the genesis of this specimen is from a very innocuous, friendly-seeming book helpfully titled “we love color.”
“we love color.” well, so do i – what could be more harmless?
and there i sat, innocently – remember, back before the crazy, and therefore still innocent – innocently paging through this basic modern patchwork book – because did i mention it was a quilting book? – and thinking that maybe there would be a piece in there i could play with.
and then i saw this:
and my imagination immediately ran off with me. i’ve already mentioned my box of silk scraps – well, suddenly they were calling out to me, screaming even, demanding to be organized and sorted and used.
and, i admit, i was all-too-willing to listen to their siren song. the image resonated with me. i saw in it every color i see in my back yard on sunny days.
(only right this moment i can’t completely remember what the sun looks like, since this has been my view lately:
several very exhausting snow days later i had pieced this much of it.
at which point i sent it to my soul mate in san francisco. this was his feedback.
undaunted, i continued piecing, eventually taking apart much of the work so that i could add some richness and depth of tone by adding more blue, and getting this.
at this point there was nothing else to do but fashion it into something reliable, like my deer & doe datura blouse. sheer yoke again, obvi, because i live for the sheer yoke these days.
and — wait, what is that you say? how is the hem finished?
oh, funny you should ask, it is finished with a serged rolled hem (the only finish that made sense with all of the pieced strips and their misaligned seam alliances).
say hello to my new friend, and happy birthday to me.
the rest of the edges – neck, arms, etc – are finished with a hand-rolled hem so that i could keep the silk layers in the front yoke all properly placed and aligned.
I absolutely love it! its perfectly unique and completely wearable…..hmmm…off to search through my fabric scraps!! I love the direction you are heading in lately, v. inspiring.
Thanks Leisa! I’ve felt really engaged by my projects lately so I am going to keep going with it
Happy Bday, friend-o-mine! Many many more!
This top is so you I can’t take it. LOL
I am going to hope you meant that in a good way :-). Thanks!!
Ha! Best way!
Wow, I love it! I’m so pleased you continued with this ‘undaunted’, it’s a work of art. Yay for using up scraps.
undaunted sewing for the win. fortunately i never listen to him anyway. 😉
Oh its gorgeous! I love all the colours and lines mixed together! Very inspiring 🙂
thanks, melanie!
And you are a fabric piecing GENIUS. I love the colors, I love the lines, and goodness gracious, the back is fab! SUPER WELL DONE!
aww, thanks! i like to think the line between genius and madness is blurred, here. 🙂
CRAZY CUTE!
thank you!
Hi – found you through Oona’s fat quarter challenge (good luck!). I absolutely LOVE what you did with this top – so cool!
– Amy Nicole
http://Www.LadyMockingbird.com
Thank you!
Hi! I’m Morgan and I’m running a scrap-sewing themed month for the Sewcialists. I love this project and would like to include an image of it in an upcoming inspiration post (with a link back to your post, of course!) Let me know if this is all right with you! Gorgeous work!
i’m flattered! please feel free! i am looking forwardd to seeing what other sewciaists come up with…
Awesome, thank you!
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