Evenin’ all!
I have had a mammoth sewing to do list these last few weeks and most of them I can’t share yet but there has been a note on this to do list for months now; “Get Shirt & join in The Refashioners 2015 project by 27th Sept”… TICK!!
So the Refashioners challenge is about taking a men’s shirt and turning it into to something else and you should see everyone’s entries on the pinterest board – they are all so amazing. It’s very inspiring to see so many creative beauties come out of plain ole shirts!
I do try to get involved with as many of these challenges as I can as they add variation to my sewing plans and get me doing things I probably wouldn’t do without the kick up the backside of the sewing community and this is the best kick I’ve had yet! Upcycling/refashioning is my first love and I have wanted to bring that into my sewing repertoire for a while now and now I get how creative and interesting it can get and I’ve got SO many plans… Thankyou Portia for launching the community challenge for the Refashioners -I’m so so happy to be involved!
I honestly didn’t know where to begin with this project – a dress, skirt, shorts etc etc until I started making the first pattern by Lilith & Eve – the LE101 Drapey Blouse. I was making the Lilith sleeveless version and I just fell in love with the back drape… it’s just stunning so had a eureka moment – my refashion should be using a shirt for the top bit and their pattern for the bottom! YES! 😉
The WIP Lilith blouse is the black and white one behind!
It started with the shirt… a Calvin Klein small men’s shirt from Kilburn Car Boot Sale – Our banter was pretty funny actually…
Man on stall: “I know it’s for men but you’d look great in it”
Me: “Hmm… Actually it’s great that it’s a man’s shirt I need one for a sewing project”
Man on stall: “But this is CALVIN KLEIN, you can’t cut it up!”
ME: “ok, ok, I don’t care about the label but the fabric is pretty special! How much?”
Man on stall: ” Ooh for a Calvin Klein shirt…
*I look worried, sure I can’t afford this luxury!*
£1.50?!
SOLD!!!
It is rather lovely – nice rich smoky navy in a waxy heavy weight cotton -yum!
The other fabric had to drape nicely so enter this gorgeous spotty drapey viscose from the remnants bin of the almighty Abakhan in Chester that jumped out of my stash at me and matches the shirt so well!
So, in pictures, this is what I did:
I also hemmed the bottom (not easy with that curve – I need to work on my hemming skills!) and added interfacing and hemmed the strip for the buttons and buttonholes oh and put in buttonholes! Thanks to Emmie’s blog I used the nifty trick of putting a secret button on the other side where the shirt joined the viscose which really helps hold it all in place.
I guess the biggest difference with doing this pattern with a ready made top part is it’s just one layer – in the pattern it’s so hidden and tidy with two layers sandwiching those messy seams but instead I overlocked all the seams so it’s nice and neat!
I am totally in love with this shirt – that drapey back- swoon! I have already been ebay searching for a black shirt to add a black and white striped bottom drapey fabric to so thank you again to the Refashioners for getting me refashioning!!
Oh and if you want to join in – you have till Sunday night so get your skates on lads and lasses! 🙂
Till next time, happy refashioning!
