PaperLove Blog Hop 2014: Paper Dress

I have always wanted to make a dress out of paper, and my recent mannequin acquisition has made that dream possible. There was a pile of paper in my basement that my mom had saved from purchasing breakable items at stores, so I grabbed it and got to work.

I draped the paper over the mannequin to create the bodice, which was manageable enough to piece together. Then I had to set up a card table to accommodate the sewing of the swath of skirt-to-be. At this point, as I supported the crinkly mass being fed through the machine, I questioned my rationality but was too motivated by the fact that, yes, what I was doing was crazy yet strangely awesome. This is the kind of project I foresee myself staying up all night to create for future window displays or what have you, so I may as well get used to it now. Side note: never try to gather paper--pleats are much more effective.

Once I finished the basic dress I had the delight of embellishing it with numerous paper flowers. It was like frosting a cake! 

Ta-da!

Oh, and I got to read some poetry while I was at it. I love the versatility of paper!

The PaperLove Blog Hop is a celebration of all things paper! Follow the links to discover more bloggers who love paper and use it to inspire and delight. And if you want to explore a whole world of paper, and stretch your paper passion further with a host of creative projects, why not join the innovative new online course PaperLove (starts March 31). Led by book artist Rachel Hazell, PaperLove is a five week creative adventure for paper lovers. Find out more here.
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