FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY

Divider_GoldMoth

Beauty of a Willow

stitch-1

SUBMITTED BY:

Eirik Pellock

LINKS:

(click images to to enlarge)

Outline the story …

The Natural beauty of a Weeping Willow is the inspiration for this dress. From the textured bark to the long-vined branches that drape back to the earth. To the wrinkled bark surrounded by cattails. In Greek Mythology There was tails of beautiful beings born from the titanic gods that imbody nature. These are known as Nymphs/Dryads/Nyads. The Nymphs of the trees and woods. These Beings mostly bearing the likeness of women. The thought of a young woman being so intertwined with nature to the point of wearing a willow tree. I chose gold and light green fabrics to show the beauty and youth of the young Nymph. I went for the design if she draped a willow tree on herself. Using silk polyester and polyester cotton.

Outline the construction…

This Dress was way out of my level of sewing. At the beginning of making this dress I tried to use a pattern, but I wanted to try to make it more textured than just flat panels of fabric. So, I got a dress form and started to drape. I draped pleats and pinned, I draped smocking and pinned. After it was all pinned, I didn’t know what to do to hold it without pins.

I learned how to hand sew a back stitch and hide the stitches behind the front of the pleats. Witch I learned is called (Hidden Tracking). Then I sewed a lining silk behind the pleated top. I put grommets on the back embroidered on top. Breaking the punch in the process.

For the skirt part I learned a little late on how to properly sew smocking. Instead, I sewed red glass-beads in place of the pins. I did this on three of the five skirt panels. I also beaded cattails with gold glass-beads and ribbon.

For the vines and leaves I went to new territory that I was not prepared for fully. The leaves started out being hand embroidered. Then free hand on the sewing machine. No leaf is the same they all have there on personality. The vines were the most painful to my hands. Each of the twelve vines are ten feet long and unsewn they are 2inches wide. I sewed them shut and used a straw to flip them right sides out.

COUNTRY: United States.

What It’s like to compete:

I had a Amazing time this year. I could take my time and enjoy making. This project got me out of a dark spot and gave me something to look forward too. This opened my mind to a new creative part that I never expected of myself. If anyone is on the fence hop off of it and join next year. You will have a great time. If it’s in your budget join FR and get with the discord group and you wont work alone. Ones you make one thing for the competition you want to do it over and over again. If you don’t win that’s okay you learned more about sewing and your self. blow everyone away the next year. You are talented show us how amazing you are.

COMMENTS

Divider_GoldMoth

9 Comments

  1. Avatar Anna-Catherine Sendgikoski on May 9, 2023 at 12:15 am

    This is amazing work! I would never have been able to dream this up! Lovely execution and colors!

    • Avatar Eirik Pellock on May 17, 2023 at 10:07 am

      Thank you. I had the thought like in gone with the wind. With the curtains, I saw it in the widow and had to try it on. But instead of curtains it was a willow tree. Haha

  2. Avatar Steffi Wee on May 10, 2023 at 10:21 am

    The construction is so complex! It looks wonderful, you should be so proud

  3. Avatar Holly Holly Delaney on May 10, 2023 at 7:42 pm

    Very cool use of materials and design. Quite unique!

  4. Avatar Susannah Allanic on May 12, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    I really think your choice of beads is just the cat’s meow! What is the perfect finishing touch? Why, it is the dragonfly in flight! Wonderful work!

  5. Avatar Joey on May 15, 2023 at 7:10 am

    I love the chaotic feel of the fabric manipulation in this piece. Wonderful

  6. Avatar Lowana O\'Shea on May 16, 2023 at 11:19 am

    Wow! What a beautifully designed piece. I loved reading about how you draped this and had to learn how to stitch this together to remove the pins. You did a fantastic job and the end result is stunning and fits the theme of the competition so well. Well done 🙂

  7. Avatar Eirik Pellock on May 17, 2023 at 10:09 am

    Oh my goodness everyone thank you for all the very kind works. Thank you

  8. Avatar Jenny jenny b on May 22, 2023 at 12:29 pm

    This is absolutely spectacular – amazing creation of texture!

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