Ready. Get Set. Go! Diy With IOU – The Process

It’s been a super duper busy month! I entered this contest hoping to become a finalist, but at the same time, I was actually training for a muay thai kickboxing competition. The contest’s deadline is March 26th, and the tournament is March 31st. Talk about challenging! In the end, it was all worth it and I am so glad I did all of it.

I’ve documented some of the process below:

CONVERTIBLE DRESS

Since the fabric is handmade and made with love, how do I keep it functional and to use as much fabric  as possible (maximizing the 0% waste concept)

I wanted to keep the dress loose and I did some sketches, but in the end, it was easier to drape so I could visually see how I could maximize fabric.

After draping, I took the muslin pattern off the form and transferred it to paper

Here I’m just seeing how much the paper pattern would take up on the fabric. This was 45″ wide muslin, so I was guesstimating. I didn’t know how wide the Madras fabric was.

So when I received the fabric, I was so excited! It was handwoven by handloom weaver Mr. S Sankar, so I decided to name my convertible dress Sankar.

After tweaks and revisions, I finally made the final proto out of muslin. The front neckline should actually be sharper, but voila! Sankar is a dress that can be a short dress, a maxi dress, and the sash can be also be tied in the hair.

SHIRT DRESS

I really want to make two dresses. The 2nd one is from the concept board I submitted to the DIY with IOU contest. The question is… is there enough fabric? Well, if there is, I will call her Asha

Stay tuned for the final garments!

Updates On The IOU Project & Source4Style Design Contest

In my previous post, I talked about my concept for this contest. I was so lucky to be one of the 10 finalists so I’ve been working like crazy getting my designs executed into something tangible. So far we’ve been getting a lot of great feedback and acknowledgement, which I am so proud of. I’m proud because this contest has to do with fashion AND making the world a better place. What more could a girl ask for?

Source4Style and IOU Project are the awesome companies that are holding this contest.

Ecouterre is the main media sponsor which will also have an Audience Award Contest. Look out for that in my posts!

Then we’ve got ecosalon and Smashing Darling, who are just super stellar sites that did a write up.

In the meantime, check out the espadrilles on IOU Project. Total cuteness. Also, as a premium member on Source4Style, I am receiving helpful trend reports and loving how I’m able to source handmade fabrics.

I can’t wait to show y’all what I’ve created!

In addition to this contest, since I have access to Source4Style’s site, this is seriously convincing me to make my own little collection a sustainable one!