A Balancing Act

Have you ever seen clothing that looked like it was off balance? Or too over-the-top? Or looks like it needs something to make it look better? I know I have. And as a designer I have to be very careful about what I add or not add to a garment....it's that balancing act. One additional design element can send a garment into hyperdrive...you're eyes don't know where to look (or not look).
Case in point is the sweet little baby dress I'm designing right now. I want the baby to wear the dress, not the dress wear the baby. So I have to consider every little detail on it. Like the fabric...it's a tiny 1/16" pink and white gingham, and some white batiste. If I had chosen a large (or even medium) sized print it would overwhelm the baby. Not good. I want to see the baby, not the dress.

Next I have to consider design elements. The little cast-on flowers on the bodices are petite and few. The design itself is light and airy. A heavy design would weigh down the look of the dress and really be out of proportion.

I like to add a little interest on the back of the dress. It looks really cute when Mom is holding the baby on her shoulder and you see some design interest on the garment back. It adds that special touch. But you don't want it to be too much. So I drew a smaller sprig of flowers (only two) with fewer leaves and embroidered them on the "corners" of the back bodice.

I chose tiny piping cord (Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread, Size 3) and made Double Whipped Piping. See how tiny the cord is on the clear ruler in the photo? But it's in proportion to an infant! The piping is whipped with pink and green floche over the white batiste, a delicate look. By the way, the cord is available at large, chain craft stores.

The pattern, my Basic Yoke Baby Ensemble Pattern (View 3) is proportioned: small bodice, gently gathered skirt and cute little ruffle sleeves that aren't overwhelming. The trim is tiny, narrow Baby Tatting to add just the right touch. I usually make a separate slip, which is included in the pattern. It's nice to have one so any diaper designs don't shadow through the dress fabric. But this time I decided to make the slip a lining instead. And I wanted it to peek out from the piped hemline with a few, small flower sprigs showing on both the front and the back and tatting all around. Here's a photo of the completed design.

I'm happy with the overall design and balance. Any baby will look good wearing this...and the dress won't wear the baby.

Whipped Piping

I talked about Whipped Piping in my last post "Another Easter Dress" and showed this close-up of the dress collar that includes it. I guess you could call this "Double Whipped Piping" because it was whipped in two different colors in opposing directions to create the cross-hatching of the pink and yellow. I decided to use this type of trim for a few reasons.
(1) I didn't have anything appropriate for the floral dress fabric on hand, and it's a 35 minute drive to the closest fabric store. I also knew I probably wouldn't find anything there that would work. But I did have some white cotton sateen that would be good for piping.
(2) I didn't want to spend any more money on trims, buttons, or anything else....or the time to track those things down. I was under a time crunch to get this dress done!
(3) Whipped piping is cheap and easy to make.
(4) You can match the colors to your fabric perfectly with stranded embroidery floss.

So lets go over how to make Whipped Piping, Double or Single. First you have to have piping on hand, whether you make it yourself or buy it. Think about the size of the piping, i.e., make sure the thickness of the piping cord (what's inside the fabric) is appropriate for the garment. You don't want anything to big or heavy, or even too small. The cord for this collar was size 16 (about 1/8" in diameter) because the dress is a size 8 child's dress.
Now look at the machine stitching on the piping because that's the guide for the whipping.....you have to count the stitches as you whip. Cut a piece of floss about 2 times as long as your intended whipped piping section.....a collar length, or a sleeve length. 'Strip' the floss first by pulling one strand out at a time and let it untwist. Do that with each of the other two strands. Then put the three back together making sure the cut ends are all together at one end and smooth them out by pulling them between your fingers a few times. (This stripping of the thread spreads the threads out so they will cover better laying side by side kind of like ribbon.) Thread the needle ( a long eye needle like the cotton darner #5 shown here)

with those 3 strands of embroidery floss and knot the end. Now we begin.....