Dare to Design

Can you guess what I've been up to this week? Maybe if you strike a ponderous pose like this one it will help.



I've been working on a dress design for Shabby Apple Dresses and their "Dare to Design Competition," and here it is.



I should have hemmed it up a little more for my short figure, but I was running out of time. As you can tell I'm getting this in just before the wire.

Here are a few of my favorite detail shots:



Love that sleeve.


It's hard to tell the little details from the full shot.

I made this dress from a cotton stretch sateen and was quite pleased with it. I was very taken with the colors in this dress from Sewweekly.com and thought they'd be lovely in a spring line. Here's a little swatch:



I just adore that plum, lavender, grass green, and cerulean. Oh and white, I love white. I wish I could have found a white with purple pinstripes. That might have been adorable, or a disaster to match up. Good thing, I went solid this close to the finish line.

Like Sewweekly, I get a lot of my inspiration from vintage clothing. This one has a bit of wiggle dress-ness. I am also inspired by film, particularly period pieces. For this dress, I kept thinking of Jane Campion's Bright Star and the line, "This is the first frock in all of Woolwich and Hampstead to have a triple pleated mushroom collar." I didn't quite make it to triple.

Ooo, and here's a little bonus, a shot of my sketch so you can see where my inspiration began:



I know, I know, all I needed to enter was a sketch, but I feel much more confident sewing than drawing. Plus, presentation is critical in this contest. Sorry little sketch, you're not so presentable. Come back when you've cleaned yourself up a bit.

Comments

Bessie M. said…
Your design is absolutely beautiful! As soon as I saw the first picture, I thought of Bright Star. That is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I love her mushroom pleated collar! ;)

The best of luck with your entry. I would totally buy that dress!
Kacey said…
i know i say this on every post...but you are amazing! i would totally wear that dress.
Shana said…
What are you talking about? Your sketch alone would have sold me on the dress! It's a perfectly lovely sketch.
But holy cow! The dress is GORGEOUS in real life.
So......when I lose about 50 lbs, you wanna make one for me? :)
pinksuedeshoe said…
OK, so I've gushed about your crazy mad sewing skills before. But hello! Where did you learn to sketch like that? Truly amazing. Your dress looks fantastic, I love the sleeves!
Sewing Princess said…
I love your sketch and the actual design... especially those pleats.
Emily said…
Ohmygoodness! This dress is perfection; from the pleated collar to the bustline and arm cuff detail. I love it! I hope you win!

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