Relating Elements

When I plan a project I think very seriously about all of the pieces that will eventually go together. I don't just chose trims, laces, fabrics, etc., willy-nilly, but instead look at the total design and THEN put the pieces together. They have to relate to one another....kind of like a family without arguing with each other.

Case in point: this christening gown I'm working on. I chose the 3 1/2" wide Swiss edging for it's design and particular scallops. They had to meet just right down center front so the ribbon could peak out underneath.


The embroidery on the Swiss edging has little dots and small flowers. So the Swiss beading I chose also has the small flowers.

Then I thought about the lace......I decided upon a very obviously scalloped lace that has a dot at every scallop...perfect! 

So the Swiss edging scallops relate to the scallops of the lace, and the dot on the lace relates to the dots on the Swiss edging, and the beading relates to the flowers of the Swiss edging. It's like one big circle. It's so important to relate all the pieces together to make a cohesive, elegant design and garment. It screams of careful selection, thoughtfulness, deliberate design decisions.

And of course the hand embroidery design that will go on the Under Dress front will have the same little flowers, dots (one of my favorites: granitos) and curving lines similar to scallops. But that's another part of the Elegance Christening Gown story....