I note that the designers are entered in a different order this time...so mine isn't first on the list. I guess I will leave mine in its place and start at the beginning as usual.
Brandon: I really like this fabric. Very pretty colors. The bow is great on hte back as well. I can't tell from the pics, but is this hem asymetrical? I also didn't see the straps at all on the first pic. I wonder if the design would have had more visual strength in the bodice without the ruffle-y lace. Of course that is a very "boxpleat" preference, is it not? hehehe I guess I never can escape my own design ethos!
Andrea: I was sure this one was Mario and Gianni for the silliest reason....the corset stitching on the bodice! hehehehe I was enchanted by the flowers on the straps and was wondering how on earth you did it. Thanks for detailing it in your blog! I thought the pattern use was especially nice at the waist/bodice. The buckle also was an interesting use.
Jose': I like the fabric choice, but I am not so sure about the transition to the back of the skirt. There were several dresses that I had my wonderings on this topic...I guess I prefer things to blend rather than hop. I would like to hear your description of the bodice as well. I have a feeling that the contrast is a petal, but not sure that it captures....and not sure at all that that is what you meant! :)
Mario & Gianni: This one reminded me of Leigh's Red Carpet design on both shape and hem...great minds? The fabrics are amazing....and I wondered if they were cottons. hehehehe Especially that super cool metallic (which you have already addressed in chat!) I remember how people complained about the black on the red-carpet gown you guys did, but I have to say, I think it should have been green.....a super dark green, to be sure, but with a definite green tone rather than black on this one.
Mine: The fabric looks crisp, which is a relief. I was worried about that one as it is tricky to imagine pressing a baloon skirt like this. I hope whoever buys it on eBay has a steamer! hehehe My fabric pattern looks very subdued. Of course that is what I was going for, within the limits of the oversized pattern. The dark blue piping is lost in the pictures....you can't see any of it along the top neck edge. I guess that is what I get for doing it tiny. I also wonnder if the skirt looks a little unbalanced. the skirt under the bow needs to be poufed a bit.
Debbie: The jacket with the removable cuffs is interesting. I am impressed with the use of the STRIPED fabric on this though...and I imagine pulling the bodice out of the strip was probably pretty tricky. With that it mind, my adaptation would be to cut the straps on the bodice. It loses a bit of the smooth angularity it is evoking. Very nice though.
Karen: I love the fabric and the neckline is really great. The plunge works very well. The ensemble looks more daywear to me though. I am not sure if it is the hat, or what. And I am not sure about the pants either. I read on your blog that it was Ted's idea, but it heightened the "daywear" effect for me. I think the design itself in an "evening" fabric wouldn't say that (the gown and pants anyway). Of course, no one would ever accuse me of being particularly "HIP" and/or current in my tastes, so maybe I am just showing my own weakness. Sigh!
Judith: The Applique' is very pretty. I felt like the white on the big dots lost a bit of the boldness though. Maybe in all reds for the applique'? I know the flying dove is symbolic but... I love the butterfly shapes, especially on the bodice (so it was worth the effort, if frustrating!) The fit is also lovely. Not sure I like the gauntlets...but then, I don't often like that style, so my opinin may not be valid on this count either! hehehe
Brenda: The wrap is very cool on this. I like the chained design. When I look at the skirt, I feel like the use of the stripes could have been more "purposeful" though. I expected them to chunk down spiral-wise or something; I personally love chevrons. Of course, I have done the geometry trying to do designs like that and it is a real struggle; perhaps I am just not seeing the pattern properly....
Leigh: My first thought was that it needs a big petticoat to fill the skirt to the bodice edge, then when I saw the back of the dress and the zipper not all the way up, I realized that the bodice just needed to sit lower down. It sure is hard to know if what we see is what was meant! The train/panels did not show well in the photographs. I wonder how they were presented to the judges. :) I was glad to read that they were removable though. Very nice. You got away with the least "print" on your dress to great effect.
I think my vote this round goes to Mario and Gianni, although Judith is a strong contender again. I find myself, like many of the viewers, drawn towards the same designers in each round. Of course, we have seen that each designer has his or her own following and strong vision, so that is not that surprising.
As I said in my previous post about this round, I found a place in myself that , while perhaps not the most universally satisfying for the "public" was more satisfying to me. "Luminous" as a design is partially a look, but also a feeling I had while making it.
There was a long pause in production between rounds 4 and 5. We didn't hear any results or much news in the interim. I think it was a convention break.
Looking forward to results and the next round. (I am a little worn-out by the 2 week schedule. I know it is better for the at home designers, but I feel like we are losing some momentum. People seem to be commenting less. Are we losing viewers?)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Round 4 Process and Soul Searching....again
When they announced that round 4 would be Tyler I relaxed a little. Over the last two years most of my customer work has been for this size doll, and as anyone who has sewn much knows, even if you are starting from scratch, it is much easier if you are familiar with the shapes and limitations. From the hints, I gathered that it would be a ballgown type and that the print issue was going to be oversized and central to the design. The oversized "element" put me off a bit as did the cotton.
This is not to say that I don't work in cotton on a regular basis, I even have hundreds of pieces in the stash....I just wasn't sure how it was going to work....but then it came to me. Don't get me wrong! It came to me after I scrapped several other ideas.
The first idea was to use a sheer black batiste. I had some great (but a little too big) leather flowers in my collection of trims that I thought would make an interesting contrast to the floaty batiste. I am still interested in the idea, but Ted assured me in clipped tones that as leather was not cotton I should not. Due to the factory strictures imposed on us (back when the winning designs were still going to be made) we were told that no embroidery was allowed. I have a very cool piece of cotton fabric that incorporates an emboidery line in it; my assumption was that embroidery that needed to be done by the factory was out but that embroidery that came by fabric selection should be okay. To be safe, I asked Ted. That asking changed the course of the round.
Ted's emailed response began with the question "Do you want to lose?"
I realized that the answer to that question was probably "yes."
Here is a quote from my journal: "The strictures aren't making me a better designer...and the previously fun communication is currently making me into an Angry Person. I guess I am starting to feel done with this competition."
And so, on the second day of the challenge, I began in earnest, not to "lose" but to do what I wanted with this cotton ballgown. I thought of a picture I had seen in a catalog way back when I was in college. It was a linen wedding dress and the picture was on the beach. The feeling had been both undeniably fresh and breezy but still crisp linen and still, very much, a wedding dress....
I pulled the sloper for one of my favorite bodices. With a quick adaptation, we were on our way. The fabrics I had laid out were very different and would have required very different designs to work properly. All of the hints had been very bold and incorporating dark colors. with that in mind I decided that demure was going to be the contrasting order of the day. The fabric I chose was crisp plain weave cotton in a soft ivory with pale blue and green marbled vines. For a contrast, I chose a midnight blue, also unevenly dyed. It embraces its cotton nature. heheheh
By the end of Thursday (day 2) a bodice is structured. I needed to recut to position the print better. Big print is tricky with tiny darts and pieces. The skirt trial was a moderate success and I knew what I needed to fix it, other than calculating the exact amount of uptake was going to be required. The vision in the mind's eye was becoming real.
Another quote from my journal:
"Friday morning, I wake to a message that ball gowns ar low cut to show boobs and jewels. Ugh!
Decided not to bother with that piece of information.
The resulting gown is just as envisioned - gorgeous and very boxpleat, which, I keep trying to remind myself is the point. It does no good to win a competition designing like someone else, eh?
What does it profit a woman to gain the whole world and lose her own soul...indeed.
Sending today (Saturday) and I am not asking any advice nor making any changes.
Foolhardy perhaps, but true to me."
When I relinquished the box at the post office 3 full days early, it was with such a feeling of lightness.
The dress is called "Luminous."
This is not to say that I don't work in cotton on a regular basis, I even have hundreds of pieces in the stash....I just wasn't sure how it was going to work....but then it came to me. Don't get me wrong! It came to me after I scrapped several other ideas.
The first idea was to use a sheer black batiste. I had some great (but a little too big) leather flowers in my collection of trims that I thought would make an interesting contrast to the floaty batiste. I am still interested in the idea, but Ted assured me in clipped tones that as leather was not cotton I should not. Due to the factory strictures imposed on us (back when the winning designs were still going to be made) we were told that no embroidery was allowed. I have a very cool piece of cotton fabric that incorporates an emboidery line in it; my assumption was that embroidery that needed to be done by the factory was out but that embroidery that came by fabric selection should be okay. To be safe, I asked Ted. That asking changed the course of the round.
Ted's emailed response began with the question "Do you want to lose?"
I realized that the answer to that question was probably "yes."
Here is a quote from my journal: "The strictures aren't making me a better designer...and the previously fun communication is currently making me into an Angry Person. I guess I am starting to feel done with this competition."
And so, on the second day of the challenge, I began in earnest, not to "lose" but to do what I wanted with this cotton ballgown. I thought of a picture I had seen in a catalog way back when I was in college. It was a linen wedding dress and the picture was on the beach. The feeling had been both undeniably fresh and breezy but still crisp linen and still, very much, a wedding dress....
I pulled the sloper for one of my favorite bodices. With a quick adaptation, we were on our way. The fabrics I had laid out were very different and would have required very different designs to work properly. All of the hints had been very bold and incorporating dark colors. with that in mind I decided that demure was going to be the contrasting order of the day. The fabric I chose was crisp plain weave cotton in a soft ivory with pale blue and green marbled vines. For a contrast, I chose a midnight blue, also unevenly dyed. It embraces its cotton nature. heheheh
By the end of Thursday (day 2) a bodice is structured. I needed to recut to position the print better. Big print is tricky with tiny darts and pieces. The skirt trial was a moderate success and I knew what I needed to fix it, other than calculating the exact amount of uptake was going to be required. The vision in the mind's eye was becoming real.
Another quote from my journal:
"Friday morning, I wake to a message that ball gowns ar low cut to show boobs and jewels. Ugh!
Decided not to bother with that piece of information.
The resulting gown is just as envisioned - gorgeous and very boxpleat, which, I keep trying to remind myself is the point. It does no good to win a competition designing like someone else, eh?
What does it profit a woman to gain the whole world and lose her own soul...indeed.
Sending today (Saturday) and I am not asking any advice nor making any changes.
Foolhardy perhaps, but true to me."
When I relinquished the box at the post office 3 full days early, it was with such a feeling of lightness.
The dress is called "Luminous."
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Round 3 Commentary
I kind of like the idea that mine is always first in the list....just because it makes it easy for me to review in order! heheh
The pictures for this round seem a little fuzzy or something. Perhaps it is the huge ammounts of congestion compressing my poor eyeballs, but the Ellowyne pics seemed much easier to see.
Mine - Well, the first comment directly about my dress on the yahoo chat said she liked the RED pleats. Sigh! It is a bright hot magenta. It still looks nice, but is a bit more subdued. On my digital camera I always have to add a bit of blue to get hte colors to match on my monitor. I wonder if the person who wins it on eBay will be surprised by the color. :) Each round there are competitors whose designs are challenged by the pictures taken of them....my complaint for this one is small, but I did send Ted an email about the pictures last week saying that the ONLY thing that was possible to misconstrue on my dress is that the color beads in the jewelry should be on the same side as the pleats. Sigh! Other than that, well the straps look like they are falling off in a few of the pics, but I would like to point out that it is a fine fine fit if a dress can stay up sans straps! hehehehe The shoes have the heel and sole painted a matching hot pink.....as per "Lucky Magazine" the month before(?) Project Dollway started. I was impressed by many of the shoe solutions. Barbie shoes are too small to do much with in my opinion. :)
Mario and Gianni - I saw the lace on the bottom and guessed this one! hehehe I was sort of tongue in cheek when I said it to myself, but there you have it. It is so hard to see the bodice and construction details on all the pics. Sigh! That was one of my issues through out. Maybe all of us should publish desaturated pics of our designs so we can pick out the details....black evening fabrics simply do not show off well. The fit is great on this.
Debbie - My first thought was that the color was good....surprised me, as I don't care for this color normally, but it works very well in the context. The hat is excellent. A good cocktail hat evokes so much more from a dress. (I should have done a hat!) I like the buttons down the back too. I think I probably would have left the black off the wrap though....
Karen - I love the cut of the skirt and wish I could see more of the fabric detail. Ah, the challenge of pictures! I also love the color of the sash. I was sad to see that the interesting necklace (if I am seeing correctly) wasn't shown on a doll with an updo....unless it is on backwards, which is equally bad. Sigh! Lovely dress. (I am not sure about a braod brimmed hat for cocktail wear....)
Judith - The green again (Debbie used it too.) The effect is similar here as well however. With black dominant, you need to choose a color that is BOLD. With the first pic, I decided that this one is my choice for the winner. I don't like it as much without the jacket, but I was so struck by the look, that I am sticking with my vote. :) The shoes are great. (I thought that about many of the solutions.)
Brenda - Looking at my notes that I made, and then thinking about the information from Brenda's blog, I can see that MUCH of what I was pondering was picture problem. :) The bubble skirt in the back is a very interesting idea, and I would be interested to see the construction of this design. Much of what is great about all these designs will only ever be seen by people who actually have the pieces in HAND. I think I would have liked to see the headband in an even lighter weight fabric, as it looks a bit bulky to my eye. Of course, so much is dependent on what one has to hand etc.
Leigh - Okay, here goes. Just kidding. Leigh is always telling me via email that I am going to grill him "on this next one." Actually, I was sad to read about the upside down wrap etc. I would be interested to see it properly done. My actual thought on this entry was: 3 great ideas are too many! hehehehe I love the petal wrap (even upsidedown) but think it would be better suited to a super-slim dress line. (Of course, looking at mine, you know where I went with that.) The big shoulder line and the big skirt line don't have enough room on a tiny doll. The floaty skirt would, of course, look floatier if pressed, but then the cat would eat it again. The shoes were also lovely, but I think they warred for attention with the wrap. So there, Leigh, what do you think?
Safina - The sheer midriff is very current. (I was thinking about all the sheer cut-outs shown in the Neiman-Marcus(?) email that floated about this round) My initial thought is that you should have gone with a bolder color choice, considering the edgy bodice...but then I thought back to the "Color" commentary on the first design and am not sure which way to jump. I hated having to guess what people wanted on these rounds. :)
Brandon - I really like this one alot, and this might have been my choice if I could see it in person. I suspect there is a lot mroe going on than meets the eye. The color choice is nice. The hem is an interesting idea, but I think it needs to be either MORE dramatic or straight across. At first, I wondered if it was sagging...which I why I say it should be more. On this small scale it is harder to tell if you mean it! It would be fun to see the dangling hem down to mid-calf. (Just my opinion of course.)
Jose' - The shape is really interesting on this one, and Ted was on and on about silhouette this round, so this would meet that expectation. I still don't think I would use a broad brimmed hat for cocktail though. I always think of hats like this for day wear...to keep the sun off.
Andrea - The neckline on this is very interesting and combines very well with the jewelry. The fabric looks a bit bulky to me.....even small scale velvet is trouble in this size doll. I am impressed that this is a first effort on the small gals. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may have taken top honors as well. Bravo! (And I am glad to note that I was not the only one who had to change horses mid-stream!)
The designs are all lovely and intresting, but I am struck by the fact that this challenge was not as exciing to view as teh Ellowyne Challenge for me. Perhaps I was impacted too much by the slight grainy quality on the pics....or maybe all the black without being able to see the details....or maybe it was just my own frustrations from this round coming back to haunt me, Of course, Silkstone is also not heavily in my customer base, so that could be it too. I am glad that the "viewers" on chat are pleased with the results though. In the end, I suppose it is the public opinion that matters.
In case you were wondering, the monitor has still not been repaired and I have been making Hula costumes for Senneth this week.
The next round is an interesting one, and not just from an "Inside my head" perspective. I am looking forward to seeing what the other designers did with what was challenged....and I am curious to hear what they "wanted" to do as well.
The pictures for this round seem a little fuzzy or something. Perhaps it is the huge ammounts of congestion compressing my poor eyeballs, but the Ellowyne pics seemed much easier to see.
Mine - Well, the first comment directly about my dress on the yahoo chat said she liked the RED pleats. Sigh! It is a bright hot magenta. It still looks nice, but is a bit more subdued. On my digital camera I always have to add a bit of blue to get hte colors to match on my monitor. I wonder if the person who wins it on eBay will be surprised by the color. :) Each round there are competitors whose designs are challenged by the pictures taken of them....my complaint for this one is small, but I did send Ted an email about the pictures last week saying that the ONLY thing that was possible to misconstrue on my dress is that the color beads in the jewelry should be on the same side as the pleats. Sigh! Other than that, well the straps look like they are falling off in a few of the pics, but I would like to point out that it is a fine fine fit if a dress can stay up sans straps! hehehehe The shoes have the heel and sole painted a matching hot pink.....as per "Lucky Magazine" the month before(?) Project Dollway started. I was impressed by many of the shoe solutions. Barbie shoes are too small to do much with in my opinion. :)
Mario and Gianni - I saw the lace on the bottom and guessed this one! hehehe I was sort of tongue in cheek when I said it to myself, but there you have it. It is so hard to see the bodice and construction details on all the pics. Sigh! That was one of my issues through out. Maybe all of us should publish desaturated pics of our designs so we can pick out the details....black evening fabrics simply do not show off well. The fit is great on this.
Debbie - My first thought was that the color was good....surprised me, as I don't care for this color normally, but it works very well in the context. The hat is excellent. A good cocktail hat evokes so much more from a dress. (I should have done a hat!) I like the buttons down the back too. I think I probably would have left the black off the wrap though....
Karen - I love the cut of the skirt and wish I could see more of the fabric detail. Ah, the challenge of pictures! I also love the color of the sash. I was sad to see that the interesting necklace (if I am seeing correctly) wasn't shown on a doll with an updo....unless it is on backwards, which is equally bad. Sigh! Lovely dress. (I am not sure about a braod brimmed hat for cocktail wear....)
Judith - The green again (Debbie used it too.) The effect is similar here as well however. With black dominant, you need to choose a color that is BOLD. With the first pic, I decided that this one is my choice for the winner. I don't like it as much without the jacket, but I was so struck by the look, that I am sticking with my vote. :) The shoes are great. (I thought that about many of the solutions.)
Brenda - Looking at my notes that I made, and then thinking about the information from Brenda's blog, I can see that MUCH of what I was pondering was picture problem. :) The bubble skirt in the back is a very interesting idea, and I would be interested to see the construction of this design. Much of what is great about all these designs will only ever be seen by people who actually have the pieces in HAND. I think I would have liked to see the headband in an even lighter weight fabric, as it looks a bit bulky to my eye. Of course, so much is dependent on what one has to hand etc.
Leigh - Okay, here goes. Just kidding. Leigh is always telling me via email that I am going to grill him "on this next one." Actually, I was sad to read about the upside down wrap etc. I would be interested to see it properly done. My actual thought on this entry was: 3 great ideas are too many! hehehehe I love the petal wrap (even upsidedown) but think it would be better suited to a super-slim dress line. (Of course, looking at mine, you know where I went with that.) The big shoulder line and the big skirt line don't have enough room on a tiny doll. The floaty skirt would, of course, look floatier if pressed, but then the cat would eat it again. The shoes were also lovely, but I think they warred for attention with the wrap. So there, Leigh, what do you think?
Safina - The sheer midriff is very current. (I was thinking about all the sheer cut-outs shown in the Neiman-Marcus(?) email that floated about this round) My initial thought is that you should have gone with a bolder color choice, considering the edgy bodice...but then I thought back to the "Color" commentary on the first design and am not sure which way to jump. I hated having to guess what people wanted on these rounds. :)
Brandon - I really like this one alot, and this might have been my choice if I could see it in person. I suspect there is a lot mroe going on than meets the eye. The color choice is nice. The hem is an interesting idea, but I think it needs to be either MORE dramatic or straight across. At first, I wondered if it was sagging...which I why I say it should be more. On this small scale it is harder to tell if you mean it! It would be fun to see the dangling hem down to mid-calf. (Just my opinion of course.)
Jose' - The shape is really interesting on this one, and Ted was on and on about silhouette this round, so this would meet that expectation. I still don't think I would use a broad brimmed hat for cocktail though. I always think of hats like this for day wear...to keep the sun off.
Andrea - The neckline on this is very interesting and combines very well with the jewelry. The fabric looks a bit bulky to me.....even small scale velvet is trouble in this size doll. I am impressed that this is a first effort on the small gals. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may have taken top honors as well. Bravo! (And I am glad to note that I was not the only one who had to change horses mid-stream!)
The designs are all lovely and intresting, but I am struck by the fact that this challenge was not as exciing to view as teh Ellowyne Challenge for me. Perhaps I was impacted too much by the slight grainy quality on the pics....or maybe all the black without being able to see the details....or maybe it was just my own frustrations from this round coming back to haunt me, Of course, Silkstone is also not heavily in my customer base, so that could be it too. I am glad that the "viewers" on chat are pleased with the results though. In the end, I suppose it is the public opinion that matters.
In case you were wondering, the monitor has still not been repaired and I have been making Hula costumes for Senneth this week.
The next round is an interesting one, and not just from an "Inside my head" perspective. I am looking forward to seeing what the other designers did with what was challenged....and I am curious to hear what they "wanted" to do as well.
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