Season 24 Week 3: All the World's a Stage

 And now let's all sit back and enjoy the show!  Be sure to stay for the whole thing, see all 4 designers's creations and then support 2 of them with your VOTE at the end of the post.

Annie Sewzalot - My Shot

Wow! I am so excited to be here for week 3!! I was certain that I would be eliminated last week but somehow I came out the winner and I am still in shock!!!

When I found out the theme for this week, I knew right away that I would be using Hamilton as my inspiration. My sewing BFF, Erica, is completely obsessed with all things Hamilton so this week is dedicated to her. I spent a few hours combing the web looking for inspiration. I had a hard time narrowing it down as I loved the costumes for both the men and women. So, I decided to pull together a look that brought in elements of both. The two characters whose looks spoke to me most were Marquis de Lafayette and Eliza Hamilton. 

I looked through my enormous collection of patterns to see if there was anything I could use as a base but didn’t find quite what I was looking for, so I had to start from scratch for the coat. Although, after I was finished, I realized that I probably could have used Nutcracker by Duchess and Hare, as the silhouette is very similar.  If you want to recreate this look, I suggest you start there. 

I have a basic block I drafted to my daughter’s measurements, so I used that as the base. I added princess seams and extended the center back bodice to create the coat tails. The front is 3 pieces, the 2 sides and then a completely removable plastron, accented with gold buttons. For the neckline, I added vintage pleated ruffles from my stash, along with some jacquard trim. I added the same ruffles and trim to the sleeves. I wanted the front skirt to be a bit dramatic, so I drafted a hi-lo circle that is partially gathered at the hip and wraps to the back to meet the coat tails. I couldn’t stop there, so I decided to add some over-the-top epaulets to the shoulders. I found the beaded medallions in the jewelry supply section at JoAnn Fabrics and they were the perfect color to coordinate with the Dupioni I found there as well. Next, I added 3 layers of fringe and some trim. The epaulets are attached at the shoulder by snaps. The whole coat turned out exactly as I wanted it and my daughter is over the moon!

For the bottom half, I used some performance knit with a touch of gold shimmer. I started with the cropped length of the New Haven leggings by Little Lizard King. I drafted and added a double layer hi-lo skirt and added some gold trim to accent the hem lines. I added double ruffles to the seam between the bottom of the leggings and the cuff, as I wanted them to peek out of the top of the riding boots. I finished off the look with a miniature, shallow crown hat which is attached to a headband. I think the hat is Dalilah’s favorite part of the whole look as she hasn’t taken it off yet!

I really had a lot of fun with this look and I can hardly wait to see what everyone has created this week! I took “My Shot” and I hope you love it as much as I do!  If you want to see more, follow me on Instagram at Annie Sewzalot 

Cut, Sip, Sew - Off to See the Wizard

Hello! Wow- it's week 3 and I cannot believe I am here! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that voted for me. I'm excited to show you my looks for this challenge. My favorite child friendly musical is the Wizard of Oz. It used to come on tv every year around Thanksgiving so oddly enough, I associate the movie with the holidays. I think at this point everyone has seen beautiful replications of the costumes worn in the movie, so I wanted to put my own spin on things. 

I started with Dorothy. Dorothy needed to be tween approved so I went with a more modern look. I started with the bodice from the Thistle Dress. I am a sucker for those bishop sleeves. I lengthened the bodice to be shirt length. I also doubled up the wide neckband so it would sit higher. I wish I noticed she had folded it over for pictures but these are the things one misses when trying to keep a 3 year old from hitting the other models with her wand. Either way, it still looks cute folded over like a mini-cowl neck. Dorothy has what looks like rickrack around her collar and sleeve cuffs so I used some pretty elastic to mimic that detail. Harper's, er Dorothy's skirt, is the Sunshine Days Skirt from Thread Faction. I had bought a few yards of the navy gingham from RaspberryCreek Fabrics and thought it would be perfect for modern Dorothy. Harper suggested we try to weave a purse to look like Dorothy's basket so I bought some belting and gave it a try. We added some rainbow earrings I made for an extra touch. The next outfit on the list was for the Tin Woodsman. I also wanted to modernize the look and make it more wearable. These awesome silver fabrics are from CaliFabrics. They were generous in gifting us a $50 credit for our looks. Levi's pants are Mini Hudson's with some added pin tucks across the knees to resemble the Tinman's joints. His jacket is the Ollie bomber from Sew a Little Seam also with added pin tucks. I added a quilted heart patch to the front. Making a heart quilt block from silver spandex is no joke-ha! I realized at the last minute that Levi should probably have a shirt to wear under the jacket. I used the Lemon Tee and added a cardiogram appliqué to play on the Tinman actually having a heart. The outfit must be comfy, because he ran off to play without changing after pictures. 

Glinda is the final look I put together. All but the lining fabrics for this dress are from Cali Fabrics. I bought lots of pink for this- organza, tulle, and chiffon. Thankfully, Cali Fabrics has a huge selection of special occasion fabrics. For Garnet's dress, I started with the Rosie Cotton pattern from JillyAtlanta. The front bodice has pretty sweetheart lines that made it a good starting point. I cut a large piece of chiffon for the overlay and gathered it up on two sides. I knew I could not make buttonholes in such a delicate fabric so I widened the back piece and added two rows of elastic so this dress can slip on and off easily. The skirt is 5 or 6 layers- one of the rhinestone studded organza, a couple chiffon, and lots of tulle underneath for body. Of course Glinda needed a crown. I bought some foam from the kid craft aisle, cut out the top shape, sprayed it with adhesive and dumped a bunch of glitter on top. Now everyone is all set to see the Wizard. If you would like to see more pictures, jump over to Cut,Sip, Sew!

Made by Kates - What a Glorious Feeling

I can't believe we are at Week 3 already! To be honest, this was the theme that I was most worried about.  I've never particularly enjoyed making costumes because they are generally only worn a time or two and when I put so much time into something,  I love to see it worn.  However, I do love musicals and "Singing' in the Rain" is one of my favorites!  Since my babies were young, I've sung the song "Good Morning" to them each morning (changing a few lyrics to celebrate that they slept the whole night through!)  The musical is full of fun catchy music, and you can't help but smile as Gene Kelly sings, "What a glorious feeling I'm happy again!"  In a year that's been a rollercoaster, I like the reminder to smile through the rain!   For this weeks theme of 'All the World's a Stage', I decided to create a look based on the character Kathy Selden that portrays the jovial theme of the musical but is an outfit that my daughter will love wearing on her own 'stage'!

Nothing says "Singin' in the Rain" like a yellow slicker, so I knew I needed a yellow coat. Taking a basic bodice, I drafted this coat to incorporate some of my favorite details.  Bodice pin tucks, a rolled statement collar, waist inseam pockets with a flap (they are real pockets!), a flared 3/4 sleeve with a narrow ruffle, and a partial gathered waist with a slightly a-lined skirt.  The coat is made of a buttercup colored Robert Kaufman rayon linen from Raspberry Creek Fabrics and is fully lined.  Shortly after the themes were announced I came upon some cute buttons with umbrellas on them.  I grabbed them just in case and they were perfect for the front of this jacket! I deliberately left the bottom of the jacket open so that whatever cute dress she is wearing underneath can peek through.  

The inspiration for this dress comes from Kathy's role as an aspiring actress and her romance with Don Lockwood.  It's airy and light, with a romantic touch.  Made from a beautiful periwinkle georgette, I drafted a high waisted loose bodice with a gathered flutter sleeve.  A ruffled collar gives the top an elegant flair and the elasticized waistband gives the gathered skirt shape.  A hairpiece which repeats the ruffled collar gives it a bit of a vintage touch.  The dress has an invisible zipper closure,  a lined bodice and skirt and is finished entirely in French seams. 

 

For more pictures and details, check out my blog post HERE.  

Deriving Mommyhood - Into the Sewiverse

So glad to be back for another week, but not going to lie, this theme was a struggle for me. I really started pushing myself with sewing thanks to doing years of family halloween costumes, but this year my heart just isn't in it. My older two no longer want to be anything but zombies or death if they dress up at all, it's super cold and rainy for Halloween here in Ireland, and we are on full lockdown so there's no events or trick or treating to be had. So I knew I had to create something that would be super functional more than costume, while still infusing a little magic for my little guy who will miss all the fun he was looking forward to. Enter his current favorite movie, and current favorite character, Miles Morales, aka Spider-man from an Into the Spiderverse.

Okay, okay...you're thinking this isn't the most functional day to day look and I see it, but let's start with the more useable parts. First, he has a spandex suit made from sports lycra that will double as base layers under his sports gear for chilly practices. I started with a basic raglan tee (Streamline from New Horizons Designs), added some colorblocking, extended the neckline, added a mock turtleneck, and some vinyl as well as decorative topstitching. It can also be used as a rashguard for the beach! He also has leggings I created by extending his favorite trunk pattern (this one is Jalie) and adding a yoga waistband as opposed to exposed elastic and some more vinyl webs.

Next up, a basic pair of twill shorts complete with fitted waistband, back welt pockets with flaps, slant front pockets, zip fly, and rolled hem with contrast binding. I went all out on the features and used the Grady pants again from Sew a Little Seam. Definitely wearable again! He also got a basic red hoodie that I made using a tee pattern (11th Hour Gear from New Horizons), changing the neckline to add the Ollie Bomber hood, adding a kangaroo pocket, and finishing the neckline and zip with contrast binding. This hoodie doubles as a zip in lining for his jacket. The jacket itself is an oversized Ollie Bomber from Sew A Little Seam. I used stretch twill combined with fusible fleece and added some stitch lines for more of a quilted look. Otherwise I kept the outside pretty basic to follow the look of the character, adding the welt pockets and some vinyl again. It is fully lined in beige marl jersey from Minerva, and I added a facing strip so that I could add a second zip for the red hoodie to zip inside and attach. There's also tabs with snaps at the neckline and sleeve cuffs to hold the hoodie in place. The zippers were tricky to figure out, but I got my husband to solder an extra tab to the hoodie zip so that it is reversible.

Now for the finishing touches! I made a belt from cotton webbing and a 3d printed belt buckle. I added grommets for the belt to close as well. Of course, he needed a mask and gloves to complete the look, despite the lack of necessity for daily wear. I traced his hands to make the gloves, adding some colorblocking as well. For the mask, I measured circumference and height of his head in quite a few places to draw the basic shape, then added some darts to round it. I added a teeny bit of vinyl and then used the 3d printer yet again for the red lenses. I glued mesh inside the lenses, and glued the finished eyes to the black lycra mask. On the inside, I added some craft foam to cover all the glue and make it a little more comfortable, and put a zip on the back to make it easier to get into and out of. Phew! If only there was time to make the rest of the spiderverse for the whole family....maybe I could convince the rest to dress up too!!!  Lots more details on my blog.

Now it's your turn to help decide which designers make it to the final week!  Use the voting widget to support TWO these incredibly talented sewists.

This week's celebrity guest judge is Lauren of Pattern Workshop.   It's a good thing she's so FABULOUSLY talented because this week is going to be intense!

The designers scores are determined as follows:

1/3 of the designers score is determined by the guest judge

1/3 of the designers score is determined by the panel of judges

1/3 of the designers score is determined by YOU, the audience!

If you're totally inspired to sew along, head over here to get the details and link up your creations!