Guest Post by our one and only Mary Jo!

I want to Welcome Mary Jo here at Great Tastes Tuesdays! She was so awesome to be our guest this week for Invite A Guest Fridays! Her post is awesome and her project is so cute! I am loving it! For all of you out there that don't think you could every make something like this - you can. Take a chance and try to do something you have never done before! Find a pattern, material and give it a try! Thanks Mary Jo! Go check her out at www.allthisforthem.blogspot.com 

Also, don't forget to come and link up with me tonight at 8:30! I would love to have you at my Share it With Us Saturday here at Great Tastes Tuesdays!

When I saw that Project Run & Play was doing a chevron challenge, I knew I had to give it a try. My friend gave me almost two yards of this deco weight chevron fabric from Christmas and I'd been saving it for something special. I thought a jacket for my daughter would be a perfect reason to cut into it and PR&P gave me a deadline!

 I used the Abbey Jacket pattern by Shwin&Shwin. First of all, let me just say that I absolutely love Shwin&Shwin designs! They always impress me when I hold up my very stylish garment when I'm through! 

For this Chevron Jacket, however, I made a few additions to the pattern to gussy it up a bit -- pockets, piping, full lining, and a name tag. The pattern calls for a fleece outer, but I wanted to use my chevron fabric and have a spring-looking jacket, so a lining was a must. And pockets...what kid doesn't love pockets?? 

I also decided to only use fabric from my stash for this project. So I've got this rich mustard-yellow Kona cotton for the collar, sleeve bands, and button placket, but I had to go with a butter-yellow flannel for the lining. (I like the flannel, thinking the jacket will be that much warmer on early-spring, and late-fall days). 

But I didn't have enough yellow flannel for the sleeves and pockets, so I had to use a giraffe flannel print. Which, I actually quite like.

The Sharpie name-tag idea came from CailaMade. The piping I had in my stash (not sure why...I don't remember using it before, but thought I'd give it a try here. I love the look of it!). And the last detail, the idea for this pink heart on the inside of the jacket originally came from Max California. I embroidered the words using a backstitch during an episode of Elmo!

Because I'm a little weird about clothes (both bought and made), I like to make them bigger than the size my daughter currently wears (which is a 4) so that she can grow into them and therefore use them longer. I might have overdone it this time by cutting a size 6. My kid is swimming in the jacket! But you might notice that in some of my pictures, the jacket fits quite well...on my 5 1/2 year old volunteer (eh-hem).

Maybe I need to make another one?? (Update: I did! See my Embroidered Fox Jacket!)

www.allthisforthem.blogspot.com 

Anyway, my daughter will get use out of this jacket probably (hopefully?) next Fall or Spring 2014. Something to look forward to, right?

 hehehe, I love the look on her face in the last picture! She wanted to pose with that clementine, so I let her, but have no idea why she's looking so freaked out!

Anyway, I had a great time making this jacket! And I really love the look of the chevrons on an outer layer! I'm really proud of myself for getting it done in under a week and for adding some extras to the jacket to make it our own!

And I so love seeing my kids wear mommy-made garments. Makes me sooo happy! Please come visit me at All This For Them to see more of my creations!

www.allthisforthem.blogspot.com