How to Make a Rainbow Dress from an AI Image

With the increasing capabilities of AI the internet is becoming saturated with more and more realistic looking ‘fake’ images and, crochet is no exception. AI generated pictures of crochet items are being used to trick unsuspecting makers into thinking something is a real crochet item designed and made by a real person. This, understandably, leads to a lot of frustration when one realizes there is no pattern to be found or sometimes there is a pattern, but it’s also AI generated, and doesn’t match the advertised picture.

As a designer and a very visual person, I like to use what I see and incorporate it into my work. Lately the beautiful flowing dresses have really stood out to me. I focus on these and feel inspired to develop designs using various elements of what I’ve seen.

I begin to think about how I would go about making something similar. First I’d need to choose a yarn with a suitable weight to emulate the flow of the fabric the image is trying to mimic. The colors are often impossible to match since they are made up of multiple, often blended, hues.

Then there’s the shape of the garment, from what it looks like at the front and using my imagination to decide what the back should look like.

Figuring out what stitches to use poses a real problem. Currently AI seems unable to produce actual stitch texture. Crochet stitches show up as blocks, although they do have a fuzzy yarn like appearance. Open work crochet appears a little like cobwebs with uneven spacing between what would be sections of stitch work.

One such image I’ve seen pop up a few times lately is a long lacey rainbow dress. I’ve seen screen shots of it in Facebook groups related to crochet. The poster asks if anyone knows where they can find the pattern, the responses come back letting them know it’s AI and everyone seems disappointed.

I was able to track down the source of the image via Pinterest. It links to a site called Craft Ideas Design. The site appears to be full of AI generated images and the descriptions alongside these images also sound like they’ve been written using AI technology.

Anyway, I thought I’d try and use that image, process it with my human brain, and see if I can write a real crochet pattern to share with you.

I plan to start at the top with two pieces for the chest. I think quarter circles would be right, increase as I work down, join the cups together to form a deep V opening which can be laced up like a loose corset.

The bodice appears very messy with a lot of irregular gaps in the fabric. My aim is to produce a garment that is elegant, something I’d be proud to wear so, I’d change that to be more solid and visually appealing.

This dress should have a low, scooped back since the skirt needs to have more length at the back. To create that, maybe work a chain from the outer edge of the bodice, around the back and connect to the other side of the bodice. I could then start working scallops onto that chain, around the front in rounds.

As I progress toward the hips the shells become bigger and more open to make the skirt light and flowy. I’d likely make the skirt a little shorter since I wouldn’t want it trailing on the ground like in the photo. I really like the short in front long in back style so I would do my best to replicate that.

For the yarn, I’d choose cotton. I’ve made a lot of things in cotton lately and it would be the right material to make this dress light and airy. I could use separate solid colors or a color changing mandala or cake yarn. I’m thinking Hobbii’s Cotton Kings Sultan in Galaxy Opal, or Boulder Opal with Fire Opal.

I’m going to order some yarn and start working on how to produce the scallops. It’s going to take a lot of yarning and frogging so I’ll be back with part 2. I recommend you bookmark, pin, or save this so you don’t miss part 2 and the development towards a pattern. Joining my e-mail list is another way.

I’d love to know what you think of my progress so far and the choice of yarn. Please leave a comment at the end of this post.

While you are waiting for the next part of this dress project please check out my other designs.

See you soon!