The more spots the better

I've had this shirt for ages, and wore it a lot for a while.  It's what my friend calls a 'home jobbie' - someone (other than me) made this shirt quite carefully and used a good quality polyester (?) fabric.  Only she was shorter and wider than me, and it never felt quite right. 













So I put it aside for years waiting on a solution.  The trouble with navy is that it's quite hard to match - this one has quite a lot of black, and then, there's the polka dots.  And then one day at a sewing class someone brought in fabric to swap and there it was!  I like the fact the dots are a different size, I think it looks more intentional.  Finally, I could add the extra length!  First I took it in at the princess seams front and back, because it was wide and boxy - I went a little too far though, and ended up reverting the back seams to their original position.  A little boxy can be a good thing - the shoulders looked weird when it was too tailored.






But it still wasn't quite right.  It looked unbalanced - and so the sleeves got a band of dots as well.  Then I changed the buttons as I added an extra buttonhole right at the bottom.  Seeing I didn't have a matching button I removed them all and made them all different - so that looks intentional too.  Plus, I love odd buttons.

 

Happy sewing!

 



Vampire Grandma to I Love Lucy

Hello fellow refashioners!  I've been following you all for quite a while and I'm excited to join you.  For my first contribution, I bring you a matronly number I recently reworked.  With a little TLC, I knew I could turn this Vampire Grandma dress into something nice.

The wide cuffed sleeves, the weird pointy neck, the unflattering hemline.

The overall shape of the dress was good, if a little dated.  The collar was wide, but didn't look too much like an airplane. The fabric was in good condition, without holes, rips, or stains.  All I had to do was alter the sleeves and neckline, and chop off some length.  I started by ripping the pointy panels in front out, then I cut off the cuffs and about six inches off the bottom.

Goodbye cuffs and width!

I took some of the bulk out of the sleeves and shortened them to about 3/4 length.  Next I used the extra length from the bottom to add a panel and ruffles to the new neckline. Then all I had to do was finish the hem.

From dated and matronly to retro and wonderful!

Once the sewing was complete, I had a new favorite dress reminiscent of something Lucille Ball might have worn.  I love Lucy, don't you?

 - Elizabeth
    aka The Hungry Octopus