Friday, September 23, 2011

Up to My Ankles

Just an update on what's been going on with me.

You're probably thinking, "She's two episodes behind!" I know, I know.  I plan on getting caught up soon with the show.  I have my designs in mind, I just need to draw them out.  Maybe I'll do that tonight at work on my server notepad before the dining room gets busy. I'll mention this, though: my husband was geared up by last night's challenge which featured the designers creating men's wear.  He asked me if I could do that which I replied "Why not?"  He wants me to make him some jeans - so I'll put that on my list of things to do.

This morning I finished up and shipped off four flower girl dresses which were cotton eyelet with Autumnal colored taffeta sashes.  When I am all caught up with all my orders of these flower girl dresses, I will post pictures of them.  This weekend I will be changing the sash on an existing dress and shipping it off to Australia for a November wedding, then I will be making a new pattern for a dress made like a current J Crew design that a buyer could not get shipped in time for her wedding from the J Crew website.  New patterns and designs are always fun for me.  I won't feature the design on my Etsy shop, though, because it is not my original design.  Then I have two silk and lace dresses going to Miami, Florida for a wedding.

I hope to get Lucy's (my three year old) princess dress done for Halloween.  She helped to pick out her own fabrics and I'm excited for the beautiful Cerulean Blue and silver Brocade fabric that I'll use on the bodice.  The dress will even have a literal silver lining!

And then, I will finally get to make my first junior bridesmaid dress for a friend's wedding at the end of November.  I am also making a flower girl dress for her too.

So I am still busy with dress orders to the point where I had to stop taking orders until mid-late November.  BUT I will get those Project Runway designs done before the next episode airs.

I promise!

By the way, my Etsy shop link is: www.etsy.com/shop/mousebeecouture

I don't know if I've mentioned that before?!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Create a Print - Team Challenge

I am finally catching up a little with the show as tonight a new episode airs and I don't want to get two episodes behind.  If I had more time, and I would love to revisit this idea later, I would have actually designed my own print using the website spoonflower.com.  And I didn't have a team to work with, so I just did my own print and one design.

My idea was inspired by my love of toile.  I love looking at the different stories a toile fabric is telling.  And I love discovering new and interesting designs.  My idea was to create a toile pattern based on "Mid Summer Night's Dream."  I have included a close up of the scene where Titania, under a love spell, is in love with the mortal, Bottom, who has had the unfortunate circumstance of having his head transformed to that of an ass.  The idea of my toile would be to have various scenes from the play throughout the fabric.

I thought a simple flared sundress would be the best canvas for this design and I just love the combination of green and blue!


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Up to my knees...

Dear blog friends, just a mention that I have been up to my knees in Flower Girl dress orders. Therefore, I have been away from the blog for longer than I would like. But I will get caught up soon. This is a good problem to have as I am making some cash. But don't feel neglected, or at least, don't feel alone. The laundry is the true victim here. It has been piling up all week. Oh the irony: I love to make clothes, but I hate to clean them.

Until we meet again...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Artistic Inspiration Challenge

Ok, these challenges are really silly.  Why can't they just give them a lot of money and a good amount of time to make a beautiful red carpet gown.  I wish the challenges would try to be less creative and get back to fashion.  I haven't been blown away yet by any of the designers, but I am waiting.

So, Project Runway used to be my show that I would watch while my husband was not at home both for the reason that it annoyed him and for the reason that it annoyed me to have him make fun of Tim Gunn's little catch phrases.  But, for some reason I can't pinpoint, he started watching it with me this season.  Maybe it was a curiosity on his part to see what this show was all about and to see what I would hypothetically be getting myself into?

Anyway, he is enjoying it - mostly for the remarks of the judges (Michael Kors specifically) that have been cracking him up.  He was also excited to see that Kenneth Cole is a straight male designer.  And I mention this not to knock the gay male designers, but to point out that straight men can be creative and fashionable too.

And I mention this bit about my husband because it was his idea that directed my design this week.  After watching this episode, which the designers were to create a haute couture garment inspired by a piece of artwork (the artwork was created by the designer and an art student), I asked how I was going to create my own design.  Where was I going to get an original piece of artwork?  To this question, my husband pointed out that I should use one of his paintings.

So I did.

Here is one of his paintings.  All of his work is done on large canvases made by him and is based on the Golden Ratio.


And here is my design.  Normally I do "shopping" at mood fabrics.com to try to truly mimic the challenge. But I have a babysitter today and I want to get some sewing done before my "time is up."  But know that the dress would consist of stretch velvet as the basics of the dress (with black mesh at the top and down the back) and different colored pastel chiffon would be the flowing detail.


And, I am not married to the black mesh on top, but thought it might look good strapless too.  But there it is.  The green velvet horizontal stripe would actually hold some of the chiffon in as well.  And there would be a chiffon train in the back.