Bedsheet Shirt

Not all my projects turn out well. I really only like to talk about the good ones, but trust me when I say I have my own share of failure. Sometimes I just give up and sometimes I have enough gumption (or stupidity and raw materials) to try again.

I had a bunch of cotton broadcloth in a neat black/teal/pink/white design from a project I never started. I figured I'd finally get on the tunic/leggings trend that's been going around and decided to make a long shirt. I found Simplicity 2255 and got started.

Everything was going well until I tried to put the collar on. I couldn't get everthing to line up properly and some sailor-blushing words started coming out of my mouth. I figured I'd cut something, like the buttonhole facing or front pieces, wrong, so I increased my seam allowance (which meant re-doing the hem, due to the pattern) a little. Still no go. I threw it all in the trash.

For some reason, I didn't want to let this fairly easy pattern go without another try. I didn't want to go out and buy a bunch of new fabric in case things didn't work out again. So I looked at what I already had.

And what I already had was a sheet set. I was going to use the flat sheet as a quilt backing, but I had the fitted sheet and pillowcase left over. I cut the elastic off the fitted sheet and cut out my pattern pieces. I eventually figured out that I'd cut the actuall pattern piece for the collar out wrong, so I re-traced it, re-cut it, and had a success.

I really like it. It's very comfortable and flattering. There are 2 bust seams and 2 back seams, so there's enough shaping to look good, but not so much you feel squished. I'm a little stumped on how to style it. With black leggings and a black belt, I feel a little 80's, but not in the modern way (is that an oxymoron?). I still have the pillowcase, so I might make a tie belt and some carriers and see how I like it.

It's not quite making clothes out of the curtains, but it was definitely a creative use of my stash.