Blarney Blouse

We went through a huge photo dump yesterday and I found pictures I hadn't posted from my favorite creation yet:  my blarney blouse!  This upcycle was inspired by a St. Patrick's Day party... who knew I didn't have anything green to wear?

So it started as this:

The green tee was Dear Daughter #1's in junior high. It was *MUCH* too tight for me and my dress dummy (even with it is set completely flat because I can't figure out the settings to give it curves - BTW, if anyone can help me figure out how to adjust the dress dummy's bust, I would be eternally grateful).  The second shirt was one of those sheer lace tops that I wore a cammie under in the 90s.  I'm a sucker for paisley, so I've held onto it a L-O-N-G time.

First step was to split the back of the tiny tee shirt open to make room for all of me.

Next stop...a touch of paisley.  I hacked off a sleeve and just sewed it in the back split.  Double win here, because I have two layers so the thing isn't so sheer and the pretty trim on the bottom stays!

You can see how messy the inside is, but it isn't itchy so I'm still counting it as a win.

I really liked the turquoise piping, so I cut what was left and  used it to pull the sleeve shape into a bell on the back -- using the old "I tried to make it look that way" bluff. 

This left me tons of the lace, which I stitched into two tubes (including the remaining sleeve), and tacked on as a scarfy, cowl collar.  I cut the back of the lace sweater into narrow strips and sewed those on, too.

I think what makes this one of my favorite projects is how very little there was left when I was done:

These are what inspired the little rosette.  I sewed a matching bead into the middle of my rose and used up the last bit of trim for a ribbon. People are probably getting sick of seeing me in this, as I think I've been wearing it every week.  The constant washing is creating a beautiful felting in the collar - another happy accident.  Maybe there's something to be said for kissing the blarney stone?