dress design for shabby apple dresses

I am taking a little break from making wedding dresses now to submit my entry for the Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest. Shabby Apple dresses are perfect for those of us who want to wear a modest, elegant dress without having to mess with wearing a camisole or sweater over it!This contest is an awesome opportunity given to those of us who have not had the chance to follow our dreams! Each designer submits her design idea on her personal blog and the great people at Shabby Apple review them and choose their 15 favorites. They post those finalists on the Shabby Apple blog where the readers get to vote for their favorites. The winning design will be part of the Shabby Apple line. Pretty exciting, I must say!

My design is something that I think could work really for any season depending on the fabric and styling choice. This is actually an adaptation of an idea I've been toying with for a cotton wedding dress I would like to make. My inspiration? I live in Seattle and it is Salmon Run season which is quite an exciting time. The female salmon swims upstream to the place where she was born to lay her own eggs. It is an arduous journey and spectacular to watch. Salmon are a truly beautiful bright orange fish and make the rivers come alive. I have incorporated this into my design with the bright pop of color and the herringbone pattern created by the bias cut stripe down the front of the dress. I love the classic black with yellow piping, but think that the dress would also be gorgeous in a spring floral print and contrasting stripe. I imagine that fabrics would range from knits to lightweight cottons. Since the skirt is cut on the bias, it will provide a beautiful drape for whatever fabric you would choose. I imagine that the florals would be bright and cheery with a vintage feel. I am in love with Heather Bailey's fabrics and that is the sort that I picture for the floral version of this dress. (Here are a few that I love)