'MakeOver Monday' - Shirt Refashion #2

'Make-over Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

The other rescued shirt needed to be REfashioned for exactly the same reason as her sister
only this time 
I was prepared to bravely go where I mostly avoid going these days 

~sleeveless~

like any good REinventer who is always thinking ahead
I'd already noted I could throw a T-shirt underneath 
or a cardy over the top

or I could just be brave...

once I had all the bits [carefully] separated
and could see what was what
my orginal idea to use the length of the sleeves to construct a deeper false hem
with longer pieces meaning less joins and a tidier finish

went straight out the window

it seems that whilst [not-so-carefully] unpicking an inside tab

 I'd left a teeny-tiny but unmistakeable hole in the middle of a sleeve

plus most of the gorgeous ruby red & dusty charcoal flowers

weren't in the middle of either sleeve

so option two 

the one where I cut strips along the sleeve and join shorter pieces together to make a band giving the impression of a deeper false hem came quickly into play 

complete with a groovy little vent 

fashioned from the original sleeve openings

before I go on I should mention a little bit of housekeeping that happened 

I always like to REstitch the end of the seams I've cut through

 it's a little thing that can make a big difference 

no one likes it when their seams start to unravel

the only other time I'll use the word housekeeping in this post 

is when I stay-stitched my armholes

being that the fabric is quite fine 

and the armholes most definately did not need to be any bigger 

it was a judgement call to help them keep their shape

and while I'm being all 

'the devils in the detail'

I have a confession to make

I can already hear everyone who has ever been in one of my workshops tut-tutting saying under their breath "oh really Jody?!"

as I admit to not using bias binding on the armholes

instead trimming & stitching the original cuffs into a straight-grained binding 

which by way of an exercise is a good example of why you use bias binding on curved edges 

 straight grain puckers around curves

however I figured it was only a skinny strip

no one would notice

and besides it would have meant a trip to buy beige bias binding

which would've been less rewarding than the feeling I got 
when the only things left over from both REfashions were these buttons



and I love her

without sleeves

or with

and either way I'm feeling brave.

***

{Next week}

an impulse buy bought brand new 
which has sat in my wardrobe unworn for approx. 3yrs because it never fitted as well as I'd hoped and as I sit here typing I've no idea what she'll become but I'm looking forward to finding out...