Sparkle Cat

Much to my husbands disappointment, the kids and I are cat people. I wouldn't say crazy cat people, we don't even own one right now. As you can see though, if Lorelai had $100, she would buy new cats. I laughed so hard when I read that and Brett just shook his head. Totally out numbered.

(This cat is just a stand in)

When I was a small kid my parents and I picked up our first kitten. I was four and I loved her so much from the very get go. My dad let her loose in the house when we got home and I chased her under the chair in the computer room. When I got down and looked for her the only thing I could see was her sparkling eyes. So I named her Sparkle. My dad often called her Sparkle Cat.

For the first week of Project Run and Play I decided to take my inspiration from Sparkle's name. I toyed with the idea of fur but that just seemed too literal.

So here is the direction I went... Everything has a little Sparkle to it! For the complete outfit I made an embellished t-shirt, slouchy cardigan, and some skinny jeans.



The cardigan is a really fun knit that I found at Joanns. Its has a pink stripe and a shimmery silver stripe. (Sparkle!) The cardigan sewed up very easily. I just modified a t-shirt pattern and cut the bodice front right down the middle. I rounded the neckline and on the bottom. Then I sewed a band all the way around the edge to provide a nice finish. Lorelai really rebelled against the "cardigan that doesn't fasten closed" idea. When it was all done she loved it.



The t-shirt and jeans on the other hand she loved instantly. I made the shirt a couple of days ago while she was at school. When she came home and saw it hanging by the table she asked, "Did you make that?" I told her yes and that I needed her to try it on and she asked if she could just wear it, wear it the rest of the day. It's so satisfying having her so excited about something I've made.

I drafted a pattern for this shirt and I am extremely happy with it. I'll absolutely be making some more shirts with this same pattern, I just love every detail with how it turned out, the length, the neckline and I love the simple, just the right length sleeves.

The fabric I used was pretty cool too. In the store, I thought that it was a double sided fabric, dots on one side stripes on the other. (You can see hints of the stripes in the sneak peeks on my Instagram feed). Turns out that in reality this knit fabric is actually two very thin, separate fabrics put together. You could actually separate it into two pieces if your heart so desired. Mine did not. Leaving it the way it was adds interest, I think so anyway, and made the shirt the perfect thickness.

After the shirt was completely constructed I decided every piece in this outfit needed to have sparkle on it. The cardigan would not be able to carry the entire ensemble along. I did not want to run out to the store just to buy some bling so I found some fabric in my stash that had sequins pre-attached and a snipped off enough for this project. I hand sewed them around the neckline in a necklace shape. I love how it turned out and it adds just the right amount of Sparkle!

Finally, the jeans! These jeans are seriously my new loves! I had cut all my pattern pieces (again, self drafted) out of some very stretchy denim and sat there a little stumped. I wanted to make these jeans sparkle with out looking gaudy. Then inspiration struck! The sequins! Of course those should carry on through my pieces! I pulled out the thread and hand needle and got to work. An hour later I had two adorable pockets ready for some pants. Do you see the "L" for Lorelai? (Sparkle!) Brett didn't, haha. I think that's a guy thing though.

I don't mean to toot my own horn but I think those jeans look pretty legit! I used the triple stitch for all the top stitching and I think that was a huge factor in the professional look. There are a few things I will change the next time I make this pattern: there needs to be a little more rise in the seat and I want to try a fly and placket front, but I still love, love, love these pants and so does the girl! The jeans were the last thing to be finished and when Lorelai came home and saw all the pieces done and laid out she immediately started putting them on. We went out for pictures and had one of the most fun photo shoots to date. Have you enjoyed all the Lorelai poses?

That is one very satisfied customer! Come back next week! The next theme is, Spring Break and I'll be showing off my Little Brasilia outfit.

This outfit is in the PRP Sew A Long!