Design, take two

I thought about the design a bit more yesterday and decided I didn’t like it at all.  So I played around some more and came up with this design:

This also has serious design flaws (most notably, the square frame around the design creates a very rigid feel), but it will allow me to play with curved lines, straight lines, and (quarter) circles, so it will do for now.  I’ve decided that for this piece my primary interest is sampling, so I’m willing to sacrifice quality of design for the ability to try the things I want to try.  In an ideal world, I could work it out so everything came out perfectly, but this is not an ideal world, and I’m impatient, so I’m moving ahead with this.

This all looks terribly dry and monochromatic in the pattern, but I think it will look a lot better once sewn.  To whet your appetite, here’s a photo of the fabrics I intend to use for this sampler:

Alas, the flash washed out the colors, but they are deep,  rich, and should be just gorgeous against the black silk noil (which will be the background).  I can hardly wait to sew this up!

And, lest you think I have given up on the garment challenge, I’m going up to see Sharon later today.  She’ll be helping me fit the tunic pattern, and I’m hoping she’ll also review and offer corrections on my pattern drafting exercises.  I’ve finished the first chapter, which is all about dart manipulation, and am moving into the second, which is on working with style lines.  That seems to be about working with the princess seam, at least so far.  I’m seriously enjoying the exercises, which require thought and understanding, not just repetition.