Perfect combo, right? I used neapolitan ice cream as my inspiration for the special occasion/party wear theme at Project Run and Play. Because what is a special occasion without ice cream?? Yep, not special. click here to go vote! I worked at an ice cream shop in high school. One of my coworkers once described vanilla as "the perfect flavor." But add some pinks and browns and mmmm...even better! Jagged layers of "melting flavors", topstitched together made the body. I hand-drew the pattern pieces to keep the layers organic and ...Continue Reading
how to screenprint on fabric
Silkscreening is a really fun medium! I used to screenprint a lot...mostly tshirts for my high school class and for friends in college. Usually in runs of 100+. And always after midnight for some reason. The very first things I ever sold in my etsy shop were screen printed owls. It's really fun and even more addicting! I think you'll like it, too. I recently screenprinted the lining of this coat for Project Run and Play and think it adds so much character! I love linings that are extra special, it's like your own little secret inside your ...Continue Reading
resewlution: sew through all my thrifted treasures
Jessica at Me Sew Crazy is having a sewing resolutions event= reSEWlutions! It's been really fun so far. One of my resolutions is to sew through the half-rack of thrifted blouses and dresses I've accumulated. For this event I turned a huge blouse into a fitted blouse. I promise I am happier about the result than the photo might imply. That's my husband-better-get-this-picture-right face.Go check out this tutorial at Me Sew Crazy today! ...Continue Reading
outerwear challenge: ruffled riding hood
It's outerwear week at Project Run and Play. Click here to go vote. I wrote lots of details in my entry over at pr+p. I mostly just want to show you more pictures in this post! This photoshoot was really fun. We just went in a little patch of trees and I handed Kaitlyn a basket of apples. She is such a little actress and acted out little red riding hood for me. She is adorable! I think the way she played really shows the fun swing of the coat. I focused on little details for this coat. It was really fun to make. I even dusted off my ...Continue Reading
sewing 101: the easiest zipper
If you've never sewn an invisible zipper, it might surprise you that it is the easiest kind of zipper to sew in. Yep, the easiest! Plus, it look so nice on your garment, the zipper just looks a like a seam! So neat and clean. Once you do one, you will never go back! Here's a quick tutorial. You will need an invisible zipper foot for this and a regular zipper foot is also handy. I have this invisible zipper foot which I got in this 7-piece set(great deal!...comes with a regular zipper foot and a ruffler foot!) First, unzip your zipper and ...Continue Reading
sketchbook: lil’ twiggy
Ignore the crazy eyes. I brought makeup with me to do the twiggy eyes on my little model Kaitlyn. But as soon as I started applying the thick eyeliner I felt bad. Like Toddlers and Tiaras bad. This girl is way too pretty for that! Anyways, you can see how I sketched twiggy's eyeliner on this photo.The hardest part of this coat was the collar. Sometimes it's easy to draw something but harder to figure it out. Everything else was pretty straight forward from the sketch, though it did take a while.Here is what the sketch became(entry post): I'm so ...Continue Reading
1966: lil’ twiggy dress inspiration
It's decade week at Project Run and Play. I got to pick my favorite fashion decade and make an outfit with that theme. I chose the 60s. Obviously. I am so jealous of the sixties. Click here to go VOTE! (And then come back and look at pictures!) my inspiration: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Twiggy, mod, Jackie O, bows, peter pan collars, big buttons, wool, mini dress my outfit: I was inspired by fashion icon Twiggy, as well as the fun Space Age outfits. And I had to include a little flower power floral, too. I ...Continue Reading
little deer with white elephant instructions
I promised details on the little white elephant I made for a white elephant party. It was actually really easy! I was making this little deer from the free pattern found here via happy together (from the book Palm-Size Softies), and thought I could just change it a little to make an elephant. I used the original body pieces but hand drew a simple trunk pattern and oversized ears. Instead of the deer tail I sewed on some tattered scraps to look like an elephant tail. Then I replaced the eyes with embroidered dots. So, next time you're not ...Continue Reading
snowy day hat pattern (free!)
Friday morning we woke up to a blanket of white snow. I'd been enjoying the snow-free weather, but then I remembered how pretty snow is. So pretty. I love the quiet that comes with it, too. To celebrate the first snow I made a hat from an old sweater. One of my goals for this new year is purge my closet so that it is full of only things I love. I liked this sweater when I got it, but it has a hole now, which I could fix...but I also washed it with a brand new sweatshirt and it has sweatshirt specks all over it. I could get them off, but I ...Continue Reading
BOY: suburban hipster
It's the second week at Project Run and Play and voting is open! Go vote! It's boy week at this week, which is nice because I have a boy! I didn't have to round up models and hope the outfit fit for this one. I made a hipster look with skinny cords and a skinny square tie.The best part is that in the inside of the lapel sport coat (which I made a little big, but I know it will fit in a few months) is a secret car playmat. (Which is where the "suburban" part comes, driving in the suburbs!) So when you're all dressed up at a boring event or ...Continue Reading
bloom, baby, bloom: sketchbook to runway
Well, not really runway. More like run and play. I passed the first round of Project Run and Play! Thanks for voting, if you did. Whew. This week is boy's week! I actually have one of those! No rounding up models this round, which makes life easier! Voting starts tomorrow! I thought it would be fun to show you my original sketch of the bloom, baby, bloom dress. I plan on making a tutorial for you soon, but until then, check out my drawing board: My notes are sorta silly reading them now. I made a note to buy "sorta stiff and really stiff" ...Continue Reading
