pattern.

We knew nothing about fashion and picked out a hideous pettycoat pattern ( note: these were the puristic nineties… NOBODY wore petticoats at THAT time…). Well, when we finished our little dresses, we walked down the shore of the Neckar river dressed as twins. People stared at us and probably thought we had escaped from a circus. After that I pretty much gave up sewing until I was about 19 years. We lived around the corner from a nightclub so I desperately needed outfits for long nights out. I was unimpressed with the selection at H&M and was too stingy to buy expensive garments only to wear them once.

So I started sewing—gorgeous dresses. In those days, I was mostly inspired by Jennifer Lopez. As a teenage girl, I guess you have to have at least one fashion icon, J.Lo was mine and I enjoyed the sewing and “copying” of J.Lo outfits (especially those with the never-ending cleavage, haha… oh my gosh….). That’s how I revived my fashion-making hobby.

3. What role does sewing play in your life?
I’d say… after my family and my youth ministry, sewing is the next important thing to me.

People always say: Julia… you’re so BUSY… at least take time for yourself at nights and stop those sewing projects. What they don’t know is, it calms me down after a noisy day, it helps me to release all that creative pressure and provides me with that silent time to think about my life while I trace out patterns or sew.

4. What is your favorite and what is your least favorite thing about sewing?
Fave: that a random piece of cloth can turn into a fabulous dress.
LEAST favorite: that I turn into a cursing monster, when the threads get all bunched up and ruin the delicate fabrics.

5. If you could make something for anyone who would it be and what would you make?
Weddings dresses. I have made three so far and am REALLY excited that one of my best girlfriends is finally getting married and asked me to sew her that special gown…. melting… I am totally honored!

6. What are you looking for on our site? What do you think should be improved and what do you really like?
Since I run a BurdaStyle Sewing club I am always looking for free fabulous novice patterns here to provide my students with.

Also connecting with other sewing folks is very encouraging. Tribes.. I guess… I love the Internet because everybody’s got some interest in something. So here I find people that are JUST like me. I don’t have to motivate them to believe in what I am doing. They are already thrilled about the things I love.

I have found sooo many awesome artists here on this site. They all inspire me so much.

My suggestion for improving this community would be to add multilingual support. I know that’s difficult and if anyone wants to survive in this ever increasing online world they need to study English!!! However, when I tell my class participants to first sign up on BurdaStyle and try to find some cute patterns that they like, I get quite a few complaints about the language.

7. What is your motto?
You can do EVERYTHING. Just start with something.

Check out all of her incredible creations. If you want to find out more, take a look at her blog, her spring summer catalog and her items for sale. Check out her top ten favorite creations and photos from her recent runway show!