Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Time to Vote: Signature Style Challenge

Gracious Threads--Country Chic

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 I feel absolutely honoured to be here at the finals for Project Run and Play. It has been a crazy ride, full of late nights sewing and mad dashes to the fabric store, but I've enjoyed every minute of it. I hope you enjoy reading about my signature style. We live on a dairy farm (these pictures are taken in our 'front yard') and our clothing reflects our rural lifestyle. Clothes need to be comfortable to wear while playing or working and wash well after a long day outside. Fall comes early to northern Canada, and this outfit was inspired by the beautiful seasonal colours. At the same time, I like to include trendy details and we enjoy window shopping, at the mall or online, to discover what's 'in' for the current season. This outfit was a collaboration between my 9 year old and myself. She provided input on the cut and style of each garment as well as the fabric. The pants she is wearing are sewn from a super soft cotton lycra velvet. I started with Jalie 3461 (Eleonore stretch pants). In addition to some fit alterations, I added back pocket flaps, changed the front pockets from faux pockets to real ones, and added a double zipper welt pocket to the side of her leg. The raglan tee is sewn from a cotton lycra pinapple print and a heavy rib knit for the navy and cream stripes. I began with New Horizons' Streamline Tee, but modified the neckline, lowered and curved the hem line, added side slits and inserted flat piping in the raglan seams.

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I wish I had more space to share photographs of the coat, because this was an epic project that took more time than the other outfits combined! The fishtail parka is a trendy look for fall, but I gave it a military twist. I started with Ottobre 4/2013#21 but made substantial modifications to the design and fit. I drafted a split style hood that opens up like a wide collar when it is unzipped. The hood is lined with cozy sherpa fleece. I added military style patch pockets to the front, and there are also a set of single welt pockets on the front bodice. All the hardware (snaps, zippers, and grommets) is antique brass and it took quite a few shopping trips to find it all! The waist and bottom hem are cinched with elastic shock cord and oversized barrel locks. The original jacket calls for a full lining, but instead I chose to keep it unlined and bind each seam with cotton bias binding for a hong kong finish. The jacket is as beautiful on the inside as the outside! I added a back yoke, and hand embroidered a special message for my daughter: 'You are loved'. My favourite part of the coat: the removable sherpa liner! It gets cold here quickly, and I wanted her to be able to wear this coat for a while, so I drafted a vest style liner that buttons into the coat. The buttons at the front are hidden under the front facing, so you only see the three buttons at the neckline, but it is all securely held in place, and can be removed for warmer temperatures in seconds! Thank you so much for all your votes and kind comments over the past 4 weeks! You can see more photographs, and read in depth about each of the pieces, on my blog.

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Wild + Wanderful--You Need a Pilot


Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for keeping me around for the final week. This has been so much fun! And boy...am I excited to share my signature look with you. If you follow my blog at all, I think my style shouts loudly at you. High contrast, heavy on Marvel/Star Wars/nerd culture, and classic silhouettes with little twists. I think the best way to describe it is "Everyday Cosplay". Clothes that are wearable but are still like dressup are my favorite things to make for Louis. I'll admit that, though I knew that I wanted to do an everyday cosplay look, it took me a while to figure out exactly what we wanted to make. I didn't want to fabric shop for this last look. I thought it'd be a fun challenge to stash-bust. So I stared at my fabric, saw the orange, and immediately wanted to make Louis a Rebel Alliance-esque outfit. Louis said it's Luke Skywalker's pilot jacket. But I have a giant crush on Poe Dameron so....he can think what he wants but this is totally a Poe jacket. Ha! Poe has some of my favorite moments in Episode 7. He's so cocky and loveable at the same time. And I feel like Louis embodied that personality in these photos.


The jacket was a labor of love. Holy cow. Color blocking and quilting all of those pieces was a time drain but I'm so excited about how it turned out! I took the Patterns for Pirates (P4P) Lumberjack shirt, added the little details, hacked the front into a zipper closure, and added side-seam pockets. I also reverse appliqued the hood to have those classic racing stripes that you find on the Rebel pilots' helmets. A litle heat transfer detail with the Alliance Starbird and our pilot was ready to fly! To ensure balance to the Force, I lined the jacket with "Dark Side" and Imperial flannel. Smushed between those two layers is also a lining of fleece so Lou can keep warm and rock this jacket all winter! To complete a full outfit, Louis is also wearing some P4P Cpt. Comfort Jeans, upcycled from a pair of his Daddy's old jeans, so they've already got that worn in look that I love. And a P4P Jolly Roger Raglan with a fun "I Can Fly Anything" graphic, to round out the Poe look. We took SO MANY fun pictures of my little guy and we'd love to have you head over to MY BLOG and check them out! Thank you so much!







Sew and Tell Project--Signature Sweetness

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 When you are nine years old and ready for adventure, your signature look needs to be ready to go anywhere. I decided to focus on sweet and delicate details for my daughter's head-to-toe style. I hand-crafted six coordinating items to complete her sweet but edgy look. Her jacket is the Moto Jacket from Jennuine Designs which I hacked to include a partial zip down the center back seam. I chose the rose twill based on the Pantone 2016 Color of the Year. The feminine rose quartz color is such a wonderful neutral that pairs well with many items in her wardrobe. The jacket features welt pockets, a shawl collar, and an asymmetrical front zip. I lined it with a soft ponte knit and used organic rib for the sleeves so she could have sweatshirt comfort but high fashion style. The back zip I included adds feminine edginess and can be worn closed or open as a back vent to reveal her top underneath. For her top, I used a beautiful Birch knit print that showcases a young girl in a woodland scene. The print is whimsical but not cartoonish which allows it to be an age-appropriate choice. I modified the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Flutterby top to include triangle color blocking at the side seams. To highlight the triangles and provide a delicate detail, I trimmed the triangle seams with vintage ivory lace leftover from my mother's bridesmaids' dresses. The triangles and upper ruffles are made with a light coral sweater knit for some added softness and flow.

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 My daughter loves mama-made skinny jeans for go-anywhere comfort and fit. I made my usual adjustments for height to the rise and inseam on the Emilya Skinny Pants from Simple Life Pattern Company and embellished the sides with gold piping to coordinate with the gold zippers in the moto jacket. I also stabilized the Birch knit print from her top so I could use it as accent pockets on the pants. I designed a cross-body bag with an adjustable strap to hold her sketch book and pencils and applied a cheeky "Take a Hike" gold HTV that I designed and cut out on my Cricut. I added little details such as suede accents, brass hardware, and lace trim along the zipper in the lining. The bag was sewn flat with a center seam to create two zip compartments. Between the compartments, I added a secret organizer to hold her colored pencils. Strong magnetic snaps hold the two compartments closed when she is carrying the bag so she can access both zippered compartments. I wanted her to coordinate from head-to-toe so I also made a wool felt floral barrette. I cut the flowers out on my Cricut and assembled with a hot glue gun and embellished with a mother of pearl button. I love the polish it adds to her wavy bob cut. To complete her look, I used leftover ribbing from the jacket sleeves and woven vintage trim to make fashionable perfect-fit boot cuffs. There are so many details in the six pieces I have to share with you today that I hope you will head on over to the Sew and Tell Project to read more about my entry "Signature Sweetness" and watch for upcoming tutorials based on some of these creations! Thank you Project Run and Play, fellow contestants, and all the followers for making this season such a fun challenge!

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10 comments :

  1. You ladies are amazing - the details and beautiful fit blow my mind! And..... those beautiful models - you must be so proud - they are so dang cute!!!

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  2. Everyone did such a great job! Congratulations!

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  3. Great job everyone! Lovely details and workmanship on your outfits.

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  4. It is getting more difficult to decide whom to vote for. You ladies are doing a fantastic job.

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  5. Great work ladies! I think I know my overall favorite, but we will just have to see how it comes together. So much talent here, you are so full of many talents!

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  6. So creative, all of you. I loved the detail in the write- ups, what a motivation!

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  7. It was so amazing to participate in this challenge. Thank you Project Run and Play for providing a motivating platform for sewists to get together, create, and push their limits! I can't wait to sew along in coming seasons!

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  8. All of the looks have been so good and fun to look through. This week is three more amazing outfits!

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  9. Incredible skill and originality! Beautiful clothing sewed together with sew much love...it warms my heart. Well done all of you! I think you all did an amazing job.

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