I was inspired by one of my DOL buds to take a whack at 'refashioning.'
I started with 2 men's XL shirts. I know my DOL bud combs the thrift shops for reusable treasures, but I just couldn't get past the thought of the sweaty guy who once inhabited the armpit which is now the neckline...so I opted for new-but drastically reduced-Kohl's shirts. (If you hit Kohl's on the right day they practically pay you to take stuff home!)
It would have been easy enough to cut up my oversized shirts and simply use them for fabric, there was plenty. But that would sort of defeat the spirit of the whole 'refashioning' idea.
When Paganoonoo (my friend's designer handle - check out her stuff here.) remakes shirts, you actually can see the innovative ways she turns different parts of the old garments into clever features on the new garments. It was that inspiration that I wanted to bring to my 'refashion' project.
I love how easy they are to wear and the vintage vibe they evoke. It was an obvious choice for my redo...maybe not the most creative choice, but this was my first go at this, so I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew!
I took the sleeves off the shirts and was left with a very roomy 'bodice.' It kind of reminded me of Larry the Cable Guy! Not the look I was going for!
Much pinning and shaping...
When I got the bodice looking more like June Cleaver instead of Larry, I moved on to the skirt. I had the body of the second shirt, the bottom of my bodice shirt and 4 sleeves to work with.
An old rule of thumb is "2 times your wrist = your neck and 2 times your neck = your waist." Therefore, 4 times your wrist = your waist! (as long as you are working with XL shirts!) I tried lining up the cuffs and sure enough...waist! The plackets even worked like darts!
To finish my Frankenstein dress I used the button holes and buttons from the second shirt to extend the front opening the full length of the skirt. I simply hemmed the sleeve caps which created the perfect shirttail hem! The arm holes were finished with a bias strip cut from the back of the pink shirt and I put the pocket from the pink shirt on the right front skirt panel.
It was fun figuring out new takes on old parts. It is also challenging to figure out how to finish different parts of the garment. AND, you only get one go at cutting, so "measure twice, cut once" was definitely the order of the day!
Such an interesting refashioned garment! I usually see garments made from men's shirts that are loose and less refined than your garment - well done. Karen
ReplyDeleteThanks...I agree, I didn't want it to look like I was just wearing my Dad's shirt, but I did want it to retain it's 'shirtness!'
ReplyDeleteI did not know this rule of thumb. Glad to learn something new.
ReplyDeleteAn old rule of thumb is "2 times your wrist = your neck and 2 times your neck = your waist." Therefore, 4 times your wrist = your waist! (as long as you are working with XL shirts!) I tried lining up the cuffs and sure enough...waist! The plackets even worked like darts!
Genius all the way.
I say "old rule" because it worked better when I was in high school! I'm still OK with the wrist and neck part :)
ReplyDeleteExactly!
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