Color Block Fail

Hello! Hope you're having a great weekend. The weather's been really lovely here. Yesterday, I worked on some projects while Beej made chili and watched the Giants play. Super relaxing.

So on to my negative post title and the make I'm writing about today. It's not as tragic as I make it out, but it definitely is not a good look for me and I will take it for what it is - an experiment and an opportunity to learn. I considered not even blogging this because I hate the idea of seeing my pictures in some google image search down the road, but whatever. I like blogging even if it's not a successful make because I see this blog as a making journal. I don't think everything I make is great, but I make notes and share and hope to get better. And along the way I hope to connect with fellow creatives. While my family and friends are great and always encourage my creative pursuits,  they do not want to listen to me go on and on about the virtues of fusible bias tape. I can just see their eyes glazing over now...

Okay, enough blather, here's what happened: Have you ever been hit with an idea that you're so excited about you want to attempt it immediately? I was at work, updating yet another endless spreadsheet when I started wondering about scrapbusting and how one would go about making the Vogue 1247 in a knit fabric. I have no idea how to grade a woven pattern for knit, but then I remembered the free Cake tee-shirt pattern, which has a kimono sleeve style not unlike the V1247 bodice. I grabbed what I could find in my desk (i.e. highlighters and a sharpie) to make a quick sketch:

I couldn't wait to get started and practically ran from my bus stop to my apartment. I already had a finished version of the Cake Tee I'd deemed unwearable because of my sloppy waistband and neck finish. I figured that would be a great piece to experiment on and used the top part of the front and the full back as replacements for the V1247 bodice, which includes darts and pleats that are, of course, unnecessary for a knit top. I used turquoise scraps from my failed Moneta; the blue fabric was repurposed from a RTW knit top earmarked for Goodwill. Both knits have a similar weight, so I thought they would work well together. Since I wasn't sure how to hem the front part with the curve and two colors, I opted to make a mirrored shape on the inside - as a sort of self-lined piece. It worked and actually drapes quite nicely.


So here's what it looks like and I'm sure you'll see right away why it is a fail:

 



No, I am not pregnant, but the color blocking certainly gives the optical illusion of a round, protruding belly, doesn't it? Yikes! I managed to cut myself in thirds and completely eliminated any hint of a waist. What's hilarious is that I was so excited about my idea and my feeling of accomplishment in its execution, I actually wore it to work the next day and thought I looked great! BAHAHAHA!!

But, you know, maybe if I had raised (or lowered) the geometric panels so the horizontal line didn't hit me at such an odd place? Or maybe if the black top part and colored bottom weren't so starkly different in value? Colorblocking is fun but definitely harder than it looks. You really have to pay attention to proportions. I dunno... I actually think on a long and lean body type this might look adorable.  And I still think it's a cool idea and might try it again. Maybe try it as a V-neck and choose colors similar in value or all one hue with different values. I don't ever want to be afraid to experiment.


And it wasn't a complete waste. I used the rest of the blue, thriftstore-bound top I'd cut up to make a new pair of underwear. Score!
So do you ever post your failed projects? Have you ever tried color blocking? If you ever try this, please let me know as I would love to see other versions.
Thanks for reading! Have a lovely week.