Have you heard the news about the Grand Opening of the Project Run & Play Shop? It's an exclusive shop where you can shop the patterns created by past designers used during their season of Project Run & Play! Isn't that cool?!  (keep your eyes peeled for some Sew Chibi Patterns popping up in the shop come Fall/Winter 2018!) This week, Outerwear is being featured! (and have you checked out the rad Marty McFlurry Vest my blog bestie Ari made!!!? She's so inventive; I love her!!!!) Also, all outerwear patterns are 20% off this week and there's a giveaway at the end of the tour as well!

I wanted to use fabrics from my stash since I'm a little fabric broke at the moment after sewing for Season 16 😂! I choose to do the Moto Jacket by A Jennuine Life in a variety of basic color box colored vinyls and other fabrics to make a bold statement piece for my rapidly growing, almost 11 year old 😱😭. She tends to struggle with self-confidence from time to time (as do we all!) and so I really wanted to make her jacket empowering! At first, she was unsure if she was "cool enough" to wear it when it was finished so we had a nice talk about how badass and special she is and how she is cool enough because it was made especially for her!

the Moto Jacket PDF Pattern by A Jennuine Life

I made the jacket in a size 8Y width to 10Y length and went against the rules and used wovens and pleathers for the sleeves! To make up for it, I used sweatshirt fleece from Girl Charlee for the joint parts: shoulders and elbows. The only real edits I made to the pattern was widening the sleeves as well as adding wrist zippers to make it easier to wear. We were going for a nonsensical look which is sorta our M.O. and I got idea from a celebrity shirt/80s movie by the same title, Stop Making Sense (featuring the Talking Heads). I did my own spin on it by inverting the text on "making" because it just made sense to me 😂. 

For the linings, facings and parts of the sleeves I used a drill fabric in a primary colored print from Ikea. I like the look of the jacket best when the flaps are angled out!

Jenn's instructions were easy to follow and the fit is ace! It was super early in the morning when we went to take pictures so it made us both feel better knowing that she was kept warm! I'm hoping to make a similar one in different color vinyls for Sephira for the autumn season too! All the elements went together with ease and the instructions for shortening the separating zipper were quite useful!

*Fun fact: the red triangular vinyl piece on the front was actually a "make it work" moment for me. Even though I did more than my share of welt pockets for PR&P (some on pieces that I didn't even end up using!), I blanked out and cut the square for the welt after having sewn the zipper in. #facepalm. Trying to figure out how to replace it, I slashed it diagonally and added in the appropriate seam allowances. I'll be damned if I am not in love with that swath of red! It's arguably my favorite part of the jacket now!

Just the two of us, we went out to the Alberta District to take pictures. I honestly can not remember the last time I went out alone with her for a photoshoot! It was so special and so much fun hanging out together and so much easier not having to chase after Akira the whole time! It was her idea as to which location to go to because I had a completely different neighborhood in mind originally! I honestly can't imagine it any other way now! We hit up all of our favorite murals that we missed during PR&P plus found some new ones too!

sleeveless layered turtleneck.

I decided to make her the perfect shirt to go with her new jacket by drafting out a sleeveless turtleneck.

When I found the right fabric (a rejected, "Stripes Week" fabric), it turned out to be about six too short so again with the "make it work" moments, I decided to line it with a bit of the striped Riley Blake knit I was recently given as one of my "finalist" gifts. 

...

let's see, I made the shirt Thursday, took pictures Friday, and by Sunday she still refuses to take it off! She's requested a longer, dress version with a hood for her birthday... (do I smell a new pattern in the near future 😏🤫?!)

Her jeans are a pair that I had taken in once (too much) then let out with a textured suede/vinyl fabric. After seeing herself in the mirror in the whole look, head to toe, she was feelin' it. She was in full on confidence mode; it was so adorable!

Girl was even smizing for pictures without even being told! I mean... COME ON! 😍 I love her! Isn't it amazing what fashion can do for your self esteem?!

Check out the whole tour! Weekly sales, tons of inspiration, and a big giveaway!

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