Sunday, January 13, 2019

PR Sewing Bee Challenge 1: Living Coral Cardigan (Part 1)

Round 1: Sew a Knit Cardigan Inspired by the Pantone Color of the Year, "Living Coral"

"An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edgeVibrant, yet mellow Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment..."

I'll be honest... The first thing I did was google it! And I saw this:

Coral isn't a color I wear often, and I know there isn't a coral knit in my fabric stash (which needs to be depleted before I make any new yardage purchases). Two things came to mind... a teal blue knit in my stash and the Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour" album cover.


If you're not familiar with Ms. Musgraves, you should check this country music "yeehaw queen" out. She's sassy and sweet, has a little country twang to her sound, but this album is different from her previous releases. Aside from the cover art coordinating with "living coral", this album was described in the following way:

 Throughout the songs on Golden Hour, the East Texas singer-songwriter is radiant, awestruck, taking the scenic route to the bar just for the hell of it.On Golden Hour, everything sprawls and swells and gushes, a gaping sky that makes the sonic landscapes of her previous albums feel like mere set dressing. 

You have to listen to the album to understand how it captures the "living coral" description of being life affirming and vibrant... the songs are soft and give me great comfort. So, that's it... my cardigan will have to encompass those traits, as well!

This McCalls pattern 7254 has been in my pattern drawer for while now, I just love the curve and depth of the collar and how it "swoops" around to the hemline. I like the extra length, so I've chosen view E.
The fabric is a double knit that I've had for 10 years! I got it from a fabric co-op I was in, and initially bought 3 yards with the hopes of making my mother-in-law a jacket or sweatshirt. Time passed and it was shelved... until now! Speaking of "living coral", this fabric has a tonal curled pattern to it, which resemble OCEAN WAVES. I took it as a "sign", and that pretty much sealed the deal for moving forward with this project! 
But, I don't just want to make a blue cardigan with a wave pattern on it. I want to incorporate the "living coral" color, as well as invoke a little "Kacey Musgraves" vibe while I'm at it. I did a few more Google searches and this image spoke to me... the flowers decorating the lapels of her jacket. 
Maybe that's how I can include the coral color, in a nod to the "country western jacket" style? I dug through ALL my bins: the scrap bins, the stash shelves, the trims bin, and the sparkles bin. Here's what I found:
Pretty crazy, right? The good news is, I know EXACTLY what I'm going to do next!

2 comments:

Maryissewfast said...

I did a deep dive into the stash for my entry too because I'm not buying fabric at the moment. Fortunately coral is a color I wear, so I had a few options, but it took awhile to settle on an idea. I whipped up a new cardigan pattern yesterday to see if it would work for my concep (it didn't), but I got a new cardigan out of it. I love Kacie Musgraves, so I can't wait to see what her album inspires in your entry. Good luck!

braddie granes said...

Thanks for sharing. Yes, I am really conscious about the texture, color while buying the cloth for sewing.