Project Run and Play Season 15 is officially live! I’m so excited to see everyone’s creations.  I’ve loved connecting with the designers so far this season.  Many of them are people that I’ve been connected with in the blogging world for a while.  I hope you will check out all of their creations! Please, don’t forget to vote for your favorite look here.  Public voting is one third of the scoring this season, so don’t miss out on supporting your favorite look. (Which I’m secretly hoping is the one your are looking at right now.) Be sure to look for the flat lay image below if you want to vote for this look.

If you have somehow missed the details for Week 1, the theme was to create a design based on one of the Wonders of the World.  This could be an Ancient Wonder or a Modern Wonder.  For my inspired look, I chose the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It turns out that between the designers, only three Wonders were actually selected.  How crazy is that? The Hanging Gardens have several different theories around its creation. There isn’t actually solid proof that the gardens ever existed, however many believe that they would have been located in what is now present day southern Iraq.  Most accounts describe the Gardens being built by Nebuchadrezzar II for his wife that was homesick for her mountainous and green homeland.  Our look incorporates inspiration based upon these notions.  First, the garden was built for a queen.  I wanted to create something elegant to honor that by using satin and chiffon.  Silk would have been nice right? But this is a children’s garment and I was already pushing the limits on practical.  The gold lace flowers across the bodice are a nod to the garden life itself, while the gold represents the wealth of the kingdom.  The green color of the dress is to represent the greenery of the garden.  The garden is believed to have multiple tiers or layers in its design, so I included a layered skirt to nod to this feature.

To kick of my design I used the Lil Luxe Collection Luxe Dress as my design “block” so to speak.  You won’t see too much of the dress in my design, but I want to give proper credit where it is due.  This design features a cross over front bodice.  The base is a matte satin white with a chiffon overlay.  This was my first attempt at hand draping.  I’m gonna be honest, I spent a LOT of time with my newly adopted mannequin girl.  We bonded quite a bit over the last week and a half while tackling this project.  If you follow my Instagram stories, I shared that I think I’m going to have to give her a name.  I’m not sure what it will be yet.  I’m so glad I attempted the draping.  I have so much to learn, but I really enjoyed the journey so far.

My favorite part to this entire design is the lace flowers that trail down the bodice and onto the skirt.  I made all of the free standing lace flowers and leaf pieces on my Brother PE 770.  It was my hope that the flowers would add an additional dimension the the dress.  There are several sizes of flowers and designs within the lace that work together to create the look.  If you haven’t ever made Free Standing Lace and have an embroidery machine, you should definitely try it.  I already have plans in my head for more designs I want to whip up.  I may even get a free standing lace tutorial up on the blog.

For the back bodice a created a blocked look to feature both the satin and the chiffon fabrics.  I think it was a solid combination to bring all the pieces together.  I went with an invisible zipper for the back.  I don’t really think any other closure would have been appropriate with these fabrics.  I say that like I do invisible zippers all the time.  This was actually my second one…ever.  My first one turned out beautifully on a dress that never got finished.  Bless that dresses heart… It died a horrible death in the scrap bin.

Once the the bodice was completed I tackled the skirt.  This dress features a double circle skirt in satin with a chiffon overlay to create the tiered look inspired by the gardens.  I contemplated a full length skirt, but the practical side of me won the battle.  However, I absolutely love this length of dress.  It hangs slightly above the knee, but is still a modest length. I think it is a trending length in today’s fashion.  I love how the fabric hangs and think it was a perfect match to complete this design.  I adore circle skirts and there is noting as twirly as a double circle!

As for our photo location, we found a little side street in a historic part of our area.  The sidewalk featured this beautiful stone wall which I thought went great with our theme.  It obviously isn’t from 600 BC, but I still think it was appropriate.  The shade was great and the weather was freezing.  You may notice a little red nose in some of these shots.  It actually snowed several inches a few hours after we shot these photos. I’ll leave you with a few more images of our creation.  Don’t forget to head over to Project Run and Play and make your vote.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I’d love to know what you think of this design.  Let me know in the comments! If I make it into Week 2, I hope you’ll come back to see more.