Le Sigh!!! That's how we feel about Season 21 being in the books! It was so good, so fun, so inspirational!
Before sharing the results, we have an announcement: next week we have some FABRIC news, and the week after that we have some super duper scrumdiliosious fun cooked up for you. Stay tuned...
This is what Amber of Damask Love, our celebrity guest judge, had to say about Mandalynn's Signature Style creations:
So …or should I say “SEW” very much to be impressed with here! You really wowed me with your technique and attention to detail…and let’s not forget your resourcefulness, too! I love that you upcycled a kimono to create one of the dresses. By drafting your own patterns, you really show an impressive level of talent- especially with details like the cross straps on the back. I’m so happy to kept at that because it’s a beautiful addition. Your use of pattern and color is wonderful as well. Even with a muted color palette, you injected lots of interesting texture and pattern into each design…including the shirring on the dress bodice. Beautifully done and very thoughtfully executed.
Our 1st place winner will be rewarded with:
Cricut Maker and starter kit from Cricut ($600+ value) 6 yards of fabric from Michael Miller ($108 approximate value) Apparel fabric bundle from Riley Blake Designs ($100 value)
Wow, this Season has simply flown past! It's not possible that it's Week 4 already, is it? Well, the designers have sewn up their Signature Style looks, so it must be true!
Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post so you can support them with your vote.
With my little finally in kindergarten, she is trying to wear all her favorite dresses to school. Not that I don't think floor-length ballgowns are playground appropriate, but I designed this collection with the idea that she would be allowed to wear all of them to school whenever she felt like it! Granted, some of them are put away for future years, since I asked friends and cousins who resemble particular princesses to be my models for this shoot, and they are not all size 5. I blew my entire pre-season shopping spree at Cali Fabrics for this collection, and rounded it out with a few special purchases from Etsy (sequin tiger applique!! Iridescent vinyl!!) and my (much more significant) stash.
You can visit my blog for more details on pattern hacks and specific fabric info, but given the sheer number of patterns I used, I'm just going to list them for you!
Thank you thank you SO much for all your votes and kind words that have gotten me this far! Please be sure to visit Made of Starlite for an extra detailed account of the journey that was this collection, and soooooo many more photos!!
Love Hazel Grace Designs - Dreaming of Christmas
It is the final week of Season 21 of Project Run and Play and never in my wildest dreams did I suspect I would still be showing off my creations! Thank you everyone for all your love and support!
This weeks sewing prompt is Signature Style and my signature style for my kids started 10 years ago when I went looking for matching Christmas clothes for my boy/girl twins and could not find any. I took my sewing skills and made them multiple matching outfits for not just Christmas but Easter, their birthdays and any other holiday! Since Christmas is my favorite holiday and has been since I was a little girl, I decided to make Hazel her Christmas Eve to Christmas Day wardrobe! If only my older kids would let me still do this for them as well! Hazel's Christmas Eve to Christmas Day wardrobe consists of her Christmas Eve dress and fancy winter coat to wear over it, her Christmas Eve pj's and a fun outfit to hang out in on Christmas Day!
Hazel's Christmas Eve dress is a vintage inspired sleeveless dress with princess seams, a round collar that ends in points near the invisible zipper and a pleated circle skirt. The front of the dress is accented with snowflake buttons added to the collar and a bow made out of the same red satin on her left side. To make the dress, I started out with a princess seam pattern I have been working on, and I cut it at Hazel's natural waist. I have a pattern that is no longer in print with a pleated circle skirt and so I added that skirt making changes to the pleats as necessary to fit the bodice! I drafted the collar to match one I liked in a picture to fit around the neckline and end at the invisible zipper in the back. After fully lining the dress and adding an invisible zipper, I felt the dress needed a little something more so I added the snowflake buttons on the collar and the bow to finished the look. The red shatung satin came from Cali-Fabrics online! It is absolutely gorgeous and was easier to sew with than I expected! I also sewed black lace tights to complete the look using Abby's Footed Tights pattern from The Wolf and The Tree!
After completing the dress I thought this would be the time to sew the vintage 1940's swing coat I had always dreamed of sewing. I used black lux fleece for the outer of the coat and cotton to line the coat, so that it could be easily washed and dried! The pattern is a 1949 Simplicity pattern that I bought 10 years ago on Etsy and the instructions literally fell apart in my hands when I pulled them out of the envelope. I added the full lining as the coat only had facings in the pattern. Snaps were used to keep the cape on the coat or make it removable if it is just too much at the time. Hazel always loves a little sparkle so I used some rhinestone heart buttons I had been saving to add a little sparkle to the coat! It is the perfect coat to go over her fancy dress!
After we get home from Christmas Eve service at church, my kids all run to get their special Christmas Eve pj's so we can make a cake for the next day and then read the Night Before Christmas and The First Christmas stories before bed. Hazel likes slim fit pants with pockets, which is not the typical flannel pajama pant. I took a basic pants sloper and slimmed it down adding pockets to the front of the pants. For the waistband, instead of the usual fold over one, I added a yoga waistband which hopefully makes life easier at Christmas time as we hope to be potty training then! For the shirt I used the set-in sleeve option for my basic t-shirt pattern still in production. Due to this look being one I didn't plan on when sketching out looks, I pulled both the flannel for the pants and the knit for the shirt from my stash! I used my Cricut Maker and some heat transfer vinyl to cut out an svg design I purchased from Kingsbury Bespoke on Etsy and added it to the shirt.
Christmas Day is spent eating cake (Jesus' birthday) and lazily opening gifts at our own pace. The whole family likes to be comfortable for the day and Hazel is no exception! Hazel will pick a shirt that looks like a dress before she will pick a t-shirt or any other shirt so I thought it would be fun to make a more casual "dress" type look for her shirt as well as some leggings to wear with it! Again I started with my t-shirt pattern, this time with the long puffed sleeves, and chopped it at about where an empire seam would hit thinking I could add a "skirt" to it there! To add some details to the shirt, the "skirt" portion has a rolled hem on the top, gathered and sewn to the outside of the shirt. The sleeves and skirt portion are finished with a narrow cover-stitch. The fabric I used for the shirt is the same fabric I used for the dress I made for Hazel to wear home from the hospital when she was born! I love this fabric and know for sure I bought it at JoAnn Fabrics many many years ago. To go with this top, I made leggings from a leggings pattern I have been working on with a yoga waistband and bows made from the top material at the hem. The fabric for the leggings came from my stash as well!
For the first time ever one of my kids is ready for Christmas months in advance and not hours in advance! Thank you very much for letting me share part of who I am with you these last 4 weeks. I appreciate it so much and thank you for always being willing to see my looks even with my 2 year old model! To read more about the patterns and fabric used check out my blog post.
Striped Swallow Designs - Boho-Chic
Wow, I can't believe Week 4 is already here and I've made it this far! When I heard week 4's theme -- Signature Style, I was excited to show off my style. I definitely have a particular style which is very Bohemian. I love all Boho styles -- the effortless, relaxed fashion and all the use of various decorative trims, fringe, pompoms, tassels and embroidery to name a few. This week I wanted to share my vision of Boho-Chic with you all.
Bohemian designs incorporate a lot of ethnic, folk and floral patterns. So when choosing fabrics for this week I wanted to show two different boho styles which led me to make one dress in floral and the other using a fabric with gorgeous embroidery details. Fun fact -- both of these fabrics are actually up-cycled from RTW kimonos. I had ordered a mustard kimono a few months back and tried it on and it was just too big on me so I was going to return it. Before I put it in the mail though, I thought why not keep it to cut up and sew a top for myself because I was obsessed with this fabric. While on the hunt for a floral fabric to pair with the mustard dress for this week, I ended up coming across another kimono that I thought would be perfect. Pics of the kimonos prior to me cutting in to them are over on my blog.
For the first dress, I drafted a sweet off-the-shoulder dress using one of my favorite techniques, shirring, for a delicate look on the bodice plus it makes it super comfy to wear. The dress can be worn on the shoulders as well. I love fun, unique details so the sleeves I added two ruffled layers with the bottom layer having a rolled hem on the border print. To bring in the chic element I made a braided belt out of suede I found in my stash (from my previous adventure in sewing baby moccasins) and added fringe detailing to it and styled the dress with a simple choker and suede Panama hat.
For the second outfit, I drafted a v-neck dress with a unique back. I had a vision for cross straps with a drapey back bodice that would allow the cross straps to peak through. One of my favorite things about pattern designing is figuring out how to design unique details that you can't simply draft straight from a book. Though it may take a little longer and a few more muslins to figure out, it's so worth it to be able to make garments with such cool design elements. Plus I always feel pretty accomplished once I figure it out. :) That was definitely the case with this back.
Thank you all for your support during this competition! I have had such a blast this season and super grateful to be a part of the Project Run and Play family now! And as always...more pics and details for this week are over on our blog. xo- Mandalynn
And now it's your turn...use the widget below to support the designers.
Wow and wow again!!!
The designers scores are determined as follows:
1/3 of the score is based on YOUR vote
1/3 of the score by this week's celebrity guest judge Amber of Damask Love
Here's what this week's celebrity guest judge Jess of Lil Luxe Collection, had to say about her look:
Having spent these last two summers traveling down south with my family, stopping to enjoy outdoor music at restaurants and going to music festivals in town centers, I totally got the movement, dance and music vibe from these two looks right away. I love the alterations made to your existing patterns and appreciate the technique you put into your designs. You nailed it on working with knits and wovens, shirring, zipper, buttons, rouching, gathers on a V-front, stretch lace…I just loved it all and my two girls have requested an identical set! Apart from evoking memories of dancing and singing at music festivals, very well done on two fashion forward looks!
Since Meredith of Olivia Jane Handcrafted wasn't able to complete the Season due to a hospital visit, all 3 of the remaining designers will be advancing to the grand finale!
Fortunately, our sponsors are sending Meredith of Olivia Jane Handcrafted some nice prizes. She will receive:
It's time for you to sit back and listen. Can you hear it? It's the sound of fashion! (Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post for the voting widget.)
Striped Swallow Designs - Blue Skies & Free Spirits
When I heard Week 3's theme -- Sound of Fashion -- it immediately took me back to a memory of dancing under blue skies with my girls at a music festival. Their carefree movements that day re-inspired me to go with the flow and to live life to the fullest. Drawing on that inspiration and my family's love for indie music -- rock, reggae and folk -- it was only fitting I created a pair of flowy festival designs with a bohemian vibe for my look.
For my first outfit, I drafted a new flowy, hi-low top and added an exposed zipper with the sweetest feather pull. I paired it with my first and most popular pattern the Coachella Shorts.
I was drawn to the colors I chose for this week, the gorgeous peach and blues, as they remind me of being outside as the sun is setting listening to great music.
For my second outfit, I drafted a new skirt with a v front waistband and a hemline that dips down in the front and back. The lace blue bralette underneath is from a dance wear pattern I drafted for my daughter a few weeks ago. Lastly, I used my Hideaway pattern as the starting point for the white top. I changed the neckline a bit, added casings and ties to the sleeves, and cut the length off the top to make it a crop and shirred the bottom.
More photos and info from our shoot over on our blog. xo - Mandalynn
Made of Starlite - We Never Go Out of Style
I can't believe I made it to Week Three! I am so excited for you to see these looks, they were so much fun to put together. πππ
Do you ever feel like sometimes people just "get you"? Love her or hate her, Taylor Swift is one of those people. Her lyrics cut straight through to the heart of a situation like few songwriters can! Each of my four sisters and I have spent precious bonding time with our dad, learning to play Taylor's songs on guitar, attending concerts together, and singing along to music that speaks to us and is *super fun* to dance in the kitchen to! With this challenge, I wanted to create some looks that my daughter and her cousins (also avid TS fans!) could play, go to school, and have dance parties in!
These looks are specifically inspired by the outfit Taylor wore to perform at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. I found this almost identical sequin fabric at JoAnns, and crafted my designs from there. Since she is so tall, Taylor Swift loves to show off her legs, so I went with shorts, a miniskirt with bike shorts attached, and some gold leggings for the middle schooler. The tops are loose fitting and more casual in design, perfect for both playgrounds and concerts!
The pink tee is a heavily modified Talulah tee from Violette Field Threads, made with bubble gum pink rayon spandex. She says it's super soft and "bouncy" and was dying for me to take the flat lay so she could wear it to school! The skirt is a pair of Rocky Shore tights from Sofiona Designs, shorts length, with a self-drafted skirt attached and a flat waistband. The sequin tee is the bodice of a Tatum dress from Violette Field Threads, lengthened an inch, with neckbands, armbands and a full lining from jersey so that no scratchy sequins actually touch skin! The shorts are Avery shorts from Violette Field Threads, modified so they are fitted all the way around, not elasticized at the back waist, and finished off with oversized gold buttons. For the sweater, probably my favorite piece of this collection, I started with the Tatum dress again, drafted a hi-lo hemline, widened the body a bit, re-drafted the sleeve to be a drop shoulder dolman, and added bands to the neckline, sleeve cuffs and hem to give it more of a "sweatshirt" feel. I totally love how it came out, and my niece has requested a million more for school! I know it's super hard to please my discerning five-year-old fashionista, so I definitely count it as a win when a seventh grader loves what I made! The gold leggings are a second pair of Rocky shores, cut to a cropped length.
Since her lyrics are the main thing that draw me to Taylor Swift, I had to include them on the outfits! I did a little hand embroidery on the pink tee pocket, with a line from the song "Paper Rings". To do it, I designed the text in Silhouette Studio and traced it onto my fabric with a wash away fabric marker. The graphic on the rainbow sweater was inspired by a line from the song "ME!". I painted it on my cut fabric with acrylic paints mixed with fabric medium, so the paint is flexible like screen printing ink. I cut the words from gold iron-on vinyl with my Silhouette. If I was making an outfit for a middle schooler, of course I *had* to include a scrunchie! Because apparently the 90s are back. And who am I to stand in the way of a trend? π€·♀️
Check out my blog for lots more photos from our dance party, links to some of our favorite TS songs, and more words than any normal person is going to want to read! π
Love Hazel Grace Designs - Butterfly
This week's theme did not come easily for me. For weeks, I went around the house mumbling about the sound of fashion and what did that mean. One day my oldest daughter, Johanna, said to me, "Mom will you stop and just design something for that week" so I sketched something that I liked but it had absolutely nothing to do with any genre of music and that bothered me. So Johanna sat down with me, much like I have over the years with her, and started asking questions. She got about 5 minutes into her questions about the theme and looked at me like I had 3 heads and one was spinning around in circles, you know that look tweens give you when they think you have lost your mind. She said "Mom you have had this designed for years and it is finally time to sew it!" She got very excited and animated as she said "Your genre of music is K-Pop (Korean pop music) and your design is the modern hanbok you have sketched and have never sewn up." After calming her down a bit and making sure she would actually let me take her pictures in said modern hanbok, I set to work. For this reason, I am calling this post Butterfly λλΉ after a BTS song and how these designs emerged like a butterfly.
Now you likely have two questions (1) how did you get into K-Pop long before K-Pop was cool (if you know popular music think BTS - they are a K-Pop boys group) and (2) what is a hanbok. This first question is easy. Samuel and Johanna are adopted from South Korea. 11 years ago my husband, my mother and I spent a little over a week in Korea meeting not only Samuel and Johanna but their foster parents and falling in love with the country that made my husband and I parents. Going to Korea we were a family of two and coming home we were a family of four! Ever since that trip we have worked to learn to read, write and speak Korean as well as learn about the culture. Which brings us to the 2nd question, what is a hanbok. Hanbok is the traditional attire of the Korean people and has a history as colorful as the garments themselves. Traditional hanboks were worn daily up until about a century ago but the hanbok remains an important icon of Korea, and is still worn on special occasions and holidays. You can see a picture of Johanna’s 1st hanbok here and her current hanbok here.
Many K-Pop girls groups have worn modernized hanboks in the last 11 years and I have always loved the look and so has Johanna. There are a few aspects that were non-negotiable for Johanna; the pleated skirt, the jacket and the hanbok bow. Ideally I would prefer a dress that can be washed and ironed easily as well! I started with fabric and for the solid colors I decided on Kona cotton and the skirt a watercolor floral cotton to symbolize the flowers sometimes embroidered on the hanbok. Next I knew the skirt needed to be shorter. The to the floor look of the hanbok was not one that Johanna liked and Hazel always fell over her hanbok skirt. I determined that just above the knee was the perfect look to be age appropriate and still keep with today’s trends. Finally I added pockets, since what girl does not need pockets in her dress!
In a traditional hanbok, the “dress” is two thin straps you slip on your shoulders and then wrap the bodice around you and tie at the chest. Our family has had many times where someone’s hanbok came undone and it was a good thing they had on clothes under the hanbok. For the bodice of this dress, I took a basic sleeveless bodice sloper and lengthened it a little past Johanna’s natural waist. She asked to be sure it did not plunge in the front but in the back she wanted a little plunge, so I made those changes to the bodice as well. Finally, I used an invisible zipper in the back, which helped to make the bodice more form fitting for Johanna.
For the jacket, Johanna requested the shorter jacket similar to the one on her 1st hanbok but with short puffy sleeves. Using Johanna’s current hanbok jacket as a starting point, I made the overlapping jacket and created a starting point for the sleeves. I added some to the sleeves to make them poof like Johanna requested. The jacket collar is made out of the same material as the skirt. The last touch for the jacket is the traditional hanbok bow.
Johanna insisted I also make a modern hanbok for Hazel. I thought the look I designed for Johanna was a little old for her 2 year old sister, so for the younger modern hanbok wearer I designed a wrap dress. I started with a jumper pattern I designed for Johanna when she was 4. That pattern is made to cross the body in the back with a full gathered skirt. I started by flipping the front and back pieces of the jumper. The now front pieces of the jumper needed to have a straight edge so I squared those off to resemble the same closure of Johanna’s jacket. After constructing the lined upper bodice portion, I added puff sleeves similar to Johanna’s sleeves and a “belt” to make the upper portion look like a jacket and resemble the big sister look. Finally, I added a removable traditional hanbok bow, to cover the buttons required to keep the dressed closed.
For the skirt, I changed the gathers to pleats to keep that aspect of a traditional hanbok. Hazel does better with skirts and climbing all the things when the skirt falls just above her knees, so I hemmed the skirt at that length! I also added pockets to Hazel's skirt.
These dresses will be perfect for celebrating Korean holidays with friends and family as well as to wear to church and special occasions! I am so grateful that Johanna sat down and brainstormed with me this week! To read more about the patterns and fabric used check out my blog post.
Patterns: Bodice sloper for size 10 girls; Ready to Wear hanbok; Love, Hazel Grace Designs unreleased jumper pattern Fabric: Kona cotton, watercolor flower cotton from Hobby Lobby
Unfortunately, our 4th designer had to drop out before completing this week's challenge due to health and a hospital stay! We wish her the best and know our sponsors will be rewarding her handsomely.
Now it's your turn to help these designers out.
The designers scores are determined as follows:
1/3 of the score is based on YOUR vote
1/3 of the score by this week's celebrity guest judge Jess of Lil Luxe Collection
I think the real super hero this week are the moms who sewed up all those amazing looks for the Super Heroes and Heroines theme! Each of these designs was so different, and each one so special.
Here's what this week's sewing celebrity guest judge Delia of Delia Creates had to say about this look:
I really appreciated that you thought outside of the box for this week's theme. Your choice of hero inspiration was so touching! I love that you added such creative and thoughtful, adaptive details to the clothing you designed. Overall, I think you did a wonderful job! I love the heart you put into your sewing.
And now the really hard part, one designer has to be let go this week. Sadly we're losing:
Every kid wants to be a super hero or heroine, right? And now, thanks to our fantastic designers, these kids get to be super hero and heroines everyday!
Be sure to scroll through all 5 designers creations and vote using the widget at the end.
The Dapper Captain - Olivia Jane Handmade
Meredith from Olivia Jane Handcrafted here! I'm so excited to be back for week two of Project Run and Play! This week is all about making an outfit that is not a costume that nods to our child's favorite superhero or heroine, and let me tell you, that is not as easy as it sounds! There was much debate over what qualifies a hero as "super", and again, what they might wear when not saving the world. So this week, my entry is focused on my son, his unique style, and his favorite hero, Steve Rogers who is better known as Captain America.
Wallace is the kid who loves to look good all the time. It takes no parental prompting- he simply likes to don suspenders whenever he can or add a bowtie to his look. He loves his hair just so, and he needs to be clean at all times. So naturally, his version of the Captain, was going to have to be a dapper one, which isn't a stretch for the gentleman hero. We chose a blue gingham for his shirt, and spared no details. Its has all the characteristics of a professionally sewn shirt, from a collar with collar stand to a tower placket on the sleeves. I used the Buttoned Up Buttoned Down Shirt from Oliver & S because their patterns are always so well done, and include all the details of high end ready to wear clothing. The buttons are pearl and they were purchased at Jones & Vandermeer. His bow tie was made with Liberty lawn.
The pants are a light grey linen- we didn't want to go full white for the pants. That wouldn't last one day, even with my clean kid. I used the Art Museum Trousers pattern from Oliver & S for the pants. They feature welt pockets with a peek of the gingham fabric inside. The waistband facing also includes the gingham used in his shirt. The trousers are an easy wear with light linen, and fit nicely. My young captain was glad for belt loops to add in a belt!
As a mom who dreads when my children want me to make anything character related because stores are so saturated with that kind of thing, I was glad for this week's prompt to make regular clothing that our favorite superhero might wear! I know this outfit will get lots of mileage and can be worn most anywhere. You can read and see more photos over on my blog post! Thank you!
-Meredith
Lightning & Speed - Striped Swallow Designs
Free to Play. Run. Make believe... free to Be. To create. To move. To dance & groove.
Free to flip and twirl and fight and whirl... and free to conquer the world!
I'm going to be real honest...when I heard the theme for Week 2, I freaked out a little. It is sooo out of my realm! I immediately started brainstorming though and was so relieved within a couple hours I had a plan. And then of course didn't sleep well that night because I was working out all the details in my head. I love those full force, creative moments even if it means I don't get much sleep!
This photoshoot was such a blast too. Once Harbor stepped into the romper and put her gloves on, she was incredibly FIERCE! And Emerie kept running around saying she was flash!
For my first outfit, I drafted a harem romper with a deep v-neck so I could add an inset with the super hero fabric. Since I knew I wanted the romper to be solid black, I added a few fun details to bring it to life. Gathering on the sides of the bodice, shirring down the center of the back bodice and beautiful angles on the front bodice.
For my second outfit, I chose my Desert Breeze pattern as I wanted the cold shoulder look. I stumbled across the fringe when I was on the hunt for fabrics for my beach photoshoot for Week 1 and immediately knew that was the fabric for the skirt of this dress. This was my first time sewing with fringe and it was actually easier than I expected, but definitely a little tedious when cutting. More details are on my blog if you are curious on how I went about it.
Each girl also got a pair of super hero gloves. I used my Winter Park thumbhole cuff as a starting point. I added glitter heat transfer vinyl for a super hero logo on the dress and Harbor's gloves. And finally made a belt in the lame fabric for Emerie's dress.
So after all the fret this ended up being the theme I was most excited for. It pushed my creativity and I love it for that.
More photos and info from our shoot over on our blog. xo - Mandalynn
Do you want to build a snowman? - We Sew Got This
Sisters
Nordic sisters speak directly to my little girl’s hearts, heritage and passions. I couldn’t see anything more genuinely fitting, I embraced the challenge to think outside the box using our Frozen heroine. With little Say just starting to really get into storyline play with her big sister, their relationship is starting to blossom! We adventured through a magical forest, where Elsa brought on a little out of season frost for us.
Adventurous sister
Artsy and fun - everyday Anna! In her own geometric, color blocking way, Kona cotton was the perfect fit to find the unique colors needed. I drew little sister a shift dress with a mild high low, trimmed in pompoms inspired by the original coronation outfit. Starting with Violette Field Threads Georgia, I reshaped the generous neckline and used a facing finish with a zipper closure. Dropping the waistline down with a steep V shape gave room to pull around from each side with two A line panels. The dress is hemmed off with a small gathered front and slow tapering point in the back.
Ice Princess
This everyday Elsa dress is simple yet packed with all the little details a princess desires. No joke, my girl has been begging for snow since spring; making her own would be a dream come true! Easy to play in doesn’t get much prettier than this tiny sparkle cotton. Using the Violette Field Thread’s Seraphina as a starting point, I redrew a boat neck inspired, princess curved neckline. Then I scooped the wide shoulder half way down her back. Choosing my own unique finishings included drafting the less full skirt to the knee and fun bow cuffed sleeves.
You can find out more about these makes and their story on my blog HERE. I hope to see you again next week!
xoxo Sarah
Small children fighting big battles - Love Hazel Grace Designs
From the time I learned the themes for Project Run and Play and started sketching my designs, I knew this week would be special to me because my hero is my nephew Ryder. Ryder fought leukemia for more than half of his life, and he did it with a smile, a joke, and a love of life! Sadly, Ryder lost his battle with cancer last December. Last week would have been Ryder’s 4th birthday, so honoring him and his battle buddies with this challenge felt like a great way to celebrate his life and his birthday. I called my sister, Ryder’s mom, to ask her how I could make adaptive clothing for Ryder’s battle buddies. It was important that the clothes that were comfortable, accessible for ports and tubes, but still looked like fun clothing that any child would want to wear. At the time I couldn’t tell my sister 100% why I needed suggestions, but she helped me by sharing what specific aspects of what a “normal” outfit Ryder and his buddies would have needed. I have included pictures of Ryder and his ports so you can see my “Why” for designing for this superhero.
First every child of Ryder's age or younger (just a little older and his port or buddies as he called them would have looked different) needs access to their buddies or whatever they have called their port. This port is in the middle of their chest so I knew a welt opening would be needed in the middle of a shirt - a t-shirt - that would be comfortable and could have designs on it that could work for any child. These shirts have welt openings allowing easy access to the child's port but that opening is covered by a patch I created with my embroidery machine, so only the wearer and whoever the wearer decides to tell know the opening is there! On these two outfits, I used a firetruck in honor of Ryder's hero, his daddy, and a unicorn in honor of one of Hazel's favorite animals! The back of the patch is covered with white fabric on the bottom half of it and then the top half is Thermofix which is then affixed to the shirt.
Also on the shirt at the back of the collar is a snap that has a loop of rick rack attached to it. If the child has an NG tube the child needs a place for that tube to go while they are playing. The tape that holds the NG tube on their back can be painful when pulled off or leave a residue on their clothing so a place to hold that tube and keep it out of the way is important.
Finally for the shirt, what kid does not love a superhero cape? A cape that ties around the neck or goes around the neck is a safety concern for all children; a child with a port/tubes especially needs a safer alternative. I made the cape snap to the back shoulder of the shirt! The snaps are plastic, so they are washer and dryer-safe as well as metal-free and safe around medical equipment. I repeated the designs from the shirt fronts on the cape backs so our little superheroes can have fun coming and going.
I never saw Ryder wear jeans after he was diagnosed. My sister said that the buttons on the adjustable waistbands were uncomfortable, and that was not uncommon for his battle buddies to have the same complaints. I designed a flat front pant with jean styling, but I encased any uncomfortable parts in the waistband. The cargo pockets also have an important function. The children receive medications into their ports through balls that they carry with them in fanny packs. The cargo pockets on these pants are large enough to hold the medication ball and have a grommet that the cords and tubes can go through to attach to the port. Looking at these fun pockets, no one would think that there was anything but toys inside!
Thank you for letting me share my hero, Ryder! For these tiny warriors and their families, it is so important that their clothes look like all the other kids. Also, thank you to Hazel and Emmerson who modeled these clothes for all their siblings, friends and buddies who need adaptive clothes! To read more about the patterns and fabric used check out my blog post.
Patterns: Love, Hazel Grace Designs unreleased patterns Straight Leg Pants and T-Shirt
Fabric: stretch denim (pink and dark wash) from my stash; black knit fabric from my stash; firetruck knit fabric from my stash; unicorn sketch knit from JoAnn's Doodles Collection; Rainbow Batik fabric from JoAnn's; Yellow cotton (from my stash); blue sparkle linen (from my stash);
Patches made by me on my embroidery machine - Unicorn is from Applique Club and the Firetruck is from Happytown Applique
Glitter Force Makeover - Made of Starlite
Eeeeekkk!! I am so thrilled to be with you for week two! I knew all of the designers this season were super talented, but the level of craftsmanship and creativity only on week one was incredible!
For this week, I had a million ideas, but nothing was really speaking to me. My kids love dressing up, particularly my younger two, but they are very particular about details and are not shy about letting me know when something isn't *exactly* like the character. ππ€·♀️ So convincing them to wear something inspired by a superhero but NOT an exact replica of the costume was going to be my biggest challenge! ππ
Luckily, as I was perusing Pinterest for inspiration, I came across superhero themed swimsuits, and everything clicked into place! After tough negotiations with my opinionated 5-year-old, we settled on making Glitter Force:Doki Doki inspired swimsuits for her and her two friends! All three girls and my 7-year-old son are obsessed with this cute Japanese show, which is on Netflix in case your kids are looking for a new show to binge. Because who isn't looking for their next Netflix fix? π If you ever watched Sailor Moon as a kid, this will be right up your alley.
The girls prepared for this shoot by practicing their character poses in a full length mirror for at least 20 minutes, and then played Glitter Force at the pool for two hours after it. They were disgruntled that I only made suits for three of the five members. Because, if we are already going to make three swimsuits, why not make all five swimsuits? That seems lazy. (direct quoteπ€¦♀️) And they did put in requests for full on costumes for Halloween. We are hard core fans.
For these suits, I used two Violette Field Threads suits as my base, and deconstructed from there. For Glitter Spade (purple) and Glitter Diamond (blue) suits, I started with VFT's Catalina swimsuit. The purple got an asymmetrical neckline and color blocking, while the blue suit got ruffles at the neckline and a super cute gathered piece across the front. I debated making it a fun pocket, but then decided that it would only be full of sand and maybe would be better to be unattached. All the suits got big bows and sequin heart pins, which are on snaps for easier washing and in case anyone wants to go on the water slide!
The Glitter Heart suit (pink) started life as an Ophelia Leo from VFT. I re-drafted it to be off the shoulder, drafted an asymmetrical circle ruffle, and chopped it up for some fun color blocking as well. I didn't want to order half yards of seven different colors of swim fabric, aside from not knowing if all the different shades from different websites would coordinate! So I grabbed this awesome pearlized white fabric from JoAnn's in the Cosplay section, a few colors of RIT synthetic dye, and gave it a go! It was a little nerve wracking taking their suits off after playing two hours in the chlorine, but no one turned blue, pink or purple, and the colors are just as bright! That is a two thumbs up for RIT Synthetic dye from this designer. ππ
As always, click through to my blog for lots more photos, ridiculous outtakes, and of course Glitter Force memes! ππ
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The designers scores are determined as follows:
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1/3 of the score by this week's celebrity guest judge Delia of Delia Creates
