At the clothes swap I attended last fall, this polyester blouse was one of those last-minute grabs at the end of the night when no one else had claimed it yet (I wonder why...). The pinky-purple print drew my eye for its vague resemblance to polka dots, though I think the designer may have intended it to be a sort of stylized snakeskin. That's not really my bag though, so we're going with wonky polka dots.
"Less is more" is a personal style motto of mine, and this shirt is a prime example of that. Fuchsia snakeskin, er, polka dots can be a mite overwhelming when one's entire upper half is covered with them. But a simple sleeveless shell in such a pattern can be a fun way to throw a pop of color into your wardrobe without looking like you're on your way to the disco.
My first step toward toning down this loud blouse was the removal of those chunky shoulder pads.
These were quickly followed by the collar and sleeves.
I planned to put the buttons down the back of my new blouse, so I put the top on Rosy backwards and trimmed out my new neckline. I like to cut one half, then fold it over to use as a guide for the other half, ensuring symmetry. I'd like a low-ish back too, so I used the cut-out portion of the front to trim the back to match.
Next, I laid my top flat and folded it in half so the side seams lined up. Then I trimmed away a little at a time until I had an armhole I was happy with.
I took in the sides and added bust darts coming in from the armhole edges.
Once I had my new tank top fitting well, it was time to finish all those raw edges because, boy, does this fabric fray! I cut a whole bunch of 1.5-inch bias strips from both sleeves and joined them end-to-end into roughly 17 miles of bias tape.
Then I started pinning my bias tape to the neckline and armholes, right sides facing each other. After those were sewn together, I pressed the bindings upward, then folded them around to the inside for a final stitching.
I even reattached the laundering tag to the top of the back. Finally, I gave it all a good press and ran to the bedroom to put together an outfit and snap some pics before the sun went down.
I didn't have much light left in the day, so backyard pics it is!
My J. Crew toothpick jeans and Nasty Gal gold-toed flats make this a casual and comfortable - but still chic - look.
I layered on a couple of gold necklaces as well to complete the ensemble.
I just bought a Green silk blouse to refashion and was thinking about putting the buttons down the back. Now I'm really thinking that's the thing to do. :o)
ReplyDeleteJJ
www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com
Absolutely! I've done this turn-around thing several times now, and I always love the result.
DeleteThanks, KD!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful colour and print, when - as you say - there is just the right amount of it.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any problem with the shoulder seams landing in a place other than at the top of your shoulders when you turn a blouse around to wear it front to back? Or does the bust dart help to offset that?
I didn't have a problem with this one because it was pretty boxy to begin with - no darts, no waist shaping, pretty much the same front and back. If there had been any of that, I would have either picked them out and pressed out the creases before turning it around, or I would have taken the refashion in another direction entirely.
DeleteLove this !
ReplyDeleteFun! I was going to do this with a man's shirt, but it has a box pleat below the yoke on the back, so I don't think I can turn it around as easily. I'll be on the lookout for another shirt to try this on!
ReplyDelete