Project Run and Play: Signature Style-- Time to Vote

And then there were three! I cannot believe we are on the final week of this Season, already!! Seriously. Where does time go?
Check out what the remaining Designers came up with as their own unique Signature Styles.
Don't forget to cast your vote for your favorite, below.

Mami de Sofiona- Snowy Holidays

It is the final week and it almost feels strange that this is my last chance to chat with you all! I'd love to continue our friendship, though, so we could keep this up over on my IG or my blog, if you like!! That is where you'll also find out about the special GIVEAWAY that we contestants have organized for you as a thank you for all your votes and joining in on the fun ride!! First, we still have some business to take care of! Our signature look. This week is "signature" for me on so many levels. I love making dresses and I love taking a pattern to a different place. This is going to be my daughter's Christmas dress this year and I started off with the Glitz pattern from Little Lizard King. I dropped the waist a few inches and lengthened the sleeves so I could add this ruffle and a little bow at the wrist. I added a lot of width to the skirt by adding a ruffled underskirt and the 2 rows of ruffles stitched onto the outside of the skirt towards the bottom. Most noticeable difference is the back. I cut it into a V so I could play around with eyelets and leather string for a lace-up back. This reverse side of this dress is another aspect that clearly makes this signature for me. I'm a huge fan of unique and fun back details on shirts or dresses. The flower eyelets were a fun find and worked perfectly with this Art Gallery voile by Pat Bravo. (AGF is also pretty signature!) I, with much trembling and a near disastrous mishap, added them in some flower-like clusters around the neckline in the front for a bit of a decorative touch. Jewellery without the jewellery. Using the eyelets was another way that I love elevating my own makes. As is using leather, right? That should be obvious by now.

I also make my girls' winter dress coats and this year my oldest was due for a next size up. I found this vintage wool in a store closing event last spring and decided on something a bit brighter than I would normally do, but I think it's a fun detour from the norm. I used the Moiano Coat by Straight Grain as my start. I dropped that horizontal seam a few inches, added some super soft "fur" inside the hood, changed the pleats on the front and back, added some in-seam piping and created the whole jacket as a winter coat instead of the spring coat it's designed for. Following some tips from a blog post I lined the inside with batting for warmth and chose the zipper closure. Signature elements on this piece were the embroidery on the back and the beading on the design. I embroider something on every coat I make for the girls.

And that is the Cole's notes version of this week's look! You can find more over on the full post A huge thanks to Project Run and Play for bringing me into this journey. It's been a load of work, but the kind I thrive on. Thanks also to those who have had such kind words throughout and for those that say I've inspired you. That's a true accomplishment for sure! I won't look at this competition the same from now on knowing what's behind it. :)
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Bonnie and Blithe- Gold + Glitter

Hey all! I'm geeking out over still being here for the 4th and final week of Project Run and Play! I'm so honored to have made it into the top 3 and hope this week's signature look doesn't disappoint anyone. When I began thinking of my own signature style, I started dreaming about all the gold and glittery special occasion wear. I love dramatic looks and if I could only sew one thing for the rest of my life, it'd be fancy dresses! Even though I wasn't sure if print mixing would work with such over-the-top sparkly fabrics, I couldn't tear these two fabrics apart in my mind; I just loved how they worked together. I created a basic bodice (from the Infinite A-line Pattern)out of this gold & cream checked special occasion fabric (I'm actually not exactly sure what it is! But it's itchy so a full lining was required) only I flipped it around so that the front neckline was high and the back was low. I added a peter pan collar to the front and really loved hand-sewing some sequined trim to the edges. It just helps tie the top fabric in with the bottom, I think. I added a zipper to the back and my daughter requested a high-low hem on the skirt. I actually also made a tulle underskirt at first because she really wanted a "poofy" skirt. But I just didn't love how it laid under the sequins so we scrapped it. I would've loved to have made this a high low circle skirt (kind of like I did here) but that would've required spending a bunch more money on already pricey fabric so we kept it simple!

The jacket was a last minute addition because I also thought this faux leather added a cute and tough-girl vibe to a very feminine outfit. The fabric has a floral design both stitched and cut into it and it was super easy to sew with! I just widened and lengthened my Infinite A-line bodice pattern, added a lining and voila! A simple but really fun addition, especially for a dress designed to be worn for winter holidays, even though our winters here in Phoenix can hardly be classified as such :) That's it for me! Thank you all SO much for following along and be sure to vote for your favorite. And now I'm off to try catching up on about 4 weeks worth of lost sleep!
Check out lots more photos and construction details here!

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The College Seamstress- Totally Turquoise

I am so excited and so happy to be back for the final week of Project Run and Play! This has been an amazing experience and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you to everyone who has commented, voted, and supported me these past few weeks! Signature style was a hard challenge for me. I drew up six different designs before scrapping them all and coming up with this look. Turquoise is my favorite color and I knew it had to be part of my design.

I love circle skirts and skirts in general, so I wanted that to be a part of my design. I used the circle skirt from the Janie dress pattern to make this beautiful turquoise wool skirt. It is lined in a bright pink floral because my sister loves pink just as much as I love turquoise. I enclosed all the seams, so the skirt can be reversible if she wants to wear the pink side facing out. The floral fabric also inspired me to do some embroidery on the wool side. The solid turquoise was the perfect blank canvas to add some floral. I used some basic embroidery stitching to add some of the floral designs along the hem of the skirt. The grey shirt also started from the Janie dress pattern. I lengthened the bodice a few inches to make it shirt length. I also widened the neckline to add some gathering for a subtle detail.

I also made a simple infinity scarf using two rectangles from rayon challis. My signature style look was going to end with the shirt, skirt, and scarf. However, the Minnesota fall weather decided to turn more winter-like and I knew my sister would need something to keep her warm! I started with the Friday dress bodice and an old sweater. I kept the sleeve cuffs and collar as is - resizing as needed. I added snaps to the placket to make it easy for my sister to dress herself. Finally, I made a simple earwarmer using fleece and wool using the pattern from this Sew Serendipity book, resizing it to fit my sister.