Project Run and Play Challenge: Creating Children's Clothing Inspired by a Book

This week, the Project Run and Play Challenge is to be inspired by a children's book and weave elements of that book into your clothing design. 

When my children were small, we read many

 different alphabet books.  

One of our favorites was  Eating the Alphabet. 

Our children loved the bright colorful pictures and calling out the names of each
 fruit or vegetable.

 I loved the fact that it was helping me to teach my children their alphabet letters in a fun way.

This Second Graders learned her alphabet long ago, but still loves bright and colorful pictures on fabrics.  

So for this challenge, I wanted my creation to be
 FULL OF DETAILS

1.The bottom edge of the shirt was finished with a ribbed knit band.

On top of the band, I appliqued these 2 lemons. 

 Aren't they a riot!!!!

I swear I was smiling the whole time I was stitching them onto the band with a stretch stitch.

2. On the back of the shirt I used a colorful fruit with sunglasses fabric and a pre-printed panel on the front. I chose this fabric because this panel, "The Future is So Bright" just made me smile.

Isn't that was the love of reading does...

 makes your future so bright!

3. On her matching bomber jacket, I added another "Perfect Pair" panel to the jacket back.

4. Of course, I had to do something special for the pants too. I decided to add a lower panel of a fruit print to ONLY one leg of the matching black pants.  Then applique some more  fruit....banana, grapes, and an apple, just above the colored print panel.  Yeah, I was smiling again as I stitched around those whimsical fruits.  I repeated the fruit fabric on one of the bomber jacket sleeves too.

5. Continuing the "fruit theme," I added one more detail.... shoestring toppers for her shoes.   Now Miss C is smiling.

6. This headband was made out of the same ribbing fabric on the shirt and jacket.  I hand-sewed some soft velcro circles onto the knit, then I glued the sticky velcro to the back of the gems. Press on the jewels and away you go!

  7. While sewing the turn back cuffs on the shirt, I used the sewing technique Stitch In the Ditch .
On the sleeve cuff,  I sewed a virtually invisible seam through multiple layers of fabric because the new straight stitch seam becomes hidden in the existing stitch seam. 
This keeps the sleeve cuff in place even through
 active children's play or when laundered. 
With my fingers, I gently pull the fabric near the seam apart in opposite directions while sewing the straight stitch seam in the existing stitch seam. When you release the tension on the fabric,
 the seam disappears.

I know this blog post is long, but as a retired teacher, mother and grandmother, I thought that perhaps you might like to read this book to your children too.  Here are some question to have fun with, as you read it to your child:

• What kinds of food start with the letter A?

• Blueberry, bean beet and banana start with which letter?

• What colors were the fruits and vegetables on the C page?

• D, E and F are on the same page. What are some of the names of the fruits and vegetables?

• Which of the G foods is your favorite? Why?

• Where do you see Indian Corn?

• Have you ever eaten jalapenos or kiwifruit?

• What two colors are all the fruits and vegetables on the L page?

• Melon and mango start with which letter? Nectarine? Onion?

• How many different kinds of fruits and vegetables started with the letter P?

• Have you ever eaten any of the vegetables that start with the letters Q or R?

• How do you think the Star Fruit got its name?

• What letter does Ugli Fruit start with? Vegetable Marrow? Watermelon?

• Which letters are on the last page? What fruits and vegetables start with the letters X, Y and Z?

Smiles,
Deborah