I spent a few days fabricating more dyed/printed muslin, and refining the bodice/skirt design. I decided to keep the overall outline from the first version of the bodice, but not the three sections. I made the skirt, cut flame-shaped edges from the tiers of the skirt, and ruffled each tier to make them stand out [...]

I spent most of yesterday tinkering with the design and mostly hating it. It didn’t feel right, no matter what I did. Finally I sat down and thought about why I wasn’t liking it. Here’s what I realized: The organic flame shapes on the top weren’t working well with the rigid phalanxes of phoenixes at [...]

Much progress lately! Thursday and Friday I dyed four lengths of muslin in various shades of orange and scarlet, and yesterday I screen printed the yardage with a phoenix pattern to mimic the handwoven fabric that will be used. This morning I began draping. I’m still roughing out the very broad design, and don’t expect [...]

The last few days have been pretty busy at work, and I’ve been getting home mentally exhausted. Nonetheless, I’ve gotten quite a bit done on Phoenix Rising. I’ve gathered twenty yards (!) of organza ruffle for the skirt, and put on an organza overskirt. The crinoline for the muslin is now complete, and I’m starting [...]