OWOP… Ideas and prizes!!!

Hi guys!

I’ve just come back from the most epic time at the sewing weekender, organised by the brilliant ladies at the Foldline. It was great to have a whole weekend to talk about sewing, fabric and garment construction!

Today I’ve got some more ideas about what you could use for your OWOP challenge, as well as a rundown of the awesome prizes that will be up for grabs EVERY DAY during OWOP.

Jane had some great suggestions for how to plan for OWOP here in her guest post here: do you still need convincing? Read on for some more ideas!

1) Using a dress pattern for separates:

In some patterns this is easy! You could just shorten a shift dress like the Colette Laurel or Sew Over It Ultimate Shift dress to be a cute woven t-shirt. Here’s my hacked Laurel top:

Last autumn, I used Butterick 6582 to make a top and pencil skirt set by cutting the pattern at the waist, adding length and then sewing them up separately. (Below is a picture of the toile for this – I failed to get good photos of the final outfit, and after my last move, I put it somewhere “very safe”. AKA I have no idea where it is to take more photos!)

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A post shared by Hannah E (@cinderellissews)

(If anyone wants a tutorial for this, just let me know in the comments!)

2) Use the the different views for work and play

I use my navy stripe laurel for work, but my stripe & floral one is definitely for play!

3) Hack those patterns!  Lengthen a summery pattern into a maxi dress, use a knit to make yourself some really chic secret pjs or if you want to keep things simple, just use that favourite fabric in your stash to whip up another version of that top that is in constant use!

Now, the prizes!! There are some really great prizes available to OWOP participants! One prize will be randomly drawn per day from everyone who has signed up on the original post. Thank you to all the brilliant suppliers who have so generously offered up a prize.

Day 1: Colette Patterns pattern of winner’s choice (open worldwide)

Day 2: Maud’s fabric finds 2x 1.5m jersey fabric (open worldwide)

Day 3: The Village Haberdashery £25 voucher (UK and Europe only)

Day 4: Sew Over It Pattern bundle, the Vintage dress collection PDF patterns (open worldwide)

Day 5: M is for Make 2m dressmaking fabric (excluding Liberty fabrics. UK and Europe only)

Day 6: Minerva crafts: £50 fabric bundle (open worldwide)

Day 7: White Tree Fabrics Tilly and the Buttons Bettine Dress kit, including pattern, fabric and notions. (UK only)

Don’t forget to sign up for a chance to win!

Welcome to… One Week, One Pattern 2016!

Anyone who has read my last few blog posts might have picked up on my teasers for an upcoming announcement – and here it is! One Week, One Pattern, or OWOP is a group sewing challenge, where the participants wear variations on one pattern every day for a week.

OWOP is about celebrating our Tried ‘n’ True patterns, the ones we’ve made lots of times in different variations, until we could practically make them in our sleep, tweaking the fit until it’s just right. It’s a good chance to think about your own style and what you like to wear! It was started up by Tilly and the Buttons in 2012, and then run by Handmade Jane in 2014. They have both kindly agreed to let me carry it on in 2016! Thanks ladies!

So here are the details:

What is OWOP?
One Week, One Pattern is a group challenge where participants wear garments from one pattern of their choice, every day for one week.

When will OWOP take place?
Saturday 10^th – Friday 16^th September 2016

Who can take part?
Anyone! You could be a beginner trying to wear more of that first skirt, or an advanced sewist with a full handmade wardrobe looking for a fun challenge.

Which pattern should I use?
You can use any pattern – Big 4, Indie, from a book, self-drafted or vintage. As long as you’ve sewn it yourself you can use it!

How many versions of a pattern do I need to take part? That’s entirely up to you! You could have one version that you style differently every day for a week – like some cute handmade trousers styled with different tops and accessories OR you could have 7 pairs and change them every day!

Do I need to sew any new garments especially for OWOP? Nope! You can wear the versions you’ve already made! But maybe this is the excuse you need to make it again, perhaps with a different neckline, or hemline, or in that scrummy fabric you’ve been hoarding? OWOP starts in 6 weeks, so you do still have time if you do want to make anything!

How do I sign up?
Leave a comment on this post with the following details:

Pattern company + pattern name + garment type

(e.g. Tilly and the Buttons, Bettine dress; OR Colette, Laurel dress; OR Sew Over It, Ultimate Trousers) If you’re undecided just sign up now and then you can decide later!

Then, from the 10^th September, wear your chosen pattern for 7 consecutive days! Take a photo each day to show how you styled them. If you don’t like posing you can put them on a hanger, lay them out or crop yourself out. Then post your photos! You can do this any of the following ways:

• On Instagram, using #OWOP16
• On your blog. Please make sure there’s a link to this in your sign-up comment.
• On Flickr. I’ll be posting details of the Flickr group later closer to the time.
• Email me your photos. Please leave a note in your sign up comment if you’d like to do this.

I’ll then do a roundup of some of your outfits during the week. Please let me know if you’d rather I didn’t include your photos in my roundup! Otherwise I will assume you are happy for me to use them.

Is there a logo I can add to my blog?
If you’d like to add the logo to your blog, you can download it here.

Anything else?
There will be some exciting guest posts coming up in the next few weeks! I’ve also arranged some really exciting giveaways for each day – make sure you’re signed up here to win! I’ll be posting more details closer to the time!

Any questions? Let me know in the comments below.