Project Run and Play Signature Style

It's the final week of this season of Project Run and Play.

The theme this week is Signature Style.

It's also Kids Clothes Week and I sewed this up during days 3, 4, and 5 of this week, so I will be linking there as well.

I'm really cutting is close to the wire with the deadline for this look. The linky party closes in 2 hours. I better type fast.

The only time I had to take these pictures of my daughter were right after her soccer game. She was tired, and although she was a willing model, she didn't have much energy. 

See, I even caught her mid yawn.

I am not sure what I would call my signature style, I tend to love a lot of things. But thinking about it, I realize I like clothes to:

- be comfy (I tend to sew with knit a lot).

- be versatile, easy to wear multiple types of places.

- have clean lines. 

- be a little trendy, or modern. I do like vintage looks, as well, but I'm not quite as drawn to them as I am to more modern styles. 

I have wanted to do something with this buffalo plaid flannel ever since I bought it at Joann last Black Friday. A lot of times, the Black Friday flannel can be more on the juvenile side, but not this one! 

Even though it's not knit, the flannel is soft and comfortable. I knew I wanted to make a tunic with it and wanted something simple but with a good structure. So I used Peekaboo Pattern Shop's Cade Cod pattern. The pattern includes a shirt and a dress. I went with the shirt, and elongated it 6 inches, flaring out the sides into a slight A-line.

Ignore the holes in her leggings. I feel like holes in the leggings and jeans would be her signature style. She is so rough on her clothes. I didn't have time to worry about them this week, but I will be getting her new leggings or sewing up the holes for her soon.

She loves the tunic and so do I. My favorite touch might be the rolled up sleeves with the button tab. 

She likes that it is blue, soft and long enough. She is easy to please. 

The shirting details are fun too. I cut the back yoke on the bias. 

I also sewed her a quick infinity scarf, for no other reason than I love them and feel like there should be an infinity scarf in my signature style. 

And this marks the first time for me that I have sewn along every week during a season of Project Run and Play. I am happy I did, it helped push me to make fun clothes for my kids that they love wearing.

Kids Clothes Week: Days 1 and 2

Hello Kids Clothes Week!

Last time, we met, I started off strong and didn't finish. 

Well, not this time. In fact, my goal is to finish the clothes I cut up last time and didn't finish.

But first, this is what I sewed the last few days:

This is a set currently in testing by Love Notions. When it releases, I will post more info and some new pics. I took a few really quick pictures in our backyard which is currently a dirt wasteland. The new pictures will have to come from somewhere else. Somewhere prettier. 

But I wanted to have a few pictures of what I sewed for the first days of Kids Clothes Week, 

Pretty much, I chased this two year old around while he kicked a ball and ran around doing his two year old thing.

The shirt has several colorblocked options (or not if you don't want to colorblock anything,) two sleeve lengths, options for a V-neck, hoodie and crew neck, and even two hem finishing options (regular hem or faux layered hem.) Are you overwhelmed yet? Ha, so many choices! Which I love!

I sewed up the first version of the pattern but it is being revised and I'm very impressed with how it is turning out. I'm already planing my next two shirts. I'm hoping to squeeze at least one more out during KCW, one that fits the "toys" theme this season.

I went with colorblocking, long sleeves, hoodie and faux layered hem. I used interlock that I used in past projects and didn't know what I was going to the leftovers. The colorblocking made it easy for me to use the small pieces I had left. 

The set also includes pants: baggy cargo pants with a knit and elastic comfort waistband and elasticized hems. I used a linen so it would work well into spring and I love how it turned out. I'm in love with this color and want some linen rust colored pants for myself now.

Emmett says "Bye!" 

He's off to do more two year old things. He's a busy guy.

PRP: All That Glitters

It's week 3 of Project Run and Play. The theme is:

All that Glitters:  Metallics, glitter, sparkles, jewels...incorporate any (or all of these) into a look of your choice.

What a fun theme. Unfortunately, it was a busy week for me and I didn't have anything planned ahead of time. So when a friend of mine just happened to open a store on Etsy selling iron-on vinyl last week, I jumped on it! 

She just opened the store and is busy adding new designs, but she already has a bunch of fun ones you can buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FishingForDreams. And if you don't see something you like, she can design something for you. Easy Peasy. 

I wanted something more personal, so I asked for a glittery baseball and some stripes. I'll get to that later. 

The vinyl was easy to iron on and it was just what I asked for. It was my first time using vinyl and I think I might be hooked now, ha!

Why a baseball? And why a glittery baseball? For the Kansas City Royals of course! And since it's baseball themed, I needed a summer shirt. 

I used Peekaboo Pattern Shop's Rio Racerback Tank Pattern.

And because it's for the Summer, I made it a size too big. I made it while baby girl was napping, and I decided to be crazy and not measure her. This resulted in a size too big being way too big. I did take it back in a little bit on the sides, but not too much or the shoulders would have been off. 

This little girl is a tiny thing and even at 7 months can fit into some of her 3 months clothes. So making a size 12 months might have been a little reckless. I added a band to make sure that it will be long enough by the time she can fill it out better. 

With the fabric being a very stretchy cotton lycra, I'm sure she will be able to wear it for a long time!

All in all, this was a very rushed week. My camera charger broke as well, so I had to use my phone to take pictures. But that's ok, it is fixed now and I'm sure she will be wearing this shirt long enough so that eventually I get a good picture of her in it! 

It's a lot of fun, because technically she is a "Royals Baby." We live in the Kansas City area, and the hospital had a record number of babies at the time she was born. The Kansas City Royals had been in the World Series nine months prior.

They didn't win that year, but they won the next year, which was this most recent World Series. I am sure that means the hospital record was short lived. I wonder how many babies will be born in our area this upcoming July!

PRP Cos Play Challenge

It's week 2 of Project Run and Play Season 11. This week's theme is:

Cos Play Challenge:  Since Cos Play is all the rage we thought it would be fun to have an entire challenge devoted to it!  So for this challenge create and outfit INSPIRED by by the cos play craze. (But not a costume!)

I will admit I panicked a little bit when I started reading the description, but breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the words "inspired" and "not a costume."

I love sewing practical clothing. Although I could have sewn a costume if Project Run and Play insisted, I am happy that I don't have to.

My first thought when it comes to Cos Play was superheroes. There seem to be a lot of superhero conventions here and there and my second daughter Eve, is superhero obsessed. She even had a Justice League birthday party for her last birthday when she turned six. (She is a Justice League girl all the way, no Marvel/Avengers love from her.)

But I wasn't feeling an strong inspiration. As I started thinking of other themes, Star Wars kept popping up in my head. And I couldn't stop thinking of a furry Chewbacca inspired vest.

I googled Star Wars Cos Play to make sure it was a thing. Of course it is, it is insanely popular right now.

Here are the three main characters I drew my inspiration from, in Cos Play form of course:

Source: http://masimage.deviantart.com/art/Chewbacca-Cosplay-4-543581924

Source: http://akemi--hoshi.deviantart.com/art/Darth-Vader-Star-Wars-335966594

Source: http://geektyrant.com/news/princess-leia-best-of-cosplay-collection

And with that inspiration, I give you the outfit I made for Eve:

She loves it! And her big sister is already asking when she can borrow her vest. Eve said never. I consider that a success, although I will have Eve share her vest at least once with her sister.

The vest was made with a tutorial from Sew Pony and some very helpful tips from instructables. Click on the links to learn more. 

I did alter the pattern a little bit from the Sew Pony one. I made the front opening rounder and straightened the side seams (they were curved in her pattern.) I forgot to take pictures of the pattern I drafted, oops!

The main takeaways I learned from working with fur:

-Do not cut the fur with scissors and do not cut on the fold. Rather cut with a sharp knife or fabric blade on the wrong side of the fabric and only cutting the backing, not the fur! This helps keep all the fur attached to the piece you are using.

-Tuck in all the fur as you sew. You don't want it to get caught up in the seam allowance. Use a slightly longer stitch so you can pull out furs that got stuck anyways.

It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be and it was a very rewarding and quick project. All the seams are enclosed so no seam finishing, bonus!

Here are some more shots of the vest in all it's furry glory:

90s glamour shot alert!

You can't even see the side seam with all that fur covering it up. This is also a great shot of the fun tunic hemline and of Eve's goofy personality.

Next up, the tunic.

I used the Origami Tunic by Love Notions and a slinky ivory bamboo rayon from Joann Fabrics. Princess Leia rocks the turtle neck and flowy garment, both of which are achieved in this pattern. There are also a cowl and a regular neckline options included in the pattern, but I went with the turtleneck.

It looks beautiful even without the vest. It's a tad bit thin, so she will probably wear a tank top under it if she wears it alone. But it is oh so soft, drapes well, and worth it being a little bit sheer. 

I love the handkerchief hemline.

Look at that crazy... hemline! Wait, what did you think I was going to say?

I'm loving the turtleneck more than I thought I would. I have never been able to pull them off, but it looks adorable on Eve.

Last up, the pants.

I used the same pattern that I used in week 1 of Project Run and Play, the Moto Maxx by Love Notions, once again the plain front leg version and once again in Ponte de Roma fabric.

I wanted a basic pair of pants for her since she has recently put holes in so many of her pants. But I also wanted to evoke a bit of Darth Vader-ness, so I settled on a pin tuck down the center front. I noticed a lot of the Cos Play Darth Vader Pants had a textured stripe. 

She will hopefully get a lot of use out of these pants. 

What a fun challenge! I leave you with a few more pictures of my Star Wars loving daughter. She asked me if I would join the Dark Side with her. How can I say no to this sweet girl? 

It also helps that she has a light saber. I'm a bit scared. 

PRP: Nothing But Knit Challenge

Hello... is this thing still on?

It's been so long since I have blogged, I am worried I might have forgotten how. Here goes nothing.

Honestly, it's all this little girl's fault.

Let me explain, I was pregnant with her, and my biggest symptom was exhaustion. I could barely function. I wasn't hit that hard with my other pregnancies. When I finally felt like myself again in the third trimester, I decided to do some sewing.

That's when I threw my hip out and ended up in physical therapy and had to use a cane the rest of my pregnancy. Like who does that? Oh yeah, me. It was embarrassing. All from getting up and down a couple times from the sewing machine.

But that's behind me, Project Run and Play is starting a new season, and I have been dying to get back into sewing. 

So here I am.

Week 1 is "Nothing but Knit." I love sewing with knit fabrics! When I first learned how to sew, I only bought knit fabric at the store because it felt more like clothing than quilting cottons. I didn't know I was supposed to be intimidated by it.

I did use my serger for most of the construction, except for hems, which I did with a double needle and woolly nylon in the bobbin. But a serger is not necessary, I loved sewing knits on my regular machine long before I had a serger. Knit is forgiving, comfortable, and doesn't fray. What's not to love?

There are four weeks in Project Run and Play. I have four children. My goal is to sew each week for a different child.

Kylie, my oldest, is up first modeling her new outfit:

Cardigan: 

Club Knit (cotton lycra) fabric by Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Slouchy Cardigan pattern by Heidi and Finn

Tee:

Club Knit (cotton lycra) fabric by Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Vintage V Neck pattern by Blank Slate Patterns

Pants:

Ponte de Roma fabric from Joann Fabrics

Moto Maxx (plain front leg view) by Love Notions

I love this outfit.

And this girl.

I love this girl too.

Even when she makes faces like that. She's so funny. She loves her teddy bear, I wonder if other eight year olds love their teddy bears too. I guess that doesn't matter. I wouldn't change a thing about her.

 I had so much fun with the stripes on the shirt. It was like color blocking with stripe direction. I even lined up the stripes pretty well on the side. 

It was cold outside and she was such a trooper. 

She was so excited that I put that floral fabric on the lining of the pants pockets.

What a fun challenge! Now I'm off to go sew some underwear left over from the scraps.