Friday, September 28, 2012

TIme to Vote: Week 3---The White Sheet Challenge

This week the challenge was to take a white sheet and turn it into a masterpiece.  And once again....the designers did spectacular work (especially under pressure)!  Be sure to scroll down to see all of the designer's looks and then make your vote count.  The voting is in the left-hand column and it is one vote per computer (IP address).


Delia Creates--Pretty in Peach

This was the most difficult challenge for me yet! I knew I wanted to make the white sheet unrecognizable. I knew I wanted to add texture to it, and I had a million ideas of how to do it. I finally edited it all down into a cute little charcoal grey, tunic length dress that flares out into a circle skirt. Using pin-tuck pleats, I created a star burst effect on the front of the bodice and lines on the back. The back pieces overlap, leaving a triangular cut out in the middle of the dress, and are secured with a big peachy pink button. I kept the sleeves and neckline streamlined so as to not overwhelm the dress. I felt that peach would complement the dark gray nicely, so I made gathered shorts and dyed them a pretty peach/pink. Hence, why I call this ensemble "Pretty in Peach."


I hand sewed french knots in charcoal grey embroidery floss, all over Natalie's shorts and hair bow to resemble dots and to add dimension and texture to the bed sheet fabric. Please come by my blog: deliacreates.blogspot.com for more pictures and some close ups of the garment details.




Lindsay, etc-- Battenburg Ballet Dress
For the white sheet challenge I made a dress fit for a night at the ballet with  a battenburg lace style design cascading down the front. I wanted the dyeing process to be an after thought, and for the dress to have most of it's depth and detail from the contrasting white bias.
 I never realized how much fabric makes up one king sheet. I cut mine into thirds and dyed 1/3 this soft plum, a color that is sweet, but would really make the overlay stand out. The dress itself is simple with a circle skirt and zipper in the back. About 1/3 of the fabric went to bias production and then pieced into this pattern.
For more details on this dress, please check out my blog!



Welcome to the Mouse House--Purr-fectly Playful

One white sheet?  Sounds easy, but oh man…. it gives you WAY too many options!  This was BY FAR the most challenging week for me.  My crafting attention was all over the place and I swear I came up with about 17 different ideas.  Guess who decided the look for me this week?  AINSLEY!  I asked her what she wanted and OF COURSE she said " A Kitty Cat outfit".  In case you aren't a regular reader of my blog, Ainsley is seriously obsessed with Kitty Cats.  Check out what I had to do for her birthday party HERE.  So, I went with it.  A twin size jersey knit sheet was the perfect option for this outfit:  soft, comfortable, and easy to play kitty cat in!  Plus, I love working with knits.  So, I bought several color dyes, fabric paint, a kitty face stamp, and embroidery thread…. and off to work I went!

I self-drafted four different pieces:  Reversible cardigan with cute kitty cat appliques on the front using coordinating knit fabric I found last year on clearance (bonus!), peasant style dress with two pockets embellished with kitty cat buttons, soft leggings featuring a hand embroidered kitty face on the tushie and hand stamped kitty faces around the hem of the pants, and a kitty face hat using an upcycled wool sweater.

Check out Welcome to the Mouse House for a ton of other photos because trust me, I take a lot of them!


A Girl and a Glue Gun--Salmon and Scallops and Sparkles, oh my.

alrighty. at first i was totally like..crap. a blank slate. i mean really. it's a bit intimidating.
when the world is your oyster it's kinda hard to dig out the pearl.
did that make zero sense?
yup.
anyways. here's what i came up with...

a bit of dyeing...painting...bead work...and some fancy cutting--i got four pieces that i totally love...
the skirt is ombre gray...cut into scallops...by using jersey knit i was able to leave the scallops just raw cut...which means they roll up a little...which i kinda love.
and scallops on the cardigan. 
added some painted polka dots on the leggings..
and some bling for the shirt...
throw in an adorable (yet sassy) daughter 
and you have this week's look:
you can come here to see even more pictures...




Elegance and Elephants--Kiss From a Rose

From white sheet to très chic!  For this week's challenge I decided to dye my 100% organic cotton sheet with wine coloured liquid Rit dye.  The rich colour that it became was perfect for a beautiful special occasion gown, so that's what it became.  While the rules of this challenge allowed for only the majority of the outfit to be made from the sheet, I decided to make each piece exclusively from it (other than a little bit of tulle lining inside of the bodice), since I just loved the feel, drape, and subtle sheen of the fabric.
I designed the dress, and self-drafted the pattern, basically by pinning, draping, hand basting, and then cutting the bodice fabric directly on my dress form.  This gown features pleated and draped shoulders with a cross-over front, and a full, gathered skirt. The back has an invisible zipper closure for a professional and formal look.  To create two separate looks, I made a sash, dyed pearl grey, and a bolero jacket, stencilled by hand in a floral pattern.  The jacket is also an original design.  The accessories to accent this ensemble include a hand sewn fabric rose corsage and an oversized bow hairband.
For more details and photos from the rose garden, come visit Elegance & Elephants



Sew Country Chick--Purple Pumpkin

I am so happy to be here after barely squeaking by last week!
After making a black outfit last week and a muted dusky pink one with black trim previously, this week I knew I had to make something colorful and fun for Genevieve. Her favorite color is purple so I dyed each piece of her dress separately before I sewed them together to create this ombre type effect. I actually painted the dye on in different concentrations to give it a striped effect. I mixed some purple and royal blue RIT dye together to create this shade of bluish purple. 


 The dress is a high low style and I made the pattern from a maxi dress pattern I created this summer.
Gigi loves to twirl around in it and the purple color is just right for fall. Since we don't get much cool weather here in California until late November I know she will wear this little dress a lot during the warm days to come! It was fun to watch my dress evolve is I made it as I didn't have a clear picture of the dress and it just sort of formed itself as I made it over three days. Every night in bed I would think of something new to do to it. I really enjoyed the spontaneity of this challenge! If you would be interested in seeing more photos stop by my blog! I will be releasing this and all of my Project Run & Play patterns as PDF's soon.


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25 comments :

  1. what is happening to the vote bar? I can't vote!! I don't know if there is a problem with my computer? Best wishes to all the participants anyways, all the outfit are just amazing!!!

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    1. Sorry, you caught us as we were putting it up. You can vote now!!!

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  2. why didnt i think to use a knit sheet?! brilliant. geez, im going to have to come back...i have no clue who to vote for. they are all so amazing and different. great job girls! i kinda miss being up there with you:)

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  3. We miss you too Christina!

    Great job everyone! I LOVE how everyone's looks are SO different this week!

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  4. What wonderful clothes these lucky girls got this week! Such a hard choice!

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  5. It is so hard to choose! I also think it was super creative to work with a jersey sheet-- I never would have thought of it! This is a group of fabulously talented moms!

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  6. Everyone did such a great job...AGAIN! Hard to choose, but that is a good thing. :)

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  7. amazing....but i already knew they would be!!!! this week was so fun! everyone really did a fantastic job! as well as the flickr group!!!! good job!

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  8. Love them all. I'm a little bit sad that no one stuck to the plain white sheet though.

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  9. I really don't think I can vote this week. Every single one is amazing. I'd kind of like to stick all of those outfits in my girls' closets. Incredible!

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  10. I wish Christina was still in the running, her entry for the Flikr group was soooooo cute. And, she kept the sheets white! daring!
    I just don't know who to vote for!

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  11. Sooo cute! I can't believe they were all made with white sheets--that's talent right there :) Oh and did anyone see last night's episode of Project Runway?! It totally reminded me of this because they made clothes for toddlers! Everyone should check it out, it was a cute episode :)

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  12. Pretty in peach! Oh Im in love! & i love that charcoal grey. Beautiful .

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  13. Delia - seriously every look you make I want to put baby girl in!!! Once again people pulled out some serious talent, tricks, and creativity un-paralleled. Week after week I am more and more excited to have stumbled upon the genius that is PR&P!!! ~Suzanne

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  14. oh - and who is writing blog posts about Project Runway's toddler design last night????

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  15. Honestly, I really had a hard time taking my pick. They are all so sweet, and a joy to look at. But in the end, it’s Delia who wins my vote. :) I love that the peach actually just accents the whole attire, making the child, in this case, Delia, the centerpiece of the outfit--and being the youngest makes her even more charming. ;) Jerri Washam

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  16. Every entry was really amazing, but Welcome to The Mouse House's Kitty Cat outfit was by far the most outstanding ... her attention to detail blew my mind, and all the little accessories! Simply amazing!

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  17. Why are ALL of these kids so CUTE?!! How are we supposed to vote? I feel like I'm a horrible person for giving only one vote to a particular outfit when all of them look amazing!! You gal's make it tough for us to pick! Great job on all of the designs!

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  18. I'm so impressed with all of the entries! You ladies are SOOO talented, but I have to love our cute granddaughter, Natalie best of all! Delia, you are so awesome. I'm amazed! Love you! Grandma R

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  19. They are ALL wonderful!!

    ♥♥♥
    Sue

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  20. THis is soooooooooooooo cute.. I love it.. She is Absoultely adorable.

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  21. I love the homemade leggings with polka dots AND the sparkles, of course. Great job evryone.

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  22. Are u kidding me? This is so hard, they are all fantastic. I am really impressed with all the designers this season.

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  23. Love the kitty cat outfit!

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