Concept Boards: The original "pinning"

I shared a little about this in an earlier post on the Hobbit costume, but I wanted to share another one I've finished, and also why I love them so much.

There are so MANY ideas and inspirations running around in my head for pieces to make (just take a look at my list in the right sidebar!), that sometimes I miss out on wonderful materials or design ideas, simply because they fly by too fast.  Concept boards allow me to hang on to a basic idea, and then piece things together either as I find them, or (more commonly) find time for them.  I'm not a spectacularly organized person by nature.  The concept boards take a lot of stress off of me to remember whether I've found this or that bit for trim, or what the exact color of the main body is, etc.

Oh, and about the title: Some of you have asked, but I'm not on Pinterest, simply because I've heard how addicting it is, and I already have MUCH TOO MUCH to do as it is.  I'm convinced, at least for the time being, that joining Pinterest would send my creative happy little brain off the edge and you'd find me in a padded room saying "I want to do this, and this, and thisandthisandthisandthis!" over and over whilst hugging myself. :} Society can do its "pinning".  I'll do mine. :)  Getting back to the concept boards...

I finished out the Hobbit board by FINALLY finding the right contrast fabric for the bodice.  I'd fallen in love with the stitching on this material:

But when I paired it with the bodice swatch, the flowers were WAY too purple.  The bodice linen is more of a wine-ish shade.  So, as much as I hated to, I had to nix this as the contrast.

Next, I tried a couple of plain neutrals.  Here are two that were considered:

But ultimately, while I liked the textures, I didn't like the fact that there wasn't any pop of color.  The entire look has to be achieved by all of the elements working together, like instruments in an ensemble.  If one part is "off", the whole look loses its full potential.  So, after several more afternoons scouring the fabric stores (and another thing- in this instantaneous society, people often want to know "Why does it take you so long between when you promise photos of a costume and when it's actually finished and being worn by the model/client?"  This is why.  I don't just throw any old thing together.  I take my time and find the right parts and then do all the work of cutting and sewing.  To quote one of my favorite films, "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."  Okay, tangent/rant over!), I finally found what I'd been searching for:

It has the right texture, the fabrics complement each other and are very "Hobbity" together, and the color of the flowers and the bodice linen are a perfect match.  Here is the completed concept board:

The colors aren't showing well in the photo, but
trust me, they look great!

As you know, I don't need the Hobbit outfit until December (which is no reason not to hurry up and finish it, I know, I know!).  I DO need this piece in just over 6 weeks- this is the sheer overlay Regency dress for the Hydrangea Festival that I've been telling you about:

Close-up of the design sketch.

Notice how I am sure to turn the fabric to the direction I want it on the dress
rather than just randomly pinning it to the board.

This trim is going to look so sweet around the neckline
and around the sleeve cuffs!

I hope to have more concept boards finished soon.  The Hydrangea Festival is getting the lion's share of my time right now.  It's going to be a busy summer! :)