The First Refashion

I have finished my first “Get Shirty” Refashion.  I really enjoyed making it and there is a real sense of satisfaction to be had from creating something new from something discarded.   This was the shirt I started with, bought from a Chichester charity shop.

As a virgin Refashioner I decided to stick with what I know and adapt this pattern to incorporate the button band at the back.

Simplicity Pattern

This is what I did ………

• Cut up the side and sleeve seams and removed the collar to release all the fabric. I also removed the pocket.  The fabric is a really good quality.
• Traced off new pattern pieces in a size 8 to take account of the fact that I wouldn’t have to pull the top over my head.  I had previously cut out the 10 to allow for wriggle room.
• Traced the back pattern piece as one piece so I didn’t need to cut the back fabric on the fold (the buttons would have made this tricky).
• Cut the back facing in two separate pieces and extended the centre edge by ⅝ to allow for turning under when finishing the facing.
• To make sure I got the top button in the right place I measured up ⅝ plus a fraction from the top of the third button hole down and placed the top of the pattern at this point.  I had to start further down than I had originally planned to ensure that the pattern piece fitted on the fabric.  I then lined up the centre of the back pattern piece with the centre of the buttons.
• Cut the front from the back of the shirt and the facings from the tails.

I was amazed how little fabric was left at the end.  I had to throw the collar away because it was a bit creepy all on its own – like a severed head!

Top Button

Button Band

Re-sized Back Facing

Leftovers

From here I constructed the top according to the pattern with a bit of fiddling around at the top of the button band when I realised that folding this under to the wrong side would cover up the back of the top button hole making it unusable!  I ended up cutting it off, binding the edge with a zig zag stitch and turning a tiny machine sewn hem. Not perfect and definitely room for improvement but it doesn’t shown when it’s on.

It all came together very nicely after that and I decided to finish the hem and sleeves using a twin needle.  I’ve only used this once before and was halfway round the hem when I realised I was using the stretch version but I couldn’t face re-threading it.  I think the trick is to go slowly because speeding up seems to make the threads tangle.

Here’s the result.  Next time I’ll do the top stitching at the neckline with the twin needle too!  I should have thought of that at the time.  I did think about sewing the existing pocket on the front but I wasn’t sure and now I’m wearing it I’m glad I didn’t.

Neckline

Hemline

Button Band

Front

Back

I went off to buy another shirt for my next Refashion but my purchase (£5) from the St Wilfrid’s Hospice shop was just too nice and W insisted on changing into it before we even got home.  If you were in the Market Avenue car park in Chichester on Saturday morning while the changing process took place I can only apologise!

After bumping into two lots of friends who complimented him on his lovely shirt there was no way I could cut it up so I’m still searching for a new Get Shirty candidate.