Skirting the Issue with Ajaire from Call Ajaire

Today Ajaire is sharing her FREE Classic Maillot SwimSkirt (sizes nb to 12years), so head on over and get it!

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Deborah from Sew Much to Give

Deborah is showing us two skirts she made. Hop over to check them out!

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Suzanne from Winter Wear Designs

Suzanne has brought it today with her fun tutorial for a wrap play skirt!

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Veronica from Sew Very

Veronica has a tutorial for adding a Bucket Pocket to a skirt to share with us today. Hop over to check it out!

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Bonnie from Whisk 'Em

Bonnie from Whisk 'Em is kicking off this last week of Skirting the Issue with her Tutorial Round-up.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Stylin Stacy

Today Stacy, from Stylin Stacy has a round up of some really great skirt tutorials she's done here.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Miranda from Inspinration

For today's Skirting the Issue post we've got Miranda from Inspinration with the most amazing skirt tutorial!  Check it out herehttp://inspinration.blogspot.nl/2016/07/skirting-issue-blog-tour-multi.html.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting The Issue with Jennifer from Unraveling Fiddleheads

Today we get to hear from Jennifer from Unraveling Fiddleheads.  She's got a fantastic skirt with trunks tutorial...my favorite kind!  Read all about it here.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Karly from Paisley Roots

Today Karly from Paisley Roots has a new FREE pattern and tutorial for a girl's circle skirt!  Be sure to snap that one up here.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Kristi from KopyKat & Kidz

Kristi from KopyKat & Kidz is sharing a tutorial over on her blog today, here. I am excited to see what she does with this fabric!

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Kelly from Handmade Boy

Yes, it is true, Kelly's blog is named "Handmade BOY", but she does have two daughters that she sews for too! Head over to see what she made for one of them here.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.

Skirting the Issue with Audrey from Skirt Fixation

Hello there!  It's Audrey from Skirt Fixation with a round up of reversible skirt tutorials for you today.  After all, what's better than one skirt?  One skirt that can be worn 2 ways!  Any girl would love to receive any one of these skirts.  Find them all here.

Remember to link up any skirts you've sewn for Skirting The Issue here.  

And find all the information about this year's Skirting The Issue event here.  

Adding Quilts and Blankets this YEAR!

 

Right now our family has a little seven year old foster girl living with us, so we have been experiencing lots of firsts in our house. Little A is a darling, sweet girl but came with practically nothing that she could call her very own.  When she got here there was a little doll waiting for her on her bed that we had bought for her...and she has slept with it every night. It's become a dear possession to her. I think in foster care, it's the little things.

Two of my other favorite stories about blankets and foster care. One of the first days Little A had gotten here a sweet neighbor heard that she had arrived and  showed up on our doorstep with a super soft fleece blanket to welcome her to the neighborhood. Yes, as a family, we had provided a new bed, new clothing and some new shoes---but that new soft fleece blanket comes with us everywhere. II will never forget the look on her face when our dear neighbor told her it was for her.  Her eyes lit up and her mouth dropped open....it was a moment I don't want to soon forget. t was a gift from a stranger that showed her that she was loved.

Last fall before A arrived, we had a teenage boy stay with us for the Thanksgiving break. We all knew it was a temporary situation as he was getting ready to be placed in a permanent home but we were ready to make his Thanksgiving break a good one. I had this idea that as a family we should do some sort of service project for others during one of the afternoons, so I had gone out and bought some fleece yardage on sale so we could make some blankets to give. And one evening we gathered around the table and made 5 fleece blankets to be able to donate. Not only did it make some memories for us, on the last day our teenage friend was here we left one of those fleece blankets on his bed so he could take one with him. When he left, he packed all his things and brought me that blanket as if he was going to return it....and when I told him it was his to take, he got the biggest smile on his face.  Even teenage boys need a reminder that someone loves them.

So, the idea hit.....and we are adding blankets and quilts to Skirting the Issue this year. Not that we want to take away from the skirts, as that was our first love and is still so needed and important!  But, as one more way that those who don't sew garments (or don't sew at all) can donate to the cause.  So intermingled with the skirt tutorials this year, we will also be showing you some simple blanket tutorials and even a couple of no-sew ideas that you could make with kids this year to help them understand service and compassion.

 As always, when you make something for Skirting the Issue, it can be donated in your local area. If you do that, if you will just send us an email (simplesimonandco@gmail.com) to tell us how many you donated. Or if you can't find a location, you can mail them to us and we promise to find the best place for your donation. And as every year, we do have some generous sponsors who are helping us along the way....so you can win some things too.  And thank you....as always for what you do and your hands that are willing to help.

HEAD HERE TO LINK-UP YOUR QUILTS TO THE PARTY!!!!

 We love you all! ~Elizabeth

Skirting the Issue 2016 is HERE!!!!

Skirting the Issue is an event that we hold every July where we spend the entire month making skirts for girls in foster care to receive just in time for back to school!

It’s one of our very favorite times of the entire year….for many reasons….

Kiki from Kiki and Company Favorite Challenge

We are officially at the end of this series, and Kiki from Kiki and Company is here to take us out with a bang!
 

 

Growing up one of my favorite movies was Annie. When I heard this week was movie week, I knew exactly what I would be doing. To me, the movie Annie is about the opposites of Rags to Riches. It is the story of fiercely independent to lovingly sheltered. The pictures above looks like she is saying, "Take me home, please" vs. "I'm home". I wanted to capture the looks of both of these with my outfits this week. The first outfit is to represent the independent, orphan Annie. Updated from her look in the movie, this look of strong prints, exposed zippers and sweet details were to represent that sweet girl who wanted nothing more than to say, "Come and take me home". I love the structured flutter sleeve I added and the bubble skirt added a bit of femininity to the outfit. The leather accesories bring an extra pop.

The classic red dress was Annie's claim to fame and I knew I wanted to update it! I loved the details of the top of the dress...a tuxedo pleat with white pleats on the side, the double peter pan collar, the bubbly sleeves and the thick white stripe around the middle are some of my favorite parts. Using the amazing circle skirt again made the bottom twirl worthy and a sweet petticoat underneath added a playful touch to the dress. I love the contrast between the two of these dresses and if I watched Annie again, could totally see her in each one of these!

Head on over to Kiki and Company to see details galore and grab your Annie outfits in paper doll form.

Thank you all for joining us on this virtual trip down memory lane, and catching up with what these past contestants are currently up to! Come back to see what excitement we have in store for you next week!

Al and Scary from Shaffer Sisters Favorite Challenge

Today the Shaffer Sisters share their favorite challenge with you:

Hands down our favorite week of Project Run and Play was week 2 with the Upcycle Challenge. Both the 1st and 3rd week challenges gave us a run for our money, sewing, editing down our looks and more sewing. Where everything about week 2 seemed to work out with perfect serendipity.

We knew going into PR&P that following the competition there was going to be a change of pace coming for our blog. For so many people PR&P is their jumping off point into a successful blogging career but for us competing in PR&P was our culminating goal.

After 2 years of sewing blogging we were very tired and felt a pull to focus inward towards our own personal families. We feel like without this kismet gift from the universe it would have been difficult for us to move on past something we loved so much.

Both the project and the photo shoot were happy little accidents. The formal gown that was used in this challenge was procured before we ever received the challenges from liZ and Elizabeth. Through out our blogging career we were often receiving gifts of clothes for upcycling and other's fabric stashes. When this formal came into our lives we knew it was special and needed to be saved for a very special occasion, about 6 months later that cloth realized it's destiny.

As we were competing together we felt like it was best for us to meet in the middle at our parent's house. This is where we were to finish details of each look and photograph them. Our first thought was to take pictures of this outfit near the picturesque and elegant Sun Valley opera theater. This is about a 1 hour drive from our parent's home, which we felt like was totally doable.

Between having 8 little kids running around that day, trying to get projects finished and photographing all the looks we were WAY behind on schedule!

Our options were simple re-prep a 4 year old for pictures and shoot it the next day before heading home or drive a few miles north of my parents home to an abandoned homestead. We were so sure that the golden hour had passed us by because the homestead we were shooting at is in the middle of a narrow tall canyon. As we speed down the dirt road toward the homestead our goal was just to get a few good shots. We were given another fortuitous gift as the light that filled that valley lit up the wild grain shafts and gave us a complimentary composition for our look.

We were so lucky to have things not go exactly according to plan and because they didn't, they were better. They were a greater representation of who we are and what we tried to accomplish. Were not sure that we will ever make or photograph something that will be more us than this project but we were glad to get the chance to paint our masterpiece. 

We would love to say a big we Love you to all you sewing blogging people. There are so many of you we consider real and true friends whether or not we have ever met in real life. We still think about you, feel inspired by your awesome creations and we rooting for you behind the scenes.

With Love,

Al, Scary & Jo

We tag Kiki from Kiki and Company

Rachel from a Nest Full of Eggs Favorite Challenge

It's hard to believe that it has been almost four years since I was a contestant on Project Run and Play! Since the fall of 2012 I have continued to enjoy sewing and contributing to sewing books and magazines. For a little over two years now I have been a blog contributor and editor for the Oliver + S blog. During Season 5 my favorite challenge was the White Sheet Challenge because I used some of my favorite things: dyeing fabric, color blocking, and geometry. 

For the White Sheet challenge we were invited to take a white sheet (up to king size) and make whatever we wanted out of it by painting it, dyeing it, embellishing it, etc. But the majority of the look had to be from the white sheet. I thought it would be fun to play with volume. But this look could easily be translated into a more wearable everyday clothing item, just take the idea and make a skirt at knee length, for example or let the bold stripes and long length inspire you, take some striped knit fabric, and sew a maxi dress like this awesome one.

 The lines on this dress are not painted on, nor are they wide ribbons sewn on, it is all piecing. It was painstakingly pieced together out of solid purple and white strips, so that every seam and angle would match perfectly. I took part of the white sheet and dyed it with half a bottle of purple liquid dye. I cut 3 inch strips out of the white sheet and 2 inch strips out of the purple. The strips were sewn together, cut at 45 degree angles, then sewn back together to form 90 degree angles, then the modified circle skirt was cut out. From the remaining fabric I cut out the bodice pieces. 

The skirt part of the dress has 60 pieces of fabric, arranged into perfectly perpendicular (90 degree) angled stripes, done in a half circle skirt (two quarter circle skirt sections where the front and back pieces are exactly the same) so that the lines go straight down on the sides (more perpendicular lines are found on both sides of the dress where the skirt lines hit the bottom bodice line). I even took extra care to make sure the width of the white strip was the same on the side seams as it was throughout the whole dress. Speaking of the side seams I added nice deep on seam side pockets. The entire dress is fully lined with white sheet fabric to hide all those carefully pressed open seams and to make it nice against the skin. 

You can read more about this dress here and see the tutorial on it here. I tag the Shaffer Sisters.

Ashley and Emily from Frances Suzanne's favorite Challenge

I can't believe it, but we are on the last week of this series! To start us off right, here are Ashley and Emily from Frances Suzanne sharing their favorite challenge.

Hi again, everyone! Hmmmmm. . . our favorite challenge of Season 8? Looking back {and not counting our "Signature Look" as a "true" challenge}, we'd have to say: the "LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES" CHALLENGE! Although {truth be told} we lost a LOT of sewing time trying to decide on the movie to represent, but once we landed on Mary Poppins, the rest was history! 

The movie references noted on each girls' outfits {there were TONS!} had us giggling time and time again! We opted to look at this challenge in two ways - by designing a MOVIE-inspired outfit and a CHARACTER-inspired outfit. 

From the minute planning details to the fun photo shoot, we LOVED introducing the girls to this "classic" movie. They STILL quote from Mary Poppins, sing the songs, and laugh at various parts of the movie. So, not only did the girls gain a few outfits through this challenge, there were memories made to last a lifetime!!

This challenge also was a precursor to sewing the girls "Disney Inspired Outfits" for our recent trip to Disney. We opted NOT to sew a Mary Poppins inspired garment because it was difficult to visualize a new creation after making these two. . . Now, to tag someone else . . . rumor has it, Rachel's {nest full of eggs} favorite challenge might be one of our favorite sew-along challenges. So, why not keep our favorites coming with this tag?!?! Rachel, you're it!

Cassie from Lily Shine Boutique's favorite challenge

Yesterday, RaeAnna tagged Cassie, and today she is here to share her favorite challenge.

Hey all!!! I chose the 80s cartoon challenge because it still takes my breath away when I scroll through the images from that photo shoot and think of what a great adventure it was!! My kids were just playing with the rainbow parachute this week- it was worn as a bridal veil but hey, it's still getting some love!!

Since my season with PR&P, I have hit the ground running with pattern design for Little Lizard King. Drop Waist Diva, my final entry for PR&P, was my debut design. Since then, I have produced over 20 patterns, brought on a creative assistant and we've expanded our team to include a ladies pattern designer, and a dear friend, Becca Duval! Our team is flourishing and we are just thrilled with the creative vibes we can share with one another. 

 

I have enjoyed seeing Project Run & Play continue to grow and look forward to following future seasons! 

I'll tag Ashley and Emily of Frances Suzanne!