Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Mini Project Run & Play Week 1: Art Gallery Fabrics RAYON

For the 1st week of Mini Project Run & Play, we challenged our designers, Katy and Suzanne, to use Art Gallery Fabrics rayon fabric.  This week's mini plot twist is that we had them put their heads together and choose a common rayon to use.  They chose Paradis Woodlands.  They each got 2 yards of it to play with and 1 yard of any coordinating Art Gallery Fabric of their choice.  Here are their creations:

Suzanne: Kindergartener in Bloom


Hello Hello Project Run and Play-ers!!!!!  Suzanne here from Winter Wear Designs, and I just can't express how excited I am to be back.  I feel like I am my best creative self when I am paired up with other amazingly talented people - whether that is collaboration or competition, other creative minds push me to try something better, harder, and riskier than I would on a regular daily basis.  I feel like I've been in a bit of a sewing rut this summer, and the invitation to participate in this 'mini' season was just what I needed to shake off the cobwebs and dive into sewing that made my soul sing.

My little girl is growing up fast and getting ready to start Kindergarten in a couple weeks.  She is blossoming into a strong and feisty girl with defined opinions on fashion and what will and will not grace her body. I knew immediately that I wanted school clothes that she could wear all year long; a simple dress that would show off the drape of this stunning Art Gallery rayon (if you want to hear my full on gush over this fabric, check out the full post with way more details on my blog) paired with a jean jacket fit the bill perfectly.  So I ordered my fabric and waited for it to arrive - but I didn't just sit and wait, I got to drafting.  Because I had a vision in my head, but no pattern that perfectly fit the bill for my full figured five year old.  So I made muslins of 3 different design options and felt a little like I was hitting my head against a wall as dress after dress just didn't flatter.  So I stepped away and started drafting the jacket instead.  Jackets always make me happy.  With the jacket design in place I was able to re-think the dress based on elements I knew would be perfect for Mack: high front waist, detail at the neck, and pleating to give fullness without adding any bulk.  Dress - check!


Now all new patterns are cool, but not enough for the bar of PR&P... I needed details, pretty details.  I started with top stitching - top stitching and I are good friends.  With top stitching in mind I added some extra piecing, functional cuffs and pockets to my jacket pattern so that I could stitch more - cause when you are working with a deadline you should make more work for yourself, right!  But I've done top stitching before... I needed something new, something I consider 'hard', something I've been afraid to ever try...BEADING.  Yeah, this is the way my brain works - let's do something you've never done before in a pressure situation for all the world to see and judge you on, LET'S DO IT!  So I asked some trusted friends for advice, hit up Joann's for all the supplies, and jumped in.  I wanted the beading to heighten the fabric not distract from it.  I wanted to add a touch of texture and an element to make this a dress you could never find in the stores but that people would beg to know where you bought it.  The beading is focused on the red roses becasue I wanted the red in this fabric print to really become the star of the show.



I can't say thank you enough for inviting me back and pushing me to create this back to school outfit for Mack.  Come on over to Winter Wear Designs for a gazillion more photos and tons more details about how this outfit came into existence.


Katy: Really Ruffled Rayon

This was such a fun and hard challenge! Hard because I knew someone else was using the exact same fabric, so I was constantly guessing how it was being used and how I could use it differently. Fun, because it pushed my creativity.


I decided to ruffle the rayon, which is SO amazingly soft! It responded beautifully to the ruffling. The cherry denim provided a little bit more structure. I pulled colors from the rayon to play with within the design, the blue, the red, and a tiny bit of green.


It's a self drafted pattern, and super easy (and according to Azure comfortable) to put on with just a ribbon for the closing because it's just a faux placket! (Read: no buttonholes necessary! ;)  I added a fun little wooden button at the back and glass buttons down the front.


Thanks for letting me play!  Please visit No Big Dill for more!



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