After four or five hours of work, I finally have the side panels pieced and cut. And they look pretty good! Here they are:
The piecing is regular and the pattern clearly suggests a braid.
Now I need to sew up the body of the jacket, recut and re-sew two lining pieces, and make a bunch of bound buttonholes in the front panel. Then I need to attach the lining to the vest, sew in the cape, and that’s it! I’m trying to get it done this week, but it might go into early next week, because of the buttonholes.
Meanwhile, my design class continues. Inspired by the exercises, I’ve analyzed a bunch of my most-liked fashion photos, looking to see what characteristics appeal. Here are some of the words I found repeating in my analysis:
- long
- flowing
- dynamic when moving (flash of contrast)
- wings
- soft
- light and airy
- dramatic
- feathers or suggested feathers
- more loose than structured, but with some structure (i.e. not entirely loose)
- asymmetric
- diagonal lines (add movement)
And I am now thinking I would like to make two pieces – a cloak entitled “Dying Phoenix”, crumply-textured material, predominantly black (maybe some gray) with red and orange accents – and “Phoenix Rising” – the one I’ve been working on. The cloak I have a strong vision for, the other is still totally in the air. I need to generate more designs, and also start sampling fabric!