A sewing project for Valentine's Day.

A good friend of mine gave me some shirts that didn't work for her (she is losing weight and looks amazing!)  I loved one shirt but it never looked right on me.  I would try it on and then take it off in frustration.  It was so pretty but on me, it looked boxy and made me look pregnant....and not in a good way!

The last time I tried to find a way to wear it, I took it off and tossed it on my sewing table where it landed on this green paisley fabric.  I RARELY mix patterns.  I love how they look, but I can never seem to match them up on my own.  Well, I looked over and loved the combination.  I doubt I would have thought about these two fabrics had it not been for the fortuitous juxtaposition.   So I made a skirt and dress out of the shirt and fabric. I started Saturday night and found myself in a full on sewing kick. I managed to finish in time for Maddy to wear it to church the next day. (her choice, not mine, I thought it was more of a school dress)



 I confess that I love the fact that the shirt already had a nifty ruffled edge.  When I get my serger up and running again, I'm going to try this as a way to accent other outfits.  Super cute!  With a few minutes and a trusted seam ripper I was able to tie the green fabric strips in....



With some more careful snipping of the shirt, I was able to create a matching section of ruffle for the peasant blouse.  As a note for myself: Make the shirt a hair wider and the base and a tiny bit longer to allow for a larger seam.



I repurposed a seam on the shirt as a tie on the shirt. Maddy is so skinny that without a tie, many shirts and dresses look too baggy. It's hard to see but I also added a fantastic little extra that I love. I made a false hem at the bottom of the shirt with extra topstitching as a detail. It lays perfectly and came out just as I imagined. I played around with a scrap for a good 5 minutes, folding and pressing to figure out the best way to get the look. (happy sigh)




I would love to have custom tags for my clothing, but I am too cheap to buy 300 at a pop! (Let me know if you have a good store for smaller quantities!)  I dressed it up with a tiny purple tag for fun.





You are probably wondering what the entire outfit looks like....of course, my daughter is adorable and cute and did NOT feel like cooperating. The best shot? This one. I do love her so much. I love her excitement and joy!