Topsy Turvy
I finally finished a project that’s been in the works for a while. It was one of those things that I’d pull out and work on a little and then get stumped and put it away. Then I’d have an idea and work on it a little more…and then put it away again. Last December/January as I was surfing some sewing blogs, I found a couple of skirt-into-a-shirt tutorials. Basically, you turn the skirt upside down, so the waist is still the waist. Then you make whatever alterations necessary to make the arm- and neck-holes. They looked interesting, so I headed to my closet to search for a suitable candidate.
I’ve had this skirt for a few years. I liked it, but it was hard to find a top to wear with it. Because I didn’t buy the matching blouse when I bought the skirt. You know, because I’m not 80. It’s a very thin fabric, lined, and with a ruffle on both the outer skirt and the lining. The lining was even thinner than the skirt fabric and was starting to shred. The first thing I did was separate the lining from the skirt. I threw the lining away, but saved the extra ruffle. Because the fabric was so sheer, I knew I didn’t want to mess with opening up the sideseams to make armholes. At first I thought I could just make a couple of short seams at the shoulders, but since the skirt wasn’t that full, I was going to have to come up with a different way to do it. It also took me a while to find a fabric to replace the lining. I finally found the perfect color pink at Walmart…for the bargain price of 75¢ per yard. After thinking on it for a while, I came up with the idea of sewing one short shoulder seam and to use the ruffle I took off the lining as a kind of shoulder strap. So I ended up with a ruffle-y asymmetrical top that looks good with my dark denim skirt.
I wore this to church Sunday, and I was happy with it, but it’s a little short, so I don’t know if it’s an all-day-at-school outfit. There’s a lot more movement involved teaching class, and I don’t want to have to wrestle with it all day long to keep my tummy covered. How do you think it turned out?
I love it! I noticed from the back today how pretty the fabric was and thought it was something I hadn’t seen you where before… very creative and just love it!