Men's Shirt Upcycle

Remember the men's shirts I snagged at Salvation Army last week?  I decided to work with the blue checked one, which was $2.99 initial investment.

It's a very nice quality shirt - Polo by Ralph Lauren.  First I cut off the collar and the sleeves.

The I used some scrap quilting fabric I had on hand to make bias binding.  I used this to finish the neck and armholes.  Love the complementary colors!

I fitted the shirt to a woman's contours and added a sash made from the complementary fabric.

I made the back of the shirt into the new front, so all I have left to do is remove the pocket!

Even though the pocket still needs to be removed, I already wore the top out to do some errands.  Very comfy, and nicer looking than my usual T.  I'm pretty pleased with the outcome, but even if it was too "altered" for your tastes, you could wear it as a crafting or kitchen coverall!  What do you think?

Next Project: UFO #1, New Look 6619

So, the first of my UFOs to be rectified is New Look 5519, a cute boxy jacket.  I believe I started this two years ago.  I had a great menswear wool suiting fabric on hand and I decided to make a suit.  I completed a nice pencil skirt, and chose this pattern to make a jacket from, and then cut it out and never began the sewing.  Though I have made many successful jackets in the past I remain intimidated by them - buttonholes and buttons and linings - oh, my! 

I have now gamely started the process of sewing and have put together the main body of the jacket, view C.  Next up is adding the sleeves.  I'll keep you posted!

Making Progress

I'm finally making some real progress on my vintage sailor dress (Simplicity 5566)!  I am quite excited about how things are going now.  I have one more sleeve to attach, the buttons and the hem.  I did decide to hand sew the buttonholes.  They aren't as uniform and neat as I might like, but I am glad that I did them.

I also finished binding the seams.  There's nothing I like better than a nice, neat, finished look to the inside of a garment.  Well, ok, there are some things I like better ;-).

I'm also pleased with how my hand stitched hems came out on the sleeves.

So, I should be able to reveal the completed dress within a day or so.  Thank you for hanging in there and watching my progress!