Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Season 17 Week 1: Willy Wonka!!!

Today's the day!  We finally get to see what the designers have created for the Willy Wonka theme!!!  Be SURE to scroll through all 6  designers looks and then VOTE in the poll at the bottom of the page.

W Pratt Crafts--Wonderfully Wonka

Wonderfully Wonka Title

With the inspiration of the wonderful world of Willy Wonka, we present three of the character's looks reinvented into modern makes.  The classic and iconic purple Willy Wonka jacket was reinvented using this beautiful purple suede.  This self-drafted, lined moto jacket features front welt pockets, an inset zippered breast pocket, and touches of accent piping throughout.  The piping on the back seam of the sleeves line up with the piped yoke to create a seamless look across the back of the jacket.  Then the piping carries down each of the sleeves, meeting up with the inset zippers, which lead down to the wrap-around cuffs.  Heavy duty, antique brass snaps at the waistband and cuffed sleeves help add detail and function.  The jacket tops a pair of modified Portlanders by New Horizons Designs.   While the original pattern calls for knit fabrics, this pair is made from a woven khaki twill.  The pant's side seams were eliminated completely to focus on the addition of top-stitched, contoured seaming along the center front and back of the legs.  Finally, a pair of drafted pockets add function and detail to the back of the pants. 

Willy Wonka Collage 4 watermark 

The second modernized look is our take on a mini Violet Beauregarde.  Her prim and proper pantsuit from the movie was remade as a fun bubble hem dress.  Using some Cotton Lycra solids and the Grow Fonder by Apple Tree Sewing Patterns, we played with volume as a nod to Violet's juicy fate.  To add volume to the sleeves, I used the slash and spread technique to turn them into mini bishop sleeves.  Then the bodice was color-blocked to add a waistband as a base for the ruched bow sash.  And finally, her look was rounded out with the addition of a gathered bubble hem skirt, continuing the subtle look of volume without overpowering her small frame.

Willy Wonka Collage 3 watermark

The last look in our trio is our very own Charlie Bucket and our refreshed take on his basic look of a navy turtle neck and grey trousers.  While keeping the color palette the same, we changed up the top by modifying the Everette by Phat Quarters.  This basic V neck pattern was transformed by widening the neckline, then adding a drafted cowl to create a unique draped collar look.  Additional details come from the buttoned plackets at the shoulder leading to the cowl, as well as the left flank of the shirt.  Finally, to keep my own "Charlie" happy, I utilized thumb holes for the sleeve cuffs. His new and improved top is worn with a pair of self-drafted pants made from grey stretch denim.  These pants feature a front zip fly, front pockets with inset zippers (perfect to keep any treasures found in the factory, or our neighborhood, safe and sound), angled seaming along the legs, and riveted back pockets.  It can be quite difficult finding pants for tall and slender young fellas, so I was happy to be able to make him a pair that fit and didn't require his usual belt, just to keep them up.  For more photos of these modern Wonka kids, head on over to my blog here. Thanks! 

Flat Lay Watermark lightened


Rebel and Malice -- The Golden Ticket & the Fun Dip

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Hi. It's Melissa from Rebel & Malice.  I am so excited to be here.  It's week 1 and such an exciting theme for me.  Willy Wonka.  I had no idea what would pull me.  I just knew I was inspired.  Squirrel brain always overpowers me.  The costumes.  The story elements.  The candy.  I had no clue where I wanted to go.  I just knew I had to do it!

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I was inspired by little details and by the candy in the end.  One look is inspired by Willy Wonka and the golden ticket.  The other was inspired by Fun Dip.

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To create this look, I created these gold satin culottes with a self drafted pattern.  It has a paper bag waist inspired by tickets.  Then I created a pin tucked velvet dolman.  The final piece to this look was a blazer.  I used the Cali Faye Trophy Jacket as my base.  Then made it reversible, added a label and flounce bell sleeves.  I loved the funky psychedelic look I created here.  Just enough whimsy to really embrace Mr. Wonka.
For the second look, I looked to the candies.  I was so inspired by the Fun Dip.  I knew I had to use that for my inspo.  So I started with all white.  White chiffon for the top.  White stable knit for the bottom.  The top was the Lil Luxe Calabria for the base even though it was a knit pattern.  Then I created enough width in the sleeve and bodice to create this crop top of my dreams.  Puffy sleeves.  Bell sleeves.  Crop top with paper bag waist detail.  Layered with lace for the dip dynamic plus it was just what I needed to show the “dip.”  Now for the pants, I started with a leggings pattern.  The Dressage leggings.  I then created this beautiful Cascade flounce and lined it in gold.  I love this Cascade detail.  It really added a fun, but beautiful element to white pants.

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You can see all the other details HERE.  Thanks so much for having me here.


Handmade Boy: The Golden Tickets

We are all so familiar with the story of Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but not many know the story that took place after the tour. It's a story of friendship, fun, and of course, music! Join me as I tell you the tale of what happened when Charlie, Mike and Veruca all went home after that magical day at the Chocolate Factory.


When Charlie inherited the Chocolate Factory, Wonka also gave him a purple velour jacket of his own.  Charlie wore that jacket with pride!  Using the Driftwood Tee as a base, I drafted a woven block by adjusting the ease and reshaping the neckline, shoulder, armscye, and sleeve cap.  Then, I drafted a collar and gave it everything a sleek, modern blazer should have; side vents to allow for free movement, gorgeous details like buttons lining the placket on the sleeve, and metal snaps for a modern feel.  Fully lined with silvery gray satin, it's comfy and easy to layer.  Charlie was styling in his very own purple jacket!   Charlie adored the floral shirt Mr. Wonka wore, so he made it his own with a cool vest that features a small welt pocket at the chest, buttons in the back and a slight curved front hem.  A classic white tee featuring the inspiration of my look, a spin on the quote "We are the music makers and the dreamers of dreams," acts as the base of Charlie's outfit.  Paired with black denim shorts, Charlie can rock all night, well, till bedtime, and stay cool while doing it.


Charlie, Mike and Veruca really hit it off while on the tour.  So well, that they decided to form a band. And what better name, than The Golden Tickets!  Charlie rocked out on his cello.  Mike played a mean violin.  While Veruca jammed on the guitar.  Mike held onto his cowboy dreams, though.  His fringed button down got a modern Western make over.  Using Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Classic Oxford as a starting point, I designed a front yoke, changed the shape of the back yoke and removed the pleat.  I added pocket flaps and a separate button placket.  To keep the look clean, I stuck with thick topstitching in a matching yellow to bring out the lines of the seams and classic metal snaps.  Rolled short sleeves keep him cool while he fiddles the evening away.  And, any great cowboy outfit needs a pair of worn jeans.  Using Peek-a-Boo's Classic Chinos as my stepping stone, I removed the back darts, added a back yoke, reshaped the front pockets, added back patch pockets, and slimmed down the leg.  Using the existing hem, waistband and belt loops of my husband's old jeans really gave the jeans a worn in look.  Veruca stayed true to herself with a red outfit perfect for any rock star.  A fitted screen printed concert tee, with a design after her own heart, was paired with a super twirly circle skirt featuring an exposed elastic waist.  Veruca can sing and dance with no regrets in this cool number!


For more pictures of The Golden Tickets rocking out on their Candy Shop Tour and details on the designs used, join me at Handmade Boy



CKC Patterns - Willy Wonka Academy


I am so excited to share my first week for Project Run and Play! The theme was Willy Wonka, and while I'm personally not a fan of Willy Wonka, I recognized that it was a 'classic' and there was a lot of inspiration available to sew from. And boy was I inspired! I ended up sewing a total of 14 pieces in five days to complete this whole theme of Willy Wonka Academy. I really loved the six main characters and wanted to design around them, but I didn't want them to be costume-y, even though I was more than comfortable designing that way;  I wanted them to be something my little models would wear for more than a photoshoot and I wanted them to be cohesive so I came up with the fun idea for school uniforms with a twist! 


I really went crazy here and used SO many different materials to create these looks: cotton wovens, tulle, ponte knit, stretch velvet, french terry, chambray, scuba, mvc, satin ribbon, and what felt like a million buttons! Since I co-own CKC Patterns and we have 1500 patterns to choose from it was a challenge to pick out patterns because every time I found one that I felt embodied that characters style, I would find something else that I loved just as much. I'm pretty sure the hardest part of this whole competition will be settling on a style and finalizing details because I'm way too indecisive!


Let's break down the looks. For Willy Wonka, I went classic school girl with a pleated ponte knit skirt (CKC Stormy's), a cotton woven button up shirt (CKC Theodora's), the giant bow tie (modified CKC Emmett's), and a purple stretch velvet blazer (CKC Roxie's). Once I gave her a yard stick for his cane and a giant brown bow for his top hat, since no one wears a top hat to school anymore, her look was complete! 
For Charlie Bucket, I knew I wanted to create the look of a Varsity Sweater so I ordered a giant chenille navy blue "W" online and sewed it on a little french terry sweatshirt (CKC Zita's) to jazz it up. I also paired the look with a light purple, to match Willy Wonka, chambray button up (CKC Eric's), and with a nod to the classic Charlie Bucket outfit, I made a pair of bell bottom ponte knit pants (CKC Jolene's). 
In the original, which is what I based all of my characters from because you don't mess with a classic, Augustus Gloop is much more formal looking than the other children and actually already looks like he's wearing a school uniform. What child wants to look like they are wearing a school uniform though? Instead I used some gray denim looking chambray from my stash and made some cute retro-looking shorts (CKC Rizzo's) paired with a shirt that has a tie collar (CKC Talia's), and a sassy little vest (CKC Bebe's) to complete the look.


For Violet Beauregarde I wanted to make a super cute dress (CKC Peggy's) I used navy mvc for the main body and skirt, embossed velvet for the collar and peplum, and added a red crepe scuba belt and gold buttons as finishing touches!
Mike Teavee was the most difficult because how can you make a cowboy outfit look like a school uniform?   I somehow found the perfect plaid fabric though and the dress (CKC Mallory's) just fell into place from there. I think the model's pink cowboy boots really solidified the overall look I was going for!
Finally, I have Veruca Salt which is another two-piece set. I made a cute little knit jumper (modified CKC Kimber's) and paired it with a little collared halter top (CKC Sparrow's) underneath. I embellished it with buttons and a ribbon bow. I think her little golden egg backpack really finished off this look!
For links to all the patterns, details on how things were modified and where fabrics came from, please see my more detailed post on our blog.




Sew Straight Patterns - Classic & Modern Willy Wonka


WOW!  Pinch me -- it's week #1 of Project Run and Play!
In the famous words of our theme "Welcome my friends, welcome to my chocolate factory!" -- Willy Wonka (I'll replace chocolate factory to fashion factory for the welcome today).  What a wonderful and fun theme for this week!  My vision was to interpret both the "modern" Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and our "classic" or original Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) in two modern and wearable looks.  I thought maybe I had have bitten off more than I could chew for the first week -- but what the heck right?!?  It all sewed together beautifully and the concept came together so much better than I thought it would. "Stop doubting yourself girl!" were my words on repeat this week! LOL!  So without further ado I will fill you in on some of these outfit details!


Gene Wilder's role as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the version I grew to love as a child, so naturally it is what I thought of when going down the rabbit hole of ideas.  My foremost goal was to make sure the items where modern and realistically wearable after the photoshoot -- while ensuring the theme was well represented and apparent in the finished garments -- I think I nailed it 🙌.  What did I use you ask?  The purple crop blazer was The Trophy Jacket by Cali Faye Patterns -- great pattern easy design -- I omitted the front yoke to create a more seamless and simple look but the design was what I needed to represent the iconic purple blazer that really completes the overall look.  The top is the Mini Ogden Cami by True Bias -- this pattern was perfect and I made a length adjustment only, it was the simple staple piece that was needed for the outfit.  The floral fabric was the design element I needed to stand out and represent the bright floral vest worn in the movie.  For the the pleated front, tapered trousers, I used the pants portion of the Cafe Romper Pattern as a starting block.  By lifting the rise, tapering the leg and adding a bit more ease to the waist, I was able to create a more modern version of the khaki trouser worn by Gene Wilder.  Lastly the little hat, I hand sewed from a pattern on FLEECE FUN I added the little black bow and glued it to a small headband to complete the look, without overdoing it.  For more info on these outfits visit my blog post HERE.


Next up is my concept on the more recent Willy Wonka; Johnny Depp.  While I find this Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a little weirder and darker, it's the version my children grew up knowing.  It's funny how these movie remakes are becoming our children's classics.  The Blazer was a work of love, I wanted to create a slouchy comfy looking blazer, nothing too formal and this worked out beautifully -- I have been working on a blazer pattern here and there over the last few months after I started taking a class by Suzy Furrer-- which is a perfect addition to all her other classes -- It turned out very close to what I envisioned for the blazer but version two will have some design tweeks, I kept this one simple and classic.  The Jumpsuit underneath was created from the Avenue Top and Dress-- This was a complete pattern tear down.  The short version is; I cut the pattern in two at the waist, then proceeded to create a culotte style pant from the skirt and a tank top from the bodice.  I cut and slashed various areas and drafted in a new armhole -- I have pictures of this pattern hack in my post HERE. It probably would have been faster if I drafted from scratch, considering all the measuring and double checking needed to ensure everything would sew together correctly, but once you start something, you need to finish it.  It was fun to put some of my pattern fitting skills to work though.


That's it!  As we have limited photos and explanation please feel free to visit my BLOG POST for more details and pictures on these looks!  Thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the theme this week!

Lil Luxe Collection - Up & Out in the Great Glass Elevator City Luxe Style



“Up & out!” in the Great Glass Elevator! For the Willy Wonka themed challenge, I first chose the location of photography as my muse.  “The Ledge” at Skydeck, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower for all my fellow Chicagoans who won’t give up the name) began construction after the new owners of the building decided to add a new and unique observation deck to the old building.  The Ledge’s Glass Skyboxes protrude 4.3 feet from the Skycraper’s 103rd floor, 1,353 feet up, offering an exhilarating experience and served as inspiration for my garments and offered a truly one of a kind photography location mimicking the Great Glass Elevator from the movie.  I love both the 70’s version and the new version of the Willy Wonka movie and I love how the new owners of Willis Tower transformed the Skydeck level with today’s architectural advances.  My Willy Wonka outfits are a modern interpretation of the original Charlie and Willy Wonka outfits gone modern day city luxe girl.  They’re wearable, everyday pieces that can be worn together or separately with other outfits and are true to my style and aesthetic.  Getting them to pose so high in sky with a glass floor took some convincing/bribing so to end our experience we went to Sugar Factory, a super cool, fancy candy shop with yummy food and smoking candy goblets…very Willy Wonka-esque!


For Charlie’s original blue turtleneck, I used the LLC Petite Ballet Sweater pattern, lengthened to a top, complete with thumbholes and a criss cross open back for a modern look made from a classic navy knit.  For the bottom of Charlie’s look, I wanted to lean on his “poor family” with a glint of happiness when he gets the golden ticket as inspiration, so I decided on a paper bag style skirt.  I used the LLC Pleated Skirt for the top of the skirt, then added an elastic waistband and bubble skirt bottom with gold lining and pockets for a golden ticket wrapped in chocolate interpretation.  The fabric is a variated brown/black suede with satin gold lining, tied together with a dark, maroon leather belt.  To tie the look together and bring in another aspect from the movie, I made the Dollie Crossover bag to represent Charlie’s messenger bag from the movie.  I used a dark maroon leather with contrasting blue accent and candy fabric for the lining.  The leather is so buttery soft and making the bag was surprisingly easy.  I’ll definitely be making another!


For Willy Wonka, I took his original outfit of a three piece suit with bowtie and transformed it into a ruffle front shorts romper with pleats for a tailored look.  I used the Lil Luxe Dress pattern for the bodice, added length and width to the center front to fold down and allow for the ruffle front.  I then used the LLC Papillon Shorties, minus the scalloped waistband for the shorts portion and added belt loops.  The garment is made from a stretch woven with no lining and no zippers/buttons to make it easy for my daughter to stretch and take on/off.  The Notch Lapel style of the original suit jacket were my inspiration for how I would interpret the jacket.  The lapel style made it easy to envision my version as a drape front cardigan.  I used a basic block to draft the pattern and made it with a dark maroon linen for the outside and lined it with a floral to mimic Willy Wonka’s vest from the movie.  To glam up the look we chose a gold bow belt and an over the top bow necklace to bring out the Wonka!  I also made a hat to add a bit of whimsy but we forgot it amongst everything we needed to bring on our trip downtown so it didn’t make it into the photoshoot but I added it on the detail and flat lay pictures.
Thanks for reading! Head on over to the Lil Luxe Collection Blog for more details and pictures!


Our celebrity guest judge Miranda of Live Free Creative Co sure has a delightful task in front of her!
Are you inspired to sew along now?  Link up your Willy Wonka creations here for a chance to win!

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13 comments :

  1. Some really imaginative ideas. Great job

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  2. Love these super creative styles.

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  3. I love how everyone had such a different take on the theme! Great job, ladies!

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  4. Great designs! This will be a tough competition.

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  5. Love all of the fun interpretations and inspiration. Thanks for explaining the reasons and the hows behind your choices in design.

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  6. I loved the Up and Out collections, so on point.

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  7. Such a hard vote. You all did so amazing!

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  8. Wonderful designs! Voted for my favorite!

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