Chapter Four: The Design Process

All of my design work is done on an embroidery application called Masterworks.  Coming up with a successful design can be long and arduous and involve many different iterations until I come to one that I am pleased with.  All through this process I ask my husband, my daughters, and anyone so unwary as to come into earshot of the sewing room for feedback.  Does this look good?  Is it pretty? Are the figures too small or too big?  When you see it on stage, will it end up looking like some strange horned creature or scary face? (Have you ever noticed how many embroidery designs look like scary faces when you look at them long enough?) When I'm working with a customer I ask for tons of input - from the dancer, her mom, grandma (lots of grandmas are involved in the dress making process!).  Do they want swirly? Geometric? Celtic knotwork?   Simple or busy?  All down the bodice or just around the neck?  All the way up the sleeve or just around the cuff?  I design as much as I can to their requests.  But when it's dd, I can please myself!

I review pictures from the latest Oireachtas.  I look for what is new.  Would I like to do a diagonal design with two colors split down the middle?  Hmmm.  I’m not sure I’m crazy about that look. And what if she looks like she’s leaning to one side?  No, too chancy.  I’m seeing lots of vertical designs and embroidery that continues unbroken down into the yoke.  And loads and loads of fluffy skirts.  Crystals by the boatload.  DD doesn't actually need a new dress.  The last one I made her is still current and fits just fine.  But my main objective is to try out some new techniques, work with different fabrics, and test some different designs on my own dime rather than on a clients'.

I spend an evening in my living room playing around with little figures on the screen of my laptop while the rest of the family watches a movie.  I combine them this way and that way, flip things around, start over and try again.  I wish I had been blessed with even a speck of artistic ability.  Hubby steps in and makes his usual comments about my lack of symmetry.  I like things a little random, he likes proportion. Can you tell which one of us is the engineer?  So I eat some Christmas chocolates and try again.  Finally I end up with something I like.  And then I decide it won’t do at all and go at it again.  This time I solicit hubby’s input and he makes a few pointed suggestions.  I grumble but I try it and by golly, it actually does look better that way.  I decide to sleep on the design and let it simmer for a few days.  I come back to it now and then and move something around.  I put in about 6 or even 8 hours just working out the design stitch by stitch in the embroidery software.   When I’m finally satisfied I run off a sample on muslin.  I hold it up in front of me and look in a mirror.  I ask Meaghan if she likes it.  She says “yeah, I like it”.  I can’t believe that after all that effort I can’t even get an adjective out of her.  I ask again and she says “its fine, Mom” so I guess that will have to do.  She’s going on 12.  Can you tell?

In the picture is a shot of my computer program with the design I am working on for dd's dress.  It may go through some more revisions but it’s getting there. 

Embroidery design in process