project run & play: take it slow

we take a break from your regularly scheduled Selfish Sewing Week posts to talk about week two of Project Run & Play!! this week is the “Hand-me-down” makeover, where we were challenged to use upcycled clothing or hand-me-downs to make something modern and fashionable.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach this particular challenge. there was some thrift store browsing, a muslin or two for a romper I thought I might fashion out of an old dress, a perfectly installed invisible zipper on the first try. I know!! in the end, it was some well timed inspiration from the amazing Alabama Chanin that made me think, “this is it!”

spoiler alert: I did not once use a sewing machine in the making of this outfit. in fact, even the muslins I made for the dress and hat were sewn by hand. yep, you read that right.

let’s talk details. first, what did I start with? this whole outfit is constructed from two old t-shirts and one pair of old leggings, all ill fitting and from the back of my closet.

the dress is my own tumble tee pattern. the bodice is pieced in the front with just the tiniest hint of the second fabric peeking through the center seam and white perle cotton topstitching. the skirt is two layers of jersey with reverse appliqued circles, stitched with the same white perle cotton.

the leggings are my go to leggings pattern, conveniently called the go to leggings, with some length added for my tall girlie. I reverse appliqued three circles on the left leg to echo the skirt. and I’ll tell you, hand stitching an elastic waistband on a pair of leggings is quite a thing. they’ve been worn a few times now and held up, so I think I did ok :)

the slouchy hat was inspired by the styling genius of my friend Alida. it’s a super simple sew, made with just two pieces of knit fabric and some elastic at the top. I stitched a few circles out of the white perle cotton here too because sometimes you just start stitching circles and, before you know it, bam! they’re everywhere.

for me, this look combines modern aesthetics and traditional techniques in a way that celebrates making, much like the mindfulness of creative reuse. and may or may not make you act like a stalk of corn ;)

for more of this kind of inspiration, I highly recommend that you check out the Slow Sewing Series from Sew, Mama, Sew and Carolyn Friedlander’s Slow Sewing Studio. there really is something beautiful about each stitch being a mindful act.

and of course, don’t forget to vote!! check out all of the looks for week two here, and cast your vote!

happy {slow} stitching!
xo, rachael

The post project run & play: take it slow appeared first on imagine gnats.