Spring Shirt Refashion

A couple weeks ago I was asked to put together a display of refashioned clothing as a part of a bigger display of homemaking skills at a local women's workshop/ conference organized by my church.  The conference itself was great, and I was excited to be a part of it.  I ended up mostly using refashions I had already made, but I came up with a few new things to add to the display, and I am excited to share them with you! 

In its previous life, this fun spring shirt was dull and wintery, with too-long sleeves, and a weird floppy neckband that forced me to always wear a tank top underneath, or expose myself.... consequently, it had a sad, neglected life.

Having a makeover really gave this shirt new life, and it was fairly simple.  First, I gave the neckline three darts to get rid of the floppy/ flabby neckline and instead add some cute contour.

Second, I chopped the sleeves off right above the elbow.  With the extra material from the sleeves, I cut three bands of differing widths and layered them over the newly- short sleeves into a cascade- raw edges and all (that's the beauty of knits, no?).

Once everything was pinned to my satisfaction, I (carefully) tried the shirt on and was delighted to discover that I loved it so much more than before, and I recommitted to giving it the attention it deserved.

I sewed the darts in place, and did a double line around the sleeves for stability.  I still had some scraps left over from the sleeves I chopped, so naturally I made a button poppy for embellishment!

I'm loving the finished product!

(Look for more cute shirt refashions in the near future!)