Sharon and I spent several hours playing with the draped muslin for Phoenix Rising. She corrected some problems in the bodice, and then we started playing with the arrangement of colors in the bodice. Here’s what we wound up with, after two hours of playing around:
The sections underneath the purple lines will be in red fabric, which will finish out the bodice. Underneath the bodice will be three skirts made from phoenix fabric – starting out with yellowy orange, then orange-red, then red.
There is, obviously, quite a bit still to be defined about the design, but it’s a start. Next steps?
First, the skirt needs to be rebuilt. There is too much flare at the hip, which will prevent the bodice from descending smoothly on the left side. So I am going to put in a three-inch yoke at the waistline and start the flare of the skirt at the end of the yoke. That will give it a little flare, but hopefully not too much. I will also take out some of the flare at the bottom, as it will make the crinoline unpredictably bulky.
Once I redo the skirt, I’ll add ruffles to make the crinoline that “fluffs out” the skirt. Sharon and I spent some time discussing this, and eventually decided to try out silk organza for the ruffles, as we’re worried about the weight of the skirt. We think organza will give more fluff to the skirt per unit weight than tulle would, and organza will also hold up better against a heavy skirt. So I’ve ordered fifteen yards of silk organza and will dye it appropriately when it arrives.
Once all that is done, I’ll resume draping, this time starting with the bottom of the skirt. Once I’ve done the three tiers of skirt, it will be time to come back and finish the red of the bodice. Yes, I have a lot of work cut out for me! I’ll be visiting Sharon again in about three weeks, and hope to have much of the infrastructure done by then.
Off to monoprint some more! The sun is finally up, so I can start dyeing, and I have one more precious day before the new job starts tomorrow. Better make the most of it!
