Oh, vintage polyester... How I love thee. What fabric has such vibrant color? So many lovely patterns! Florals. Stripes. Dots. Modern/geometric. And it's remarkably durable, providing you don't snag it. (All bets are off then.)
When it comes to second-hand polyester, I usually find it in fugly old muumuu form, but I found this lovely shirt at a seaside thrift store while I was visiting my grandmother this spring. Granny and her posse are big supporters of mine, and she thought this shirt would be a fun refashion. (Though she admits that she was skeptical of one of my first projects when I started this adventure a few years ago.)
A royal beauty.
Since fall is right around the corner, I thought I'd refashion this into autumnal office wear. I started by taking in the sleeves about 1.5 inches. I sewed a straight line from the outer edge of the sleeve to the inside/armpit of the sleeve. Then I used a zigzag stitch along the outside of my straight stitch to reinforce it. After taking in the sleeves, I trimmed away the excess sleeve fabric without trimming the body of the shirt.
Bringing in the sleeves! Bringing in the sleeves!
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sleeves!
Next, I took in the sides. Starting where the new sleeve met the body of the shirt, I sewed straight (straight-ish) line from the armpit to the bottom edge of the shirts. This allowed the top of the shirt to be more fitted, while the bottom was still loose and flowy.
Nipping in the waist and sides.
All I needed to do then was close the front of the shirt. With the right sides of the fabric together, I sewed the front of the shirt shut, starting about 4 inches from the top of the shirt and stopping when I was about 8 inches from the bottom. This gave the shirt a little v-neck when the top was tied shut, and gave me enough room to move around if I decided to wear the shirt with pants. (It's tunic-length.)
Closing the front.
The shirt should be pretty versatile. I can wear it with pants or tucked into a skirt for work. I think my Granny would be pleased.
Ready for fall!
- Elizabeth
aka The Hungry Octopus
4 comments:
Loved the "singing"...we change that song up all the time. Bringing in the sheep is what my friend thought the song actually said, when she was a kid.
I'm trying not to go cross-eyed with envy over that print! What a gorgeous tunic you turned it into!
www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com
I was going to say I love the song bit, too! LOVE the label, though.
The new shirt looks loads of fun.
Sandy in the UK
Great job!:))
Glad to see I'm not alone in my love of retro/vintage polyester print! Great result!
Post a Comment