Project Run and Play Mini Season 3 // Cherry Berry Cute!

Hello! I have not blogged in ages but I am so excited to be back and sewing for Mini Season 3 of Project Run & Play! I got asked to participate back in July and immediately said yes! It was a dream come true the first time way back in 2017 when I was a part of Season 14 and I am glad to be back again for this mini season. 

This time there are six former contestants and they paired us up for three weeks of head to head competition. The theme was pretty open with "Copy that Look." Before getting to my look I have to say I am so grateful for PR&P. This challenge has given me a chance to stretch my sewing skills and knowledge and make some outfits for my kids that I would have otherwise never made!

My whole look started with the "American Honey" fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I knew I wanted to make a dress and so I browsed Janie and Jack website, a classic children's clothing company. My kids are 2 and 10.5 months and I knew I wanted to make something classic and timeless. I found some super cute items to "Copy that Look". My inspiration for the dress was based off this Every Day Puff Sleeve Dress. It had everything a little girl could want - puff sleeves, a scoop back, and a twirly tiered skirt. I started with the Janie Dress pattern from the Project Run & Play shop. I used the bodice with the scoop back but I made a neck binding and changed the sleeves to be puffed using this tutorial from Elizabeth Made This. I went all out on the puffs making them something Anne Shirley would be proud to wear!

The skirt is two tiers. I measured my daughter to figure out how long I wanted the skirt to be from waist to hem. Then I divided that up into two pieces making the top tier a little bit wider than the bottom tier. I doubled the length so there was plenty of gathering making a very twirly skirt!

The sleeves are my favorite part of the dress and they were so much fun to make. 

The jacket was a labor of love and the piece I am most proud of. I was first inspired by the Janie and Jack Ruffle Trim Denim Jacket. The ruffle reminded me of the Sofiona Designs Raven Dress so I started with that and used the yoke piece to redraw my own yoke onto the bodice of a Friday Dress. I made a ruffle twice the length I needed for the yoke and the collar and gathered it. The bottom of the jacket is the Fashionista Jean Jacket but I cut it apart several times and redrew the back and front panels to look more like my inspiration jacket. The only original pattern pieces are the plackets, sleeve cuffs, welt pockets, and bottom band. The fabric is a Cone Mills stretch denim that I've been saving for years for the right project and I guess this was it!

The back yoke is also something I am proud of. I decided to tie in the cherries from the dress to the back of the jacket by hand embroidering some cherries. I found a free template from Oh Sew Bootiful and traced that onto my yoke before I started sewing. I embroidered the cherries and love the pop of color against the denim jacket. My daughter loves it too and says "look at my cherries!" every time she wears the jacket. 

I was able to get some custom print fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics so I could match the inside yoke and inside cuff to my daughter's dress. I love the little details even though no one will see them. 

The hat is a Monet Beret from the Project Run & Play shop and I added a bow. I wanted to use a sweater because my inspiration was this Sweater Beret from Janie and Jack. The best I could find was this cable look fabric from Esty. I still think it turned out pretty cute! It is a knit so I interfaced the outer fabric before sewing so it wouldn't flop around. I love how it really completes the look.

Next, I decided to make an outfit for my baby boy! I found these embroidered overalls from Janie and Jack and that's how I decided to make him some embroidered overalls with the same cherry pattern as my toddler so they could be kind of matching. I used the Flying Fox Overalls from the Project Run and Play shop. I omitted the front pockets but added a little back pocket. The fabric for the overalls was my husband's old work pants and I love seeing our son wear it now. My husband was happy to see his old pants get new life too! I added some embroidery to the back to cover up some holes in the fabric too.

I wanted to make a Henley shirt to go under the overalls but instead of a real placket I made a faux placket. In hindsight I should have made a real placket because my baby boy has a big head! I was able to fix it by lowering the neckline and it is easy to get on and off now. I used the Oliver + S School Bus T-shirt with the only changes being the faux placket, a wider neckline, and adding sleeve cuffs instead of hemming. The fabric for the shirt is also upcycled as it was my husband's old shirt. I used the original sleeve cuffs and neckband from my husband's shirt too. It looks so cute now! 

Finally, since my daughter had a hat, I wanted to make my son a hat as well. I used the Fell & Dale Cap from the Project Run and Play shop. I used a corduroy fabric from my stash to make it similar to my inspiration photo. My son doesn't usually like hats but he didn't touch this one the entire photo shoot! He also wore it grocery shopping with me last week and kept it on the whole time. Everyone thought he was so cute and he just had the biggest smile while wearing the hat! I think I need to make him one to match every outfit now. 

Thank you so much for letting me share this and thank you again to the Project Run and Play team for inviting me back for a mini season! I never thought I would be sewing for my own kids for a Project Run and Play competition but here we are and it was so much fun!

I thought it would be fun to add all the inspiration items to the shopping cart and my total price had I bought all these outfits would have come to $236 (and some of those items were on sale)!! Sewing can get expensive but you can also save a ton of money especially when sewing for kids! The only fabric I bought for this project was the fabric for the dress and the beret. Everything else I had in my stash.  

Go VOTE for your favorite look this week. This is the third and final round in this mini season and everyone's designs have been amazing! You can still participate in the sew along until 9/14/23 and all the details for that are here. 

 ~Elizabeth

Three Bonfire Hoodies // Sofiona Designs

 Happy October! It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, including the cooler weather and changing fall colors! It also means I can wear all my favorite cozy cardigans and hoodies. I have a new favorite hoodie to share - the Bonfire Hoodie by Sofiona Designs. I might be wearing this all of the fall season because it is so comfortable!

Sofiona Designs actually has two separate patterns, the original girls Bonfire Hoodie and the women's Miss Bonfire Hoodie. It only made sense to sew both versions so my sisters could have a new hoodie too! I think they look so cute in their Bonfires!

One of my favorite things about this pattern is all the details! Yes, it does make it a fairly involved project and it is not a quick sew (especially if you decide to make three at once like me!) but the end result is so worth it. My 17 year old sister and I chose to have thumbhole cuffs on our hoodies, but my littlest sister wanted normal cuffs. I love how you can totally customize the details to make the hoodie of your dreams. 

Other options this pattern includes are an accent strip on the front and back bodice, a hidden front pocket, and drawstrings. The hood and bodice are lined as well. 

This pattern was released about a year ago and I knew it was a pattern I had to have right away. I even bought fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics right away too. The fabric and patterns sat untouched in my sewing room until these last few weeks when I decided the hoodies must be made immediately! 

I think all the little details really add to the quality of the Bonfire Hoodie. The eyelets/drawstrings took more time, but I am so happy with what they add to the overall finished look. I just used strips of leftover fabric to make the drawstrings because that way they matched the hoodies and I didn't have to buy anything else. 

Funny story, I was upset when I was cutting these out because it took all afternoon and I almost didn't have enough fabric. I had to play some serious pattern cutting jenga and even then it was close! I didn't quite have fabric long enough for the drawstrings and hood facings but I had enough smaller pieces. My husband is a welder and he suggested I "weld" smaller pieces together to make a piece big enough. I was being stubborn and didn't want to do that, but in the end that is what I did and it worked out just fine! 

We love the huge hidden pockets! 

The fabric is all from my favorite fabric shop, Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I thought I had ordered all French Terry but I ordered the floral in cotton lyrca by mistake. The pattern calls for heavier weight fabrics, which is why I wanted to use French Terry, but the cotton lyrca works just fine too. I love the pop of floral with the darker solid colors. 

I made the girls Bonfire for my littlest sister and the Miss Bonfire for my other sister and I. The Miss Bonfire Hoodie comes with cup sizes for the bodice and there is the option to print the pattern in layers, which makes blending sizes super easy. The size chart said I should have made a size 8, A cup bodice but I ended up using the size 8, B cup bodice because I felt the finished measurements were closer to what would work for me. I also blended out at the waist and hips for both my sister and I. For my littlest sister I used one size for the width and another size for the length because she is so tall. I love being able to sew my own clothes so I can make them fit how I want. 

Here's a detail shot of the thumbhole cuffs. I love how the thumbholes are hidden when not putting your thumb through. The construction is really unique compared to other patterns I've made but I think I prefer it this way! 

And now for some outtakes! My sisters are so silly and we had so much fun taking these pictures at our local apple orchard!

~Elizabeth

Uptown Downtown Dress

I've been in the sewing mood lately, and I decided I needed wanted a new dress! I've had this navy blue and white polka dot French Terry from my favorite fabric company for a long time intending to make a dress and I'm glad I finally made it happen!

I usually never skip pockets in dresses, and this dress was going to have pockets. However, when it was finished, the pockets weren't laying flat so I removed them. I think a thinner, more flowy fabric would be better suited for pockets. 

This is the Uptown Downtown Dress by Stay + Stitch Patterns. The company recently updated the women's pattern, which I only realized after I had cut and sewn my dress. The sizes and variations were updated. The version I have comes with knee length or maxi length options. I wanted a dress past my knees so I added length where the pattern indicated at the waist. However, next time I would probably add length at the hem. 

The only change I had to make to the pattern was having to cut the back in two pieces instead of on the fold. I didn't have quite enough fabric to cut the back on the fold, but it still worked out!

This is my first time making a dress for myself in French Terry fabric. It is so comfortable and cozy to wear! Perfect for these not quite yet spring weather days. It may look like spring in these photos, but the wind was so cold!

I'm also wearing my own HANDMADE shoes! I used a kit from A Happy Stitch to make my own Espadrilles. I made them almost a year ago and they are the perfect shoes for spring and summer. They are comfortable too and it is so fun to say that I made my shoes!  

The pattern has instructions for a knit binding around the neckline, but I prefer a neckband. It was an easy change to make! I just measure the neckline and multiplied by 0.8 to get my neckband length and it worked out great. 

Knit dresses are one of my favorite things to wear because you can look so put together with minimal effort! It's like secret pajamas! 

 ~Elizabeth

Closet Case Pouf Pattern

Today I have a new project to share! This is the free floor pouf pattern from Closet Case Patterns. I have been wanting to make it ever since it came out because it is the perfect scrap busting project. Not only can you use scraps for the pouf itself, but the pouf is stuffed with scraps! I have been saving bags of unusable scraps for at least the past few years. 

The denim fabric is left over from jeans I made for my brother. The cottons are all fabric I won from being on Project Run and Play a few years ago. Now I will have memories of that time in my living room! The tutorial recommends using piping around the top and bottom. I didn't have any in my stash, so I made a sort of faux piping, or binding. I only did the top and I like how it turned out. 

The pouf was a quick sew once I had all the pieces cut out! The most fun part was stuffing it full of scraps!

The bottom is two half circles with an invisible zipper. I made a drawstring bag to hold all the scraps. That way the outside is washable if needed. 

The pouf is perfect for putting my feet up after a long day, or sitting on (as I am doing right now)!

How many scraps are in my pouf? I don't know, but it was ten plastic bags worth that I have saved over the last three or four years. It's surprising how much you can stuff in there!

An in progress photo of stuffing the pouf. 

Some of the bags of scraps that went into my pouf. There were ten bags of those sizes total!

Getting the layout perfected. 

Layout part two. 

Isn't the pouf a great addition to my living room?

 ~Elizabeth