Pipe dreams

Another Violet blouse, this time born out of an oversized shirt I never wore.

I added red piping at the yoke, sandwiched into the French seam. Something very satisfying about sewing piping.

I decided not to add a peter pan collar this time and finished the neckline with bias binding instead. I used the mid-length sleeve but adapted them to give them a narrow fit.

The best thing about upcycling a shirt in this way is that you don't have to sew the buttons or button-holes! Just position your pattern pieces in such a way that they encompass the already-made buttons.


Here is a photo of the original shirt. I can't even remember where I actually bought it now (probably the flea market or Les Petits Riens), but it had been in a box for a while earmarked for adaption.


I was half tempted just to wear it as it was but it was really just far too large, and not in a cool 'oversized' way. Just in a 'your shirt is ridiculously too big for you' way.

Feel quite relieved to have finally found a use it. What I really like about fabric stashing (or in this case old clothing stashing) is that sometimes you can't make something with it before the time is right: its time will come when the right project comes along - and not beforehand!