We'll Spring Break in France, s'il vous plaît

Today is a special off-schedule post so that I can share my Project Run & Play Week #2, Spring Break Challenge solution. I so wanted to get this posted on Monday, but it snowed (again!) on Sunday (March 30th! Why?!). So I gave myself grace, and time to find some sunlight for photos, and pushed this back until now.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
Strolling on the Seine? Or heading for the gangway on the cruise ship?

Project Run & Play Week #2, Spring Break Challenge: Design an outfit inspired by your favorite vacation spot (or day-dreaming vacation spot). 



Favorite vacation spot? Paris. Day-dream vacation spot? Paris with a Mediterranean cruise. And that calls for chic separates. For knits that are easy to pack. For classic city-black & white, with a pop of fun color for youth. And since we're Americans in this fantasy trip to France, let's go cliché and throw on a beret. (Hey! That rhymes.)

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
WOOHOO! Vacation!!!

In all honesty, I planned the sunglasses and a big black bow on the pony-tail to style this outfit (inspired by Audrey Hepburn, bien sûr), but my model put in a special request for a beret. I feel it's important to keep the talent happy during the process, so I obliged. Little did I know how well this chapeau would complete the outfit. Apparently The Peanut is burgeoning fashionista. Who knew?!


Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
Skipping off to Europe!

As always, the exact details of patterns and fabrics are listed at the end of the post for easy reference. For this outfit I paired a modified Flashback Skinny Tee with Go To Leggings topped with a Little Boo Blue Beret. I color-blocked the tee with two knits and a linen, and bound the neckline using the Ottobre Design Raglan Tee method.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
When my model wasn't skipping and dancing on the dock, she was unsuccessfully plotting her way down onto the shore-line.

But wait! You can't take just one outfit on vacation. Any seasoned traveler will tell you that mix and match separates are a must. Plus I felt like it was time to lighten my Project Run & Play palette with some white and sweet, pastel, scalloped stripes.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
The glowing white is welcome when not coming off snow in our front yard.

Here we have a Sew Chic Kids [affiliate link] Ribbon-Tied Blouse minus the tie paired with Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts in black denim with linen accents and a knit waistband for comfort.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
I still got to use the planned big black hair bow.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
This week's obligatory chocolate-bribe-to-put-a-hand-in-the-pocket was Hershey's Chocolate Eggs.

The chartreuse accent fabric and top-stitching feels fresh to me and is hopefully working to pull everything together. I added delicate detail to the blouse by cutting the front yoke on the bias and removed the ties because they always become un-tied and in the way.

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
Thank goodness for a hotel atrium warm enough to model shorts and provide a much needed green backdrop.

The blouse would be adorable over the leggings. And the tee can top the shorts easily. In fact, I'm planning on all of Project Run & Play being part of a cohesive, wearable collection. Stay tuned for more!

Mix and match children's separates sewn as solution to Project Run & Play Season 9's Week 2 "Spring Break" Challenge. | The Inspired Wren
A dancing Peanut already mixing and matching Project Run & Play outfits from Weeks 1 & 2.

Project Run & Play Sew Along: Season 9, Week 1
Click here to see all the great sew along entries!

Pattern

Tee: Flashback Skinny Tee by Rae Hoekstra, size 5T with modifications
Leggings: Go To Leggins by Andrea Pannel, size 5T, cropped 
Beret: The Blue Beret Pattern by Lil Blue Boo, youth size
Blouse: Happy Homemade: Sew Chic Kids [affiliate link] by Ruriko Yamada, C--Ribbon-tied Blouse, size 4 
Shorts: Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts, size 5

Fabric

Tee: Fashion Knit Fabric, Reversible Stripe Black Dot; Sew Classic Knits Interlock, Black (all from Joann's Fabric); random chartreuse green Linen with no label on bolt found at Wal-Mart
Leggings: Sew Classic Knits Interlock, Black (Joann's Fabric)
Beret: Doodles Collection Glitter Knit Green [Note: it said hand wash, I said no, and the glitter was gone in the machine--no big loss, I chose it for being the correct shade of green, not for the glitter]; Fashion Knit Fabric, Reversible Stripe Black Dot (all from Joann's Fabric)
Blouse: Random cotton woven also with no label on bolt found at Wal-Mart
Shorts: Black Denim with stretch (also from Wal-Mart, but this time I know there was a label I just failed to take my customary phone pic of it); random chartreuse green Linen with no label on bolt found at Wal-Mart; Sew Classic Knits Ponte, Caviar (Joann's Fabric) 

Love

The popping, bright-accent color on neutral. Still. Always. Those delicate scallops on the blouse stripes. The way that beret makes that outfit!

Note

I had fun color-blocking that tee. I need to remember to push myself more to modify patterns and experiment.




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You should really see all that goes into each project!
From my model preferring to wear washi tape on her belly button instead of the clothes I've sewn for her, to the ingenious way that I’ve re-purposed my favorite sewing tool, a chopstick, into a spool pin for double needle sewing on my machine. Daily updates on Instagram (and Flickr) of works-in-progress will give you that behind the scenes view you’re looking for, and sneak peeks of First Tuesday Tutorials, too.
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