Here at The Inspired Wren chateau we've been discussing a trip to Paris. How timely that the February challenge for Project Run & Play is the Mademoiselle Muscle Tee by Susan from Living with Punks.
As I set out to create this outfit, I had an image of cycling the French countryside with flowers and a baguette in the bike's basket. I also saw a middle-school production of Grease this month, so I may have landed a little more '50s sock-hop -- a wing-tip with laces probably would have fixed that, but we have more use for Converse. Either way, I still love the ensemble; she'll be an adorable little American in Paris.
I sewed up the size 5T Muscle Tee from the challenge without altering the size or the wide width of the neck- and arm-bindings. I created a subtle color-blocking on the tee with narrow side panels of black & white dots breaking up the slub jersey knit and then used a floral black & white for the bindings.
I pulled the coral-y pink color from the stockings of January's look-- the January blue is proving hard to match. I also left the A-line volume on the bottom, as I did in January, in the form of Oliver + S Culottes. I added more black & white and a callback to the houndstooth flannel of January with more houndstooth flannel on the waistband and pocket linings of the culottes.
Finally I created a super drapey and flowy (and, ultimately, probably impractical) long-lined cardigan to cover The Peanut's arms. It's the softest of pinks, in the finest of knits, and I want it for myself. I made it using a Flashback Skinny Tee as the foundation (you should not be at all surprised by that if you read this blog -- clearly my most frequently used pattern), and added a collar based on the Oslo Cardigan I made for myself.
The cardigan currently fits The Peanut the best. The tee and culottes both are loose with room to grow. I'm never a fan of that in pictures for the blog, but I'm definitely a fan of that in real world practicality. [Random anecdote: I once told The Peanut I was going to get a fan for her room, and she replied she wasn't "a fan of fans" -- and then giggled herself into hiccups.]
Pattern
Tee: Mademoiselle Muscle Tee by Susan from Living with Punks, size 5T with modifications
Culottes: Lunchbox Culottes by Oliver + S, size 5T
Cardigan: Self-Drafted (foundation: Flashback Skinny Tee by Rae Hoekstra, size 5T)
Fabric
Tee: Doodles Two-Tone Jersey Slub; Fashion Knit Fabric, Reversible Stripe Black Dot (both, Joann's Fabric); Floral Print upcycled
Culottes: Sew Classic Bottom Weights, Black Solid Twill; Snuggle Flannel, Black Houndstooth (both, Joann's Fabric)
Cardigan: Famous Maker Solid Knit, (Joann's Fabric)
Note
I would have preferred to sew the culottes in a size 4 wide, size 5 long, however Oliver + S breaks its patterns by size and, sadly, that's right where the break falls. I could have purchased the smaller pattern and added length, but clearly I'll get more use out of the larger pattern now.
Love
I like the balance of volume on the bottom and lean lines on the top -- I think it calls back to my PRP January solution nicely. And even though they're typically American, I really love the styling of these B&W Converse paired with these culottes and repeating the B&W from the tee.
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| Looking for that pocket chocolate as specified in her contract. |
Ren Murphy writes for The Inspired Wren.
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