July 14, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Sewing it all together: Hartman taking part in Project Run and Play

Growing up, St. Joseph resident Emily Hartman used to watch her mother and grandmother sew.
They would create one-of-a-kind, custom-made clothes for her that fit perfectly.

Now, Hartman is doing the same for her own daughters Claire and Juliet.

Hartman said she learned to do some basic sewing in a home economics class in high school and at that point could cut out patterns and fabric for her mom to sew if she wanted a specific outfit. When Claire was three, Emily received her grandma’s sewing machine because she wasn’t sewing anymore.

“At that point, Pinterest was big and I found lots of resources to teach myself more,” Hartman said.

Hartman said she doesn’t sell the clothes she creates, but she does give them as gifts.

“Nothing beats a handmade gift that perfectly fits a hard-to-fit person — whether that’s their body shape or personality,” she said.

Now, the world is getting to see Hartman’s creations as she participates in Project Run and Play.
The project is the blogger’s version of Project Runway, but for kids.

Each week, the designers are challenged to create the best outfit based on a theme.

A panel of “celebrity” judges awards them a score in each category, and then a reader’s poll is opened. Readers are allowed to vote once each week for the design they like the most, and at the end of the week, the score is tallied. The winner is announced, and the person with the lowest votes is “sent home.”

This winter, Hartman spent a lot of time with her mother, who was hospitalized. She would often sit in her mother’s hospital room with a computer or phone just keeping her company. She saw that the competition was looking for new designers and applied, which entailed submitting one picture representative of her work.

A few days after my mom passed in January, she was asked to join the contest.

“I’d barely remembered applying,” Hartman said. “Everything had been so chaotic the previous weeks, and I had no expectation of being picked anyway.”

She knew her mother, who was her biggest supporter, would want her to participate. So she agreed to do so.

Each week of the contest has a theme that the designers use to create designs.

“Some ideas come to me very quickly,” Hartman said.

The first week, Hartman was inspired by the material she used.

In the second week, designs were selected because she wanted to try out a new technique. Sometimes, she gets ideas from the clothing she sees in the stores, and her children sometimes give her ideas on what they would like to wear.


Hartman said the most challenging part of the contest has been coming up with ideas for the themes and making sure she wasn’t accidentally copying another designer’s work that she had seen somewhere. Plus, making time to sew.

“I’ve got two daughters, and all of their activities to attend, along with all the other day-to-day things,” she said. “Thinking of new ideas and finding the motivation to work while spending time with my family and grieving the loss of my mom has been tough.”

Hartman finds the time to sew by doing so at night after her kids go to bed, for maybe an hour at a time. On the weekends, she may work for a couple of hours in a row. She has a projector mounted above her cutting table which projects patterns directly onto the fabric, so she can skip the pattern-cutting part altogether, and that is a huge timesaver, she said.

Plus, Hartman said with practice, she has gotten more efficient with her time.

“Things like embroidery I can take along with me and work on while I’m riding in the car or waiting on a kid to get out of practice,” she said.

She also gains experience and helps other designers by testing patterns before they go on sale to the public. Hartman said testers look at every size and make sure it is true to size, the tutorial isn’t confusing or missing steps and provides proofreading and feedback.

“Usually this involves a fitting step, where you make part of the garment, or use an inexpensive material to make sure that no adjustments are needed,” she said. “Then you make a final product and take pictures that are used in the pattern listing, the pattern itself and advertising. Some like really stylized photoshoots and others like things more basic. In return, I get free patterns, discounts on patterns and fabric, and occasionally sponsored projects or free fabric.”

Hartman said her favorite items to make are Halloween costumes. She also enjoys making matching outfits for her and her 7-year-old daughter. She also made her oldest daughter the first one-piece swimsuit that actually fit her correctly.

“That as an accomplishment,” she said. “And a few years ago I made a dress that ended up being on the cover of the pattern and I just loved that dress. My daughter looked absolutely beautiful in it.”


Hartman said she wanted people to know that handmade items are not cheaper than buying clothing in the store.

“The quality is much higher for the price though,” Hartman said. “Most people don’t fit straight into one size but don’t know it and can’t figure out why store-bought clothes don’t feel right. Nothing beats a custom fit.”

To vote for Hartman, visit Project Run+Play.

in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

A familiar face to lead PVO

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

Jeffrey Isenhower will start a new job on July 1, 2020. He will take over the Prairieview-Ogden superintendent for Vic...

10 things you don’t know about me… Stacey Livingston

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting things about themselves. This week we spoke to...

Get to know Senior SJO Marching Band member Allegra Pearman

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the very end of the show when the dust settles and the cheering...

10 things you don’t know about me… Leslie Landreth

September 17, 2019

September 17, 2019

Leslie Landreth owner of Little Bloomers Child Care tells us 10 things we don’t know about her! This post is...

Senior spotlight: Kassie Kelso

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions. Here are Kassie Kelso’s answers. What will you be doing...

St. Joseph man peacefully protests against police brutality: ‘We need to listen’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

Jon Arteaga isn’t looking for any praise by protesting at the corner of Main Street and Route 150 in St....

St. Joseph resident Lewis to star in ‘Frozen Jr.’

September 21, 2019

September 21, 2019

Hayden Lewis loves to act. The St. Joseph Middle School student is participating in the The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company...

Franzen finds freedom in music

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Dakota Franzen is an inspiration. Marching Band Director Chuck Hess said Franzen’s efforts to be the best he can be...

Wife Tribe looks to help those in need

August 5, 2019

August 5, 2019

The St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Wife Tribe wants to bring the community together. The group, founded this summer, was created by...

10 things you don’t know about me… Alex Neubauer

June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019

Every week we ask residents to tell us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we talked to Alex Neubauer...

10 things you don’t know about me… Amy Gibbons

December 18, 2019

December 18, 2019

How did you come up with the name for your salon? 192 is actually the St. Joseph exit number. I...

Ask the Doctor with Dr. Jeanelle Murphy

March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020

What are the pros of breastfeeding your newborn? How long would you recommend breastfeeding? Breast milk is the perfect food...

Franzen chosen to lead middle school

March 30, 2021

March 30, 2021

The new St. Joseph Middle School Principal will be a familiar face. The St. Joseph Consolidated Community School Board voted...

Booker to be honored tonight at fire station

October 12, 2023

October 12, 2023

When Ross Booker was 10 years old he went with his mother, Marita, to volunteer with their church group at...

Graduation speakers thank parents, teachers and look to the future

May 20, 2019

May 20, 2019

The theme of Hannah Lewis’ welcome address at St. Joseph-Ogden’s graduation on Sunday could be summed up as thank you....

Comments
Leave a Reply