Project Run & Play- Summer Chevron Shirt

Project Run & Play's May challenge is to use the free pattern for the Summer Chevron Shirt by the Crafty Cupboard. This month's pattern fit well with Elena's wardrobe needs so I found time this weekend to sew one up and I think it turned out really sweet.

I used pink cotton for the yoke and a dainty floral for the rest. I really only changed the back closure. I went with a continuous placket instead of buttons with loops. I used plastic snaps for a modern look to an old fashioned button placket. Then I put it on her to mark where to do the waist elastic only I got overruled by my husband and Olivia. They liked how it looked already and didn't  think Elena would like the feel of the elastic at her waist. Whatever. I think it would have been cute that way too.

To dress up the yoke, I tried a new to me embroidery stitch. It begins with a simple running stitch and then all you do is weave another thread in and out under those and then another one the opposite direction. I think I should have made the stitches a little smaller to get a rounder effect. These are 1/4" long and apart and it makes a flatter line than I really wanted. I also wish the green showed more, but hey, it's still pretty cute.

This little blouse sewed up easily and Elena wanted to wear it right away. After pictures, she wanted to "stay it on" which is always a good sign and then she got chocolate ice cream on the yoke. So it's already back in the wash. Back to the never-ending laundry.

On a sappy note, Elena turns 4 in about a month and I'm not ready for it. Some days, I look at her and think she is looking so grown up and has entered a new phase of being a big kid, and then I see her in this outfit and think she's still my baby. I'm not normally one to hold my kids back, I like to see them gain independence and grow up, but this time is harder because I know she is my last. It's a strange place I'm in these days with my oldest about to be a senior in high school, my second just got his first real job as a lifeguard, and then there is this little one who likes to think she is a teenager too. Sometimes it's a challenge to keep her young and not let her grown up too fast. Slow down kiddo.