Princess Colour Skirt Development

 Developing the skirt for Princess Colour has been both exciting and stressful. I was really unsure how to even start this process but I thought I should make patterns for the tabs rather than just experimentally cut all the pieces. I think this fits the design more because it does have a certain uniformity. I knew that from making the calico pieces that it can also waste fabric by just experimenting. By just having a couple of different tab patterns in different length I can focus more on the decoration and texture rather than the size. What I've found a bit difficult about creating the skirt is knowing what colours to use and how many is too many or too few. I want it to look effortless like the design. What I started with was what I knew I needed and had a clearer vision of from the design: the laser cut patterns. I've really enjoyed seeing my laser cutting come to life appliquéd onto the tabs. It is an easy and rewarding process and I think the result is perfect for my design.

Gibb, S. and Jones, U. (2009). The Princess Who Had No Kingdom. London: Orchard Books.

The Original Design

My first attempt

 I am really really pleased with how the skirt looks with the laser cutting. When I was applying all the different shapes I really tried to look at my illustration for reference so that I could try to emulate her patterns with my different shapes. However this was just all of those panels and I will need to fill in with other panels. The question I wasn't really sure how to answer was: should they be solid fabric or sheer, should they be decorated or plain, how many, what length.  When looking at all my fabrics on the table I realized that I had bought some that no longer really worked colour wise, so I eliminated using those and instead focused on the ones that looked most like the design. My tutor also suggested using the fabrics from the bodice. I was sceptical at first about this but after making a few they really fit in well.

  These are the two bottom layers after some new tabs and a bit of reconfiguration. I think they look a lot more like the illustration. It still retains it's lightness which is really important to me but the solid layers underneath add so much more depth  as well. I've some more middle and top layers to create but with this start I really feel I can move forward more successfully. Creating even just this much of skirt has really tested my ability to make design decisions. I've learned just to be bold and use a lot of pins!