Edit: You can find the Project Run & Play entry for this look here
Can I just take a quick moment to say THANK YOU? Never in a million years would I ever think that I would be ASKED to compete in Project Run & Play, let alone get past the first week, and then get into the FINAL THREE! This has been an insane ride, and lots of crazy real life stuff to balance out as well, but I did it. Whatever happens is totally fine. First, second or third, I don't mind any of those positions.
I have a bunch of brand new followers, so HI! And I have stayed in love with all my oldschool readers, you know who you are. Even those who have read my blog for a long time but never commented {PS I LOVE COMMENTS} who have commented for the first time here to spurr me on. I love the support you guys have given me, and I really cannot tell you how overwhelming it was to have you guys, and a lot of my family and real life friends spreading the word and voting for me. I'd get text messages & facebook messages about how PROUD people were of me. I cried pretty much every week from people being impressed by me.
Oh a quick note on commenting, if you don't hear from me, it's because you probably have this setting on your account. I reply to every single comment that is posted here, via email!
NOW, onto the less-mushy stuff. This is the SIGNATURE LOOK. The big she-bang. My last look for the entire competition!
Vincent. This guy is my signature look. Everything about him. Having a son was hard at first to find clothes I liked for him. I didn't want shirts with trucks on them, or licensed gear that has a big logo across the front {except Batman. Batman is okay. Always}. I wanted my kid to be cool. You can't slap a ruffle on it and call it a day, so when I found Dana and Rae and their Celebrate the Boy series - well things got serious at the Batcave.
Boy stuff doesn't have to be boring, boy stuff doesn't have to be difficult. Boy stuff is a lot of fun!
Vincent is trendy but a giant dork. He is a trickster and a sweetheart. He is a cool guy! So what is my Signature Look? It's boys' style, it's trendy, it's also always got a nod toward our very very nerdy lifestyle. Most of all it's fun and stepping outside of the box!
Not to say I am favouriting him over my daughter, as my friend Tina pointed out ahah, but I have been making boy stuff for a LOT longer than I have been making girl stuff.
This look was all about the jacket. I wanted a statement piece, and a Sgt. Pepper's style military jacket was what was needed! I mean, this kid is a rockstar!
The inside is just as fun as the outside , I made a patchwork lining using every single fabric I used throughout the competition! The inside pocket of the jacket is the pocket of the shirt I used last week.
The lining was so cool all sewn up, I almost wanted to make it a seperate jacket!
Let's get a little mushy about the lining. See I have this tattoo:
It's a yellow tulip on the inside of my right arm, and the script along it says "From Scraps". The stoy behind it is this - When I was little, my Opa was very sick. He had Parkinson's Disease and also later got Dementia. Because of his thick Dutch accent, and he shook when he spoke to me, I couldn't really every understand him properly. It was hard, and looking back on it makes me really sad. He died when I was 17, but I have a few distinct memories of him that stay in my head and my heart. One I decided to get immortalised on my body.
My mum sewed everything for us. We didn't have a lot of money when we were growing up so my mum made all our clothes, our doll clothes, our underwear, everything. One day she whipped me up a pair of knickers from the scraps of fabric left over from a shirt she made my dad. They were so comfy, and were red striped with all these other crazy colours. I was so proud of them and of her that when we vistied my Oma and Opa {I think I was around 7 or 8} I ran into their house, lifted up my skirt and showed Opa my knickers, proclaiming loudly, "Look what mum made me! From scraps!"
Well my Opa thought it was h i l a r i o u s! He laughed so hard, and from that day forward every single thing I showed him he would always ask, "From scraps?". I would roll my eyes and smirk, "Noooo Opaaaaa."
When he died, my Oma had a red tulip and a yellow tulip marked on his headstone. So I got a yellow tulip tattoo {my favourite flower also}, and my sister got the red tulip on her wrist {hers says Opa}. It's the most meaningful tattoo I have {all the others have meanings too, but this one is the closest to my heart} and also my only sewing related one! When I showed my sister the jacket lining that I had made from scraps, she smiled and said, "From Scraps."
Okay, back to the jacket!
I used the Basic Blazer (that's an affiliate link!) by Blank Slate Patterns as a base, modifying it heavily. I changed the collar up to a mandarin collar and stitched 6 metres of gold gimp braid to the front and 26cm of gold braid to the shoulders. I made the shoulder braid stick out a little over the shoulder seams. I also added braid on the sleeves, and stitched black cuffs underneath. 12 gold buttons handsewn to the front finish it off!
Let us not talk about the braid dramas I had. Not in sewing it, but actually the store I bought it from. We will save that for another day when I feel like having a complain {that specific fiasco has drained me!}
The rest of the look needed to be awesome, but not over-powering the jacket. I didn't want him to look like he was in a costume {although he would have loved that probably!}. I chose plain black dropped-crotch ninja pants {because the kid dreams of being Kai from Ninjago} with a wide waistband and deep side pockets for shoving his Lego into.
These pants crack me up. I thought they would be hard to walk in, and although he walks a little slower {the shoes he was wearing are two sizes too big also!} he can still run and jump and flounce. He kept them on all afternoon and wanted to sleep in them too ^_^
They remind me of little black ninja pants, and Vincent is forever spinning around the loungeroom yelling, "NINJAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GO!"
I made a slouch beanie (click for tutorial!) from the bottom of an old black sweater
I finished off the look with a gold shirt. I used Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee pattern and made a slinky mustard-coloured tee. I practised drawing the bat a billion times, because I cannot draw, but eventually got the courage up to sketch the baby bat onto the tee using a fabric marker. I ironed interfacing onto the back of the front piece of the shirt so it wouldn't stretch out as much. This slinky fabric still stretched, but on my practice run one, the fabric hardly stretched at all and was stabilised well!
I took the interfacing off once I was finished and stitched the rest of the shirt up. Can I just say how pleased I am with the result? I cannot draw. At all. My sister and my mother are the artists of the family! But with enough practice, enough googling of 'how to draw a bat upside down' tutorials, I did it. Well good enough for me & the kid anyway!
My mum keeps calling it a possum. It's a bat if you thought it was a possum also!
I used Crayola Fabric Markers. I had recommendations for these bad boys and also Sharpie fabric markers, but the only ones I could get quickly was Crayola. Sharpie was on eBay for $33 postage from the US. Yeh... probably not aye.
I love bats, and Batman, and this is a subtle nod to the little guy who tears around the house with his 'gwapple hook' pretending to be Batman. My baby bat.
This guy is just pleased he doesn't have to have his life ruined for a photoshoot again.
I have the best outtakes of him flouncing away from me when I dared bring the WRONG MANDALORIAN mini figure. I'll save that for later though.
Hey, don't forget to VOTE!
and guys?
Thank you
52 comments
Remember I told you on instagram (I'm Beetyj) as soon as I knew you were competing that you would win? I think I am going to be proven correct! :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never voted PR&P before, but this did it. What an amazing job, and an amazing story. I may be a bit hormonal, but damnit, I cried.
ReplyDeleteYou had me at "hand drawn baby bat". A subtle, cool Batman reference is always a winner with me. You got my vote :)
ReplyDeleteSo Fun! I've never understood why people think boys are hard to sew for either!
ReplyDeleteMax I LOVE this! The jacket (not that I'm partial to that pattern ;-) but ooh the JACKET! And then the t-shirt - I was convinced you upcycled something that already had the bat on it and wondered why I never find the super cool t-shirts to upcycle. Kudos to you, this is just so well done.
ReplyDeleteI am astonished at how awesome your bat looks!! I have never tried that technique but I bet my two sweets would love to add some of their creations to a shirt or dress! Thanks for inspiring :) And I hope you win!!!
ReplyDeleteMe gusta tu estilo. Si mi hijo viese la camiseta me pediría una seguramente, pues le encantan los murciélagos.
ReplyDeleteSuerte en el PR&P
Hey Max, guess what? Yes, you made it and I believe you can pretty much win this! You're absolutely the greatest in my opinion, and I l o v e your style to the bones!!! Good luck (though I don't think you need it!).
ReplyDeleteI love the story of your tattoo. Those memories of your Opa are priceless! The bat is awesome!! My daughter loves the book Stellaluna so she would love this shirt as well.
ReplyDeleteOk now wait just a darned minute. Are you telling me you sketched that tee shirt?!!? That is unbelievable! It looks screen-printed. I am now even more impressed!
ReplyDeleteBoy, for "not being able to draw" that's a helluva awesome bat shirt. I adore it! And the lining of the jacket looks like a modern madras fabric. Your boy could totally pull it off and it's own piece.
ReplyDeleteI am so so happy that you chose to do a boy's outfit and I can't tell you how much I love it. You should be so proud of yourself. The jacket is just perfection and I can't believe you drew that bat. What do you mean you can't draw? It's amazing. The whole outfit is so well thought out. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou knocked this one out the park my friend. AMAZING!!! I love all the details you put into each piece. The jacket is my fave! The sentimental patchwork lining. Love love love it. I will not be at ALL surprised if I open up Prap on Monday morning and see that you got first place!
ReplyDeleteOh mine! Vincent is quite a trend setter! I LOVE the bat. And the jacket is simply awesome! Well done. Your style is unique and it certainly stands out. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI've been lovin' on your stuff for a long time now, back when we both submitted stuff for PR&P several seasons ago. I've been rooting for you all season and have been drooling over all your designs. Brilliant! It looks like the season is coming to a close and all I have to say is - GO GET IT GIRL!!! This competition is all yours! :)
ReplyDeleteAri, there are so many things to love about this outfit, I think I'd just be naming every detail! It's fresh, modern, fashion-forward but still very wearable and boyish, it's meaningful and sewn from the heart, it fits him fantastically, it has great color. You just nailed it, girl. Good luck in the voting!!
ReplyDeleteSo there's not much more that I can say that a: hasn't been said in previous comments, and b: that I haven't already said to you! But here it goes: From the beginning I have been so proud to have gained you as a close friend, your aesthetic is thoughtful insomuch as you think about your kiddos with each of your designs. I admire and respect that. I find you an inspiration because you think outside of the box, as I feel I do as well. I think that you have an excellent eye for color, and are a fearless seamstress. I am so thankful for everything that you share and I am exceedingly excited for your future! I will say it again: I wish we lived closer together!!! :-(
ReplyDeleteAnd you've stolen my heart with this look... This is the epitome of a Signature Look. The fact that you did the lining "from scraps", the electric tealsy blue jacket with that fantastic braid, the quality of the pieces, the accessories (you gotta have accessories for a competition am I right?!!!), and that too cool for school shirt! I love it so much! This is a "YES!" outfit; an outfit that is pushing trendy innovation! Truly, this will be a legacy for you!! I am so proud and send you and the rest of your fam a million electronic hugs and kisses!!!!!!
love,
kat
Once again you did an AMAZING job (bowing down--LOL!) I love love love that jacket! & the bat shirt is awesome too! I love the beanie which is also so very "on trend". He is a little superstar in training & a lucky boy to have such a creative mother! I just KNOW you are going to take the win so CONGRATULATIONS in advance on a job--or 6 weeks of jobs well done! I will continue to stalk your blog when it's all over--LOL!
ReplyDeleteI've been checking out all of your fantastic creations every week, but this one absolutely blew my mind! I think I might try to make a "big kid" version of that jacket for myself, haha. It's the absolutely coolest! And the bat shirt is killer!
ReplyDeleteEverything about this outfit screams cool! I love your coat I tried something similar last season in the sew along but it didn't turn out as awesome as yours (I still loved it).The whole Ninjago thing cracks me up my boys are totally into Ninjago! Y our baby bat is fantastic, very professional and totally cute :) The hat just tops it off, you couldn't ask for more in a boys outfit. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I love this so much! Your style is so stand out - you have my vote!
ReplyDeleteFrom head to toe I love this outfit. When I first saw the bat I thought for sure it was from a cool t-shirt you upcycled. I love the bat. I always thought you could win this competition but I didn't know how much you would bring it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you win.
ReplyDeleteFrom head to toe I love this outfit. When I first saw the bat I thought for sure it was from a cool t-shirt you upcycled. I love the bat. I always thought you could win this competition but I didn't know how much you would bring it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you win.
ReplyDeleteMax you did an amazing job! I have been reading for a while and I am so so happy you did a boy outfit for your signature look.. your boy stuff is what got me reading in the first place!!! I LOVE this outfit!!
ReplyDeleteAll the best!!! xx
I squeed a little bit at the Sgt Pepper jacket. Very awesome. Your boy looks super awesome as always.
ReplyDeleteMax. You are blowing me away! Voted!
ReplyDeletei WAS WAITING THIS MOMENT "sIGNATURE lOOK". Because I wanted to know what you will be do. And it is AMAZING, really!!! What a great outfit for a boy, I think he must love it. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! Was great could watch your outfits every week. Love your Opa history.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great outfit. I continue to be totally inspired by your boy sewing!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I am particularly fond of the jacket lining, although the whole Sargent Pepper look is beyond words. The sketched t-shirt, the slouch hat, the whole look.....wonderful! Thanks for your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteDonna @onceponasewingmachine.com
She says she can't draw pffffft.... I need to find these tutorials that end up making my drawings look that good! Amazing job, hands down the best! Congrats on winning PR&P ; D
ReplyDeleteHoly freaking amazing!!! That jacket is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Blogs like yours make me want to have a boy next! Congrats on getting this far and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. I hope you win!
ReplyDeleteHoly wow, this whole outfit had blown my mind and to read you made every little bit of it is amazing. Especially those drop crotch pants, I just paid 50$ for a pair of Minti ones for my son, you need to go into buisness, ha. This is my first time stumbling upon your blog, heading over to place a vote if it still open.
ReplyDeleteSheesh! When pr&p put up their competitors and I seen your pic I thought ooh a quirky one, this could be awesome! And I preceded to stalk through your blog projects and that was it, I had to follow you on my rss, I have two girls and twin boys and the girls are utterly girls and ott but I just had to do something for my boys, I hated the shop choices and that quirky look your guy rocks is exactly what I try to give them, they have their fair share of generic 'crap' also to fill in but I love giving them crazy different non-mainstream looks! Thanks for more inspiration! You have my vote! :) oh and your Aussie!? That counts too! ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent job every single week! Congrats for making it into the final 3!!!!
ReplyDeleteoh man girl. This is just the PERFECT signature look coming from you! The jacket is amazing and I love that you shared the story behind the lining. I love it! And I can't believe you drew that bat. It's awesome, of course you can draw! Every color and proportion works perfectly. Yay for boy clothes kicking some PRAP ass!
ReplyDeleteOUT OF THE PARK is all I have to say! That's where you hit the ball. Pretty much amazing! Go on....you can celebrate! I am so done with that jacket lining.
ReplyDeleteWow I love your bat shirt, it is so cute and I cannot believe you think you can't draw! I bought the Sharpie markers so I could design my own shirts but haven't been brave enough yet. If you still want the sharpie markers you can get them at Kmart or BigW - both stores had them on sale with all the back to school stuff. I think the 8 pack is normally $15 at BigW.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely voted for you!
ReplyDeleteLove the bat tee and you drew it?!!
Impressive, yet again.
Holy crap, dude! I came to check out more pics of Sgt. Vepper's rad jacket and I'm leaving with tears. Opa..."from scraps"...my golly that's the best story ever! And you drew that bat for the love of god!
ReplyDeleteYou are a winner and I think I love you!!
Holy crap, dude! I came to check out some mor pics of Sgt. Vepper's rad jacket and I'm leaving in tears. Opa...from scraps! That might just be the best tattoo story ever. And you drew that bat for the love of god!
ReplyDeleteYou are a winner for sure and I think I love you!!
LOVED everything about it! Everything.
ReplyDeleteDUDE. You won!!
ReplyDeleteWooohoo!!!!
So proud of you Ari. You are so creative and it shows in everything you make. I love how unique your clothing is.
Well done!
And congrats!
CONGRADULATIONS!!!!!!! there was no doubt in my mind you were going to win. This outfit is out of this world amazing. Both my kids need a jacket. I see an amzing future for you ;))) And don't forget the little people now that you have won. P.S. am I one of those no reply bloggers? With google+ I can't seem to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteOMG! OMG! OMG!!! I don't know why I am spool excited because I knew you would win ---- but this is amazing!! Now 'Everyone In The World' knows how amazing your work is!! Hope you will take time off and savor the sweet victory!
ReplyDeleteSally
OMG! OMG!! OMG!!! Don't know why I'm so surprised, because I knew all along you deserved it. It's just that now THE WHOLE WORLD knows how great your stuff is!! Hope you take time off to savor your sweet victory and squish those little models of yours!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Sally
I adore this look! The jacket is fabulous, and the lining "from scraps"...too cute and such a sweet story! Congrats on the win...you definitely deserved it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Max! I have been following this season of PR&P for the first time and have loved it! You have inspired me to do some sewing for my two boys as well as my little girl - have always been unsure what to do before! And now that she (at 3) looks at the pretty dresses I make and says, "Can't I just wear pants?", I'm resigned to a less frilly future anyway :)! And hooray for an Aussie win (I'm from Adelaide)!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Max! You deserved to win! This is the first season of PR&P I have followed and I have loved it! You have inspired me to sew for my two sons as well as my daughter - was never really sure what to make before. I'm going to tackle a jacket for my 11 year old! And now that my daughter (3 yo) looks at the pretty dress I've made her and says "Can't I just wear pants?", I'm looking at a less frilly future anyway! And hooray for an Aussie win (I'm from Adelaide)!!
ReplyDeleteI love it all, Max! I'm so super excited about you winning. Your designs through the entire series were just fabulous! BTW, the pants are my absolute favorite too. I've played around with a drop crotch pant several times now and just can't seem to get it right. Would love to see a tute on these or even a pattern when you're rested up from all of this.
ReplyDeleteSo when i saw you won i had one of those moments when a friend tells you some awesome news and you feel like somehow it happened to you as well.. yeah that just happened. Seriously though, that bat shirt is the coolest freehand i've seen in some time. I don't think you are allowed to say the words "i can't draw" ever again. :) Congrats lady, can't wait to see what amazing things you create with all that fabric.
ReplyDeleteMae
Well done on the win!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a pattern for the ninja pants at all? I can't seem to find one ... my sons would love ninjago pants too :)
You ROCK! I adore your bat (and the blazer!!!) and what an amazing gift to give your boy - the gift of uber coolness with a geeky twist. Love it! He'll hopefully never lose it and become part of a brand herd.
ReplyDeleteI love comments!