Project Runway Date Night By: Sarah Martin My husband and I are not super stylish people, but we LOVE watching Project Runway! Our lack of fashion knowledge almost makes it more enjoyable because a lot of the time we have no idea how the judges will react. We were getting towards the end of a season, and I knew that I wanted to make a date night out of watching the season finale. Here’s what I came up with (with the help of Google and Pinterest searches). Invitation: I created a tiny little invite in Word and cut it down to size. {Note: Judges vote the designers IN or OUT at the end of each episode. Hence, my wording} Then, I taped it to an empty spool and wrapped it around (text on the inside). Finally, I wrapped it in embroidery floss to make it look like a spool full of thread, and wrote “Unwind me…” on the end. I slipped it in my husband’s pocket so I knew he’d find it that day.
Décor: At the beginning of each episode, the designers go to Mood Fabrics to buy their materials. I cleared off our little bookshelf to create my own mini Mood. I grabbed pieces of our clothing (mostly shirts since they’re rectangular) in various colors and patterns, rolled them up, and stacked them – just how they are at Mood. I also made a sign using scrapbooking paper – although you could easily print one out.
Then, I turned our dining room table into the designers’ workroom. I covered it in muslin, but any sheet/tablecloth/piece of fabric would work. I raided my sewing supply (and my mother’s) for items to decorate. Finally, I printed Tim Gunn’s catchphrase “make it work” and stuck it in a frame (You can print it HERE) Dessert also served as décor – see below for description.
Dinner: For dinner, I made a few kinds of pasta and a few different sauces so we could “design our own” pasta. Obviously, bowtie pasta is a good themed choice. You could easily use the “design your own” concept for baked potatoes, sandwiches, tacos, etc. if pasta doesn’t appeal to you. Dessert: For dessert, I made two different treats: spools of thread and button cookies. For the spools, I painted marshmallows with food coloring and stuck them between Golden Oreos (minus the frosting). Instead of food coloring, you could buy flavored (thus, colored) marshmallows, or dip them in melted baking chips.
For the button cookies, I used snickerdoodle dough. I think any cookie dough without giant chucks of chocolate, candy, etc. would work. I baked the cookies and IMMEDIATELY after pulling them out of the oven, used a straw to create the button holes. They were easy and delicious!
During the Show: I created my own score cards so that we could judge along with the judges (you can print yours HERE). You never get to see what’s on them during the show, so I just put a name field, four categories to rank, and a space for extra comments. Here is my interpretation: Some Extra Fun: Concept: Is it original? Is it interesting? Do you like the idea of it? Construction: Is it well-made? Does it fit the model well? Styling: Do the hair, make up, shoes, and accessories add to the overall look?
I printed the judging criteria on white cardstock and printed the show’s logo on red cardstock. Then, I glued the two sheets together and cut out the cards. My husband loved playing along with the show and the judges agreed with our choice for the winner! A good way to end the night miiiiiight just be a private lingerie fashion show for your man. Work that runway! 😉
W.O.W.! Sarah thought of EVERYTHING! She definitely deserved to win! Thank you SO much Sarah for sharing your creativity with us!
