Season 27 Week 1: I Can Buy Myself Flowers

It's finally time!!!  You get to see what the designers created for the 1st theme of Season 27: I Can Buy Myself Flowers!  Here was the challenge: Express bold confidence with your best floral designs.

And we get to reveal the guest judge for Week 1: Natasha Christmas of Peony Patterns

So without further ado, here are the designer creations for I Can Buy Myself Flowers.  Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post so you can vote for TWO of these amazing looks.

Janelle of Janelle Sews - BE BOLD, BE CONFIDENT, BE YOU

Three words jumped out at me for this theme.  Bold colours and colour combinations with magenta, orange and fuschia.  Confidence meaning “belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities” (dictionary.com)  And obviously florals, but not just by using floral fabrics.  It was the perfect excuse for the girls and I to design a collection for acro classes.  For my first look I made Marissa a magenta rib knit crop top, lined with a fluoro orange knit that has been in my stash for years.  I started with the Viridian swimsuit from the Project Run and Play shop.  I changed the shape of the back and the armscye and smoothed out the shoulder seam.  I moved the side seams towards the back at an angle and changed the length.  I added a bright orange band, as I love how these colours pop together.  I widened the band and altered the way it was sewn, so it has elastic firmly holding it in place.   I developed a HTV design for the back with the quote “I can buy myself flowers,” which perfectly encapsulates the mood of this mini capsule.  I used gold HTV as a nod to what Miley Cyrus wears in the film clip to the song.  I paired this with BOO! Designs Dynamite Activewear shorts with a curved crossover waistband to create the “tulip” look.  I made Scarlett a crop top from Abby's Watercolor Dress, also from the Project Run and Play shop.  I played around with this idea during Project Run and Play Swim Lessons, and I perfected it this time!  I only used the back middle panel, but changed the curve of the back and the shape of the armscye.  I created a new lower back piece and moved the side seams towards the back.  This time I changed the way the upper back is sewn to the middle back and I love how it turned out.  I added clear elastic so this can also be worn as a bikini top!  Her shorts are also from BOO! Designs Dynamite Activewear, with slightly rouched sides to create a subtle tulip hem.  They also have a colourblocked waistband with a gold vinyl flower to match the flower on the back of the crop top.

My favourite piece of the whole collection is this tie back top in a lovely soft magenta textured knit.  I used the Daisy Babe from Striped Swallow Designs, but changed the back to create this low back tie.  Marissa and I then designed a HTV affirmation flower for the front.  I can’t say enough how much we both love this piece.  I also made her a Hey June Camden Raglanwith short sleeves and an open back.  Both the back cutout and the neckline are finished with binding, with the neck binding continuing to create a tie.  Both of these tops were designed with exposed backs, to highlight the fancy backs of her crop tops underneath.  Her other crop top was made from a tiny scrap of this floral fabric which fitted perfectly with our collection.  The front is from the Sofilantjes Solis Dress, but shortened to fit on my tiny piece of fabric.  Then I completely made up this amazing back.  It’s finished with a narrower band firmly holding the elastic in place.  I love the eclectic look of this with her shorts.

Scarlett also got another crop top and shorts set.  The crop was again created from Abby's Watercolor Dress, using similar changes to the shape as before.  I then altered the back and created this gathered piece.  I also put a band on this one.  The shorts are again the BOO! Designs Dynamite Activewear shorts, but I designed a curved back/side seam.  To complete the mini capsule she needed a top to throw on after class, which I created using the Indigo Dress & Romper crop from the Project Run and Play shop as a base.  I sized up a couple of sizes for a roomier fit.  I lengthened it and added a wider waistband.  I also lined the sleeves, so a pop of fuschia peeks out.  This top has a low back, so the unique back detailing of her crop top is still the highlight.  Head over to janelle sews on instagram for more photos!

 

Shalayne of Lowland Kids - Swimming in Floral

As I was preparing for PRP we were gearing up for a trip for our spring break. I thought, what's better than new suits for all of the kids? I’m not going to be making new designs for each of my kids every single round but this one just happened to work out 😉

When I design clothes, my kids' personalities and preferences are my top priority so they’ll actually wear them. My boys are pretty easy and love to match, so retro style binding on floral surf shorts with faux fly it is! My girls on the other hand, they’re pretty opposite. My oldest will only wear things with sleeves and no frills. So I made a simple raglan style zip up rash suit for her. My younger girl loves the frills so I pushed myself a bit and made a peplum top with an exposed ruffle and high waisted bottoms with ruffles on the legs to go with. Those bottoms really challenged me and took at least 4 rounds with practice fabric. I may or may not be making more anytime soon 🥴.

Patterns used are the Lowland Kids Surf Shorts (with a handful of modifications), the raglan rash guard suit is self drafted and the ruffle two piece is self drafted as well. All made with swim knit. I hope you enjoy these makes and pictures!

Emily of @team_orosco - Petals and Power

Hey it’s Emily with @team_orosco! When I was given the theme I can buy my own flowers, I knew which one of my four kids fit the title. Sofia is bold, independent, courageous, witty, and confident. I wanted to design her a piece that showed her over the top personality and love for tulle, while still making the piece wearable for school and basic activities! I used Boo and Lu lilac as a base for the dress, on Millie and dot Parchment Jersey!

Next, I went for the bold and confident add on that I knew my girl would love. I made a lined tulle skirt, added an elastic waist band, and hot glued flowers all around the tulle. I created this with the idea that she can layer her every day twirl dress with the fancy tulle skirt by simply pulling up over the dress to fit her her mood and activity.

 Sofia loves the Miley Cyrus song “Flowers” and is constantly singing, and auditioning for roles so we decided to approach the photoshoot with that song as the inspiration! She got to test out her acting skills and make a fun reel with her long time friend sweet Pete! To read more and see additional content you can follow me over @Team_orosco

Xoxo,

Emily

Dominique of Made for Motti - Forest Flower

When everything seems dark and gray, she is the flower which is lighting the room.

The time I took these photos, spring was still asleep. But looking at my girl, standing in the dull forest, I saw a little flower, blooming bright and beautiful. I can buy myself wonderful flower prints, but true beauty comes from the inside.

When I read the theme of week one I straight away imagined my daughter in a long boho-dress, standing in a field of flowers, surrounded by warm sunlight. It was still winter here, so I couldn’t find a field of flowers, but I immediately fell in love with this flower print from “Idas Ecke Design”. Because maxi dresses are not really practical for a five year old, I decided to sew the dress in knee-length. I merged three patterns for the dress. As a basis I used my own pattern “Miss Mottis Kleid”. I inserted the big flounces from the “Mori Dress” (E&E Patterns) into the top, and designed a double layered, ruffled Skirt inspired by the pattern “Waterfall Raglan” (Chalk and Notch). My aim was to use different fabric qualities for the whole outfit, so I chose a thin knitted fabric with openwork for the cardigan. The pattern is a modification of my own pattern “Mottis Cardigan”. I rounded the corners, finished the hem with a slim facing and added some ruffles to get a romantic look, matching the big flounces of the dress. The cardigan is closed with two little buttons out of coconut wood, just as the dress at its back.

I also sewed a hairband, repeating the fabrics of the dress and the cardigan for a perfect match. I especially like the small wooden pearls, which I handsewed into the flowers. To complete the outfit I made a bag out of leather, where my daughter could collect all the treasures she found on our walk through the forest (leaves and stones and things like that). Both accessories are my own ideas and were sewn without using any patterns. 

If you want to get a deeper insight into the development process of the outfit, come over to my Instagram page and I will show you some videos I made while sewing.

Uma of So She Sews - Bloom

As long as I have known, flowers have always been a part of my life. They are so integral that I cannot imagine a world without them. Growing up in India, flowers were used as an offering to god, for decorations, to add a touch of beauty to our hair and were just a daily part of our lives. Although I never understood why, I later realized that flowers are not only a symbol of love, but also our connection with nature, becoming my inspiration for wearable designs. Presenting my collection - “Bloom”.

During the preparation of the week's theme - “I can buy myself flowers”, I kept going back and forth about my choices - but figured that I would showcase flowers that I grew up with – lotuses, poppies and roses. “Bloom” is my ode to elegant and comfortable wear for a confident tween.

Look 1 is inspired by the beautiful lotus applique work that we see in Indian sarees. I designed a simple lined pencil wrap skirt made of a ponte knit with self printed flowers. Most of this dress is hand sewn - because I did not want any of the stitches to be seen on the outside. The opening is lined with buttons - so in play life - it could easily be undone and worn just with biking shorts. The appliques are hand sewn onto the skirt. I paired it with a modified cowl neck cropped sweatshirt - the base of which is the Kids Essential Turtleneck from Peekaboo Pattern Shop. The cropped sweatshirt has hand made roses at the bottom - to add a little flower power. Living in California, we see different seasons within the same day ;) - so I used a faux sleeve. I added an applique on the sleeve - reminiscent of the beautiful henna we see in Indian weddings.

For the second look, I was inspired by the beautiful yellow and red poppies that my mom grew every spring. By the beginning of summer our balcony was filled by these beautiful blooming flowers. I visualized poppies blowing in the breeze and wanted to create something similar. The inner knit lining for the pants is a highly modified Brynlee romper from Violette Field Threads. The outer woven organza pants are self drafted to match the inner lining. The top is a simple knit cami appliqued with flowers from the organza. The flowers were attached using a simple French knot embroidery. And as with everything Ms 11 prefers - pants must have pockets 🙂

For my finale, nothing but the queen of flowers would do. I wanted a really simple silhouette filled with roses - the colors that reminded me of my childhood home. I chose to use the bodice of Dandelion from Peony Patterns and modified (used box pleats) the hi-lo skirt Clover from Violette Field Threads on an ivory ponte knit (the same was used as lining for the pencil skirt). All the roses were hand-made with the plan of filling the entire skirt but unfortunately I did not realize how time consuming these handmade flowers were going to be!  

Throughout Bloom, I had to make choices and adaptations - failed muslins and lots of tweaks. My tween wanted to help me. She came back from school with her “circles” drawing. Inspired by her drawing, “Bloom” was born.

To read more about all these looks (including late night goof ups) - visit So She Sews.

Enjoy!

Unfortunately, one of our designers had to "go home" due to some life constraints.  We ALWAYS encourage our designers to put their family first, and wish her the very best of success in the future.  This means that all 5 designers will go on to Week 2!!!

Aren't their looks amazing!!??!!??? And the designers need your help too as this is how their scores are determined:

1/3 score = public voting
1/3 score = panel of past Project Run & Play designers
1/3 score = celebrity guest judge of the week

Please use the voting form below to support up to two of the designers.

If you are inspired to sew along link up here for your chance to win prizes and create gorgeous floral clothing for your kids!

Related Posts