Monday, February 15, 2010

Project: Design Challenge finished! Yeti dreams of soup.

If you were a yeti, what would dream about? Soup!

I'm so happy with the way this dress for the Design Challenge turned out. And Zadie loves it to. When I finished it I held it over my legs so it would be at her eye level and she screamed, "Yeti dress!!!!" and gave it (and me) a huge hug. Success.

For my embellishments, I did a reverse applique using one of my yeti t-shirts. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it was totally worth the challenge. If you like doing this technique, try it with a design element. Just trace your image onto thin paper (or photocopy it) to use as a template for placing the fabric underneath your garment. Use a lot of pins to get it right. I stitched around the edges before I cut then went around it again after. Basically I felt that the machine stitching wasn't standing out next to the embroidery so I wanted it to pop a bit more. It wasn't necessary to the construction because I used Wonder Under around the edges of the yeti.

I did the embroidery starting with the bowl of soup. I mapped out where I wanted everything with pins and then just did it freehand. I wanted it to look dreamy so I didn't want to draw on the dress and "trace" with the needle and thread. Finally, I surrounded it with the thought bubble.

Doing this project really reminded me of my love for embroidery. I'll be doing more of this type of work to Zadie's future outfits. If anyone wants a tutorial on my reverse applique, leave a comment. If there is enough demand, I'll write one up.

For more on Project: Project, read this post.

8 comments:

Kestlyn said...

So cute! And great work with the hand embroidery too! Despite the time involved, cramping hand muscles, and pin pricks, it's one of my favorite things to do too :)

Beth Lemon said...

Yeah, I got myself good in the thumb with this one.

Anonymous said...

It's gorgeous. Love the embroidery. Would love to know your technique for the reverse applique.

Funny - when I ask Thea what she is making in the kitchen, it is always muffins or SOUP. :-)

Beth Lemon said...

Nikole, you wanna know something else -- when I ask Zadie what kind of soup he is eating, she screams, "Yeti soup!!!"

Hoping she is mistaken.

dana said...

This is totally cool. It's one of my top 10 choices :)(from one of the official judges. shhhhh :) )
Seriously though. really cool. fun to find your blog.
- dana

Sabra at Sew a Straight Line said...

I just wanted to tell you that your comment on my Waders probably made me even more happy than being a finalist. I actually saw the Yeti-soup dress on Flickr right after I submitted my entry. I even showed my husband, and I told him I thought it would be the winner. So I thought it really cool you said what you did to me. Really, thanks. I'm in love with the soup embroidery and well, the whole idea. Perfect.

Beth Lemon said...

Sabra - that's the best story ever. I'm glad we made each other's day!

Lovebird said...

I love, love, love this dress!