All About Art Gallery Fabrics

The link-up has 8 hours left on it and here I am working on pictures that I took this afternoon of the dress that I made last night/this morning. (I didn’t really sleep last night.) And my internet is being ridiculous and won’t upload my pics. AH! I’ll work it out yet.

I haven’t been able to sew for 6 weeks while I’ve been away living in my camper so when I saw that this month’s theme for Project Run and Play was “Inspired by Art Gallery Fabrics” my heart dropped. WHY NOW??!! This is clearly made for me because I simply MUST be the biggest AGF fan! No??? But then I saw that I was going to have about 4 days once I got home to see if I could take part in the link up somehow around unpacking, getting ready for the homeschool year, filling my fridge and just generally getting my bearings again. I swear, I didn’t even know my own house anymore after being gone that long!

So, this is all about being inspired by the AGF lines. I have to say that I’ve had to learn about inspiration. I don’t normally think about what inspires me, but as I’ve been able to get to know the Project Run and Play format I’ve been forced to think about it. It turns out that fabric is really what inspires me the most. I start with the fabric and somehow it leads me to figure out what exactly I should make with it.

I had already planned in my head what I was going to do for this challenge if and when I had the chance. It was something I’ve been wanting to make for months already and would be perfect. Except that I have this horrible (??) incapability of being able to sew when I haven’t got everything else cleaned up around me and I had a pile of newly purchased, washed fabrics on my sewing room floor that needed to be folded and organized. So I started ironing and folding. And then I saw this Fleet and Flourish voile by Maureen Cracknell in my pile and plans slowly starting changing as I ironed and the ideas started flowing. It didn’t happen with all the other fabrics I was folding, nope. Just this one. So my first idea? You’ll have to wait for it. It’ll get done eventually.

You see, this voile was begging me to use it. And it really, really wanted to be a ruffled hem, hi lo skirt that would show off a pair of boots. I love this print and especially in this flowing style. I mentally drafted the skirt and went in search of something for the top.

I had something kinda boxy in mind for what I thought would be a 2-piece outfit. I wanted it to go with the slight bohemian feel this fabric was giving me. I searched through my file of PDF patterns for something I could hack and came across the Loralie pattern by Violette Field Threads. Not at all boxy, but I knew as soon as I saw it that it was going to be perfect. So I used the bodice and sash portion of the Loralie and drafted the skirt to go with it. I gotta say, I was pretty happy to finally be using this pattern from my collection.

I paired this voile with a pretty cream eyelet and a blue chambray both from Cali Fabrics. They were a perfect match and quite conveniently in my disheveled pile of fabric. I hurriedly finished my ironing, had supper and got to work. I was finally fully inspired and motivated to sew!

It took me awhile. I really don’t sew fast at all. Eventually in the wee hours I had to go to bed. For some reason I was awake early so I headed downstairs to get ‘er finished for church. I was attaching that ruffle till 5 minutes to church time and sat during the first song pulling out the stray threads. But it’s done! And it’s a beauty! So is that girlie. A quick stop at the train station on the way home from church for pics and Mission Accomplished!

My daughter is slowly, but somehow too quickly, growing out of the girls patterns that I love and am used to sewing with. Soon we’ll be heading into tween and I was lucky to quickly get this one made for her before she grew out of this pattern. And she was so excited to have something to wear with her boots that she found while we were on holidays. A girl after my own heart. We heart boots.

You know, these pictures make her look so lady-like. Reality is, her sister had to ask her not to fart on her bed just this week. And she would only need to ask such a thing if it had already happened. Numerous times. And they say boys are all about the fart talk…..

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the pics. I sure loved going through them. Going down as one of my favourite makes.