Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Season 25 Week 4: Signature Style

 Can you believe the final week of Season 25 is here???  That means Signature Style and I think you are going to be pretty blown out of the water by the amazing, individual styles of each of the 3 designers.

Be sure to read through all three of the designer's looks and then use the voting widget at the end!

August Sewing - Dernier Cri

My daughter likes nice things. She pays attention to fashion. It’s pretty entertaining to hear her commentary about celebrity fashion. I am thrilled when she looks at me with possibility in her eyes, “Can we make that?” This collection is called Dernier Cri, French for last cry. The expression is often used to mean the last word, or the latest in fashion. My Dernier Cri Collection is an ode to the delight of fabric and fashion my daughter and I share. Outerwear is the focus with a mix of modern and timeless pieces inspired by high-end designers.

Look one. It’s modern and minimal. I drafted this slim top with a faced neckline and a keyhole closure in the back. It is made with the most luxurious Tencel scuba from my shop. The Jalie Renee pant is the perfect complement with front insets and back darts. My only modification was adding slits at the hems. Definitely an upgrade from leggings in this splendid beige ponte from So Sew English. To complete this look, I featured the waterproof tartan from Goldie Olding Fabrics. The Closet Core Kelly Parka has all the bells and whistles I was looking for. I simplified the front so the tartan could shine uninterrupted by making inseam pockets. I gave it a little gather on the shoulder and then added shoulder pads. I made changes to the lining in order to put the drawstring casing inside the garment. The yoke is made of leather for a touch of richness. This was my first time using waterproof fabric and leather. Indeed, I learned a lot from this piece; it was a pleasure to construct.

For the next look, I used the Viki Sews Arya pinafore pattern. The pockets, snaps, and belt give it an outerwear vibe. I adjusted the fit for more coverage at the front. It is fully lined with silk organza from my stash which makes it extra luxurious inside. I also modified the neckline of the Little Lizard King Islington. The ivory burnout is a nice balance to the harvest crepe gabardine from Super Textiles.

Finally, I drafted a lazy turtleneck with raglan sleeves. Again, simplicity is the point. I’m letting the beautiful Caramel Tencel Modal fabric from my shop be the star. It’s cozy, easy to wear and feels amazing. The vintage style of the Kiana Bonollo Designs short pattern had the pleats and darts I was looking for. I turned the shorts into trousers by adding length and width to the legs and finished them with a large hem. With a wool and silk blend twill, it’s all about the feel of the fabric, the experience of wearing it. The trousers were a hit with my daughter. She wore this ensemble to her middle school open house and looked awesome. Before I knew I’d be sewing for Project Run & Play Season 25, I had been working on a pattern inspired by a Chloé coat I fell madly in love with. The actual coat is available for $4,695. It’s beautiful, more than beautiful. I decided I was going to make a version of it for this challenge! I used a double-sided wool blend with ribbed wool binding. It has inseam pockets and a belt closure. The topstitched panels are such a subtle, but effective detail. I think I’ll have to make one for myself! For more details and photos (one including my very adorable dog), please visit August Sewing.

Enjoy!


Sew Whit Designs - May the Force Be With You

I can’t believe I made it to the finals this week! I’m so excited to be showing my signature style. As I was debating what to do for my signature style I kept coming back to costumes. I knew it may be a risk, as it’s not every day kids fashion. However, in my house dress up is an every day occurrence. My kids love pulling old costumes out of the dress up box. It’s truly how they “run and play." Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Growing up my grandma use to make our costumes, anything we could dream up, she made it so magical. I’ve carried on this tradition on with my own kiddos and it has become a family affair. My kids love to collaborate with me as we figure out our theme. The kids make sure I’m making their costumes exactly right and they hold me to a high standard. I love that I can be part of facilitating their imagination and seeing their joy when they wear my completed creations. So without further ado I proudly present, "May The Force Be With You."

So many components went into this. If you're looking for specific details head over to my blog, I’m going to try and be as brief as I can here. For Princess Leia I created a tunic from scratch with statement pleats in the back and a high low hem. I wanted her leggings to be something she could definitely wear again. I used the free leggings pattern from Love Notions in this awesome textured swim fabric from So Sew English. For Luke I didn’t want to go with the boring off-white robe so I went with his pilot suit. I started with the Gemma Romper from Sew a Little Seam. Did some pleating details on the sleeve, added lots of cargo pockets and a mandarin collar. I took his ski helmet and added some vinyl decals so he could be a true fighter pilot.

For Han I made a long sleeve polo shirt out of oatmeal french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I used the Vanguard pant from Love Notions and added some red stripes down the side of some navy twill. I made his vest from scratch with gray stretch twill. Naturally my twinners had to be this duo. For C-3PO used the Movie night PJ pants and modified the Master of Disguise pattern for the top. I used gold spandex from JoAnns. I got a little creative with the added wires and top stitching. This may be my favorite piece of the entire competition. R2D2 started with a pop up clothes hamper. I covered it with white jersey and silver lame. I had to hand appliqué the details on the “hood” part. So this one was definitely a labor of love. I cut the rest of the details from jersey and machine appliquéd them on. I wanted him to still look like R2 when he didn’t have his pop up suit on so I made some white movie night PJs and added the appliqué to those too.

This collection was so fun to create! I hope you love it as much as we do. Thank you for following me on my project run and play journey. It has been such a ride. For lot more details, pics and a look at our costumes from years past. Head over to my blog.


Sincerely Shantelle - Stitched with Love

I cannot believe I've made it here....to the finals! I want to thank each and every one of you readers who has voted for me, as I couldn't have gotten here without your help. Making it this far is such a great feeling! I have learned so much about myself over the past few weeks and been forced to push myself to do things I hadn't done before. I have met some really talented people, with whom I have never crossed paths before now. I am so thankful for, not only the opportunity to share my makes with you all, but for the growth that came along with it. For signature style, I took a lil extra time to define it. I was fixated on thinking that my style needed to be defined as an aesthetic (i.e. vintage, modern, edgy, etc.). Turns out the common thread between all the pieces I make is in fact, my babies! They are my inspiration, and the reason I even started sewing! Every garment I stitch is inspired by them: their likes/dislikes at the moment, their comfort, if they like a specific style. Their input and voices matter so much to me and I always want to know that they are heard, if by no one else....by their mama. As a tribute to the littlest ones who believe in me the most, this look is titled Stitched with Love.

For my big kid's look, I was inspired by the flowy, gathered bodice and sleeve tops I see often on the Joyfolie website. I drafted a raglan gathered tunic pattern for her in this beautiful, dark floral ribbed knit, & finished off with a rolled hem all around. For the bottoms, I had this jade Ponte that has been in my stash for a very long time, and it paired beautifully with the floral (which is what I pulled from for my color palette this week). I make some SOS pants from Patterns for Pirates. Love the nice look of these pants but the fact that they are really comfy! To accessorize this cute look, I sewed up a new small purse for her (for her phone of course, haha) using a tutorial from So Sew Easy as a base, with ons of my own modifications. I used corduroy from my stash and lined it with a floral fabric I've had for at least 8 years!

For my littlest, I wanted to keep the dark colors for him, as well. He loved that black cashmere waffle I used for sissy in Week 1, so I used the rest to create this hooded henley top. I combined elements from 3 different Ellie and Mac patterns, along with my knowledge of placket closure to create this look. To layer with it, I created a Puffer vest using the Dutchie Pattern from Ellie and Mac, along with using a blog post from Audrey of Skirt Fixation (found on Mood Fabrics website) for reference on how to make it "puffy". This piece turned out to be the most time consuming, but the most satisfying sew of them all! I was really pleased with how it looked, and so was my son. He's wanted to wear it every day since I finished making it haha! For his bottoms, I wanted "jeans" but little dude is tired of wearing jeans for school, so I used a faux denim French Terry along with my jogger pattern I drafted in Week 1. I mimicked the pocket style from the SOS pants and finished it all off with gold stitching.

If you can't tell by these photos, my babes LOVED their outfits. Capturing their joy and happiness is one of my favorite parts of sewing and chronicling my makes through my photography. I am grateful to have been nominated to be here, for the chance to show more of the world what I love to do. It wasn't always easy for me, but the experience was worth it so much. I hope that you like these looks as much as we do, and would love if you'd vote for us this week. This has been a lovely journey, and I am excited to be a part of the PR&P family to see what happens next. Toodles!

Now it's your turn!  Use the widget below to support TWO of the designers with your vote!


This week's celebrity guest judge, Liz of Little Lizard King, really has a difficult task before her!

The designer scores are determined as follows:

1/3 of the designers score is determined by the celebrity 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!

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