Project Run and Play Sewalong Season 9, week 1 - Put me in the zoo

It's Project Run and Play Season 9, week 1 and the theme is "Put me in the zoo!"  Elizabeth and Liz, over at PRAP, gave us this challenge - Week #1---"Put Me in the Zoo" Challenge.  Take inspiration from your favorite (or your child's favorite animal) and design and construct an outfit.  Remember to make it "inspired by" and not a literal costume.

My favorite animal at the zoo near us, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, is the red panda. I like them for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is always quiet near their habitat so we can linger as long as we like. For some reason, they don't attract the big crowds. I also love that they are always up in the trees. My daughter, Eliza, is a climber and I was a climber as a child so I can relate to these little guys. It's pretty cool up in those trees! There is food, you are safe, there is a good view.  And they are so stinkin' cute!  Panda is Nepalese for "small, cat-like animal," which fits them perfectly. They are as cute, if not cuter, than any cat I have seen. And I love cats!

When I looked at that little face above, on the Animal Facts website, I immediately ( I mean like lightning bolt fast IMMEDIATELY) saw what I was going to make inspired by this animal - a Millie Rose Flutter dress.  And can you see why? The red panda's ears look just like flutter sleeves, the facial fur and muzzle looks like a bib, the cute eyes and nose are like buttons. The skirt tiers mimic the shades in the body and the sash ties are the tail.  PERFECT!  I just knew it. And, I had just seen two fabric lines at my local quilt shop that I knew were the perfect colors: Downton Abbey by Andover and Chateaux Rouge by French General. 

I used Microsoft Word and Preview to plan the project out.

And it turned out just as I had pictured!

 

 

You can check out the linky party over at Project Run and Play and see all the other Zoo outfits!