Hand Embroidered Skirt & Mini Sutton Blouse for Project Run & Play

I love this month's Project Run & Play challenge for so many reasons. First of all, we're talking about Frances Suzanne picking the challenge and I LOVE those sisters. Their appreciation for vintage/classic pieces with hand work embellishment speaks to me. Second, this month there is the freedom to use any pattern you wish and I'll just say I love my freedom. And third, HAND WORK! I've added embroidery, Alabama Chanin style reverse applique, crochet edges, and beading to pieces before and those are some of my favorite pieces. Ever. There are too many to link to, but if you click the labels "embroidery", "crochet", or "reverse applique" you can see some older pieces.

So what did I make and how did I embellish it? Here is my skirt and blouse for my recently turned 4 year old.

This skirt is from the Simplicity 9889 pattern printed in 1990 but doesn't seem to exist anymore. I made a 2 width based on measurements and a 4 length because if I'm going to put this much hand work into it, it had better fit all year and maybe even next year. But maybe I should have read the instructions better because it allowed for a 3-1/2" hem (!)and mine is only 3/4" (oops). I like the midi length though and think it will be nice and cozy for fall and winter. I left off the suspenders, but followed the pattern otherwise. The yoke provided the perfect frame for some hand embroidery. I free hand drew the flowers on with some thought about keeping things symmetrical. It worked out pretty dang well. I mostly used back stitches and a sort of herringbone stitch. Sort of. It's all very freely done. I like to consult the experts but do my own thing. 

The border at the bottom was created by doing long slanted stitches all the way around in light pink and then the opposite direction in green. I tied those together by doing some running stitches in darker pink at the intersections. Then the whole thing felt a little stiff so I ran it through the washer and dryer a couple of times and it softened up nicely. I'm sure it will get even softer with each wash.

The hem embroidery does show on the backside, but not on the yoke. The yoke is self-faced and is handstitched for a clean finish inside. 

The blouse is the recently released Mini Sutton Blouse by True Bias. It is a sweet little top that I'll be making more of over the years. This is one of those patterns where I tend to think the style is simple enough that I could draft it myself, but the real value in buying it comes in learning some nice finishing techniques. I learned some new things with this top and love how clean it is inside and out. It will make a great blank slate for embroidery touches.

I almost forgot to mention fabrics. The skirt is made of more thrift store corduroy just like the pants in my last post. The embroidery is standard embroidery floss. (I found a gallon ziplock bag of various colors at the thrift store this spring.) The blouse is made from a cotton sheet from you guessed it, the thrift store. It doesn't feel like a sheet. It feels like premium quilting cotton. The brown buttons are from my inherited stash. So this outfit comes in at less than $4. Dang girl, how do you do that? 

And now lots of pictures because I simply cannot choose.

This is going to cost me a couple of marshmallows this afternoon and a trip to our Church festival this evening. The joke is on her though because we'd have gone to the festival one way or the other.

If you'd like to keep up with my sewing adventures, please follow me on Bloglovin' or Instagram.