The Vintage Bike Shirt

Hello Readers. June 3rd is "World Bike Day". It seemed like a good time to re-post this shirt from 2019. It had vintage bikes all over and was so cute.

I was inspired by this peach shirt. It doesn't look very special so why did I like this shirt?

 

It didn't look like much from far away. It was a little too baggy to wear to work and the 3/4 length sleeves were almost to my wrists. It needed some help. 

And the pants? They almost fit at the waist but the length was out of control.

I loved this shirt because of the print. There were polka dots and these fabulous vintage bikes. I love vintage bikes!

I have a couple. My sister-in-law gave me one that actually folds in half. The other I got from the side of the road. It had a sign on it that said free. When I stopped my car a lady came out of her house and told me to please take it. I love them both.

I looked at the original shirt and decided that I wanted shorter sleeves. It is really hot outside. August is always super hot.

I took the sides in so the fit would be less baggy and I made short sleeves.

The short sleeves seemed a little plain.

 

 I added a button from the original cuff and pinched the sleeve together to gather the sleeve up a little bit.

Here are the pants my daughter gave me. They would be great for work. I decided to make another pair of cropped pants to survive the summer heat. My daughter told me to put them on inside out so she could pin them for me. Look how much extra fabric there was! She laughed and laughed while she pinned the hem for me. Then she stuck me with a pin.

I took them in just a little and I made them much shorter.

This was a great summer outfit for work. It looks like I am showing of my bicep but I am just pointing to the sleeve. My biceps are nothing I want to really point out to anyone.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End update-  I thought of this as a summer shirt but I wore it in winter under a sweater. The little bikes are so cute. I love it.

Buttondown to Feminine Blouse

 Hello Readers. When I saw this shirt at a swap I thought the colors were perfect for spring and Easter. I thought it was a little boxy and I wanted it to be more feminine. 

Before and after.

The colors are so right but the shape is so wrong. It's OK. 

First, I cut the collar off. 

I also cut the front of the neckline a little lower. I folded the front on itself so I could cut both sides at the same time. This will make the new neckline symmetrical.

I used my serger around the neckline to prevent fraying. You could use a zigzag stitch for this also. 

I turned the edge under and stitched it down with my sewing machine using a straight stitch to make my new neckline. 

Here is the new neckline. It is more open, which looks better on me.

I opened the hem of the ends sleeves with a seam ripper. I just needed to open it enough to get elastic in.

I checked the size of my bicep to see how big I wanted the elastic to be. I wanted it snug, but not tight. I pinned a safety pin to the end of the elastic and used the safety pin to push the elastic through the sleeve.

When I pulled the elastic through, I tied the ends of the elastic in a knot and sewed the opening closed. 

This gathers the end of the sleeve together and makes a little puffed sleeve. 

My new shirt was ready to wear. It is casual and the colors are fun. 

 

Wishing you lots of chocolate and sweet times. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- I made this for Easter and it is stuck in my head to wear it then. It really could be worn anytime but I haven't worn it since.

A Buttondown Shirt Refashion

 Hello Readers. St. Patrick's Day is coming soon. I hope you have some green to wear. It's good luck! I wanted this button down to be short sleeves so I got to work. 

Before and after.

This green plaid shirt was fine but I had an idea. 

I cut the sides of the shirt and that also removed the sleeves. 

I made new arm holes. 

I also cut it shorter and hemmed it. I was in mood for a summer top. I thought this would be a great top for spring and summer.

Then I took one sleeve and cut it open so it would lay flat. Why? It is going in the front of the shirt.

I cut a section of the sleeve that was about 5 inches wide and I serged the edges. 

I sewed the piece of sleeve into the front of the shirt. It is attached between the sides of the shirt. 

I liked the green stripes going in a different direction. I had fun playing around with this and it will be great for warm weather.

 

  But I can also wear it under a sweater in cold weather too. Thanks for reading along, now go make something green for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- I loved this sweater and shirt combo but they both got a bit uncomfortable because I gained weight this year. It's OK. It happens.

The Conversation Heart Blouse

 Hello Readers. And Happy Valentine's Day! I wanted to make something for the holiday but I wanted to try something subtle, that wasn't over the top. (Some people think less is more and this project is for them.) I had this very simple red button-up shirt and red seemed like a great choice for the holiday. How could I decorate it for Valentine's Day? I decided to change out the buttons for a simple but fun way to brighten up the shirt and celebrate the day.

Change out the buttons for a fun look. 

 

This shirt was a little plain and a little boring. OK, it was very boring. Red is a fun color but this isn't fun ...yet.
 

The plain red shirt had plain red buttons but look at the little heart buttons. They were cute and colorful. 

I thought the buttons looked a lot like these conversation heart candies. I love how these candies look. (They are nothing compared to my true love, chocolate. I just love the nostalgia.)

I cut the stitches and removed the old buttons. 

I replaced the red buttons with the different colored hearts. I matched the thread color with the color of the heart button. 

I replaced all the buttons, even the cuffs. 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. And I hope you get all the chocolate you want today.

White Shirt

 Hello Readers. Button-down shirts are classic and they are great for refashions too. This white shirt was a hand-me-down and the sleeves were a little long. Let's see what we can do with it. 

I started by cutting off the long sleeves that did not fit. I kept about 3 inches of sleeve to work with. 

I wanted to roll the sleeves up and keep them in that rolled position. I stitched each sleeve roll down in a few places to keep it rolled.

I wanted to crop the shirt a little and add a waistband. You can choose any length you like. I wanted to cover my tummy. I used this tan ribbon because it seemed to look good with the stripes of the shirt. I folded the ribbon ends and stitched them down so it would not fray. 

I attached the ribbon to the shirt as a waistband. I left enough at the ends so I could tie it in the front. 

The shirt fits great now. I noticed that the ribbon matched the ribbon I added to these jeans last year. 

 I wore this to go get Hawaiian shave ice. It was hot and humid but that strawberry shave ice was so good!

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-I really liked how this shirt turned out. It was fun to make and went with everything. It got a lot of wear in the summer.