Project Run and Play // Recap

I cannot believe it, but Project Run and Play Season 14 is over. What a ride it has been! Honestly, I never imagined I could be a designer for Project Run and Play. It was something I only dreamed of and as I have learned over the past month, dreams do come true!

The competition is over and I will admit that I am both relieved and a little sad. Relieved because this was one of the most stressful months I have ever been through. Planning, coming up with designs, sewing, taking pictures, writing blog posts, making deadlines, promoting my designs on facebook and instagram. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes too and I am so grateful to all the ladies that make Project Run and Play possible! Without them, there would be no competition.

I am also a little sad, because it has been an amazing experience and I had so much fun! The other designers will understand what I mean when I say that it was stressful and fun at the same time. I had the honor of sewing with and competing against some amazing ladies. You are all very talented and I feel so honored to have been a part of Season 14 with every one of you. I can't wait to see what you continue to sew and I am so glad to have "met" you this past month! It is true that we were all competing against each other, but I was always sad to see someone go each week and I truly wanted everyone to win.

Even though the competition is over, I can't stop talking about it and I don't think I will stop talking about it for a long time. I learned so much about myself and my sewing skills in the past month. I was challenged in so many different ways and I know this will help me in the future. As part of the competition, we are allowed to use patterns but as "designers" we are supposed to make them our own. This was a huge challenge for me. I normally follow a pattern word for word and don't make any changes! I want my sewing projects to turn out right and with veering from a pattern there is a risk of it not turning out! However, I am happy to say that I surprised myself! Project Run and Play really pushed me to do my best and be as creative as possible. I would've never made any of these outfits if not for the competition. Now, I am excited to see what I can do with my sewing in the future! 

Project Run and Play taught me to love blogging again! Honestly, I have not been blogging much this year even though I have been sewing more than ever. I have been sharing my makes on my instagram account but I had no motivation to keep up my blog. I was seriously considering closing down my blog when I got the message from Audrey of Skirt Fixation inviting me to be a part of the competition! I'm so grateful for that because I still enjoy blogging! I can't promise I will post every week or post about everything I make, but there will be more from me here! This blog isn't going away anytime soon! I hope you will stay with me for the ride! 

Week 3 was my favorite look by far! It challenged me on so many different levels and I am really proud of the jacket. I used a dress pattern and took my chances with making it into a jacket! It worked out better than I ever thought it would and I am a little bit jealous of my sister's awesome new wardrobe! 

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my posts and encouraged me along the way! It has been so much fun sharing this adventure with you and I can't wait to see what the future holds! For now, I will be tackling some projects for myself on my fall sewing list! I have loved sewing all month long for my siblings (and now my sister has an awesome new wardrobe) but I want to catch up on some sewing for myself! On the list is a plaid flannel Cheyenne tunic, and a Lane Raglan hoodie!  After that, I will start on Christmas dresses! 

I will leave you with some outtakes from our photo shoots. It was so much fun taking pictures of my siblings each week and I am so thankful that they put up with my many pictures! My sister certainly makes me laugh every time! 

I told her to smell the flowers, so she plugged her nose instead!

Thank you again for joining me on this journey!

~Elizabeth

Project Run and Play Week 3 // An Ode to Reese's

Visit Project Run and Play to VOTE for your favorite candy inspired outfit!

I am so excited to be back for week three of Project Run and Play!! The theme this week is "Candy Coated Challenge" and we were supposed to sew something inspired by a favorite Halloween Candy. This was by far the hardest week for me because I couldn't make up my mind on a candy! I changed my mind several times before I started sewing, but I finally decided I would have to sew something inspired by my most favorite candy ever - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

The best part of this challenge was visiting "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store." It has the most candy I have ever seen and it is a super fun place for a photoshoot! Thankfully, I do not live too close to it or I would be visiting all the time! 

My inspiration for this Reese's PB Cup outfit started with this orange stretch denim from Michael Levine. I have never made a denim jacket, but once I had the idea, my wheels started spinning! I started with the Friday dress from Petit a Petit Patterns. I used the bodice pieces in one size bigger than my sister usually wears. Then I lengthened the bodice pieces several inches so it would be long enough for a jacket. I added two welt pockets using this tutorial as a reference. The Friday dress comes with long sleeves but no cuffs. I shortened the sleeves a few inches and added the length back in using cuffs. Then I added a sleeve placket using this method. I also added a band instead of hemming.

I topstitched my seams using grey topstitching thread. It was leftover from another project and I love how the thicker thread stands out on the orange denim!

I used a contrasting orange and white gingham to line the pockets and the back yoke. You can see it peaking out here.

The yellow snaps might be my favorite part of the jacket! I got them from Snap Source and they add just the right amount of contrast! They were so fun to put in too! I love using a hammer in my sewing projects.

I am really proud of how this jacket turned out! It gave me the confidence that I can take any pattern and change it into what I want! You would never guess that this jacket started from a dress pattern.

The shirt was also really fun to make! I started with the Oliver + S School Bus T-Shirt. It is becoming one of my favorite patterns, because it works for most of my siblings! I wanted to make something that would represent the peanut butter and chocolate of the Reese's PB cup. I used this tan knit fabric from my stash to make the shirt and added strips of ruffles to represent the ruffling around the PB cup! I kind of made it up as I went along and really like the end result! 

I also added a ruffle to each sleeve.

I left the back plain and I love how the sleeve ruffles peak out from this view. 

The skirt is made using chocolate brown knit from Purple Seamstress. This represents the chocolate part of the PB cup. I used two rectangles based on my sister's waist and length measurements to make the skirt. Then I gathered the top edge and sewed on a double folded yoga waistband. The result is a cute and comfortable skirt that she will be able to wear with many different outfits! 

Love this silly girl!

The outside of the candy store is a bright yellow, which made the perfect backdrop for our Reese's Peanut Butter Cup inspired outfit! I love how the the ruffles look peaking out from the open jacket!

I know you want to see pictures inside the candy store too! It is a HUGE place full of unique (and common) types of candy! If you can think of it they probably have it somewhere!

This is just the beginning, when you walk into the store!

Of course, she needed a picture with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!

We even found a 2 lb chocolate peanut butter cup! Yes, TWO POUNDS! No, I did not buy it - that would be way too dangerous!

We had a fun time taking pictures in the red telephone booth!

Thank you so much for reading about my candy inspired outfit! I hope you enjoyed seeing a peak inside my favorite candy store too! Don't forget to head over to the Project Run and Play blog and vote for your favorite outfit!

~Elizabeth