It’s time for Week 3 which means the pressure is on to determine who advances to the final round! Our top six designers will be narrowed down to the top three for our fourth and final round. For these final two weeks, the scores are determined by 1/3 public voting, 1/3 scores from a panel of past designers, and 1/3 Celebrity Guest Judge scores.
Panel of Judges
We have our three most recent winners comprising the panel of judges this season! Here is a little more about each one…
Shyra of @__aka.yuri__
Hi everyone! As much as I loved competing in Season 31, I’m so excited to be back; this time as a judge. After my day job, you’ll usually find me behind the machine designing under my brand, aka-yuri. I enjoy blending street style with soft, detailed elements, playing with texture and contrast. I know how much heart goes into this process, and I can’t wait to see your creativity come to life.
Marie of @majacan
Hello everyone, my name is Marie. I am originally from France and have been living in Western Canada for the past 11 years. I am also the mother of four children.
I was introduced to sewing from a very early age, as my mother is a professional seamstress. For many years, however, I set it aside, not fully appreciating it at the time and feeling self-conscious about wearing handmade clothing that stood out from others.
After moving to Canada, I found myself with the time to take on a new challenge and decided to learn how to sew. Since then, I have continued to develop my skills every day, with the goal of creating garments that are not only visually striking, but that also reflect each person’s personality, lifestyle, and preferences—always with a strong emphasis on quality and precision.
I am honoured to serve as a jury member for PRP this year and look forward to discovering the work of this year’s talented participants.
Candice of @sewing4wildflowers
Hello all, my name is Candice Schoffstall and I am a stay at home mom to three amazing kids. Sewing has been my creative outlet for the past eight years and I love experimenting with different textures in my designs. My mom was my biggest inspiration in picking up sewing and I’m proud to continue her legacy through my work. When I’m not stitching up something new, I enjoy capturing my creations through photography. You’ll also often find me hiking or paddle boarding with my family soaking up the great outdoors together. Since competing in Season 29, I have gone on to design for Vintage Little Lady and I am currently continuing my formal drafting education.
Celebrity Guest Judge
We found the PERFECT Celebrity Guest Judge for this theme! Please welcome…
Cait Trantham from @caitconquers!
CaitConquers (Cait Trantham) is a viral sewing and upcycling creator known for transforming thrifted finds and forgotten fabrics into bold, wearable art. With millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Cait’s high-energy storytelling and inventive thrift flips have made her one of the internet’s most joyful DIY voices. What began as pandemic-era experimentation quickly evolved into a creative movement rooted in accessibility, sustainability, and fearless trial-and-error. Cait’s work celebrates playful creativity with purpose — proving that fashion doesn’t have to be fast to be fabulous, and that a little imagination (and a sewing machine) can make something magical out of the ordinary.
Theme
Trash to Treasure:
Turn something discarded into a new creation worthy of the runway!
Fashion doesn’t have to break the bank! We love a good upcycle or refashion project and sustainability is always in style!
Designs
Family Story – Julie-Michèle from 5Flos
Some creations go far beyond fabric… they tell a story.
Since she was born, my daughter has shared a very special bond with her grandpa… and it’s still just as strong today!
When my parents moved into a smaller home, they had to let go of many belongings. Among them was a collection of ties filled with memories that I just couldn’t part with… just in case.
When I discovered this week’s theme, I immediately thought of those ties and how I could give them a new life.
I used the Olsen Kids pattern by Petite Stitchery as inspiration to create a recycled denim pinafore. I completely reimagined the bottom by turning it into a skirt made of ties, carefully sewn together, each piece holding a fragment of its story.
This project also pushed me out of my comfort zone by working with woven fabrics, a material I rarely use, but one that brought the perfect structure and character to this design.
The bodice is made from a pair of jeans that belonged to my father, featuring topstitching inspired by classic denim pieces, and the straps are created from the other ends of the ties.
A soft cream top with slightly puffed sleeves adds balance and softness to the look. I altered the Benicia dress from Little Lizard King to turn it into a sweater. I also made matching socks and a scrunchie from the same fabric, tying everything together through thoughtful details.
To complete the look, I chose a label that perfectly represents this project:
A family story.
This project truly reflects the “Trash to Treasure” theme: nothing is lost, everything can be transformed… and passed on.
When she put it on, my daughter said:
“Ahhhh Mommy! It smells like Grandpa!!!”
Proof that even at 7 years old, she still loves having her grandpa close to her!
Petal & Peach – Shelby of @noworries.sewhappy
Since the theme this week is “Trash to Treasure”, I gave myself the personal challenge of making my look without spending anything. I decided to take a deep dive into my (overly full) linen closet. My husband is vehemently against top sheets so we had a collection just sitting in the closet. I uncovered this peachy pink sheet and knew it was just what I was looking for. Imagine my surprise when it perfectly coordinated with a very well loved quilt I had thrifted a year prior. I knew that using a sheet wasn’t inherently very creative, but it gave me a chance to make a gorgeous dress without spending a single penny.
For the bodice of my dress, Little Lizard King Lancaster, I decided to add some hand embroidery. I used the Wilderflower pattern from Peony Patterns. Although my embroidery skills were a little rusty, I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. Quite ironically, I had also thrifted all the embroidery thread a few months ago. The skirt started out as Sunflower Seams Sunflower, but I just kept saying, “what about more ruffles!?”
To finish off my look, I made a simple quilted vest and beautiful hair bow. I used the Madison vest from Little Lizard King as the base for my vast. I did away with the side seams so the quilt pattern wouldn’t be interrupted. I also rounded out the top and bottom points. I love the simplicity of the vest and how the original quilting shines through. The bow is Sunflower seams Freesia; it is so pretty in the solid pink.
From Boardroom to Runway – Sophie Magico
Working in a nail salon, I’m surrounded by conversations all day—and for this project, those conversations turned into contributions. When I mentioned needing ties, my clients didn’t hesitate—they went home and raided their husbands’ closets, bringing in pieces that once lived in boardrooms and office meetings. Add in a blazer from my husband’s closet clean-out, and suddenly this design became more than a project—it became a story woven together by the people around me. My daughter even joined in, helping choose the color combinations, making it a true team effort.
The corset is based on the Vale pattern from CKC Patterns, modified with an exposed zipper back for a modern, structured finish instead of traditional lacing. The skirt is self-drafted with a subtle high-low silhouette, allowing the ties to create movement and texture while still feeling intentional and balanced.
The blazer was fully deconstructed and reimagined into a cropped silhouette, designed to complement the look while letting the skirt remain the focal point.
Each piece was created to be worn together or separately, giving new life and versatility to materials that might have otherwise been forgotten. This design captures the spirit of “Trash to Treasure” in the most personal way—transforming everyday pieces, shared stories, and a little community support into something runway-ready.
Once Upon a Story Book – Becky Rigby
I honestly can not believe I am actually here typing this write-up for week 3! Thank you so much for all your support.
Even before I has made week one, this outfit had formed in my mind upon hearing the brief! I had stashed a bed cover away in my fabric pile years ago and knew it would make a beautiful upcycle at some point – However, last year I has given up on the idea and it has been relegated to ‘dustsheet’ in a recent room renovation! It was set for the bin, but something kept me from chucking it and instead stuck it in the wash and then back into the fabric pile. When I saw the brief I knew it was the duvet cover’s time to shine- paint stains were cut around, wrinkles for ironed out, and I feel like you would never know this fabric was destined for the bin weeks earlier!
This look just reminds me of a beige Little Red! I found inspiration for the shoot through fairytales and the cape soon followed from some old cushion covers and pillowcases. The bag is a representation of Little Red’s picnic hamper she was taking to granny ( and ironically we did follow this shoot with a trip to Grandma’s house!).
For the dress, I started with Vintage Little Lady’s Delilah pattern, but swapped out the neck band for this sweet scalloped collar from Bebkins ‘ Violet’. I then self drafted some sweet scalloped pockets to match the collar. For the bag I used Vintage Little Lady’s Armani Tote Bag pattern but shrunk it down to a perfect size for small hands. For the cape I used Peony Patterns Bellflower pattern, with the collar option and added some lace to tie in with the theme of the dress.
Countryside in Spring – Cassandra Pierce
For week 3, Trash to Treasure, I wanted to incorporate the feeling of the emerging spring in the countryside. The kind where there’s still a nip in the air, but new color peaking out and the cheerful hope that it gives. I wanted to give something old the same fresh hope that spring brings.
The main item I used was a thrifted bedsheet that I’ve had floating around for years. I loved the dainty, pastel colored flowers in it. The shorts I made were self- drafted and the blouse was a mash between Laurel and Yarrow from Sunflower Seams.
Jackets are essential for springtime in the Midwest. A sunny, warm day can turn chilly fast. I started with Spruce from Sunflower Seams, but I altered, modified and redrew mostly every part to arrive at our quilted jacket. I have a tub of scraps of fabric that I don’t want to get rid of, but are too small to really use. I challenged myself to pull out these scraps and use them before I have to throw them away. I also used more of the thrifted sheets and lined the jacket with the sheet as well.
Love Trash Fancy – Angie of @andsewshesings
When I think “trash”, the word “worthless” comes to mind, and when I think “treasure”…“priceless”. My musical inspiration for Week 3 comes from Les Miserables, and is paired with my girl’s current style obsession, Love Shack Fancy. Our dreamy ensemble consists of items that, much like the characters I’ll mention here, were worthless to some, but priceless to others, including: coquette bow bouquet yard sale bedsheets (as well as solid ones), hand-me-down vintage lace, and a pair of thrifted sneakers.
*We rescued her beautiful vanity from a curb on trash day a few weeks ago, so it had to be part of this, and the trash in the photos includes scraps from weeks 1, 2, & 3*
Pictures of Lea Salonga as Fantine contributed to my vision for the bodice and sleeves, which began with Tulip from Wild Seeds Patterns. I added princess seams and a gathered front panel, and also a full elastic back at my daughter’s request. I lengthened the long sleeve, used the short sleeve cut line as a guide for the upper elastic casing, and lined the entire neckline with ruffles. One costume included a corset, so I grabbed scraps of old jeans from a past upcycle, flipped them to the wrong side for the perfect shade of light blue, and created a corset belt to fit over the bodice. Our second-hand sneakers had only 1 shoelace, so I pulled it out and threaded the grommets to finish the corset. (The shoes were a dirty lime green when we bought them, but after a wash, I painted them and re-laced them with vintage lace a former sewist had gotten rid of years ago.)
The skirt design wasn’t inspired by a character’s costume, but by my daughter’s favorite song from the show, Castle on a Cloud, sung by Young Cosette. I set out to make the skirt as cloudlike as possible, self-drafting a bubble skirt and incorporating pickups to give more volume and texture to the bedsheet’s fading floral print. I was determined to place the pickups randomly – a challenge for this perfectionist, but the end result was worth the battle!
In my 1800s research, I read that women typically had small bags instead of pockets…my daughter loves pockets AND bags, so she got both. Some bags featured a metal frame similar to Vintage Little Lady’s Ma Jolie. I shortened the pattern to accommodate my remaining floral sheet scraps and sewed gathered panels mimicking the dress. I put pockets on both sides of the interior (also a bedsheet), and stitched extra dividing lines for lip gloss pockets. I wanted to design a bow different than any I’d done before, so I modeled it after the large, cottagecore wall decor bows I keep seeing. I got a little gasp from my daughter when she saw it…the best compliment! I love how she can see the value in things that others overlook, from worthless to priceless.
Sponsors
We do want to thank our generous sponsors again! They have contributed preseason offers and contributions to the prize packages will be awarded next week!
Criteria & Voting
The top three advance to the final round, so this is a serious responsibility!
As a reminder, our judging criteria are as follows:
Overall Look
*Is it a cohesive look? Do the pieces go together?
*Does it have a good overall design aesthetic?
*Styling (accessories, photo shoot, etc)
Creativity
*Did they think outside the box within the confines of the theme?
*Creative use of materials:color combos, different fabrics, techniques, notions, etc
Craftsmanship
*Attention to detail: seams match, no puckers, drag lines, buttons evenly spaced, etc.
*Degree of difficulty in sewing
Wear-ability
*How’s the fit? Any issues—too big, too small, too loose, too tight
*Is it age appropriate for the intended activity?
*Can the child wear it without being uncomfortable?
Keeping these criteria in mind, choose the one that you think did the best job in the poll below.
PLEASE only vote once per person!