Today's guest post comes from Kate Muth in our digital department, a true romantic at heart:

To say that the appliqué work I did on this American Apparel knit dress was “inspired” by the get-up that Ginger Rogers wears in Carefree, from 1938, would be giving myself too much credit. I was not so much inspired by the film as I was possessed by the idea of replicating—heart-for-heart and arrow-for-arrow—the complete motif on Ginger’s slightly more polished outfit.

As the fetching, fickle Amanda Cooper, Ginger spends half the film hypnotized and accidentally falling for Fred Astaire, who plays the psychiatrist (!) tasked with refocusing her affections on her boring fiancé. In this dress, Ginger’s all dolled up to be psychoanalyzed by the man she calls “Dr. Marvelous.” Later, the two tappity-tap their way through a dance called the “Yam.” They don’t make ‘em like that anymore…and I wanted to wear a bit of the film’s kooky heart on my own sleeve.

I used fabric scraps, fusible interfacing, and embroidery floss to re-create the look. My hand stitching is far from perfect, but I love the one-of-a-kind effect.

Tags: craft, fashion, Holidays, Inspiration Board, needle craft, Valentines
Posted by Blake Ramsey on February 14, 2011 in Make It