Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Time to Vote!!! Greenery

Thank  you everyone for your patience as we solved our technical problems this morning!  Now you get to see our designer's Greenery looks...and you'll see why we said it was worth the wait!!!


I Married Superman--Greenhouse Girls

I loved how this weeks "greenery" theme challenged me to think outside the box. I mean, green is great and all but the last thing I wanted to do was make a bunch of little outfits only fit for leprechauns to wear. :) My main focus was to showcase how truly beautiful green can be. Especially Pantone's 2017 color of the year "greenery." It really can enhance other colors and make things pop. My Dad is a florist and a horticulture professor. He teaches floral design at a local university and one of my favorite things to do as a child was to go to his classroom after he was finished teaching a class. I loved to gather the leftover greenery and unused flower scraps from the floor and make my own "kid" arrangements. Dad taught me how to see beauty in old rose stems, ferns, and leaves--basically, what would have been garbage. He showed me that the "greenery" was just as important as the flowers and that it could really enrich and compliment an arrangement. 


My object as I sewed was to use the green like I would in a floral arrangement. Adding little pops of it here and there on each dress. Look for green buttons, ric rac, scallops, a green sash and even green leaves on some of the fabric. As far as the style of each dress, I tried to make everything simple, light and understated, with fun little twists and details. You'll find ruffles, french seams, blind hems, elastic, matched up stripes, pleats, piping, invisible zippers, capped sleeves, lined 3/4 length sleeves with a little puff, and lots of layers to make each dress flouncy and fluffy. Nothing looks prettier to me than a classic white dress with a little pop of green in the sash. And lemon fabric? Yes please! It all just screams fresh springtime. We took these pictures in a beautiful jungle themed greenhouse. It was the perfect place for a little lemon/lime picnic. Come see more pictures and details or just come drool over my adorable twin babies (you know you want to) over on my blog



PA Country Crafts


Some of us have been frustrated with the weather lately, but when we got a little bit of snow on Friday, I realized that it perfectly mirrored what I was trying to create. Like the bits of green grass and daffodils peeking up out of the cold snow to bring new life, I aimed to create something beautiful out of things that were unwanted. 


When we got the challenge of greenery, I immediately pictured a piece of vintage fabric that I had stored in my shed. It came from someone's attic and had been used for something else a long time ago. I wanted to take something that was long forgotten and give it new life - a full, vintage style skirt. I paired it with a crisp, white swiss dot shirt that has vintage bias tape trims to add a hint of color from within. To take it a step further, I created a matching doll outfit from the scraps. For the second outfit, I used two old t-shirts and some vintage lace to create a new shirt in the same color scheme. The beautiful lace eyelet skirt used to be part of a dress I found at the thrift store. So, even though things may be looking like a winter mess where I live today, I know that it is going to be OK: spring and all of the beauty that comes with it will be here soon. (P.S. You can read more on my blog HERE.)


   

Pear Berry Lane



Spring Greenery only exists in our dreams currently, but I just know it will be coming soon! We are currently surrounded by the deadliness of winter. I designed looks for my twins inspired by the green and floral colors I know be just around the corner. To start off our first look I have a hi-lo dress. This dress started with a fitted bodice from the Lil Luxe Dress and I designed the gathered hi-lo skirt with tulle underlay. For this week I really wanted to focus on what makes quality high-end pieces. This dress features under-stitching throughout the bodice and sleeves along with an enclosed seam at the waist which I hand-stitched to get a clean finish. I also included french seams on the four layers of green tulle skirting. The hi-lo skirt is finished with a matching green bias tape facing. It was a great choice for finishing the curved lines of the skirt. The back bodice includes a deep feminine scoop with a hidden button closure, but I added two decorative over sized buttons for a nice pop in the back. To finish of this look I made a floral fabric hair piece featuring the same fabric and tulle as the dress with a button accent.

Week 2 Collage 1.jpg

For my second look I went with a skirt and shirt combo. I started with a beautiful green and pink floral for the skirt. I began with a pattern from Violette Field Threads, however I wanted a fitted skirt rather than an elastic back. I modified the back by removing the elastic, adjusting the waistline to my models measurements and adding a button placket. Again, I was sure to give the insides a clean finished by using an enclosed seam at the waist. I found some fancy buttons that matched the pink in the floral perfectly. I designed the four pocket apron myself and added some decorative stitching across the top as well as some pink ruffle trim along the bottom. I just think an apron screams spring because my girls will just fill those pockets with all the little flowers (namely dandelions and clovers) they can find. Collecting flowers and berries are two things they really enjoy doing. For the top I started with the bodice of the Isla Dress from Simple Life Pattern Company. I extended the bodice and then scooped out the back neckline to mimic that of the first outfit. Lastly, I created the ruched center panel. The ruching is my way of incorporating the vibes of leafy greens...in a pink shirt. Maybe I'm reaching here. To finish off this floral spring look I made a bow-tie necklace and a headband. The bow of the necklace is from 421 Meyers Studio boys bow-tie pattern. I left off the neckband and attached some hardware to create the necklace. I LOVE the bow as a necklace and even got to break into my husband's toolbox for hardware tools. These looks pair together beautifully to represent the bright spring greenery and florals we are looking forward to when spring finally arrives. For even more photos and details, stop by my blog, Pear Berry Lane for the entire story of these spring greenery creations.

  Week 2 Collage 2.jpg

Duchess & Hare--Forest Ferns
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Thank you so much for your support last week! I'm so happy to be back for Week 2! To me, greenery is more than just the color green. It's the color of plants. It's the color of new life. It's the color of spring! I knew my look would have to incorporate botanicals somehow and the easiest way to do that was with a crown. I used some lovely ferns for most of the crown and accented it with ranunculus, an early spring flower, to add some color. This is the first time I've made a crown and I think there will be more in my future!

week2collage1

The necklace is made from some lovely pieces of moss-like green jasper, glass seed beads and silver findings. I loved the addition of the mossy beads to the neckline to bring more nature to the look.

week1collagenew

I found a botanical fabric featuring limes and greenery that I used as a base dress for my look. Over the top, I layered a lovely green shot cotton. The overlay is hand smocked and hand beaded with fresh water pearls and the back of the dress is hand draped to show off more of the under dress. For more about my look, head over to my blog here.

Beside the technical difficulties this morning, we've received word that one contestant has had to drop out due to a personal crisis.  We are so sorry to see her go, and ask that you would keep her in your thoughts.
That means this week, we will have a winning entry, but NO ONE will be eliminated!  Cast your vote below.  Voting is extended to noon on Friday due to the delay this morning...



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5 comments :

  1. Another wonderful week of entries. What a hard choice! Sorry to hear that a contestant had to drop out. Sad news. :(

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  2. Wow, each and every one of the outfits are wonderful. THIS is why I love the Project Run and Play Challenges. It's a chance to see what women create when challenged to show off their very best.
    Deborah @ Sew Much To Give

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  3. The clothes are great, the kids are great. You are all wonderful, like your projects. I can only choose one

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  4. These ladies are killing it. From drafting your own patterns to sewing for multiples you ladies rock and I love all of the looks!

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