Project Run and Play's eighth season has begun with a wonderful line up of themes. The first is "Winter Wonderland". Perfect for the weather for most of the country right now. Even Florida is having nippy weather! I live in sunny Florida but we do have some cold (lower than 65 degrees F) days in January, February, and March. We do bundle up and wear jackets, hats, gloves, and scarves because to us, It is winter and it is cold outside! Today the temperature in Palm Harbor, where I teach, was a very wintry 54 degrees F!
When I think of Winter, I think of these things: cold, snow, blue skies, rosy cheeks, snowmen, layers of clothing, mittens, warm capes, and pretty hats. I think this outfit embodies it all!
I had already decided to make little Miss Emma a snow-lady dress when Emma's grandmother and I were discussing what to make for Emma this winter. (Emma and her grandmother took care of my shih tzu puppy girls last summer in exchange for a special outfit. I love 'bartering' with her because I get to indulge in something I love: making pretty things for an adorable little girl!) When I saw the themes for this season's challenges the week after Christmas I couldn't believe that the first theme would be perfect for something I was already planning on making! Two of the fabrics arrived from Farmhouse Fabrics on Friday, January 3 and I immediately put them in the wash. Saturday saw me sketching ideas, ironing fabric, and choosing patterns. That Sunday I cut all the pieces out except for the French beret. Then it was a mad dash to sew the outfit to enter on time (8:00 PM tonight) between teaching full time and the normal family routines. I am not a fast seamstress. I am very careful and try to be precise when I sew so it can be rather slow going.
The underdress is a pink pima cotton one eighth gingham with an attached white cotton slip. I used McCalls 6062 and made changes only to the sleeves. I omitted the elastic in the sleeves and added a band of Swiss beading and hand whipped French lace edging to the bottom. Pretty pink ribbon is woven through the holes in the beading.
For the pinafore I used white cotton sateen, and pink and blue pima cotton gingham. The skirt, apron, and ties are just rectangles cut to Emma's size and my vision. The petal knot ties are from the Petal Knot Dress in "Claire" by Portabellopixie. The bodice was drafted by me to accommodate the snow-lady face and Emma's size. The cheeks and nose are yo-yos, the eyes are large buttons, and the mouth is wide rick rack. All the facial features except the eyes were sewn on before sewing the lining to the bodice.
The lined cape is one I just fell in love with! I just love those mitten pockets and so does Emma! The pattern is a PDF design purchased on Etsy: "Gwendolyn's Cape" by Ruby Jean's Closet. I love everything about this pattern except how the side seams are sewn. I followed the pattern this time but will sew it like a man's lined vest next time to give it a prettier finished look on the inside.
The hat was added to the line up after the hood I drafted to fit the pattern just didn't look quite right. I then thought a little French beret would be the way to go. Now I am so glad the hood didn't work out! I love the beret and I think it is the perfect accent for this outfit. I used a pattern by SewBaby called the Hat Shoppe. I added lining and the bow and button details.
I am linking this post to the sew-along at Project Run and Play HERE. Go check out all the wonderful designs by the contestants and the sew-along 'sewists'. This was FUN!
