Boho Butterfly – Project Run & Play Week 1

DIY, Sewing

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This button-art moto vest and floral maxi dress are channeling some major bohemian vibes!
Read on for all the behind-the-scenes of the inspiration for this look and its creation.



I’m SUPER excited to be a part of Project Run & Play’s 14th (!!) season this month!  I’ve followed PR&P for years now and have watched some amazing names in children’s sewing create some real showstoppers.  I think this was actually where I first found some of my most favorite bloggers to follow, like Katy, Kelly, Ashley (back when she sewed amazing things!), Jess and Jess!  I’m so happy that Liz & Elizabeth have kept it going and so flattered to have been asked to compete.

This first week’s theme is “All Buttoned Up” with the challenge of highlighting buttons in the look.  It took me all of 5 seconds to know that I had to create some button art on one of my pieces.  I’m obsessed with button art!  I originally wanted to make a tiger’s face out of buttons on the back of a denim jacket and have it be the start of a “Roar” themed punk-rock look.  But…I knew a tiger would take a LOT of buttons and probably overwhelm a little 6 year old’s back. Ha! So instead, I planned out this butterfly and created a bohemian style look around this faux suede vest.

Sad story: I had cut out and sewn the back of the vest and then attached about 1/4 of the buttons when I left it unattended to chat with my SIL visiting from out of state.  I heard some suspicious activity in the other room and came back to two huge cuts/tears in the middle of my butterfly from a mischievous toddler who found some scissors.  That baby is very lucky that I was on my best behavior in front of my SIL!!  *Sob*

This just happened last week (since I was working under the wire as I usually do.  I can’t help it!  I can’t focus unless I’m under pressure) and so I debated throwing the whole thing away and starting over on something simpler or even dropping out.  But I just couldn’t let this little butterfly go!  If you look closely, you can see that I cut the bottom half off, re-cut it and sewed it back on, creating another seam along the horizonal midline.  It already had a vertical center seam so I didn’t think it was that distracting.  Kinda looks like it was meant to be that way and I only had to stay up until 1am one night 🙂

I will say that even though I hand-sewed on all the buttons, it really didn’t take as long as I thought it would.  Probably about 4 episodes of Poldark. (Does anyone else measure their sewing projects by TV shows or podcasts??).  I did originally sew on orange buttons instead of the pink, but they clashed pretty badly with the dress so a change was made (after I sewed the vest together…it was tricky to sew on buttons without going through the lining but I did it!)

I used two patterns as bases for my look.  The vest was inspired by Jennuine Design’s Moto Jacket (fabulous pattern!) and the dress was based on my Infinite A-line Dress (of course).  I added length to the skirt to make it a maxi and added width to the sleeve and fullness to the sleeve cap for a more flowy look.

I debated adding ruffles to the sleeves and skirt hem but since the vest is pretty over-the-top, decided to just keep it simple.  The pink buttons are just a non-functional adornment since I cut this dress big enough to just slip over Vivian’s head without the placket.  The final touch was this headband made from a RTW sweatband and a flower button.  You know, just to keep within the theme!

Several months ago, I really purged my fabric stash in anticipation of the move we’re planning sometime in the next 6 months.  I put all the fabric I was ready to part with in garbage bags in the garage, with plans to donate or sell it somewhere.  Well, it sits there still and it’s a good thing too because I’ve pulled out probably 5 or 6 different fabrics to use recently!  This floral chiffon was one of them.  I had no inspiration to use it when I purged, but while thinking of what to pair the vest with, this print immediately came to mind.  So I scavenged it and lined it with the same black floral rayon that the vest is lined with.  I left the sleeves and the bottom half of the skirt unlined for a little fun sheer factor on the bottom half of the skirt. The best part of this fabric is that it has metallic silver threads running through it!

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it all turned out and both of my twins LOVE it.  In fact, some of the vest closeups were actually taken while Kira was wearing it since she was super bummed to not be my “main model” (her words) this time.  I told her that Vivs had the more bohemian hair but that she’ll be “It” girl next time.  So if I make it to next week, it’ll be all Kira.  Funny girls!

If you like this look, I’d LOVE it if you voted for me over on the Project Run & Play blog!  Also feel free to share this post on social media.  Thanks guys!  Wish me luck!

Update: Check out my other submissions as well: Week 1 here and Week 2 here!


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12 Comments

  • Reply
    Sherri Herrera
    October 17, 2017 at 6:13 am

    That butterfly is incredible! And the seam across the middle doesn’t distract at all. Nice recovery! I can really appreciate those creative moments.

    • Reply
      Bonnie
      October 17, 2017 at 6:09 pm

      Thanks Sherri! They’re kinda fun once the stress wears off, eh?? 😉

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    October 17, 2017 at 2:59 pm

    This outfit is beautiful! I’m glad you were able to save the vest and it looks like the seam was meant to be there!

    • Reply
      Bonnie
      October 17, 2017 at 6:10 pm

      Thanks Elizabeth! I’m pretty thrilled that it worked out…phew!

  • Reply
    Raphaelle
    October 17, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    I couldn’t tell at all where the accident took place. Even after you revealed it, it does look like it’s part of the design. And your butterfly is breathtaking. I love it so much! (Good call on the switch to pink too.)

    • Reply
      Bonnie
      October 17, 2017 at 6:11 pm

      Thank you Raphaelle! I’m really glad I slept on it before giving up!

  • Reply
    Michelle
    October 18, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    That horizontal seam looks meant to be! And I totally measure my sewing time by shows watched – I watched the Vietnam documentary this time LOL!

    • Reply
      Bonnie
      October 18, 2017 at 7:25 pm

      haha! I just told my husband that we need to watch that!

  • Reply
    Deborah Devine
    October 18, 2017 at 7:32 pm

    Your choice of fabrics was perfect with the skin tone and hair color of your daughter. I bet the soft sheer fabric was fun to wear as a long dress too. Lovely!
    Deborah
    Sew Much To Give

    • Reply
      Bonnie
      October 18, 2017 at 7:40 pm

      Thank you Deborah! My other daughter clearly wasn’t too pleased about it so this next week I have to make an outfit to match her- ha!!

  • Reply
    Sew the Rainbow - Project Run & Play Week 3 • Bonnie and Blithe
    November 14, 2017 at 12:04 pm

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  • Reply
    Plaid and Proper - Project Run & Play Week 2 • Bonnie and Blithe
    October 26, 2021 at 9:26 pm

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