When I set out to make a cohesive collection, I decided to first picked colors. (Many people start with fabrics or sketches….but I decided to start with color.)
As you all now know of my love for navy blue, I started with that as a base and then graduated into colors that my girlie likes (hence the pink and lilacs) and then added in grays for some contrast.
I made my first stop to a paint store to find shades of each of these colors that I liked and that went together.(Which was harder than I thought it was going to be….like a half-hour in the paint aisle with a toddler……….it was not a pretty picture.)
You can tell how hashed they are by now, but I carried these paint chips around in my purse all summer to be able to match fabrics. It ended up working perfectly…and I even found GREAT suitings, wools and cottons on great sales that I would have never found any other way if I hadn’t had the swatches in my grasp at all times.
After choosing colors, I started sketching. Liz is an artist……I AM NOT. (I am kind of embarrassed to even show you my sketches) but I knew that at some point I had to start sketching. I am all for writing down ideas and keeping a notebook, but hadn’t done any sketching before this.
I used the help of a fashion croquis which is the French word for “sketch.” (Who knew I would remember that word from College French? I read a short story about an artist and I remember I had to look up that word a million times over.)
A Google search pulled up this one, and off I went…..
As you can imagine some of outfits were straight off the sketches and others, well, they morphed. This Winter White dress actually did turn out like the sketch, although winter white wool was way out of my price range–like $50 a yard–yikes! and (b) my vintage lace didn’t dye navy blue—it ended up a WEIRD-BEARDO purplish color that was totally unusable. So, the lace ended up winter white as well.
One thing I forgot to put in the intro post yesterday is that I made the entire collection (including one new pair of shoes, tights and belts) for around $110 dollars, with oodles of fabric left over. If I were to have measured better I would have spent way less, but at the beginning I bought like 2-4 yards of each fabric, which was way too much for most projects. Although I still feel good about the price, there is no way I could have bought 6 outfits for $100 in any new store.
I will show you the Winter White Dress tomorrow…..
~Elizabeth
That’s a cool way of deciding. I did a SWAP for a contest this fall so its not pictured anywhere yet and I ended up just opening my fabric closet to see what I had the most of. I still ordered a bunch of fabric though. Go figure right?
After YEARS of sketching like you did, I finally learned how to draw a figure with with the book Character Costume Figure Drawing by Tan Huaixiang. I was so proud of doing a sketch on my own! But then I reverted to using croquis because it’s faster when drawing doesn’t come naturally 🙂
love your pallet and your first sketch – use whatever works for you – it’s all about the clothes, right! My figure drawing class in college is what got my sketching up to par (I am NOT an artist) – but it takes practice and I am way out of practice now.
this is incredible!!! I cannot wait to see it all! And I love that you used paint store samples to create colors to go together – great idea!
Paint chips are a genius idea!!! (and I know the Home Depot people don’t love when I come in with Ansley b/c she wants a million pink and purple chips ha). Your sketches look a million times better than mine (no exaggeration). And that price tag?! Way to go!!!!!
Wow, I think I’m going to have to start sketching and using paint chips for my sewing now! Seems like you had a great success with this collection. Well done!
How fun! I like the idea of using paint chips as a guide to fabrics, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of the pieces you made.
I can’t ever get things to dye navy on the first try either… they always turn out an ugly shade of purple. I did find out that if I add teal dye to the navy and dye in almost-boiling water it comes out closer to the right color.
I’m lovin’ the paint chip idea too, especially carrying them around in your purse. I can never remember the colors that I need when I go to the fabric store. This will help tremendously. $110 is amazing!