Season 29 is SUPER exciting and we are only halfway through the first week! With twice as many designers competing, we have twice as many opportunities to choose your favorite! The votes for the first half have been recorded and we will share the results on Friday. Now it is time to vote on the rest of the designs!
As a reminder, here is the theme for this week:
GRAYSCALE
Make it monochrome with shades of white, ivory, gray, black or anything in between!
Does this inspire you to sew something? Join in our sewalong! (Details HERE.)
Are you ready to vote? Please check out all of the incredible submissions and choose your favorite at the end of the post. . The poll closes Thursday, 9/5, at 8:00pm EST.
Bonnie – Preppy Perfection
Hey sewing friends! After hearing “Grayscale” as the theme for week 1, I immediately knew what I wanted to sew! I love a monochromatic look and the stark contrast of black and white. I sewed up one of my tried-and-true woven dress patterns. I wanted to add a collar with trim and ended up self-drafted the collar. I also self-drafted new sleeves by making them more voluminous and added elastic at the hem to pull everything in. I also added more width to the skirt pieces because my little one loves a dress with a good twirl factor! I love classic surface patterns and nothing is more classic than gingham.
I used a tank top pattern for my sweater vest and found a charcoal sweater knit with a little bit of stretch. The cropped vest is great for the upcoming fall season. If my daughter gets too hot, she can always take the vest off and wear the dress alone. The heart shape of the backpack adds a whimsical touch, but the practicality of the backpack is great for my daughter because she’s always carrying toys around the house and car. I used a gray zipper to pull in the charcoal of the vest. The cropped vest and posh backpack really pulled together the preppy look I was going for.
I love the contrast of the black and white gingham in the dress with the gray sweater knit and the black leopard print in the backpack. The fabrics work well together color and texture wise. I loved adding a few special touches with the lace trim on the collar and leather patches on the sweater vest and bag. It really steps up those handmade items and makes them look professional. This look really is preppy perfection! You can read more about my look and the patterns and fabric I used over on my Instagram.
Chandy – Tween Dream
This was a hard challenge for me. I normally make things in bright loud prints, but my eldest is outgrowing the themed prints and gravitates towards plain clothes. So I decided the grayscale theme would be this tween’s dream, but mama still got to sneak in a print.
Starting with the top I kept it pretty simple, I made a basic white t-shirt that I then dip dyed to get an ombre from white to black. His vest is Little Lizard King’s Benton, the outside is a plain gray, but inside is a fun lightning bolt print because I can’t not use a print. Also, we’re pretty big Harry Potter fans here.
Every tween needs some cool black jeans. I started with Winter Wear Designs Rover pants because I love the huge pockets, I modified the pants by adding moto detailing and to make it really pop I used white topstitching throughout.
I love adding fun details to pockets. I personalized this pair to my son by taking a pair of his taekwondo pants that he has outgrown and used them for pockets. The back tag is from his infant car seat shoulder pads. I can’t believe he used to be so tiny!
Follow my instagram for pics of the carseat and taekwondo pants before I upcycled them!
Nikki Scott – Dress Like a Parisian
When I initially thought of monochrome, I thought of how important good basic neutrals are that can go with any outfit. This led to the theme Dress Like A Parisian. I went for a look that is fashionable, yet not fussy, and in a way that’s simple, chic and appealing. In the book, Dress like a Parisian by Alois Guinut she states, “The words that come to mind when you think of Parisian style are effortless, chic, understated and our obsession with perfect basics may make us look alike… but for La Parisienne singularity is all in the details.” I tried to play up on the details for this look.
For the jeans, I started with the Joplin Trousers by Petite Stitchery because we loved the look of the button closure and high rise. These were modified to have a straight leg (typical Parisian fashion) and moved the pockets to the back. The back pocket detail is a cursive “A” which is the first letter of my daughter’s name. I double stitched every seam to give it the high-end feel. Speaking of feel, this stretch denim from Fabrictopia is so stretchy! I used the back side of the fabric for the light grey (the front side is black) because I couldn’t find any other good light greys to match the theme. She has full range of motion in these and now feels the need for me to make all her jeans!
The shirt is a simple Brynn by Sew a Little Seam. It is out of a single brushed poly that’s been in my stash forever. I went with binding for the neck and gathered the sleeves for a little extra detail. And gotta line up those stripes! The vest started from the Jessie Moto Jacket from Designs by Violet Vixen. This pattern is made for stretch fabrics, but I really love the look of quilted (non-stretch) and velvet (stretch) together. I made it one size up and as a vest to help mitigate any issues. Also, I constructed it differently to have a nice finish for the arm holes. The buttons used for this were very special to us because they came from my husband’s grandmother’s stash of buttons that were left to me. I hope my sews for this week’s theme give you the motivation to make your own elevated basics!
Amy Gilane – Spellbound Love
Enticed with the brooding cloudy days, and theme of gray monochromatic tones, I breathed into the fall vibes and my daughters’ requests to be “witchy.” When offered this opportunity to sew for Project Run and Play, I knew whatever I would make would have to appease not just the judges and sewing friends, but most of all, Her! She was my full inspiration with her big brown doe eyes and desire for woodsy vibes, and pretend play.
I have used the Holly Tunic from Boo and Lu Sewing Patterns with the flattering asymmetrical waistline and gathered circle skirt in tunic length. Adding a flare for the dramatic, I added the skirt of Nova in the high-low option as an underskirt. It then lended to the circle sleeves I cut, adding to the ¾ length. The crossover collar and lettuce hem completed my look for the top. Peep the tiny “I love you” tag, in ASL from Shine Bright Label Company in the lower bodice side seam. Organic cotton jersey hearts fabric is from Frollein-S Fabrics.
For leggings I have used a charcoal confetti rib knit from Millie and Dot as another shade of gray, starting with Lynx Leggings from Boo and Lu Sewing Patterns. Instead of traditional cuff bottoms, I cut large bows for the backs, to balance the dramatic sleeve. I used a touch of interfacing to hold them somewhat flat on the bow edges.
Emily – Little Quilted Queen
For my monochromatic grayscale look, I immediately thought of a fall jacket with flare pants combo. Dug through my fabric stash, and found these quilted triangles that I planned my outfit around. I had bought them with the Free People quilted jackets as inspiration, so I was excited to do my own spin and finally make it!
I used Lowland Kid’s Letterman Jacket as the base, with the collar from their half zip, elastic at the wrists in place of cuffs, and hemmed the bottom. Underneath is Samantha Marie Design’s Blythe for a basic white tee out of DBP, with lettuce hems to dress it up a little. The pants are Lowland Kids slim flares out of a 1×1 rib.
Of course, my ‘Little Quilted Queen’ outfit wasn’t complete without a tag or label. Both the “Mama’s Little Bestie” and the heart label were sponsored by Shine Bright Label Co.
Liz Velazquez – Corte Èlègant
When I heard the theme “Grayscale” the first word I thought of was “Elegant.” I imagined a dress with puff sleeves and floral details like a European style. One of the accessories I love to create is scarves so I couldn’t miss them in this style.
I used a variety of patterns from Little Lizard King to create my vision, including the Colmar top, Sorrento skirt and Roslyn sleeves. I used cotton woven fabric from Joann.
To give a special touch to this style, I designed a small purse with kitty ears and a scarf. The kitty details and scarf made this look fun and elegant, without losing the essence of clothing for girls, just as I imagined it. I named it with a variety of words in Spanish and French “Corte Èlègant” so as not to lose the touch of my visualization (A European style).
See more pictures in my IG: @lizvdisigner
Amazing!!! It’s going to be incredibly hard to pick a favorite, but here is the poll for you to try!
The Week 1 results will be announced on Friday and the votes will be added to next week’s designs to determine who advances to the semifinals. So, make sure that you check back next week to vote again!