The Modern Artist

It is time for the week one challenge of Project Run and Play All Stars! I honestly can't get over the fact that someone out there thinks I am an all star but this has been the most fun I have had sewing in a long time and I am so honored that I am sewing amongst friends. To say I "needed" this may be a little crazy but really, I needed this. It was so fun to challenge myself, to think out side the box and to stretch my creativity, and really to just sew freely. When I first saw the themes that the girls were kind enough to give us back in December, I was pretty stumped by the Art Challenge. That is until I googled "art". 

The first piece that came up was a piece I remember seeing in the Art Museum when I was a little girl. It was my favorite piece and really I have always been drawn to the modern art movement. I always felt empowered when I saw squares, lines, and splatters hanging in famous museums, because I would think "I can do that!" In fact if it wasn't for modern art I would feel like art was unattainable. (if you saw me draw a sorry excuse for a stick figure you would understand) I took the challenge fairly literal.

I made the dress a solid white canvas with a color blocked pieced peplum. The collar which is made by shaping bias tape is intended to look drawn on. I also added a short bubble sleeve to play with shapes and silhouettes.
 

I made the dress back in December and had Abbey try it on, it fit like a glove and I did a happy dance, so happy I guess that I started having contractions and we went into labor and delivery. It was a false alarm, and we had a really fun waiting game back and forth until Penny was born and the dress waited patiently in Abbey's closet until a few weeks ago when we were ready to go take pictures. Do you know what happens in a few months time? Kids grow. So the once perfect dress was now too short. However as Tim Gunn would say "make it work" so the dress, became a tunic and I whipped up a pair of leggings to wear underneath. Honestly I love it even more as a tunic than I did as a dress, and so does Abbey because she loves any chance she can have to wear leggings.

The back has an exposed zipper in bright green. The splash of color that pulls from the peplum added an industrial feel to the modern art piece, and I love the pop of interest to the back.

I love the shape of the peplum, which I have a mini tutorial for later next week. It has a few pleats that help give it shape and form and add to the flair. 

I used a stretch poplin for the dress so it has comfortable easy fit for an active little girl.

She was quite pleased with the dress and thats all that really matters.

So head on over to Project Run and Play and vote for your favorite look.