I did it!  I pressed on, and the shirt is done.  And fits.

(This is another faceless shot of my torso.)

Finishing wasn’t as simple as I posited.  I had to trim up the sides a couple times and add shape to avoid the cinched-trashbag look.  I actually sewed the sides 4 different times.  Trial and error, friends!

Then I made binding for the armholes, and that just never seems to get easier.  Does anyone have advice on armholes?

The gathers are actually pintucks.  That was kind of where I started.

Have you noticed a common theme with every shirt I make?  They all are loose-fitting in the general tummy area.  They might even be misconstrued as being maternity tops.  I’m not pregnant.  (I don’t think.)  I just have an empty baby house,  and I’m decidedly okay with that.

So I was making all these clothes.  Shirts, actually.  And somewhere along the way I got over-confident.  I decided to design my own shirt.  And that’s where I hit the wall.  Over the past week, I’ve come back to this shirt half a dozen times, trying to figure out why it wasn’t working.

(It’s inside-out, in case you’re wondering.)

I’ve been comparing it to actual pattern pieces to try to get the armholes right.

The kinks are mostly worked out, so I’ll show you the finished product as soon as the armholes and hem are finished.

(Unless something disastrous happens.)

Meanwhile, here are some necklaces (hanging on the wall) that I made while think-thinking about the shirt.

Here’s to a new week with fresh inspiration… Happy Monday!

I can’t wait to show you where all this is going!

Happy Friday! :)

…but still wardrobe-related.

I know I mentioned leather-working on here a few months ago, but that was it.  Just a mention.  Here’s proof that I wasn’t just pullin’ your leg. :)

Evan’s grandfather gave me all his leather tools (and leather!) over Christmas.  *heart palpitations*

There is absolutely nothing missing from the mix.  Cutting tools (I promise I’ll be careful!), embossing tools, paint, stain, wax, rivets, mallets, etc…

I have so many ideas.  One that I wanted to try out right away was pendants for necklaces.  What do you think?  Could it work?  These are unfinished.  I actually worked on them quite a bit more after I snapped this picture.  Anyway, I’d love your feedback! :)

By now, you might think this has turned into a blog about sewing shirts.  I assure you, it hasn’t.  But I have a few more things to show you before I’ve totally burned myself out. :)

This tunic is a combination of Simplicity 4589, McCall’s 5388, and my own modifications.  I liked the length and width of the McCall’s pattern (which I used for this top).  But I wanted a sleeveless top with a yoke (like the dress that inspired it all).  I made the yoke much wider than the pattern called for, but I kept the neckline wide enough to slip over my head.  I also topstitched everything.

I’m in love with this fabric.  It’s cotton.  It’s comfortable.  It’s got some weight to it.  It has texture.  It’s bold but not too bold.  Also: I paid about $7 for all of it and can probably make Emily a dress or a shirt out of what’s left.

Now I need to sew up some leggings.  Got any ideas?

The final installment for the week is a refashion from a cute-but-homely sleepshirt.  I bought this before married life was on the radar…

So I thought long and hard about this one.  It would have been much easier if there was no pocket to deal with.  But eventually I figured it out.  I used this Built By Wendy pattern to get the raglan sleeves right.  Then I gathered the neckline and added bias tape to it.  I cut the bias tape from the 8 or so inches I cut off the bottom. Then, of course, I hemmed up the bottom.

Voila!  Easier than I thought it would be.

[Don’t you just love taking really bad “before” pictures so the “after” looks even better?  I get super-excited about a project at 10 pm and don’t have good light and don’t care.]  We have some very kind neighbors - a woman and her two adopted daughters - who bring us hand-me-downs often.  This jumper was in a grocery bag on our doorknob when we returned from a walk on Monday.  It was providential, I tell you.

I made this up as I went along, but I was certainly inspired by this free pattern I saw a few days ago.   I used white muslin for the lining and white knit cotton as interfacing just to give it some weight.

My favorite addition to my wardrobe right now is this black & white seersucker shirt that I made over the weekend .  It’s McCall’s M5388.  This pattern really is great - easy to follow with a nice end-product.  I added top-stitching to the bottom of the yoke (rather than slip-stitching the facing by hand.  I’m lazy like that.)  I also made the sleeves longer and didn’t use elastic on them.  I sort of regretted this decision when I realized how poofy and wide they are.  I almost looked like I had some weird 80s thing going on.  But then I rolled the sleeves up, and I kinda like ‘em.  I guess if they really get on my nerves, I can always add elastic or a button or shorten them…

So there ya go.  My new favorite thing is a stripedy shirt. :)

[First, I have to tell you that Little Miss Emily allowed us to sleep in this morning.  By playing in the bathroom.  We found the nozzles off several perfume and lotion bottles, and the toilet seat was mysteriously damp.  She later claimed that she was giving her Pooh Bears “a bath in the toilet bath.”  Um.  It’s only a matter of time.]

I thought I’d taken a good “before” picture of the dress I used for this refashion, but I can’t find one.   So here’s a link.  Honestly, I hated cutting into it because it was without a doubt the most fabulous bridesmaid dress I could ever imagine.  I wore it in my best friend’s wedding nearly 4 years ago.  And then I wore it once more a month later.  Three years passed, and I put it on for a date with Evan last summer.  The boning dug into my side, so I decided not to wear it.  And then I realized that I was never going to wear it.  Unless.

Unless it became something else.

Using a shirt that my friend Mindy gave me (that has moth holes) as a pattern, I refashioned my seersucker dress into a very wearable top.

The shape seems much fuller because the seersucker doesn’t drape like the stretchy knit fabric does.

I changed the back to accommodate a button.

Now I have a fresh, green top just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! :)

This week I want to show you how I’ve been updating my wardrobe for the spring.  I was particularly inspired by a dress I agonized over and finally purchased while we were on vacation.  I love the shape, color, fabric, etc., so I decided to use it as my muse.

I can’t afford to buy a new wardrobe each season (or even each year).  But I can fix and/or refashion what I have and make clothes from scratch.

Today, I’m sharing an old cardigan that, unfortunately, was moth-eaten while in storage last year.  I’ve had this handy piece for nearly 7 years!  Other than the hole, the sweater still looks brand new (a testament to buying high-quality pieces to start with).  I appliqued some birds onto it today while listening to Arcade Fire.  Somehow that seems pertinent.  [I used the bird pattern from Lena Corwin’s Printing By Hand.]

The fusible webbing didn’t stick particularly well to the knit wool.  (You can see one of the birds sticking up in the next picture.)  So I hand-stitched around the edges with some silver embroidery floss (Thanks, Tracy!).

Here’s the backside of this little birdie:

I will probably darn the hole just to be certain it doesn’t get worse.

And here’s the final product:

This may not seem particularly spring-ish, but it coordinates with some of the other pieces I’ll be sharing this week, including the aforementioned dress.  And it’s always good to have a cardigan in your spring wardrobe!

This took a couple of hours start-to-finish, and (most importantly) I think I’ll actually wear it. ;)