Project Run & Play Season #17 Sew Along: Inspired by Art

Inspired by 'A Girl With a Watering Can' 

by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The theme for week three of the 17th season of Project Run & Play is "Inspired by Art".  This theme tickled my creative fancies!  Among my most favorite artists are the French Impressionists, particularly Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  I love the brilliant colors and the way he plays with light making his paintings appear to glow and shimmer.  The romance of pretty garden scenes, innocent children, and lovely ladies in many of his works make me relax and smile.

There were so many of his paintings that inspired me that I sketched out about 12 different dresses/outfits.  I finally decided to narrow my design down to what I could make entirely from my stash of fabrics and trims and to make the dress for my 6 year old friend, Tatum.

Inspiration:  The blue dress, wide white lace, flowers in the garden, and pops of red in the painting

Pattern:  "Luna" by Violette Fields Threads, size 6

Fabric & Trims:  Mottled blue cotton (unknown origin), scraps of cotton for appliques, plastic rose buttons, wide white lace purchased at an estate sale several years ago, DMC floss, and red lace hem tape.

Changes made to pattern:

*Omitted pockets

*Inverted box pleat in center skirt to visually divide the lace like the lace is divided on the coat dress the little girl is wearing in the painting.

*Added a bias bound continuous placket in the center back to allow for easier dressing.

*Added a second set of ties at the back waistline.

*Added appliques on the bodice front and right back shoulder to bring in the flowers from the painting.

*Hand sewed the bodice lining down and used French seams for a smooth inside finish.

*Used red lace hem tape on the hem.

I do not have an embroidery machine so all my appliques are hand cut and zigzag satin stitched.  The leaves are three dimensional and the centers of the flowers have a touch of hand embroidery.  

  

The bound placket was sewn with a piece of red bias to add another little touch of red to the otherwise plain blue of the dress back. 

The dress is sewn perfectly straight.  My poor mannequin has a permanent little tilt.   

 To add a little interest to the back of the dress I appliqued another flower with a 3D leaf.

The red lace on the inside hem is just a little 'happy' for Tatum.  

I plan on adding a better final photo tomorrow when the sun is out again.  (I was racing against the clock again!) I hope you liked my Renoir inspired dress!

For more wonderful art inspired clothes for children, please check out the Project Run & Play site HERE and HERE.

Project Run & Play Season 16 Signature Style Sew-Along Part 1

Sweet Summer Sisters 

Oh my stars!  These girls!

These sweet little sisters are Harper (age 5) and Rory (age 3) and I have the delightful pleasure of not only working with their mommy, an amazing kindergarten teacher, but I have the pleasure of seeing the girls often.  They always seem very pleased with the little gifts I make them and enjoy wearing them.  When Rory was given another skirt recently she said, "For meeeee?", and hugged it!  

I think these two have me wrapped around their fingers almost as tight as Chloe does!

I originally thought that these would be posted for the "Sew Your Stash" sew-along challenge on Project Run & Play.  I had them sewn and we photographed them at the children's museum on the same day as the three entries I got blogged in time for that contest.  I just couldn't get this set blogged quickly enough.  There are enough details in the outfits to qualify for what I consider My Signature Style so I decided to save them for this week.  

Harper's outfit consists of two pieces using Oliver + S patterns.  The top is a free pattern for a ruffled halter top and the skirt is a favorite pattern, the  "Swingset Skirt".  I have lost track of how many times I have made it and in how many ways.  Maybe I'll make a post someday on just that skirt pattern!

Patterns:  "Swingset Skirt" by Oliver + S, size 4

Ruffled Halter Top by Oliver + S (free:  found HERE), size 5/6

Blouse Fabrics:  Leftover eyelets from previous projects and Venice lace

Skirt Fabrics:  Floral mystery fabric that has "mellowed" in the stash for years and leftover white satin batiste for the lining.

The only changes made to the skirt were to add a button on the front waistband to denote the front for a five year old and to use just one 3/4 inch wide elastic in the waist casing.  Changes to the blouse:   I cut the fabrics on the bias but just couldn't leave them raw.  I narrow rolled hems using a hem rolling foot on my machine and added lace to each ruffle and under the drawstring casing at the neck.  

The bandaids are badges of courage.  Harper had her five year old
shots for kindergarten that morning.

 Rory's sun dress is made with the same floral print with added ribbon, buttons, and Swiss edging and insertion from my stash.  This is a free pattern from The Cottage Mama.  I particularly like that the bodice front and back is lined to the underarm section making the the underarms finished without a bias binding.

 Pattern:  "Summer Picnic Dress" by the Cottage Mama 

(Free:  found HERE), size 3

The biggest change I made to this dress was to increase the width of the skirts by three inches and to increase the width of the ruffles.  Adding the trims to the little bodice and the bottom of the skirt was the "icing on the cake"!

They are really as sweet 'in real life' as they are in these photographs!

 Harper is so intelligent and has such a tender heart!  She is such a good big sister!

Rory is fun and funny as well as so loving!

Sisters & Best Friends

I enjoyed making these outfits for these cuties and the photo shoot was my "icing on the cake"!

Please check the fabulous contestant entries HERE 

and the Sew-Along entries HERE at Project Run & Play.

  So inspiring!  

The Hope Chest Inspired Shower, Part 2: The Nightgown

An Heirloom Nightgown for Kelly

Goodnight Poem

 by Mykaela Maxino:

Touch your heart,

Close your eyes.

Make a wish,

Say goodnight.

Sky so wide,

Stars so bright,

Off the lights,

Sleep so tight.

Every bride needs a feminine, romantic nightgown, right?  

I made this gown as part of my niece, Kelly's 'hope chest' gifts (see previous post).  The nightie was made using a delicate pink Imperial batiste (a fine polycotton blended fabric) and pretty cotton lace from my stash.  I used a pattern from an old Sew Beautiful magazine and added a section of smocking below the high yoke.  I made it in the smallest size, but it was still very large on her petite frame.  I think that it would be perfect for mama/baby photos someday.  

The lace used on the front yoke was purchased from an estate sale along with a large box of other laces and trims.  What a find!  I did my best to match up the pattern and joined the strips of lace with a zig-zag stitch.  The lace around the neckline and armholes was from the same box of laces.  The cluny lace on the hem was purchased some time ago from Martha Pullen Co.

I apologize for the photos.  They were taken in the living room amidst all the commotion of the wood flooring being installed, and I didn't realize how out of focus they were until I had already given Kelly the gown.  The smocking was adapted from a smocked dress in another Sew Beautiful magazine.

Psalm 42:8:   But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.