Refashion Fail Follow-Up

A few weeks ago, I showed you that things don't always go smoothly when it comes to refashioning. I attempted to turn an over-sized men's dress shirt into a cute feminine top with the original buttons down the back. Remember that?

To recap, it began with this free shirt, complete with holes and bleach stains.

I used the Sorbetto pattern (purely as inspiration though, so it cannot be blamed in any way for my failure). The end result would have been totally fine if only the pleat would have behaved itself.

But I loved the buttons down the back! I just had to save this project somehow.

So I called on all of you, dear readers, for help, and boy, did you pull through for me! I thought about just tacking down the inside of the pleat to be done with it. But you all had so many wonderful suggestions, I knew I had to go a step further and make this a top I would truly love. Theresa had a great idea - pintucks! With the fabric's lack of drape, more structure was really what it needed.

So, after a few weeks in time out to think about what it had done, I retrieved the top from its cell (i.e., my closet) today. It expressed genuine remorse for its actions and promised to behave better this time, so we got right down to business.

I picked out the top and bottom hems and gave the front a good press.

Then I marked off the top and bottom edge at 1-inch intervals. Starting in the center and working my way out, I folded the fabric from pin to pin, and stitched 1/4 inch from the fold all the way down the front.

In order to take in more fabric around the neckline, I added four more pintucks on each side, starting at 4 inches long, then becoming progressively shorter as I went outward. I also tapered these pintucks, kind of like an inside-out dart, so there wouldn't be too much puckering at the ends.

When I went to press my pintucks, I realized that having an odd-number of them sort of hindered the symmetry thing (which direction do you press the center one - right or left?) So I just decided to remove it instead. Then I pressed my pintucks outward, toward the side seams - the right-hand tucks to the right and the left-hand ones to the left. Finally, it was time to rehem the top and bottom edges.

I am so glad I decided to ditch the pleats. I like the pintucks so much better, and I don't have to worry as much as about re-ironing this top every time I wash it.