Monday, January 31, 2011

Reader Submissions

A lot of people have been asking about using a different format for submitting their designs each week. I've been giving some thought to a Linky tool, but I'm not sure that's the route I want to go (plus I just read that they will be charging- which is a definite no for me as I make zero money off of this blog and have no desire to spend more). Instead, I created a flickr group for PR&P. You are still welcome to leave links in the comments to your designs- I will be looking through the comments and flickr group when reader features come around. Thanks everyone for your input and comments!

Also, I realized that with extending the voting until Monday at midnight and announcing the theme on Tuesday, that didn't give readers much time to design things last week, so... this week's theme is:


Retro or vintage inspired designs this week! I'm excited to see what our designers and you readers come up with! Have fun!

Tutorials! (and another giveaway)

I'm sorry everyone! It completely slipped my mind to post this week about Kelly's Couture Cutie design from last week. She has the tutorial up at SINML AND a giveaway for the couture cutie dress she made for the tutorial pictures! Go check it out! Like, now. :)


She also has the first week's Frosted Pane skirt and bolero and this week's San Marino dress is up for a new feature of her's called Make It Monday. Thanks Kelly!

Some more tutorials from the designers-

Jessica's Anthropologie-inspired Dress, Bohemian Peasant Dress,  and Pleated Headband
Katy's Fabric Cranes
Team Kojo's Ribbon Candy Bubble Dress, Winter Ruffle Dress and Headband
Shauna's Doe A Deer Top, Wonderland Cape, and Owl Dress

Go check them out and be inspired. :)
Saturday, January 29, 2011

Week Three- Adult Inspired Designs

Ok- I'm sure I've thought this every week, but these have been my favorite designs for real this time. So beautiful! Be sure to vote in the sidebar! Poll closes Monday at midnight CST again.

1- Shauna's Sweet Little Miss
 Here's the inspiration:
This week's challenge excited me I love all of my daughter's clothes to have an adult flair. I figure once she could walk that there is just something irresistible about a little mini adult, or a "sweet little miss" I knew almost right away what look I wanted to do for her. I had my eye on this military jacket for awhile to make myself, but I thought what better than to make one for her. I also pulled from some other adult trends that I love right now and adapted them for my little miss. I made the cropped military jacket in a light weight cotton so it is a great transition piece going into spring and summer. It is layered with a sweet cami with some pleated detail. I also made a pair of skinny pants out of a super soft stretch corduroy in dusty rose. Since every woman would complete the outfit with a pair of killer boots, I made soft soled ankle boots. Lastly, the outfit just didn't seem complete without the sweet little miss having her own necklace, which made very child friendly with fake pearls and soft string, it makes her feel all grown up. While the outfit has a grown up vibe my sweet little miss could still play in a tree and keep up with her brother, we both win.

 

2- Kelly's San Marino
 I took this weeks challenge to mean we were supposed to be inspired by an adult outfit and "minify" it for our munchkins... I am over the top nervous that I interpreted this wrong but whatcha gunna do right? I have been coveting Shabby Apples San Gabriel dress for over a year.
Every time there is a sale I pop it in my cart and then after an hour of browsing other sites I force myself to close the browser and walk away. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try it out on a less intimidating scale. So, I can up with the San Marino (a small suburb of San Gabriel in CA).
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I love how it turned out. Although when I make an adult version I will tone down the ruffle a tad to be more like the original. But my gorgeous little model loves over the top ruffles so I had to deliver.
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In an effort to make it more child friendly, instead of a ton of buttons you have to wrangle your cutie into  I used several little velcro strips to close the bodice then just sewed the faux buttons onto the top ;) Saves you time getting your princess in and out with the added bonus of not having to make a zillion button holes woo hoo! (of course you can put the real buttons in if you like). I just love the sea of ruffles everywhere and I must  say I am really proud of how well made this dress it. It took me a LONG time to create and get the pattern right but it was worth it!
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The pattern and tutorial will be available at SINML this weekend so you can take your own sewing vaca to a suburb in sunny California :)

3- Lindsay's Girly Girl Twirl Dress
The inspiration:
My goal for this week was to take several women's fashion trends and create an entirely new and unique look for a child.  I've been loving the soft, tiered feminine ruffles, the gorgeous deep jewel-tone colors, and the little lace details that we've been seeing on a lot of women's fashion pieces.  I used super-soft spandex/cotton blend fabrics to construct the long-sleeved top for the dress.  I added three tiered ruffles to the end of each sleeve.  On the bodice I used several tired ruffles, surrounded by a tiny lace detail and finished it off with a gorgeous piece of woven, vintage trim.  The skirt is made from a spandex ruffle fabric in all the gorgeous jewel-tones that we have been seeing in women's fashion.  Underneath the dress I added a pair of black leggings with a ruffle edge detail at the bottom.  The look is completed with a ruffle and vintage trim headband and Chanel-inspired, black patent leather, quilted ballet flats.  This dress is incorporates women's fashion, but yet is completely wearable for a child - she could run, jump, play, or twirl and still be incredibly comfortable and stylish at the same time!



4- Ashley's Papilionidae
My inspiration for this challenge was Alexander McQueen. I love the butterfly prints and hair pieces that several of his past collections have included and wanted to do something similarly inspired but still appropriate for a child.


I took a basic light grey cotton/lycra knit and created a whimsical butterfly print using different colors of inks and diluted fabric paint. The butterflies are silk screened in different colors and additional colors were added by hand painting the fabric. I created a pattern for a halter jumpsuit, double layered for the chest and straps and added elastic at the ankles for a fun retro look.

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For styling, I took a flamboyant head band and added in some butterflies for more drama.

This outfit is comfortable and forgiving....perfect for toddler play! Sassy! (Note: my daughter calls this her pirate pose....argggh!)
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Now I just need one for me! Come visit us over at Lil Blue Boo to see additional photos!

5- Kirstin and Jordan's Taste of Sunshine
Every year around the beginning of February, my sunshine-loving heart begins to ache for summer (in fact, any small sign of spring would do). And the Sun Shades Dress by Anthropologie is essentially a beach vacation in a dress in all its stripe-y, flouncy glory. So, of course I knew exactly what I'd be knocking off for this week's challenge!
Since February in Colorado isn't exactly flip flop weather, I paired the dress's cheery goodness with a tiny version of the ruffle-y Peplum Cardigan by Banana Republic. Gotta keep that baby warm.
And every great dress requires a few fabulous accessories- a knock-off of the Beaming Featherfew Pin by Anthropologie (pinned on the belt in the pictures), gladiator sandles and a sunny headband complete the look.
This stripe-y, flouncy, summer-y, ruffle-y, cheery little ensemble certainly is A Taste of Sunshine! If only they made it in my size- oh, right, they do!

6- Katy's La Fleur de L'Orange
The inspiration:
I don't know anyone who doesn't find the blog The Sartorialist inspirational and fascinating all at once.  I love orange and knew this was the one I wanted to use for my one and only redhead, Pearl.  I took liberty with the back since there is only a front view in the photo.  I brought the keyhole detail up to a more modest neckline for a little girl, but pretty much retained the silhouette of the dress.  The placket in the back is a faux placket, so there is no need for buttonholes (hooray!) and an invisible zipper on the side for access.  I call it La Fleur de L'Orange.  For more views of the aqua and orange dress, hop on over to my blog






Beautiful huh? Glad I don't have to decide!
Friday, January 28, 2011

Adult Inspired Reader Features

Once again, we had some great submissions from the readers! So many cute ones! Like these twin's outfits, made by Sophie from Roubidou.
 How sweet is that patch?

Our second feature is from Jennifer of All Things Belle. She linked this cute flapper style dress!
So darling! Keep them coming guys! I love seeing your designs!

ZozoBugBaby Winner!

Here's the winner of the ZozoBugBaby giveaway:

15- saganaga said...
my favorite pattern is the Lola dress

Congrats saganaga! Can you message me your email so we can get you that free pattern?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Adult Inspired- My Interpretation

My inspiration folder for this challenge was bulging- and there's still several knock-offs I want to make. I originally wanted to go with something runway-inspired, but couldn't resist this cute top from Anthropologie.



I loved the mix of prints and thought it would be a cute tunic top for my daughter. I'm currently trying to work through my fabric stash, so I didn't have the exact fabrics I wanted but I still think it turned out pretty cute. Once again she loves it and couldn't wait to wear it.
 She was being grumpy and not wanting to smile, but I got this little one out of her.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Leila and Ben Challenge Winner!

Sorry to keep you all waiting! There were a lot of complications this week!

And the winner is....
Kelly's Couture Cutie! What a beautiful dress! I love the color combination, and the little matching shoes are to die for! Thanks again ladies for all of your hard work!

Once again though, we have to let someone go. This week we lose Susan.
Your dress this week was so cute! I'm in love with the plaid! We will miss your contributions!

Thanks everyone for voting and being patient with me while waiting for the scores. Be sure to check out this week's challenge and giveaway!

ZozoBugBaby Giveaway and This Week's Challenge!

This week we have a a giveaway from ZozoBugBaby. Visit Julie's shop and check out all of the adorable patterns she has! She's giving away one pattern to some lucky reader- all you have to do is comment here with what pattern is your favorite. But, even if your not the winner, she has great deals and discount codes on her Facebook page, so be sure to "like" her page so you can still get some great deals! These are some of my favorites:



So cute! I love the styling of the first one- stripes and converse would totally get my daughter's stamp of approval. Thanks ZozoBugBaby for this great giveaway! (giveaway will close Friday at 8 AM CST)

And now...for this week's challenge. I had a hard time coming up with a catchy or cute name for this week's challenge- it's the Adult Inspired Challenge!


Find a designer, clothing brand, or style of adult's clothing, and reinterpret it for a child. (The dress in the challenge photo from Anthropologie would be darling as a little girl's dress for instance). This might be my favorite challenge- there is so much inspiration everywhere! Have fun and don't forget to leave a link to your designs!

I would like to apologize to the mama's of boys out there for our lack of boy's clothing. It's not necessarily that this is supposed to be strictly little girl's fashion, but they tend to be the most fun to design for. Hopefully our designers will include some boy's styles in weeks to come, and I'll try to feature some more boy-related styles if I can. Thanks for sticking with us!

Also- I'm working on getting the results together for this week. I apologize for the lateness!
Saturday, January 22, 2011

Sweet Dress Submissions

Once again, these ladies amazed me! I wasn't sure if I would really be wowed by this week, since they all used the same pattern, but I was soo wrong. They each have so much of their own personality come out in the designs and it's so inspiring! Don't forget to vote in the sidebar before Monday at midnight CST for your favorite.

For those of you who asked- you can purchase the Sweet Dress pattern at Leila and Ben's etsy shop. They have several great patterns; the Sweet Dress pattern is the one that these talented ladies used and reinvented. 

1- Kirstin and Jordan's Ribbon Candy Bubble Dress
Perhaps the best feature of the Sweet, Simple Dress Pattern is its versatility. Just by adding a few details, you can perfectly tailor the dress to its wearer.
Allow me to introduce you to our 'wearer' (who is, incidentally, our best friends' daughter and our god-daughter). Joanie Peace is vibrant, precocious and graceful. She has an iron-trap memory, calls Adam 'Nana' and dances from place to place instead of running or walking like other kindergarteners. If she were a character in a book, she'd be the ever-hilarious Lilly from Kevin Henkes' "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse."
We loved customizing this Leila and Ben pattern to suit Joanie. We started with fabulous marigold fabric (vibrant like Joanie and a little retro like her mama), adorned the dress with graceful details like an epitome-of-sweetness ribbon candy collar and preppy bows on each sleeve, and added a bubble hem and grosgrain belt for maximum swirling and twirling
The end result? Sweet, vibrant, graceful spunk (both the girl and the dress!).

2- Lindsay's Sweet Ruffle Play Coat
 The Sweet Ruffle Play Coat is the perfect addition to every little girls wardrobe!  It is still mighty cold here in Chicagoland (think, below zero), so the idea of a coat sounded just perfect for this weeks challenge.  I added some drama to the sweet dress pattern with the addition of a large collar around the neckline and gathering it with a purple and pink grosgrain ribbon that ties in the center front.  I also cut the pattern down the front, reduced the length, added long sleeves and a little pocket.  The attention to detail is what makes this coat truly special.  It is made from beautiful thick, pink, purple and white woven fabric, has fabric piping throughout the collar and is trimmed with pink buttons and coordinating ribbon on the sleeves and the front pocket.  Every sweet little girl will feel like a princess in this whimsical play coat!
 
 

3- Shauna's Doe A Deer
This weeks peasant dress pattern had me think of a Hanzel and Gretel lost children wandering the woods. That vision danced in my head for a while and born was the design. I made the sweet dress pattern a tunic top perfect not to slow children down while running through the woods. I added a sweet doe, hand stitched with a little yellow flower. The top has a bib front opening, and elastic creating an empire waist. To go with the tunic I made a pair of slim leg button trousers for the hip and today Gretel. The hair piece and the sandals complete the look, inspired by something Gretel could make while wondering the woods, they both have sweet little rosettes feathers and wild berries. The hair piece also clips on to the pants to make a faux belt, and change up the look.


4- Katy's Edgy with a Side of Cranes
I know I have succeeded with a sewing project when my girls want to wear it to bed.  Azure wanted to wear her dress to bed ;)  I played with the edges for this project, giving them some body and...edge.  I changed the shape of the sleeves and added a little visual interest just inside the hem.  I made some fabric Japanese Cranes for an unexpected hair accessory.


5- Kelly's Couture Cutie- **Winner**
I was excited and nervous when we were assigned The Sweet Little Dress pattern because ironically enough it is one of the first patterns I ever downloaded. This actually made it kind of hard though because after making it so many times I really wanted to do something totally new and fresh, without changing the pattern drastically. I originally made an entirely different dress BUT I felt it was a pretty run of the mill, anyone could make it type dress and this time I wanted to be more edgy, more rough around the edges, more couture....but still cute. Well my love of bustles collided with my desire for edgy and I came up with this:
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I was describing it to a friend and I said "well the front will have a tiered cravat, with unfinished messy edges and the rest of the front is very plain, but the back is all crazy fun. She looked at me and said "ah, like a mullet" HA! So, I lovingly joke that this is my mullet dress. Oh how I love my mullet dress.
There are 6 tiers of ruffles in the back made from tulle, Amy Butler fabric and raw silk. The hand made pleats are from a cotton that I dyed with local organic dye, which I am not going to lie I am a tinsy bit nervous about ha!
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The cravat is topped with 3 covered buttons with the edges left raw... and actually a little picked at to fray.Who doesn't love a little junk in the trunk on a toddler?
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To see more pics hop on over to Sewing In No Mans Land


6- Ashley's Li'l Boho

I love the simple, basic lines of the Sweet Dress pattern....it's always been one of my favorites. Using some vintage trim and a braided leather headband as my inspiration, I decided to make a bohemian peasant dress: The Li'l Boho


The Li'l Boho dress is a two-layer dress with the bottom layer peeking out from underneath. The color palette is muted using 2 tones of ecofriendly, organic cotton. I altered and recut the sleeves to be a delicate double flutter.


I added a slightly frayed, embroidered vintage trim to the front that double wraps to tie in the back, creating an empire waist. Our desert setting was a perfect location for a carefree, barefoot photo shoot. The Li'l Boho dress represents a free, independent, and spiritual little girl:



7- Susan's Sweet Lumberjack
I love the lumberjack trend + felt like the liela + Ben pattern was perfect to make into a lumberjack inspired dress I modified the pattern to add a zipper in the back + a peter pan collar.
  

Great job ladies! You rock!