Inspiration: Marsala

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I don't really pay much attention to fashion trends. At. All.

I live in the Midwest, I'm a work-at-home mom with 3 kids under the age of 8, and most mornings I'm lucky to get a shower. The extra collective baby weight from my pregnancies is still hanging around, so fashion always seems to be put on the back burner for me. My 5 year old dresses better than I do. Can I get an "Amen?" I'm definitely in need of sewing myself some love.

I do like to play with colors and textures and see what unexpected looks I can put together when I'm creating clothes for my daughter. So we thought it would be fun to do a feature on the color Marsala, which is Pantone's color for Spring/Summer 2015. 

I have to admit, when I first saw this reddish-purple color, I was not really a fan, especially seeing it out of context and just sitting there by itself. It wasn't until I started finding interesting color pairings, and in the fabrics of some of my favorite designers, that I really started to have a vision for this color.

My inspiration piece came from an Amy Butler quilt from her Alchemy collection.

I loved the bright pops of spring colors against the raisiny floral. I wanted to take that idea, but shrink it down to a pint-size portion for my petite girl. I stuck with the a smaller print, keeping the pale blue and yellow. I pulled in a mossy green with some fun stripes and voila! My marsala inspired outfit!

So, maybe you're not sold on this color yet. I hear ya. I think there is some wiggle room here for varying shades of eggplant, raisin, port, wine, burgundy, etc. I've scoured some of my favorite shops in search for yummy fabrics that might ignite a purple passion for you.

And if nothing else, it can be an accent color for some other fabulous, springtime colors.

Here's an example of deep purples paired with peach, cream, and other soft, Spring colors.

Dress: Evie (sleeves added) by Izzy & Ivy Designs, fabric: Winged by Bonnie Camille for Art Gallery Fabrics

I hope this gives you a little inspiration to try a color that you already love in a new way, or add a new-to-you color to your wardrobe or your little's. Color is fun to play with and not scary at all! You just have to jump in there and experiment!