Wearable Art Connection fashion show

Jump to Comments

Some of you know that I belong to the Los Angeles Wearable Art Connection. Every year, there is a challenge fashion show; this year the challenge was to create a vest.

I entered in the “Manipulation” (fabric, not people!) category, and I’m pleased to tell you that I was voted into First Place! Ok– enough about me, I know you want to see the goods!

(Ha ha! Just teasing you! I’ll show you the real deal– this is just me, standing up at the podium while Diane Ricks reads my artist’s statement.)

This is the full outfit. Although the challenge only called for a vest, I was inspired with a full blown vision of the skirt, too! I created the fabric for the vest with my embellished noodles technique, using my own hand-dyed fabric for the background. The zinnias are made with gorgeous hand-dyed strips from Judy Whitehead. (Thank you sodypop! Your gifts are always appreciated– and loved and used!)

Here is a close up of the vest. I’ve embellished the fabric with silk flowers, fabric charms, Angelina fibers, and crystals:

Here is a close up of the skirt. It used to be a pair of white jeans. The inset is a piece of my hand-dyed cotton in a different coloration from the vest, with wavy strips of the vest’s fabric raw-edge appliqued to create some graphic tension. The zinnias are made using the same embellished noodle technique as the vest– I simply created them separately and appliqued them onto the skirt. I stencilled “Zinnia, Zinnia, Zinnia” using acrylic paints mottled to mimic the hand dyed background fabric:

Here is a photo of the flowered cuff I created using Judy’s hand-dyed cotton:

And, courtesy of Mary Norton from Fibervision, here is the newly crowned Zinnia Queen, modeling the entire outfit. Dig those bejewelled shoes!

15 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Fiber, Fiber Art, Quilting, altered artwear, applique, dyed fabric, embellished noodle technique, paint fabric, painted clothing, sewing, stencil, vest, wearable art