It has been a while since I made clothing for either of the kids. My poor sewing machines have been rather neglected since we moved in to this house. I think I have been in great need of a creative outlet recently. Obviously, since I went a little crazy making cotton knit sweats, fleece long underwear and this silk party dress yesterday afternoon and into this morning. Perhaps the shear volume of output is an indication of some pent up design desires. Araiya has wanted a dress for dancing, and what do you know, we have a wedding to attend tomorrow night and this silk kinda leaped off the shelf at me.

It is very simple raw material, one I haven’t worked with before. The lines of the dress correlate directly with the way the fabric wants to hang. Immediately reminded me of some of the fabric fold experiments Martha of Uniform Studio has explored. Visual interest through manipulation of the material rather than adornment.

I debated doing an even simpler pillowcase style dress and a coordinating jacket, but it was too strong an element I was unwilling to give up to have the horizontal band across the front where the directionality of the folds oppose one another. I like how the intersections contrast one another, creating depth beyond the initial texture of the crinkled fabric. I think the pillowcase style, while more true to my minimalism, would have been not nearly as delightful as the completed whole and detailing of what I ended up with. Even with the bow.

Yes, there is a bow. Me, miss anti-dress, anti-Bow, anti-frills- and here I went and put a big, fat, Butt-Bow on my daughter’s first special occasion dress. Maybe I am loosing it, but really, it was needed there. I even added it as an afterthought. Already I am devising how to tie it into more of a kimono-esque knot.

Regardless, Araiya loves it. I have to say I am quite pleased as well. Now, off to dig through my closet for something for me to wear to this wedding, since my 2-year old is considerably out-dressing me.