Passion Fruit Pixie and Ruby Rag Doll: Concepts for No. 2 and No. 3

I have absolutely no time for extra-curricular sewing right now, so naturally inspiration has struck not once, but twice. I'm a little wary about starting more than one dress at a time for this project, but when you've decided to design and execute a thousand dresses, you really have to latch onto inspiration when it strikes. Not only does sewing a thousand dresses consume enormous amounts of time and require massive amounts of material, but coming up with a thousand unique design concepts is a bit of a feat in and of itself. The fact of the matter is that one has to have the net handy for when a design decides to come fluttering through the mind cavity. And so No. 2 and No. 3 have been conceived of! No. 2 was originally a scrapped version of what became No. 3...but with a little coloration and a switch of plans for materials, No. 2 has become its own concept...and one that I'm looking forward to working on.

First...No. 2:



It's a bit fairy-like, I think...it's got that shredded Tinkerbelle thing going for it. I'm very much in favor of executing this one in chiffon...though I wouldn't be opposed to incorporating a bit of organza (nor would I be opposed to a bit of sparkle here and there). I've not really used chiffon...and for this project, I feel like a roller foot might be simultaneously useful and infuriating. Leaving a raw edge might add to that distressed aesthetic, but I'd rather not risk the entire dress falling apart prematurely.
I've chosen purple because today, during an excursion to Jo-Ann, I encountered the richest purple/fuscia Chinese butterfly brocade ever. The color was absolutely electrifying...it was a truly spectacular visual sensation. If I can build a chiffon combination that emulates color, I'm certain that this dress will light up. (Tragically, my photograph of the rendering does not correctly portray the color of the paint, which should be a bit more red and less blue. And the paint does not do that purple brocade justice.)

And No. 3:



I'm thinking Chinese brocade. I designed this with Chinese brocade in mind since I have several oddly shaped pieces of brocade lying around my room from a project that no longer requires brocade. Because the pieces are oddly shaped and I'd probably have to seam them together in order to cut a pattern, I've decided to incorporate the odd and unavoidable stitching lines. Why hide it when you can flaunt it? The result is a sort of rag-doll effect (sort of the same idea as Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas). The underskirt will be in tulle.
This project presents a bit of a challenge in terms of material. I am quite partial to Chinese brocade...it's a weakness of mine. Even though the fabric is not even remotely sturdy half the time and has this tendency to fall apart (gotta love the loose weave), I'm still entranced by the designs, sheens and the vibrant colors. Chinese brocade tends to downright disintegrate. It's a delicate fabric, especially around the seams...and this dress is a tangle of seams.
The other part of the challenge is appropriately highlighting the stitching in the seams to bring out their decorative element without going full-on Frankenstein. I'm sure a creative solution to this problem lies ahead...and perhaps whatever brings out the seams will also enforce the silk.