Just Peachy

Color challenge! This week for Project Run and Play we picked a color and designed an outfit based on that color. This was not easy for me. I love so many colors. If you follow me on Pinterest, I arrange my boards by color for visual inspiration. I initially wanted to pick a rich shade of blue or green. And Drew said at the fabric store, "First look for a pink, and if you don't find a pink, then a purple. And if you don't find a purple, then a yellow." She then rattled off five other colors that would be okay with her. So yes, it was hard for us to narrow down a color!

Another fabric store later and I found this perfect peach color and the world made sense again. Peach is not pink. Peach is fresh and fun. Peach is perfect for spring and summer. Peach is youthful. Peach is a little bit retro. Peach is a fashionable color right now but not so trendy and overdone. Peach, peach, peach!



I use solid colors a lot in my designs. I love me a good pattern, but with solids you can really see the details and structure of the item. In this dress the details are the tuxedo ruffles in front, ruffles along the skirt hem, the perfect collar, and my favorite, the half flutter sleeves. I also played with the circle skirt pattern again and came up with a "mullet skirt" style. You know, short in the front and longer in the back! Because of this shape I knew the inside of the skirt piece would be very visible and I wanted it to be just as beautiful, so I used french seams (the seam is fully enclosed). It made such a strong and pretty finish that I used french seams for the entire dress (see pics below)... no serger for me this week! If you don't have a serger and still want your clothes to look professional, french seams are the only way to go. And they are simple too.

The perfect accessory for this dress is the braided leather belt. And I made it. And it was SO easy. And it took me about 15 minutes. And it cost me only $2. Can you tell I'm proud of that belt? I am. I'm not sure when I'll have another 15 minutes to spare, but when I do I am going to make me one too. I used leather scraps from an upholstery store near my house and a buckle from an old belt I never wear (last week's recycle challenge has stuck with me!). And just to send this outfit over the top I made a little retro pillbox hat with silver eyelets for insert the bobby pins. I really played off the vintage feel of the dress in the photo shoot, but take away the pillbox hat and the historic Chevy and this dress is also modern too.



As usual, I try to show you the details and insides of the dress. See the french seams. If it weren't for the buttons, the insides are so pretty that the dress could almost be reversible. I love how the peach seems a different shade with the green backdrop of my backyard compared to the bright blue truck photo shoot. Colors are interesting.



And another shot of my cutey. This girl has been modeling for me for so long (since she could barely sit) that I don't even have to tell her what to do any more. She knows how to pose alright. She simply gets behind the camera, works her magic, then sticks out her hand to me for payment. This time it was a dum dum sucker... cheap labor, right?



Oh, and don't forget...



Please go and vote over at Project Run and Play! Every week I talk to my husband about whether or not I will go home from this competition and he says, "Go home? As opposed to you being in New York right now in a fierce TV competition?" So obviously I'm already home, but the competition is fierce and I'd love to stay in it!