Project Run & Play Sew Along: "Greenery" Skirt & Detachable Aprons

 I will be linking this post to the  Project Run & Play Season 13 Sew Along Contest HERE.  Don't forget to check out the other inspired outfits after reading this post.

I travel about 30-40 minutes to and from school everyday depending on the time of day and traffic.  Mornings are reserved for prayer and planning of the school day.  Afternoons I allow myself to sew in my imagination.  I think about the fabrics in my stash and dream about what to make with them.  Last week I couldn't get the fabrics I used in my entry to the sew along contest for Project Run & Play's "Greenery" theme out of my head.  There were just some smallish pieces left but they were begging to be used.

My thoughts:  "Well, hmmmmm.....there might be enough to cobble together a skirt for Chloe, my little six year old friend.  Now...how to make it special?  I know!  I could make an apron skirt, better yet, I could make it detachable.  Wait!  I could make the apron reversible! No, wait a minute... I could make more than one!"

Oh my, I couldn't wait to begin!

Fabric remnants and a vintage table runner from my stash of 'rescued' linens.  

 I didn't have enough of the Hawthorne Threads "Botany" fabrics to make the waistband of the skirt but my Heart Sister Jana had given me a piece of green fabric that went perfectly with the theme.  I also found a linen table runner in my stash that was perfect to use for one of the aprons.  I had some beautiful antique glass buttons to use on the skirt from my friend Jackie's mother's button box and some green ribbon that would pick up the darker green of the lime leaves in one of the prints.  I was ready!  Now what to do for the other side?  Applique!  Easter is right around the corner.

Chloe with the vintage table runner apron buttoned onto the skirt with antique green glass buttons.
The skirt can also be worn without the aprons

Applique side of the vintage linen apron with a 'chocolate bunny' and 'candy eggs.
I hand stitched ecru French lace with green floss around the perimeter of the vintage
 hand embroidered side of the apron and added little
 green flower buttons in the corners.
  I used the "Kate" scalloped apron pattern from Violette Fields Threads to make the apron with the shell colored background and the limes.  I used some green gingham to make the waistband on this one.
More buttons from the stash added with pink and green floss to decorate a purchased white shirt to go with all three 'looks'.

Chloe said that she loved all the aprons but really loved the vintage hand embroidered one the best.  I love that she loves the embroidery!
 We had fun doing this photo shoot!

I leave you with this sweet photo of Chloe and her baby brother Hudson.  I enjoyed making this day dream a reality.  I hope you liked it, too!

Project Run & Play Season 13 'Greenery' For Two

A new (to us) kindergarten teacher moved in next door to me at school.  Rachel was 'family' before she arrived as she is the daughter-in-law of one of our veteran first grade teachers.  She is a wonderful  teacher and mother of two darling little girls:  Harper and Rory.  It has been my pleasure to sew a few little gifts for them this year.  Harper's coloring is beautiful with the Pantone Color of the Year:  Greenery, so the girls were the recipients of this entry to the Project Run & Play Sew Along Contest.  I will be linking this post to the contest HERE.  Please go and check out all the wonderful garments made for this week!

I again chose to use fabric from an in-house collection called "Botany" from Hawthorne Threads.  There are 24 prints in this collection that features the 'greenery' color.  I ordered three of them  (Lime Trees in Greenery, Lime Trees in Shell, Terrarium in Greenery on White).  For the fourth fabric in my design I used another Hawthorne in-house coordinate called Radiate in Greenery.  

 

I made Harper a shorts set and Rory a tea length dress and bloomers.  My husband questioned my decision of making the little one the dress and I explained that the dress pattern (new Look #6501/DO570) only went up to 24 pounds and that Harper weighs 31 pounds.  Well......the pattern runs so big that it would be large on Harper, too!  The pattern states that a Large size is for babies 21-24 pounds.  Rory weighs 22 pounds but this swims on her.  I will be making the shoulder straps shorter so that she can wear it.  She will be able to share it with her sister and wear it herself for a long time!

 

Harper's Shorts Set:  So feminine with the ruffles and full skirt!

Violette Fields Threads "Ginger" for the Top Size 3

Violette Fields Threads "Kate" for the Shorts Size 3

The Violette Threads patterns were 'spot-on' for Harper.  She is a tiny and very slender little 3 1/2 year old and can still fit into 2T RTW clothing.  When I make this again, I will be careful with measurements and will probably go up a size, depending on the child.  I enjoyed making both of these patterns but changed the construction of the bodice lining on the inside.  The pattern has you just sew/serge the side seams with the lining and front bodice wrong sides facing.  I turned the lining over the top so that it was right sides facing and then sewed my seam, serged, and then flipped the lining back over so that the lining faced out.  You can see in the photos below that the seam is then enclosed giving it a cleaner finish and a smoother feel to sensitive toddler skin.

I like the two channels of narrow elastic for the back bodice.

My husband wanted to know why I brought a step stool to the photo shoot.  My answer:  If you say to sit or stand on the stool you have a greater chance of them not running off!

Next time I think I will make the ties a little longer so that a pretty bow can be made.  The shorts remind me of "Daisy Dukes"!  Remember them?

She is just as sweet as she looks in these pictures!

Good for tree climbing.  Good thing it is a shorts outfit!

She looks like a little dancer here!  

I keep thinking of Shirley Temple and her little dance routines when I look at Harper in this outfit!

Rory's Tea Length Dress & Bloomers:  New Look #6501 size 21-24 pounds (large) Sweet with the ruffles but runs LARGE.

As I stated earlier, I should have made Rory a smaller size but the pattern measurements put her in a large.  I will make this dress again because the overall look is so sweet with the bodice and hem ruffles.  The pattern comes with a darling romper, too.  However, I will change the back placket.  It was annoying to do and I didn't care for the way it was finished on the inside.

What a character!  Rory is so much fun!

I love the ruffle on the bodice!  The buttons on the back were from my large button stash.  The upper right photo shows the buttons on Harper's shorts.  They don't show much but I know that they are there!

 This is why bloomers are necessary for dresses of any length when you aren't quite 2!

It is not easy to stay still when there is so much to see and do!

 

 Outtakes:  I had so much fun at this photo shoot!  I kept laughing because I kept thinking about the saying "It is like herding cats!"

 A parting shot:

I hope you liked the outfits as much as I enjoyed making them!

A Trio of Valentine Skirts

Valentines Skirts for 2017.

 This will just be a quick little blog to post these skirts made for some sweet little friends for Valentines Day.  I may have been MIA on the blog but I have been sewing as usual, so... I have lots to post that I have made over the past few years!  Here I made two simple skirts with elastic waists for 2 little sisters and one more detailed/labor intensive skirt for my friend Kaye's little girl Chloe.  Harper's skirt is the one in the middle in the photo above.  It is a size 2/3 for a tiny three year old.  Her little sister Rory is 20 months and the skirt on the left is the smallest one (that wasn't with an attached diaper cover) that I have ever made.  I felt like I was making doll clothes!

Chloe's 2017 Valentine's Skirt.

Chloe is six and wears a size six in length but is still about a four in the waist.  Her skirt has an attached flat waistband in the front and an attached elastic waistband in the back.  I used the waistband/side placket/button loop from Oliver + S 2+2 skirt and just gathered about 60 inches of fabric for the skirt.  I added a lining to the skirt to add fullness/support because I knew all the buttons on the  3/4 inch hem tuck would weigh the skirt down.  I really liked using the pink gingham.  It is a little hidden pleasure you would only see if you looked for it.  

There are 32 buttons around the perimeter of this skirt!  It was fun to look through my button stash to find buttons that would be the right size/color.  Many of the buttons were given to me by friends who don't sew but have button collections that they have inherited from their relatives.  Others are given to me by friends as gifts.   There are buttons on this skirt from at least five different people including my deceased mother.  I know that Mama would be tickled with this skirt!  I knew Chloe would love the buttons, and she did!  She kept lifting it up to show her friends the different ones.  It is a good thing she wore little bloomers underneath!  

I will have some modeled photos, as well as some shots of the Valentines/Fancy Nancy Tea Party at my kindergarten, this weekend.  I have two other Project Run & Play posts to do before Friday.  Yes, I jumped in and made "Greenery" outfits for the Sew Along Contest.

This is my favorite Valentine fabric and there are only tiny scraps left.  I have used it before on several other skirts and a dress for Chloe from a few years ago.  I never blogged about the skirts but you can read about the details of Chloe's dress and blouse HERE.

Previous things made with this fabric.

A Greek Mermaid for Project Run & Play Part 2

Chloe is my 'Greek Mermaid' in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

This is Part 2 of my entry in the Project Run and Play sew-along contest for Season 13 "It's All About That Place"  My dream destination is the Greek Islands.  I visited there many, many years ago and I have always wanted to return for a longer stay.  The closest that I can come to that dream right now is beautiful Tarpon Springs, Florida.

You can see Part 1 of A Greek Mermaid HERE where I detail the dress shown below and my inspiration.

The Mermaid Blouse

 I made Chloe a blouse to wear under her Mermaid Dress when it is too chilly to wear as a sundress or when she wears it to school.  (Our dress code states that shoulders are to be covered.)  I wanted it to be a versatile piece in her wardrobe so I used a vintage battenburg lace pillowcase from my stash and then hand embroidered the simple mermaid and sea plants to coordinate with the theme and the fabric chosen for the shorts.  The mermaid is based on a mermaid from a quilt pattern I purchased a while ago from Cinderberry Stitches HERE.

The shorts were made using one of the prints from the 'Calypso' line from Hawthorne Threads (found HERE). I trimmed the bottom of the shorts with the same Venice lace that I used on the blouse sleeves.  I added a little blue ribbon above the lace.

Venice lace added to the sleeves.

At one of the docks downtown.

I hope you enjoyed my little mermaid in my Greek Isle dream.  Please check out all the other wonderful creations at the Project Run & Play sew-along HERE.

A Greek Mermaid for Project Run & Play Part 1

Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Once again Project Run & Play has inspired and enticed me to create something special.....and blog again!  I really love this contest of selected 'sewists' and the sew-along contest.  It is wonderful to see all the unique and special garments that everyone sews for their loved ones.

This first theme this season (Season 13) is "It's All About That Place".  I would love to travel to Greece again.  I spent a few days in Athens about 50 years ago and loved it.  I loved the cuisine, the vistas of ocean, the smell off the water and its beautiful colors, the brilliant lighting, and the lovely people.

The closest I can get to Greece now is the beautiful city of Tarpon Springs here in Pinellas County, Florida.  It has one of the largest Greek populations in the United States.

See the Greek Key design over the restaurant?

Thinking of the Greek islands and the wonderful sea vistas made my mind wander to a little girl I know who just loves the water.  My friend Kaye's littlest girl, Chloe, has been entranced with mermaids for a couple of years now.  She even says that she IS a mermaid.  She is the inspiration and recipient of my entries for this contest.  I just love her sweet and spunky spirit, her creativity, and imagination!

The Greek Mermaid Dress

I used the Portabellopixie  'Claire' pattern:  the Petal Knot Dress.

I found this amazing mermaid collection at Hawthorne Threads and knew that it would be perfect for Chloe.  I love the detail in the house made fabrics at Hawthorne Threads.  It is digitally printed on beautiful fabric with a lovely hand and higher thread count.  It does wash beautifully.  (I wash all fabric prior to cutting.) There are five different fabrics from the 'Calypso' line in this dress.

I did make Chloe a blouse to wear under the dress but it was too warm to wear it on the day that we did the photo shoot.  It also caused me to turn it into another outfit for Chloe... so you will need to click HERE for Part 2 of A Greek Mermaid.

Note the gold Greek Key design on the white ribbon!

Dress Back

Tarpon Springs has decorated vintage bikes all over downtown.  Each one is unique and picturesque.

Chloe's mommy made the star fish hair ties with real star fish!

Chloe...being a mermaid.

You can tell that Chloe loved this dress, can't you?  She just makes me smile!

She is beautiful, isn't she?  What a pleasure to sew for, too!

I hope that you enjoyed Part 1 of A Greek Mermaid and that you will check out what the other sew-along contestants have created HERE.