CHA Summer 2012: Crafty Couture

"Design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxe, the practical with the desirable." -- Donna Karan

Ta da!  After several weeks of knitting, crocheting, cutting and embellishing, I unveiled The Snow Queen at the Craft and Hobby Association(CHA) 2012 Summer Trade Show.  Wow!  I am really pleased with it.  Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, the dress is a play of textures, cool colors, and lots of sparkle.

The knit and crocheted shell is made with Vanna's Glamour® from Lion Brand Yarn.  They generously supported my entry by sending the yarn I needed.  Thank you!   The yarn's shimmer is perfect for the frosty look I wanted.  And before you ask, yep, I will be making the pattern available for purchase!  

        

I bought a die cut machine earlier this year.  I admit it, I'm now a die cut addict.  So much fun!  I lost count after 50 snowflakes.  While each is cut the same, the embellishments are unique to each.  I stamped, collaged and even did some lacing with Kreinik threads.

The shoes are embellished with white and silver  sequins using Aleene's® Leather and Suede Glue™. I was skeptical, but gave the product a try.   Those sequins stayed put!  Not one flipped off despite packing and unpacking.  Yeah!  Simple white mules turned into evening bling!  Can't wait to embellish a pair of flats for the fall.  

There were 20 enteries in the Crafty Couture exhibition.  Each made by a member designer of CHA. Six designs were selected to be featured in Cloth, Paper, Scissors.  Check out these gorgeous dresses!

Kathy Cano-Murillo (aka Crafty Chica) pulls out all the stops with her winning entry.  You have to see the mix of surface applications  - tie dye, stenciling, drawing and a bit of embroidery.  Too fab!

I adore the soft transition of color in this dress by Jennifer Priest of Hydrangea Hippo.  The paper is pages torn from a book and rolled to give that lovely texture.

I also loved the entry by Alexa Westerfield.  Her play with text, texture and color is lots of fun.

No, my dress won't be featured in Cloth, Paper, Scissors, but for me, the best part was all that I learned.  I've been working in textiles for 25 years, so moving into paper crafts is opening up a whole new world for me.