Designers, it's time to go to the runway - Project Run and Play Week 2 - Candy!

Wow - I know what it must feel like now to be looking over your shoulder at the clock racing to finish your garment on Project Runway (which by the way is on tonight at 9pm on Lifetime - Yum!). It was a crazy hectic week. I have been pattern testing for several companies as well as general sewing and life. Not to mention, for some reason this challenge drove me crazy! I lamented for days over what to do for this challenge. Part of me wanted to go all bright candy color crazy and break out the hot pink wig and do cool candy makeup, but then I started feeling like that was too cliched and costume-y. So, as one of the older girls being sewn for in the link up, I decided to take the more sophisticated route and what candy is more sophisticated than ------ Chocolate?? I decided to kind of mix it up and themed her outfit after a Hershey Kiss because this year is like a garment kiss dedicated to her. Everything I make her this school year is made with love and today's Project Run and Play outfit is made with that extra Kiss. (Okay, totally brought to mind the Pretty Woman bathtub scene where she is singing Prince's 'Kiss'"

And I know a lot of you may be coming over from the link on Project Run and Play for the first time, so before I introduce my look for this week, let me tell you a little bit about this blog. This isn't your average normal sewing blog. I have given myself a challenge to sew for my daughter every day this school year. Yep - thats a lot of days and a lot of sewing. She wears a new outfit to school four days a week (the school wears school tshirts on Friday). I blog about them here. Now, why would I do that? A lot of you who sew mostly sew for the little people in your lives, right? Well, I blinked and my little girl was ten and in fifth grade - the last year of elementary school here. She also grew into a RTW size 12 - guess what, most pattern makers stop at size 8! The point of this blog is to:

1. Encourage you NOT to stop sewing for your kids, even after size 8. I am featuring patterns that go up to the tween sizes as well as offering tutorials for you to KEEP sewing!
2. I want to encourage pattern makers to develop patterns for the tween/teen girls. Even the big 3 pattern makers have minimal selection for the size 8-16. 
3. I wanted to document this year in my daughter's life and have a permanent thing for her to see that every day I was sewing for just her. For a while, I have been sewing for my boutique and others and had to tell her no. This year, it is about her and I am so grateful to be able to do this with her. We shop for fabric together, pick out patterns. She lets me know what she likes and what she doesn't.

With all that said, welcome and I hope you will continue to follow my Handmade School Year project and watch out for our contributions to Project Run and Play.

Without further ado, I present to you for Week 2 of Project Run and Play - the Hershey Kiss.

I used the Handmade Dress 'Miss Lily' Bubble dress in a chocolate satin to give the silhouette of the kiss with the bubbled bottom. 'Miss Lily' only goes up to a 10 and I graded it to a 12, but I really think due to the volume of the dress and the fact that majority of the fit is determined by the elastic in the neck, sleeves and the sash that the 10 would have fit her fine. You can purchase this pattern at https://www.etsy.com/transaction/150980223?ref=fb2_tnx_title.

To simulate the foil wrapper, I used the Whimsy Couture ruffle bolero. Instead of using a button closure, I added white satin ribbon to give the effect of the white paper kiss ribbon that sticks out of the foil. You can purchase this pattern at https://www.etsy.com/transaction/150984604?ref=fb2_tnx_title

I love how this one literally looks like she took the wrapper off and the paper ribbon is flowing in the breeze.

 Miss Sneaky kept wanting to tear in to this candy bar, but what you can't tell is by the end of the shoot, it was almost liquid :) Love the warm almost Fall Georgia weather. We brought it home to firm up.

 We thought this picture really brought in the interpretation of this kiss. I love how the bubble skirt hem just puddles around her.

And another example of what REALLY happens at the photo shoots. Her knee hurt from kneeling on the rocks :)

Thank you for stopping by to see my Candy creation for this week on Project Run and Play. You can see all of the linked in designs as well as the featured designers at http://www.projectrunplay.com/. And from all of us here at Sewing in BeTween, we blow you a "sweet kiss"! Come back tonight to see today's outfit from school as this was my squeaking in in the nick of time special Project run and play post!

Till then,
Christie