Pulled Seam Stitches

I noticed that after 5 years of wear that my fave winter trench had thinned and the stitches had begun to pull across my derriere.

Instead of ripping out the stitches I decided to celebrate my creativity create an 'angel' of sorts from my fabric stash.

My major dilemma: the coat lining. I would have to rip the seam stitches apart and be careful not to accidentally sew it while doing my applique work.

For the body of my 'angel' I used lightly colored African print fabric for the wings. Mud cloth  & Orange Kente for her dress.

Her brown satin face was reinforced with interfacing and hand embroidered eyes using metallic thread. And she sports  locks made from unravelings of Mud cloth and metallic thread.

After arranging the pieces on my coat & pinning them in place, I sewed them only catching the lining a couple of times after a couple of stitches.

My 'angel' was complete but needed a little attention, something was missing. So I dropped the feed dogs and zig-zagged a little design on the mud cloth. Hand sewed the center lining seam and 

VOILA!

  My pulled seam dilemma was solved & my fave trench now reflects my design aesthetic.

Bridal Scene: April 25, 2009

So my church has a youth fundraiser bi annually: a fashion show. So for the first one two yrs ago I did my own scene: everday african. There's still a buzz around that line, but I have gone back to my original name and id: lil'd designs.
So for this show I was asked to make a wedding dress. No scene, just one piece, a wedding dress. I don't do wedding dresses or so I thought. So then I got to thinking why the hell not?! I let the powers that be know, sure, but not just the dress but the full scene. You know the bride, groom, flower girl and ring bearer! Including the pillow 4 the rings, the basket/purse 4 the flowers, the broom for jumping and the bride's bouquet!
So my theme is a beach ceremony. Nothing too formal, more informal but dressy and funky!!! The color is a very pale gold probably trimmed in an african adinkra fabric and beaded or 'shelled' with cowry shells. I've sketched the gown, have a pretty good idea of the groom and ring bearers duds, know the look for the flower girl's dress. I would use the same accent fabric for all four looks. (I've found the fabric I want) The accessories are forming in my head: the broom, not a problem. The pillow not a problem. The basket I'm actually thinking of fabric weaving myself in the shape of a square purse shape either with gold lace or the same accent fabric as the other looks.
That's how my mind works! I started out feeling snubbed and now.....
I'll start fitting the flower girl this weekend to keep ahead of schedule.
And we'll see how this comes out!!