Project Run & Play sew along {week 5: At the movies}

For this weeks Project Run and Play challenge the theme was at the movies. It could be an outfit inspired by a movie or an outfit recreated from a movie. I chose to recreate an outfit from one of our most beloved movies…The Lorax. The kiddo’ had already decided that they wanted to be characters from The Lorax so this was the perfect opportunity to get a head start on their Halloween costumes. I had high hopes of making the lorax and a brown barbaloot for the girls but after spending many-many hours on one pair of pants I knew that that was just not going to happen. Maybe if I would have started working on the design before Monday I could have done it, but for some reason I never seemed to be able to start until Mondays.Here is the Once-ler’s outfit that I used as an inspiration.

It seemed like a pretty straight forward design, but really this outfit took more time to make then any of the others, by far!But it was well worth it, this little guy couldn’t be more excited about it. Plus watching him act out the scenes in his Once-ler outfit is just ridiculously cute!What I love  most about this little guys Once-ler outfit is that it is handmade from top to bottom. I will admit, I almost bought a white tee and a hat, but that totally would have been cheating. Way easier yes, but cheating.

The first item I made was the hat. I basically just made it up while I went along. I measured his head and then just made the brim a few inches larger then his head measurement. Then  from there I just basically made an oval fabric basket and attached that to the brim. The hat is even  fully lined with the same fabric that is on the outside. Next was this basic white tee, but instead of just folding over and top stitching the edges I tried to stay true to the actual Once-ler’s outfit and sewed on an extra folded edge to the sleeves and collar. It definately gives it a more professional look. Then came the pants… oh those pants! They seemed pretty basic in design, but if you look really close you will see how perfectly all the stripes line up on his pants and yes, I decided I had to do that. Unfortunately I wasn’t working with just stripes, so I had to make sure that the lines were lined up vertically and horizontally. I knew that uneven lines would make all the difference between an ok pair of pants and a great pair of pants.

I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I seam ripped these pants. The pockets were by far the hardest thing to do. I have never made a real pair of pants (other then pj or yoga pants) before let alone a pair of pants with real pockets. Then put in the challenge of all those stipes…oh frustrating!  Oh and did I mention that I only had 1/2 yard of this fabric? So I had no room mess-ups. Plus when I first decided to sew along with this seasons Project Run and Play I told myself that I would not refer to any patterns or tutorials if I got stuck…no matter what. I just felt that referring to them would change my design and get me more confused. I am one that learns best by trial and error even if it takes me hours to figure it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I almost googled “how to sew pants pockets,” but proud to say I didn’t. Now that they are done, I just love them! But more importantly so does my little guy. And trust me, he has been the hardest critic! Oh just look at those lines and humor me because my son surely hasn’t! In the back of the pants I put in an elastic waist and kept the front of the pants a straight fit. The reality of it is that these pants are going to be worn for Halloween and that is months from now, so I had to make sure they would allow for growth. So they do look a little bunched in the back and a little longer then they should due to that reason.Of course every Once-ler needs an axe. I made it mostly out of brown felt and leftover wool from the hat. I filled the handle with a wooden dowel and lots of batting. Like a whole bag of batting to be exact.

Now all I have to make is a lorax and a brown barbaloot costume and we are ready for Halloween.

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