Hidden treasures

If I was a pirate, I would hoard treasure.  My store rooms would be full necessitating me  to have several different places hiding places.  To keep track of my treasure, I would have many maps locked in a chest in the cabin of my ship and on those maps, X would always mark the spot. 

But sometimes, I would forget about a treasure.  And then on a perfect day, I would happen across an old map and go in search of my lost treasure.   I would travel far in my cutter and finally someone from the mast would cry, "land ho..."  At the sound of that much anticipated cry, busy movement would ensue on the deck as the crew prepares for a party to row ashore.

I lead the party and after trudging through the dense vegetation of the island and a mile deep into a cave, we find the spot.  X is clearly written on the cave wall.  We dig 3 feet into the sand and thud.  The sound of our spade hitting wood echos through the cave.  We work much faster and then I order everyone to back off as I lift the chest from the sand.

I open the old lock with surprising little trouble.  And what do I find?

...

light blue denim fabric with a thin white stripe!

For this challenge I (Major Moma) dug deep into my fabric.  I was looking for anything with a stripe or polka dot.  The treasure hunt was motivated by week two of PRP: Stripes and Polka Dots.  I don't normally sew a lot with either so it was quite the hunt.

Finally, I came across a light blue denim with a thin white stripe, you know, the kind train engineers wear.  (or wore)

I bought this years ago for my son when he was one year old.  I made him some shorts and an engineer hat.  And I guess, since then it has traveled around with me waiting to be found again.

Well, since that was the only stripe I found, it was destined to be in this week's project.  I let the engineerness dictate the pattern.  My youngest (who is about the same age Eli was when the fabric was first bought) loves trains, so it still suits her well.  I made  an A-line jumper with the feel of overalls.

For the straps, I used the pattern from my Kwik Sew, Sewing for Toddlers book and then sort of free handed the rest.
 I lined the bib with red flannel.
And made a casing in the back for some elastic.

It need some polka dots to really qualify for the challenge, so I had to go on a second treasure hunt.  This time I found some bias tape.  White with little red dots.  And then I found some thick red grosgrain ribbon with white dots.  Perfect.  I used the bias tape to trim the skirt hem.  And then took the ribbon and made an oversize bow for where the bib meets the skirt.

But of course every engineer needs a hat.  I used the same hat pattern I did for Eli 4 years ago (a SewBaby Hat Shoppe pattern).  But this time I trimmed it out for a girl.  I decorated the brim with several rows of top stitching in red and then the bias tape made for a nice edge.  And of course, I finished it off with a matching over-sized bow.

Unfortunately, my daughter thought the hat was only to be worn outside so I have no photos with it on her.  And seeing as it is 28 degrees out, I could not do a photo shoot out in the snow.

The shirt was a last minute addition.  Some sweater fabric I had ordered just arrived and there was a pearly knit that would dress up her engineer outfit.  I morphed my dress bodice and t-shirt patterns to make for a more full shirt and lengthened the cuffs.   The neckline was fun too.  I used the remainder of the dotted bias tape to face the neckline and shoulder seems and placed large red snaps on the shoulders.  Because the neckline is faced with a woven, there is no stretch so the snaps allows her head to actually fit through.   That is important if you want the clothes to not just look good on a hanger.

My treasure hunt was successful and it feels good to have another little engineer running around.