Can you believe it? I broke out my sewing machine again.

It seems like with most sewing projects that I’ve done before, I always get frustrated with the complications to the project that once its over, I don’t want near a sewing machine for a long time. Even though I’ve made some pretty cool things before and I’m usually always happy with the final results of the project. But it was the complete opposite reaction this time. I was so happy with how well my Drop Cloth Drapes went, that I went looking around the house for other things I could sew. (without coming up with a huge sewing project, because I have lots of other things I need to get done around here before school starts on Monday)

So, that’s where this shirt comes in:

I bought this shirt while shopping with my sisters in Nashville the weekend I ordered my wedding dress. It was sort of an impulse buy. It was at the end of the day and the little girls were tired and hungry and we were in a hurry to get out of the mall. I tried it on and I was in the middle of trying to decide if I should get it or not, and since I was rushing around, I just threw it in with the other stuff I was getting and went ahead and bought it. I do really like the softness and flowy-ness of the fabric and I really like the little pink elephants all over it. (My Mamaw loved elephants and they remind me of her.)

However, what I don’t like about it, is the fact that it is so big and open. It isn’t fitted at all. Some people really like that style, but it is a style that I don’t think looks very good on me. I have a rather large bust for my figure and if I wear clothes that aren’t fitted, then I just look as fat as my bust everywhere. Underneath all that unfitted-ness I do actually have a small waist. I think that clothes look better on me if they accentuate that fact. Plus, being so big it was also looking a little too nightgown-y for my tastes.

I thought it would look better more like this:

So, I figured what better small sewing project to tackle than this. You might think that the first picture above didn’t look so bad. Well, I do admit, it actually photographed a lot better than it looked in person. In reality, it looked about three times too big everywhere but in the sleeves. You can see how big it looks laying flat on my desk:

It looks big enough, that well, an elephant should be able to fit in it. However, I didn’t feel the need to cut down the size, I simply wanted it to make it look a little more flattering in the front. So what did I do?

I commissioned the help of this little guy:

A piece of light pink ribbon from my sewing stash. Just the right length for what I needed it to do. I cut it in two equal pieces, snipped off the ends and fray-checked them.

Then I looked in the mirror to see where I wanted the ribbons to go in the side seams to pull the front of the shirt a little tighter and put pins in to mark that spot.

Then I took it off, turned it inside out and measured down to see how far down my pins were and made sure both sides were down equal amounts.

Then I used my seam ripper to rip a small hole in my seam where I wanted my ties to go.

Next, I pinned my ribbon in, sewed across it several times and did the same to the other side. I trimmed off all my threads and then for safe measure, used a little fray check across the seam to make sure my shirt fabric didn’t fray in that spot. I turned it right side out again and I was done! Yay for 5 minute sewing fixes!

Here is my completed shirt.

It fits so much better. (Sorry for the crappy pictures–I was too lazy to get out the tripod and camera remote to use my DSLR) No more hiding underneath a huge shirt! I like the way the back looks even better though:

I love the little pink bow and all the soft, ruffly creases. So pretty and a thousand times better than before. 🙂