Season 28 – Week 3

Shara of Handmade Nelly – Light the Fire Within

The title of my look for our Olympic Moment is “Light the Fire Within.” It was the motto for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, which took place right here in our home state of Utah. My outfit inspiration came from Team USA, our country’s team. I tried to envision what you might see someone wearing on the track and then added some flair, perfect for your average tween girl!

For the top, I used the Dynamite tank from Boo! Designs and added a little extra colorblocking to really bring in the red, white, and blue. I love a good racerback for athletic wear, and the cutout in the back is such a fun detail. The fabric for the tank came from Raspberry Creek Fabrics – I have been saving this patriotic floral print for just the right project! A good sporty outfit also needs a good sporty jacket for colder days to help you stay warm before your race. I used Storm from Boo & Lu with some modifications. I sized down for a slimmer fit, and I did added some thick colorblocking on the bodice for a more retro look. The jacket was another great place to really have fun with our red, white, and blue theme – I even added it to the thumbhole cuffs!

For the shorts, I used the Halsey pattern from Little Lizard King and added some pockets because, running or not, you’ve got to have pockets! The headband is also from Little Lizard King, the Wells pattern. I wanted it to be a fun take on the traditional sweatband. Finally, for the water bottle bag, I used the Coral Pattern from Sunflower Seams. As an athlete, you’ve got to keep your hydration close, and the little pocket on the front is a great place for your lip balm and hair tie. Plus, now you’ll always know which water bottle is yours at practice!

Alexe of Alfie – Girl Power

Let’s bring back the colors for Theme 3, woot woot!!! 

As soon as I read about Theme 3, I saw a vintage sport outfit and my daughter brought the Olympic spirit as if she had just won a medal…in the 80s!

In order to do that, I needed the coolest windbreaker! And as if Project Run and Play isn’t challenging enough in itself, I added a level of difficult choosing nylon fabric to make it come true 😛 

I worked with different solids but found this amazing cotton print that inspired me with team spirit. I decided to use it to create a pocket to encourage girl empowerment that my daughter is very proud of. The perfect practical accessories to complete the look was a fanny pack and a scrunchy. You’ll probably think I’m weird, but it was my first time sewing one…AHAH!

While I’m amazed to still be in the competition for week 3, I am getting a little superstitious. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I added a little denim on my coat AND on my fanny pack because I used denim for Theme 1 and 2…we never know! 😛

Fabric is from Club Tissus.

Pattern inspiration: Zuri and Frost Fanny Pack from Petite Stitchery, Track tee and Retro shorties from Lowland.

Label is from Shine Bright Label.

Laura of Peony Patterns – Golden Girl

I LOVE athletic clothing.  Let’s be honest the majority of my personal wardrobe is made up of gym clothes.  And when it comes to gym clothing I love comfortable, well fitting pieces that have just a little something extra and that is what I tried to create with my Golden Girl set. After all if you are going to have an olympic moment you might as well go for the gold.

I’m kinda obsessed with hoodies and oversized laying pieces.  For my Golden Girl hoodie I wanted to design it with all the elements that I love.  So I started with a slightly oversized feel but brought it back in with a nice crop length and nipped it in at the waist. I added pretty blousy sleeves that pool slightly at the cuff to pull in the fairy tale princess vibe, and a generously sized cross over hood lined in that delicious floral for a touch of romance, (you know that moment when the fair maiden is lost in the woods and she has the hood of her cloak up and she turns and looks at something and it frames her face, that’s the hood but somehow I completely forgot the get any pics with the hood up, but is creates a pretty fame when it is.)  And to top it all off it is made from the softest pink Swiss fleece from Farmhouse Fabrics…. Oh and it has pockets.

For the court side set I had this gorgeous floral printed on an athletic knit from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I bought the floral print on etsy, but I love that I could have it printed in a larger scale to really make a statement and the athletic knit was so nice to work with. Unrelated to sewing, but I couldn’t resist also using the floral print to have a matching pickleball racket made.  The tennis dress features a short, slightly gathered, full circle skirt perfect for play and a criss cross detailed back.  I paired it with a pair of Peach shorts from Peony Patterns so she can run, jump, and twirl and feel covered and comfy.

Elisabeth of Stitching and Making – Podium Perfection

This theme was more of a challenge for me, since I don’t usually sew a lot of athleticwear (more “athleisure” if you know what I mean!).  I was looking in my stash and then I found an old piece of cotton lycra stripes from Raspberry Creek Fabrics.  At this point I couldn’t help but notice that the stripes were the exact colors of the Olympic rings, plus teal.  It was fate!  I cut out the stripes and sewed them into tubes to use as the traditional stripes you see on tracksuits, 3 on each side.

Somehow, after lots of tweaking, I got my coverstitch machine to cooperate with me and I topstitched the stripes in place.  For the pattern, I once again drafted my own which was inspired by 90’s fashion with the wider pant legs and color blocked raglan top with kangaroo pocket.  I decided to incorporate purple with the winning green because I like complementary colors and it added a nice burst of saturation.

My two year old enjoyed running around the track and playing soccer in his new “soccer outfit”. I’d say he looks the part and is ready to take the gold!
(I shared more about my process on my instagram.)

What another amazing week!! How will you ever choose your favorite? We are so impressed with these designers, and hope you’ll share the love with them by giving them your vote! This week we will be sad to say goodbye to one more designer. All of them deserve their spot in this competition!

This is how their scores are determined:

1/3 score = public voting
1/3 score = panel of judges
1/3 score = celebrity guest judge of the week