Project Run and Play Week Four: Signature Style

It’s the final week of Project Run and Play and I can’t believe I’m here at the end.  It’s been such an amazing experience full of so many ups and downs.  To be here with Cassie of Pear Berry Lane and Gemia of Phat Quarters is truly the icing on the cake.  These two ladies have been with me on my sewing journey from my early pattern tester days and I’ll be thrilled no matter what the outcome of this contest is.  These women are so incredibly talented and both deserve all the prizes in the world for their hard work and determination these last few weeks!  It’s been an honor to compete with all five ladies and I know they make this sewing community a better place.

The theme this week is Signature Style- my favorite week yet!  The pressure was off and I got to sew what I felt really expresses our styles.  I wanted to highlight my own design aesthetic but also play up the girl’s tastes and personalities too.  These two outfits really are such a great mix of the three of us and I love how they turned out.  I lean towards classic styles with clean lines and simple silhouettes but I love to give them a contemporary twist.  These pieces will integrate easily into their wardrobes, will get lots of wear, and really showcase who we are style-wise.

This dress is the highlight of our look.  I’ve had this fabric for years and have just been waiting for the right project.  This competition has been just what I needed to cut into all my beloved stash fabrics!  This particular fabric came from Hancock Fabrics in their clearance section (that was always my favorite local place for unique, inexpensive apparel fabrics).  I absolutely love the colors as I’m all over anything blush, olive, grey, or black these days.  I’m usually drawn to stripes and florals but this bold geometric print is different and so incredible.  Sometimes the design comes first and sometimes the fabric just knows what it needs to become.  This fabric screamed to become a classic pleated dress so of course I had to oblige.

I used a favorite pattern of ours as the starting point, the Blake Dress from Mingo and Grace.  I used this pattern for our Pokemon look in our first trip to PRP and it just seemed so right to used it for our final look as well.  This time around I added sleeves and a peter pan collar.  I always look for dresses with sleeves to make them more church appropriate and to give it more wearability in our ever-changing Utah weather.  I used the sleeve and armscye of another pattern and was surprised at how easy an alteration it was.  I will definitely be doing it more often in the future!  There was a ton of hand sewing involved with this dress from the fully lined bodice to the hand tacked hem.  All things that make this dress one that will be worn and cherished for as long as possible

One of my favorite features of this pattern and one I needed to keep were the hidden pockets.  I love this design element and while it’s a little tricky to figure out it’s always a happy little surprise for my girls.

The collar is made from the same pleather as last week’s pants.  I love the edge it gives the dress and knew she would too.  She adores her pants from last week and thinks this collar is pretty cool.  Little rockstar touches are always welcome with this girly.  I wanted to add a little ribbon belt and this leather trim was too perfect.

I finished the dress with a lace exposed zipper.  I had this one in my stash and loved the feminine feel it brings to an otherwise modern look.  It suits my daughter so well.  She’s full of spunk and sass but still sweet and girly too.  It’s always so fun when you can sum up their eclectic personalities in one garment!

My older daughter is a mini me through and through.  I always apologize to her for all the little things she’s inherited from me from my quiet personality to my funny teeth.  Good or bad, she’s just like her mom.  I know when I sew for her that if I would wear it she’ll love it too.  I wanted to recreate one of my favorite makes for myself because I knew she’d adore it too.  This top is my take on my own gingham Willamette Top from Hey June Handmade.  We paired it with a classic blush twill skirt for a simply chic look!

For this top I started with Simplicity 1043, a pajama pattern.  I used the wide collar but then almost completely redrafted it.  I wanted it to be as close to the original inspiration as possible.  I made a dolman sleeve and cuff, added a back yolk and pleat, and added in all the seam details.

The Willamette is such an on-trend top and I love all the unique features it has.  That back pleat is just lovely in gingham!  This fabric is a beautiful Robert Kaufman one inch gingham I picked up at my local quilt shop but is readily available online (in case you need some for yourself, hint hint!).

The seaming makes it so fun to play with the directions of the gingham.  I cut the yoke, cuffs, collar, and bottom pieces all on the bias.  I love the effect!  I used all the same clean finishes of the Willamette pattern to create a garment that’s as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside.  French seams, a magic burrito rolled yoke and hidden seams in the cuff make this top look so high end.

I used the Linden Shorts and Skirt pattern for the skirt changing up a few things for this look.  I slimmed it down a bit and did my own slash pockets.  I also drafted my own waistband and used an invisible side zipper for closure.  This skirt is a prime example of why I sew for this girl.  She measured an 8 waist and 12 length and I still needed to bring in the back middle seam a couple of inches and customize the width even more.  Ready to wear bottoms are always so short on her and skirts are near impossible to get in a decent length! So glad we can create a garment that fits her tall, tiny frame!

This fabric is a shiny sateen I got in LA but I chose to use the wrong side of the fabric for everything but the pocket bag.  She’s seriously lacking in skirts and this color will work so well with her existing wardrobe.  I was happy to create a great basic piece that will get worn and loved!

This week’s looks are simple and timeless with fun details that bring them into the present day.  It was so rewarding making garments that not only highlight my own style but also bring out my daughter’s unique personalities as well.  Isn’t that why we sew moms?  After a long month of sewing, this week’s pieces truly reflect who we are and why I sew.

For this week’s shoot we headed to my favorite location, a quaint old town street not too far from us.  I love the dirty alleys, gorgeous wood wall, and aged brick buildings.  So many options for amazing backdrops in one easy location.  We were racing the sunset and these girls have become experts these last few weeks at nailing poses and hamming it up as quickly as possible.  For once, the sun was shining and I didn’t need to edit out goosebumps, lol!  These two have earned a good break from blog pictures that’s for sure!

 

 

Thanks so much for bringing us this far in the competition.  I’m so grateful for the sewing community and all my real life family and friends who have been cheering me on through this adventure!  Make sure you head over to Project Run and Play to see all the looks and to vote for your favorite.  I’m sure you’re in for some serious eye candy!