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.

Going to Work in the Heat

Hello Readers. Thanks for coming to the blog and reading this post. There is a lot going on in our world. I will be the first to admit that sewing isn't nearly as important as the massive racial and social justice movement going on right now. I think it's natural if you are more focused on that right now.

I still have to go to work...

It is getting really hot...

 I refashioned these to wear today...

So I figured I would post this blog entry.

This seemed like such a great summer shirt. It had a built in bra and it was super soft. The problem was that the key-hole in the bust was really too much. It was like a cleavage coin slot. The armholes were also a little too low on the sides. There was a little too much side boob showing.

I used my sewing machine and closed the key-hole. Now more cleavage show.

I also took the armholes in a little. It was enough to keep everything tucked in where it was supposed to be.

I shortened the pants quite a bit. I wanted some cropped wide legged pants. I made some last summer that were great for hot days. I really liked them but I can't fit into them right now. (Thanks Corona!) A new pair is just what I need.

(I was sewing and my youngest was playing Legos next to me. I made the yellow house.)

This pants turned out great for casual office wear. And tank tops are always useful alone or under something else.

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

The Dress From Long Ago

Hello Readers. Some times clothes sit and wait quite a while to get refashioned at my house. This bright cotton turquoise dress has been waiting a long time. I found it at a clothes swap and no one else wanted it.

 Today's post is like a flash from the past. I have had this dress for over 2 years. I used some of it in 2017 to add some length to this shirt. I took the lowest tier from the skirt and added it to the hem. 

Now back to 2019, I had a shorter dress that still didn't fit but I loved that gauzy wrinkled cotton.

I decided to make a top with a nice peplum ruffle at the bottom. I cut off the bottom tier of the skirt and all the polyester lining that went with it to connect the tiers.

I took the sides in a little so it would fit better.

Here is a side view. I made sure the armholes were not too big.

There were 2 places at the neckline that were gathered together. I used them and made them a little bigger so the neckline would be pulled in and up a little more.

 I decided to make some cropped pants from my daughters hand-me-downs. Again. I am a little obsessed. I had to cut off almost a foot of fabric. Again. I gave them a quick hem and they were ready to wear. Honestly, I don't love them, I think they make me look even shorter. They are great in the oppressive heat of late summer, so I know I will wear them.

I liked the shirt even better than I thought I would. It's a new favorite.

           *Photo edited to make me look taller.                                             

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

 ***Year End update-This is still a great top. I only wore it in the summer. The gauzy fabric seemed like a summer weiht to me. It is waiting in the closet for net summer.