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PRP Week 3

 



Juliet can be...a bit of a handful. She gives us a hard time about most things, to be honest. But one thing we almost never have trouble getting her to do is eat her vegetables. One time last summer, she lied and said she was going outside to play with the neighbors, but then snuck out back to the garden and...made a salad??? No exaggeration, the girl had Romaine hidden under her shirt.

This week's Project Run and Play theme coincides with our favorite time of year: planting season! The first thing that came to mind when I heard of this week's theme, Lettuce Turnip the Beet, was our vegetable garden. We grow a variety of vegetables every year: tomatoes, peppers, herbs, zucchini, cucumbers, peas, beans, and yes, lettuce and beets (I'm not sure I'd know what to do with a turnip though). Juliet and I have been taking an online vegetable gardening class and starting our plants in our basement in anticipation of warmer weather. This theme let me combine two of my favorite things: gardening and sewing! And because you hear the phrase "eat the rainbow" when talking about vegetables, the color scheme was easy as well. 

We spend many hours of our spring and summer weekends working in our garden--planting, weeding, watering, playing with the neighbor's cat when she comes to help. So my plan was to make something that would be comfortable and functional for all of that. I love my kids in overalls, but they don't always find them very comfortable, so I wanted this one to be a little loose and drapey to trick Juliet into thinking it was just a romper (which she LOVES). I used double gauze and the VFT Maddie pattern for the straps and back, and then drafted the rest myself. I added a scooped bib and elasticized the sides to give the waist a little shape. I've talked about Juliet's strong pro-pocket stance, so I added a big curved pocket with elastic in the top to each leg, so they'd be sturdy enough to hold gloves and seed packets without falling out when she's helping me plant.  She couldn't let me stop there, so I added a bib pocket as well. I searched my button collection for a variety of flower buttons and added those, and some embroidered stems, to the pocket. 

See, I can't even stop her from eating photo props.

Juliet insists everything over 60 degrees is "hot" so underneath is a ruffle-sleeved dolman top I drafted in cotton Lycra rainbow stripes from KnitFabric.com. The ruffles keep the sun off of her shoulders, but she's happy because there's no real sleeves. Speaking of sun protection, I've also made a bucket hat using a tutorial and pattern from Orange Betty.  I changed it only slightly, extending the brim an extra inch to make it more of a sunhat. I used denim from Cali Fabrics, which was a perfect weight for the outer layer, and a cotton woven for the lining. Because they're considered good luck, something we can always use in the garden, you'll find a ladybug hiding on her hat. The self-drafted apron I’ve actually been thinking about for some time, but never got around to making. It has pockets for tools, but also has buttons so the bottom can be folded up to use for harvesting (or if you're Juliet, a snack pocket). It has long ties so she can tie and untie them in front herself, and it’s made out of canvas so it’s sturdy and washable. No more sneaking in lettuce under her shirt! Maybe next I'll make one for myself rather than use my regular method of collecting green beans in my t-shirt.

Lucky Ladybug

Even though it was less than 60 degrees today, this was worn for the rest of the day, so I think it's a winner! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to vote this week--and eat your vegetables! 


The face of a sneaky salad maker.


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