Sewing Vloggers

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Choosing Color When Smocking

I was determined to do better with my color choices for the smocking on the BB dress. I wanted to take my Aussie smocking friend's advice. She suggests taking either the lightest or the darkest shade found in the fabric and then going the next shade lighter or darker and use that as your main color choice for thread. With that in mind I went to Joanns yesterday and purchased assorted beiges and assorted greys, the two colors of my fabric. This is what I brought home to try out:
Nothing made me happy. If I did naything it would be the gray, which really was quite blue. Not being happy with this choice I took my fabric with me back to the store this morning and this is what I came up with. The deep red will be for the bullion roses.
Its a rosy sort of grey that works beautifully with the bullion rose thread. Now I'm happy. Nothing is easy if you care.

DH and I are on an interior cleaning and freshening up blitz. I think coming back from DD's lovely new home has given us either inadequacy issues or just plain guilt. I think it is mostly the guilt. As I have been freshening up the sewing room and hanging out on Pinterest I am seeing opportunities everywhere in our home to get out of what we've gotten used to. Its time to shake things up. Yesterday we moved furniture, changed wall displays, reorganized cabinets. I feel like it is just the tiniest tip of a big iceberg but we both enjoy this type of thing and will share the burdern. This afternoon I am painting a carpenter's bench that I have been using as a coffee table off and on over the yesterdays. I got it at a yard sale and it has all the paint globs and gouges but lots of character and actually looks good with our primitive furniture. Well, globs and gouges are going and its getting a beautiful new deep maroon finish, much the color of the floss. I'll post pics when done.

I also hung yesterday my Dior poster that I have been carrying around for years. I gave my Mom's pic a new frame as well and am on the hunt for one for my grandmother, Mamee. They are my sewing mentors and as such deserve a place next to Dior in my sewing room. Or, rather, Dior deserves a place next to them....Bunny


7 comments:

  1. Bunny, I LOVE the red, with the soft gray tones for the smocking. I took a color class once, and the teacher's advice was go darker than you think in a value for a beautiful finish. Looking forward to seeing your results! Darby :)

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  2. Bunny, I love color period, bright or muted, light or dark, and absolutely anywhere in between. Your final choices are be-yoo-tiful. Can't wait to see the finished smocking.

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  3. You are just so darn inspiring, Bunny. You sew like a goddess, you garden, you have impeccable style, you seem to have great habits about how to keep a house (canning and fall cleaning, oh my!), AND you're handy! So many things that I aspire to do/be. Thanks for all of the inspiration!

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  4. What a great quote, "Nothing is easy if you care" and how true that is!
    I look forward to seeing your smocking choices and the maroon carpenter's bench. I know what you mean about all the work, but it will be forgotten when you have finished and you are enjoying the changes in your home. Love that Dior print, too!

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  5. The rose colours are beautiful with the grey. This will be gorgeous. I love your little girl dresses.
    By the way, my old blog, Making the Seam, had a lot of technical problems and I had to delete it. If you want to find me now, I am at:
    http://sewherewegoagain.blogspot.com/

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  6. Thanks, Karen. I was following you and got viral word there was a problem so deleted your old board. I will be back to following your new one. Thenks for letting us all know. We don't want to lose you.

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