Get in Line

This week the challenge was to work for Heidi. We were supposed to develop a look that would go in her collection of clothing you could wear on a trampoline in a photo shoot.

Bouncing on a trampoline is the only hard and fast definition of ‘active wear’ that we have to work with. So we will go with that.

I started off bitter. I looked like Mondo: “fine, I’ll do it. And not put a trace of myself in it.” I decided I would just phone this one in. I stamped and huffed and told “the other designer” that there was no way I was going to make three looks for Heidi!

And somewhere along the way, I started to like the looks more and more. And I just kept going. Ha ha, the joke is on me. The game is still fun.

This is a knitwear challenge. Stretch, jersey, and cotton knits are the order of the day. So it begins with Barbie friendly fabric. (sigh of relief)
And Heidi likes her line to be roomy. (really, you would not know that from what she wears on the runway. “short and shiny”are her buzz word!)
Roomy and Jersey are both good barbie words.

During the Mondo workroom critique Heidi expressed a concern that if a Mom were wearing the look in the grocery store, they would need to hold their stomach in. (Wow, how did she read my mind! My main concern in the grocery store, with a toddler is “I need to remember to hold my stomach in… suck it in…” What’s more, is that I think everyone who passes me in the grocery store is admiring my washboard abs. “Wow, how does she do it?”) On a good day, we are giggling and eating bites of blueberries or strawberries. On a bad day, we are having a full-on melt-down because ‘we’ don’t want to be in the cart anymore. In either case, it is not about my belly.
And thank goodness for that.

The key piece to this collection is the dress.

I did pleating in the back to take up some of the slack, and give it interest and shaping.

Lets talk about pleating for a second. Can I just say, trying to make pleats in this scale is INSANE. (Cray-cray in PR parlance.) Sending these seams through the machine in the lycra/rayon/cotton blend, and watching them wiggle around… it was like pleating lasagna noodles in the sewing machine.

The dress can be worn on it’s own, or with the leggings.
The grey has a hint of mauve in it, so it reads like a rose grey. That will make it warmer and a little bit more refreshing on a rainy fall day.

The next piece is a vest. It is sleeveless, and could be a companion piece to the dress. It was done in a thicker fabric, and is a little bit more fitted.

The final look is a top/dress.

Basic from the front, with a plunging v in the back.

And you can definitely jump on a trampoline here!

In the end, I had a lot of fun with the looks.
I was tempted to go get more fabric and try to make some variation in my size. Because, yes, I would wear this stuff!

In the extended 90 minute version – there would be cuts of serious phone calls, and somber moments on the couch in the lounge. My grandma was in a car accident and is not well. And I am holding my breath, and hoping that the Doctors can keep her comfortable.
My lovely lovely Grandma. (Sigh.) I played with her doll collection in the attic of her house in the summers when we would visit. And we slept in the guest quarters in the basement when we were there. Forever more, “that” is how a basement should smell: “damp” but not in a bad way. A cool basement floor on a hot summer day. The smell of dryer sheets, and dehumidifiers. The basement is where her sewing area was set up. She had an old wooden creamery bucket as a ‘trash can’ for the fabric scraps. It was a beautiful honey color.
I love her dearly and sweetly. And I hope she is not in pain.