Meat and potatoes

I bought this blouse for £3 in a charity shop

I had read some advice from a fashion expert which was 70% of your wardrobe should be 'meat and potatoes'.  I realised most of my wardrobe was puddings and gravy so that's why I bought this blouse, to start to redress the balance, but also with a refashion in mind.

Here is the other element of the refashion

The plan was to use the doily as a lace insert to the back of the blouse, this would also add a bit of give and improve the fit.

I deliberated exactly where to add the doily to minimise the bra strap and flesh on view.

Doilies are so beautifully old fashioned and often languish unloved in charity shops.

I cut a hole in the back of the blouse using a side plate as a template and added the doily to fill the gap

I used one layer of hand sewing and one layer of machine sewing for the attachment.

I also added a pop of colour in the sleeves

Here is the finished blouse

More info, photos and words here