Project Runway Chat Thread

I've been participating in the Project Runway series since #13. At first I was hit and miss on the contest, but recently I've been rather regular at finishing. I have enjoyed participating in those contests and seeing the creations that each of you has put forth.
But I have a dilemma. In the past six contests, of which one I did not finish, I have had two first and two second place finishes. While it is nice to be a winner I am feeling guilty for this. The purpose of this contest, as I see it, is to get those with moderate experience to try their hand at something new. I am concerned that you, the other contestants, are becoming disillusioned. The contest has had quite a few people drop out; I hope it is just due to the summer vacation time, but there is a lingering doubt that my success is part of the problem.
I have been sewing for over 50 years. I can do almost every type of needlework there is. I have stockpiles of materials, trims, accents, and assorted miscellaneous parts to work with. While my attic space is half fabric and crafts, a quarter of it is doll props. I am retired, so I have more time available to sew. I probably own more dolls than all of you put together.
I don't want to withdraw from Project Runway, but I don't feel that I should continue to compete without knowing that you harbor no animosity toward me. I am willing to enter my creations but not have them judged, if you would prefer that.
I've been putting up quite a bit of detail on how I created things in hopes that the newer contestants could pick up hints on how to create ideas, to work around problems; for example the armor tiles and the fishing rod. If I can stir the creativity in any of you I will be happy.
I had sent a similar note to elfmoon who suggested that I put the choice to you, my fellow designers. Please let me know what you think so I can make an acceptable decision.

 

LadyFeather you are a joy to have here in PR and your work is phenomenal and absolutely inspiring!!! Your work has personally lit a fire under my rear-end to up my sewing skills which has been a huge help for me. You are one of the heart and souls of these challenges and I always look forward to your entries. It didn't even occur to me that you have won so many challenges recently because winning these contests to me isn't the point; the point is to get together with other passionate, creative souls to make outfits inspired by the themes set by our lovely hostess and judges. I feel that without your entries PR would not be as inspiring or as fun because yes in a way your raise the bar for us designers who aren't on your level and that is a GOOD thing. Personally I strive to try and perfect my designs now which is something I don't feel I would have accomplished previously if you had not been here. Your work is so amazing to me that I would love to be able to reach the point you are at now.

I personally did not sign up for the Sand and Surf challenge because of summer time. I also didn't feel inspired by that challenge as I had for the others so in no way for me was it about animosity towards any of our fellow contestants. I just wanted a little break from sewing, focus on my health, enjoy my summer and spend a little less time inside lol. If anyone is holding animosity towards you for your awesome skills and amazing entries then that is their own issue. Personally I feel everyone no matter the skill level should be able to join and participate and win these contests and not feel guilty at all. I have placed twice now and I am very proud of my little Georgie who won both and myself because it helped me study sewing more so I can continue to improve. So you be proud of all your entries even the ones that didn't win and you own those! You are such an inspiration like I said and deserve your ribbons. After all this is just a sewing game on a BJD forum with photoshopped rosettes on the winning glamour photos.

If you feel you want to be able to enter your designs but not be judged then that is YOUR choice. I personally do not care whether you take first place in all challenges but I only enter these for the fun and experience. I don't even ask for the judges to critique my work because I want to advance my skill on my own. Its not because I can't take constructive critique I just do this for fun. My entries are for my own use and if they don't win that's fine! So long as everyone is having fun with these challenges is how I see it.

This is just my point of view and I hope I helped eased your worries a bit. I can't speak for everyone else but I really do feel PR would not be the same without you. Reading your updates on how you have tackled the armor and other elements of your projects has been really cool! And as I said the choice is yours on if you continue to be able to win the challenges; just don't leave us completely because I would miss your inspirations and advice!

 

LadyFeather: I too am glad to see you enter the contests. Your designs are always so spot on and well executed. Of course, it is nice to win but that is not why I enter the contests. I have been doing them since the outer space challenge a couple years ago. If it were not for these contests, Mookie would be wearing the same outfit that I first bought for him. Since I consider the dolls expensive, I told myself that I would not spend more money on clothes except for that first outfit I bought so he wouldn't be naked all the time. Whatever the theme of the contest is how Mookie is dressed until the next contest.

Personally, I think of it more as a showcase of ideas than a contest. I am sure it is tough for the judges to decide who wins when there are so many creative and well done entries. If I am satisfied with what I produce, then consider myself a winner anyway. I think your wins were well deserved and I certainly don't begrudge the recognition you received for the excellence of your work.

 

Ladyfeather, I here what you are saying I've had quite a lot of designs in 1st, 2nd and 3rd (I'd have to go back and count) I've been doing them since Challenge 5. For me they get me motivated to actually create clothing for my dolls and though I don't always place which doesn't matter to me I am always happy with the creations I made. And I'm the same I have totes upon totes (and bolts) of fabric. Though I'm not sure how many dolls you have I'm sure I'm right there with you..lol. I enjoy seeing everyone's designs and I hope that people join this not to place but to have fun and create great costumes for there dolls. Heck some day I'm going to go back and do some of the ones that I missed just for the fun of it..if I could ever figure out the first 4 challenges..lol. By my count so far there has been 30 challenges (31 counting the one about to start) and I've participated in 20. wow that means I have 10 to make up for lol. I hope to see more people keep entering its inspiring to see others designs.
Now to figure out who to enter in the next challenge so many ideas for Leather and Fur, so many different directions to go..so that will be my challenge for this one..lol

 

LadyFeather please don't feel you need to stop participating in PR, you are an inspiration to us all and I personally love your creativity and you are certainly worthy of your success. I like to participate in PR for the opportunity to create outfits I never would have considered for my dolls as well as improving my own sewing skills.

 

LadyFeather you are excellent master and talented designer. I am happy to look at your creativity, you deserved every award. Your choice is your choice, but to compete with you is an honor for me. I think the important thing is not to win but to experience, exchange of ideas and communication with other talented and enthusiastic people.

As for me, I can't participate often due to my health, to my regret. I would like to do a lot, but it is necessary to distribute power. In addition, English is not my native language and I speak a little difficult, sorry for this. And now my team doing a fan-stand about BJD on locative festival, if I have time I will take part in the next competition, "The Fur and Leather" - cool theme! I love PR!

 

Witchcraft
Thank you for your lovely words. That I have inspired you to improve your sewing skills is something that makes me very happy. I appreciate your taking your time to write such an overwhelming endorsement for me. I too do this for fun; that plus the fact I have neglected my dolls for some time and they are in dire need of new clothes. In some cases they are just in dire need of clothes!
Your entries show the effort you put into creating something different. I put the updates online so perhaps someone can benefit from how I have assembled/created/thrown together without too much thought of what would be the result. Most of the time it is a success but not always. I've thrown some projects out and restarted.

namaro
I love your outfits for your little Mookie. Your creativity shows brilliantly through them. While you work so easily with the tiny doll for me it's getting the courage to work with chiffon on such a small doll. Kudos to you for doing it on a regular basis. I only have one real tiny doll and I haven't begun to dress her. She will be Sumomo, the small personal computer from Chobits to go with my Chii, thus the chiffon for the harem outfit. I even managed to obtain the pointed shoes/feet for her. Like you most of the dolls I've used for the PR challenges needed clothes. And, like you, most of them are still in those outfits and will be until they are volunteered for another project.

Kitty Blue
I find your work to be very creative, and I look forward to seeing what you will do next.
I too have some outfits that I cut out and never finished for the challenge; I had to bow out due to lack of time to finish. it bothers me that the last two were the winter ones that I really wanted to do. Perhaps we can both put our unfinished outfits here for our mutual perusal!
And I still have you beat in resin; when my two llamas get here I will be up to 113 lovely distractions. I've also enabled my daughter into the resin addiction and she has 36 I believe. She prefers the middles [quarter scale] and the littles while my preference is the big boys.

frenchaddict
I will not stop participating, I love it too much to do so. If I can inspire someone to do something remarkable then I am happy. I would love to see some more of your work if you can find the time to create something. I know how difficult it can be if you have to work and try to keep up a hobby. That's why so many of my dolls are in need of dressing. It was easy to purchase them while working, but not so easy to dress them up as I wanted.

TinHao
Your work inspires me to do better. The wire work you did on the one outfit just blew me away. I can't get anything to come out that precise, even with practice. I guess my fingers are too fat! You are very skilled; it shows in the entries you have been able to submit. Even the picture I saw of your rock star, who was not a PR entry, was exquisite. I would love to see a group shot of your rock band; you do excellent work. It is a shame that your participation is limited by your health. And you shouldn't worry about your language skills - you communicate quite well. I have seen much worse.

To all of you:
I hear you and understand that it seems you wish for me to continue to compete. It is very heartwarming to hear that I am considered an inspiration for some of you. That makes me feel better than winning any contest. I feel that sharing our pitfalls and successes are an integral part of this challenge; one cannot learn if one is not shown new things to try. Even my daughter said she wishes she paid more attention when I tried to teach her to sew. My son sews better than she does and she doesn't like that; both are in the SCA [Society for Creative Anachronism] and make period clothes to wear.
When you are chosen to win something like this there is a thrill associated with it that can't be duplicated. It works wonders for someone who is not fully secure in their abilities and skills; to receive a win is a great spirit booster and makes them want to try harder to do it again. I want to see that for each and every participant in these PR challenges.
Now, enough about that. I asked if this was OK and was told it was fine. I would like to make two outfits for this next challenge, each staying within the limits, very possibly even making both within the limits. It was almost done with the Count of Monte Cristo - I think I figured 30$US for the two characters. I will post one in the PR thread as my official entry but the second I will post here. Both outfits will be the same style of theme but completely different in their final appearance; it will show how choice of fabrics can change the whole end result of the outfit. All too often I was torn between two different versions of an outfit I made. This current challenge is one of them and I still haven't figured out which one will be the official entry.
Finally, if you're interested, I put together pictures of some of the themed doll meets my daughter and I have done over the past five-six years . We haven't been able to do any this past year due to not having a library for our meets.
If you have questions how anything was created please ask. I am willing to share my secrets!

This is our doll meet pictures; just click on the first file name and you will be able to cruise thru the whole list [310 images]:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/knzc03axido4x02/AABwsnU3Dy5T5g-KYa8_sM5ja?dl=0

 

Ladyfeather: well just counting your own I am over that amount (just had to count and I surprised myself), but if you include your dtrs then I'm not quite there yet..lol (a few on their way as well that I didn't count). It makes deciding who to use for the next round even more difficult when you have so many!!

I think PR is the best way for everyone to test abilities, to try new things...I know i've seen quite a few amazing designs details over the years that I keep meaning to figure out and try my hand with..just need to find the time..work and other hobbies get in the way and as of late I've become far too lazy and disinterested in my dolls (and so much more) so PR is a way for me to also try and re salvage that interest and push me to get off the couch and accomplish things. I'm in no way a professional, even though I may hold a Fashion Degree there are a lot of skills that I was not taught and again with no time to try and keep those ideas fresh or to try new things..that is the most frustrating part of all. I want to improve myself but it never seems to be in the cards. I'm really hoping to have time to do this next challenge and look forward to seeing all the creative ideas for this theme.

 

Hi! I'm a PR newbie, sneaking in under the wire this time... I don't really have an opinion about the current discussion other than to say I think it's awesome to have as many people as possible participating, regardless of who wins, because half the fun of challenges like this is seeing what everybody else does with the theme! I've been kind of lurking around the PR stuff even before I dissapeared from DoA for a while, and I love looking at the results. I think it will be fun to participate. And motivating. Need motivating.

Also, I don't really know if it's the right place to ask, but I just wanted to make sure... the Leather/Fur thing is a theme rather than a restriction, right? I mean we're not required to make 100% of the outfit from those two materials, just an outfit that features them prominently?

I must admit part of my excitement at finding this contest last minute is that I have a humungous bag of faux leather strips that I got in a craft order without realizing just how humungous it was gonna be... This should be fun ^.^

(edited to fix grammar fail)

 

first, welcome! I think we all appreciate having new members with their new ideas.
Yes, this is the best place to ask questions unless you go straight to elfmoon; she's the one who has say on what is acceptable and what is not. And you are correct that the two materials need to be used, but not to make the entire outfit. They should stand out when looking at the outfit. Perhaps the best way to describe it would be build the outfit around the two materials. And don't forget the accessory!

 

Derp, I just went back and read it again, apparently in my last 2 readings I somehow missed the sentance "Fabric can also be used." Thanks for answering me, even though I should've figured it out myself ^.^;

I'm a bit excited about my idea for the theme, I think my problem will be too many accessories rather than missing any... though I don't know if axes and shields count as fashion. I've been digging through my craft stash tonight, I think the only thing I'm actually going to have to buy is fur... which is cool, since it fits my secondary crafting goal of shrinking my stash a bit...

Although in order to buy fur I will have to set foot in the fabric store, which tends to cause stash growth even when I don't want it to...

 

I seem to be missing one of the first four (I think #2 maybe?), but here's my best approximation of the other three. Maybe someone else can chime in with more details.

1) An outfit to go from a pool party during the day to an elegant party at night.
2) An outfit based on one of the four elements. People picked their top two choices and were assigned an element on a first come-first served basis.
3) The first Glitz and Glamour Project Runway logo challenge

 

Well, I was so eager to start that I forgot to take pictures of the materials before I cut out everything, so you get pictures of the pieces. I am making the same outfit only out of different materials. Outfit A is my submission, Outfit B will only be posted here in the chat thread. Elfmoon said it was fine to do this.

I had everything I needed for outfit A but for outfit B I needed a piece of either silver or white vinyl. I ran around all day looking for silver or white vinyl; the white vinyl I had was too heavy to use. Joanns was useless as usual; AC Moore had very little in the leather line, nothing anywhere near white. I did pick up a rather large piece of medium grey leather in one of their scrap packs. I even wandered through a few dollar stores; they should have vinyl tote bags or tablecloths or something, right? Nope, total strikeout for the day.
So I was back to my original choice for outfit B. I have a piece of stretch material that is vinylized. It is thin and if you leave it folded on itself for a length of time it sticks together, especially when kept in a hot attic. But it IS vinyl [plastic], albeit very thin, on a cloth backing; that's what I finally used for outfit B.
The fact that this vinyl isn't what is normally thought of as vinyl is why the silver outfit is not my main choice, although if I had found an appropriate vinyl I would have chosen it as my submission in a heartbeat. I really preferred that version.
The furs used are fake furs – the one for A is a piece I bought for a vest I never made while the other is a leftover from my dragonfly girl. A few odd pieces of materials are used for the shirts and bandanas. Yes, bandanas - I'm doing a cowboy theme, complete with chaps. Outfit A is an American mountain cowboy while Outfit B is a rhinestone cowboy - complete with rhinestones. And it is G-rated although a more racy version was running through my mind while I planned the outfit. I may do that for one of my more buff dolls.

Outfit A - Western

The jacket is almost finished; the fringe is real suede. It was a defective piece I picked up somewhere that I can't remember. The fringe was cut on an angle and it was only an 18" piece. I had an inch left over. You can't see the hatband but it is a piece of leather that sort of looks like snakeskin, if there are navy blue snakes that is.

Outfit B - Rhinestone

About the only thing done here is the making of the holsters. I got a piece of stick-on vinyl from my daughter-in-law and bound it to the cloth vinyl to stiffen it. The shirt material and the fake fur both have silver threads in them. I have a silver hat band but haven't received the [hopefully right sized] white cowboy hat yet. That was another item that was difficult to find due to the size needed.

Information on chaps:
Shotgun chaps get their name from their straight design, similar to a shotgun barrel. They are the original style of chap for working cowboys. Shotgun chaps run the full length of the leg, and are typically closed around the leg from top to bottom. Modern shotgun chaps are usually made with a zipper or other fasteners running from the top of the leg to the bottom to make them easy to put on and take off. Older shotgun chaps - or new ones designed on an older style - might be enclosed from top to bottom requiring the rider to step into them like a pair of jeans. Information from:

http://www.cowboyway.com/Dictionary/Letter-C.htm

Woolies are a variation on shotgun chaps, made with a fleece or with hair-on cowhide, often angora, lined with canvas on the inside. They are the warmest chaps, associated with the northern plains and Rocky Mountains. They appeared on the Great Plains somewhere around 1887. Woolies, some Zamorros, and a few other historic or ethnic styles may be made with the hair or wool still on the hide, usually cowhide, sheepskin, or Angora goat skin. Historically, they also included seal, bear, and buffalo. Information from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaps

 

Starting to look amazing as always LadyFeather! I cannot wait to see both outfits completed. I grew up on a farm and have had horses all my life until the past 5 years so I am super excited to see your cowboy.

Going shopping tonight for some fabrics; I will only make the long trek to JoAnn's so I doubt I will be getting any good leather pieces. Might have to just do online for that. Sometimes rural living has its downfalls like the closest big fabric store being 20 minutes away. I have plenty of furs I've tanned myself over the years but I found some scrap fun-fur I am leaning towards lol. My vision for this challenge is a warrior faery.

 

Woo! progress! I'm glad we're allowed to post photos, I meant to post and ask, but since y'all are posting, I'm figuring it's ok ^.^

I took some progress/materials photos... they're kind of awful, but I'm more interested on working on the project than taking pictures of it hehe
Project Runway Stuff by Glomgrey, on Flickr
Project Runway Bag by Glomgrey, on Flickr
The first one looks like a pile of junk, I know, but it's my materials, a bag, and a half-sewn tunic... I've got some faux suede, lots of faux leather lacing, some real leather scraps, some fabric and the fur is on the bottom... The second one is me making up a weaving technique to turn faux leather lace into a bag. I'm going to try and make some "armor" using that same kind of idea...

My outfit is going to be kind of... fantasy viking-ish? I'm looking forward to taking my doll out to the forest or something to take some photos once I'm done...

 

fabulous ideas so far..I am hoping I can get to mine, but have been way to busy to even think about it..ugh. I have several ideas floating around but trying to figure out which to stick to.

Elfmoon quick question, I have a few Dollmore Trinity dolls if I lean towards one direction in my design I'd like to use one of my other scuplts instead of my Klaire sculpt that I posted in the forum would this be ok since they all have the same exact bodies? If not thats fine I can always post photos of the other girl in it elsewhere.

 

Mini rant warning: JoAnn's was a bust the other day (go figure) so I went online to order some leather off Etsy. Found the perfect remnant for only $2 along with a few odds and ends for the project. Ordered the items Tuesday night; only today do I get a message from the seller saying the remnant is no longer available! But when I go onto her shop she still has the item listed for sale. Yikes! Thankfully she refunded me the $2 (plus a portion of the shipping) so I was able to get different leather from another shop. Would have really been nice to know back on Tuesday when I ordered the fabric though. I messaged her to let her know people can still add that item to their cart so hopefully she will correct that soon. Now I am going to have to re-think my color scheme for this one...wish me luck? lol

 

[MENTION=64898]Glomgrey[/MENTION]: Very interesting ideas there. Looking froward to the finished products.
[MENTION=63373]Witchcraft[/MENTION]: Oh yeah, I know how totally useless Joann's is. If it isn't a kindergarten craft [one that requires little or no skill/intelligence] then they don't carry parts for it. Or try asking for rib knit or an ink pad. And your Etsy vendor should have pulled the item when she informed you that it was sold. Evidently she doesn't keep very good track of her stock. I know that you'll come up with a very accommodating color scheme to replace the one you were going to use. Buckets of Luck to you! Oh, and the white hat fits perfectly!

 

Our JoAnn's is 20 minutes down the mountain from me and very small so I don't even know why I make the trek lol! But I always go in with fingers crossed. They deal more with the local Mennonite community so their fabric section is huge but more broad, symphony and duck cloth than anything super useful. I love the huge fabric barn that is 40 minutes away but I only like to go when I need to stockpile. Gas still isn't cheap enough lol! I just checked and she still didn't pull the listing! Its a shame because she has a lot of cool stuff in her shop so I hope the other items I ordered arrive okay because I would love to purchase some beads and fixings from her in the future. Maybe she just has too much stuff and like you said isn't very well organized. Hopefully she will pull it soon!

Glomgrey- I just saw your pictures and wow! I love the weaving you are doing! I can't wait to see your entry I love vikings!

 

hope you are feeling better soon, Elfmoon.

 

I hope you are feeling better elfmoon! Best of wishes sent your way!

Finally received my second order so I am anxious to get this under way. They aren't the colors I originally planned but after my first failed attempt at procuring leather I am not going to stress lol. Still debating the feathers...not sure if I like them with this color scheme.

 

has there been a new challenge announced yet? :dont wanna miss it!:

 

Thank you many times over for all you have done. So sorry to hear of your health troubles. Mookie and I hope you will soon be feeling better.

 

I have a feeling that your health problems aren't easily solved, thus your decision to quit Project Runway. I wish it weren't so if that is true. Even so, I wish you a speedy recovery. Thanks for all your work, even though it was done under less than perfect conditions.

To all of you who have participated in this project, I shall miss your entries and your conversations. Since Project Runway is/was the only reason I visited DOA for the past few years I probably will not return. Good luck to everyone in future projects and endeavors.

 

I'm so sorry to here of your continued illness Elfmoon it has been a pleasure to get to know you and I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say we are very appreciative to you for leading project runway for so many years. It will definitely be missed. I must admit along with Ladyfeather it was one of the only things that has kept me coming back each month to DoA besides the marketplace..lol. I'ts been great to see so many creative designs over the years. It pushed me to get back in the sewing room and finish much needed garments for my dolls. I still have many of the challenges to go back and do that I missed..lol. Maybe I'll open a gallery thread once I complete them all. We shall see. Thanks to everyone for their participation and making this game/challenge so much fun, keep on creating and it was great getting to know all of you and viewing your creations.

Get well soon Elfmoon. and your doggie is a cutie

 

I am so sorry to hear your health condition, Elfmoon. I hope you soon get better. I was always happy to participate, I enjoyed all games, thank you for your hard work to organize these challenges.
I learned lots of things from the other participants.

 

I am sorry to hear Elfmoon that your health prevents your ongoing commitment to PR that must have been hard for you to come to that decision, I really hope you feel better, and what a lovely companion Yoda is I am sure he brings you much joy. I have really enjoyed participating in the challenges and seeing and being inspired by everyones creativity, thank-you Elfmoon for organizing PR for so long, you will be missed.

 

Elfmoon thank you so much for all your work, please take care of yourself. (Yoda looks like a sweety!) i loved these challenges and will really miss everyone involved, the creativity and inspiration. im sorry it is ending, thank you.

 

As a sufferer from Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis I completely understand your reasons for leaving PR! I also have been struggling with my health lately and was the reason I ended up not finishing the last challenge. Its been a fun ride while I was able to compete so I will miss it! But our health always comes first. Thank you for all you did elfmoon and please take care of yourself!

I will miss seeing everyone's entries and chatting with you guys so thank you for all the memories! I too only come to DOA anymore for PR and browsing so after the current swap I am in I too won't be around as much. But I'll remember all of you folks from PR dearly. It was so much fun and wish everyone the best in health and life!

 

So sad to hear this news, Elfmoon thank you so much for all the time and work you put into Project Runway, it's been so much fun for me. Thank you to all the ladies for the pleasure of getting to know through this challenge. I will miss the fun so much.
I have been so busy with packing up for my move to Wyoming. I hope I have the pleasure of joining you ladies in some future projects.......will really miss this challenge.
Elfmoon I wish you the very best, again, thank you so much!

 

Just thought I'd add in a few photos of mine that I saw missing. I was blessed to have had a few 1st and 2nd place and even a 3rd place. I definitely might add a PR gallery album of all my entries her on DoA...and as I said earlier if I can find out the earlier PR games I missed and the others through out the 8 yrs I plan on going back and re doing them just for the fun of it. Once again I'd like to say I'm sure going to miss the challenges and all of the designers fabulously talented garments.
I have all of them listed on my FB already: BJD Project Runway Challenges | Facebook