Birth of a Spring / Summer Wardrobe Palette

I’m the kind of girl that likes plenty of options when faced with a choice. The cereal aisle (if I dared to stand in its void) doesn’t intimidate me at all. I just wish I had the time to catalogue it ;-). So, when I saw that the Spring & Summer 2012 Palette Challenge was announced over at The Coletterie, it was out of character for me to want to play along.

“To participate, you research and choose a color palette for creating a mini seasonal wardrobe, create a moodboard, and then spend about 8 weeks sewing as many garments as you’d like from that palette.” Sarai at The Coletterie

Those lovely constraints (which I need but often avoid) would only have me “obligated” to my color palette for a couple of months. It would also give me an opportunity to focus on a handful of patterns, say 4 or 5 garments that could be mixed and matched into two weeks worth of outfits. Limits with limits. I can work with that!

The challenge is pretty low-key and should fit nicely with The Sew Weekly’s upcoming themes, but Operation Sew Balanced needs my attention for the moment. Perhaps in a week or so, I’ll decide if I will fully participate (Flickr group, forum, etc.) or simply remain an inspired and supportive lurker.

In the meantime, here is a palette of fabrics that would inspire any mini wardrobe I might sew this season.

Palette of Fabric Prints to Inspire a Spring/Summer Mini Wardrobe

A signature floral, solids selected from a rainbow plaid, classic & cheery polka-dots, and chevron stripes for texture. (Fabric: Maywood Studio’s Calypso collection, Robert Kaufman Pimatex Basics & Remix collections).

Got any color-coordinated wardrobe plans this season?

Inspired by Art: The Peacock

UPS tracker lied about my fabric’s ETA of yesterday. Instead, it’s supposed to be here any minute now. Got the dog guarding the door so I’ll be alerted of the delivery dude before he reaches the front steps. Once my garment prototype is all sorted out tonight, I’ll be ready to cut into some real fabric….and one of them is late! Choosing between Fabric de Stash and Fabric de Recent Online Purchase Being Slowly Delivered by UPS was supposed to be part of the experience and now I may be forced to choose a fabric by default. Oh, the drama ;-).

On with Part 2 of the Art Challenge inspiration preview. I’ve been digging on peacock feathers (as a design element for home decor and crafts) for over a year now. I even bought this rubber stamp of peacock feathers to use in papercrafting (along with a Mardi Gras-worthy collection of random bird feathers). It’s an androgynous iconic image, perfect for handmade cards.
Rubber Stamped Image of Peacock Feathers

Artists have been depicting the peacock’s glory in paintings since forever, so it was easy to find one that matched my aesthetic. It’s no wonder I am attracted to the peacock’s beauty, National Geographic describes the peacock as…

One of the most ostentatiously adorned creatures on Earth, the peacock uses its brilliant plumage to entice females.

Here’s my inspiration board with peacock (and painting) as muse. No matter which fabric I choose or must default to (the Van Gogh or peacock inspired) for next week’s Art Challenge, both inspirations are sure to leak into my life in some way.

Inspiration Board: The Peacock