When the items I sew for myself no longer fit or work for me in some way, they are not given up on but treated just the same as – if not better – anything else in my wardrobe. They either get refitted, resized, or mended. If any of those three actions are not possible for one reason or another, they get refashioned. This has especially been an important task for me to tackle since 2020. Ever since that year, the reasons and occasions for which I leave the house has decreased, so I sensibly expend my sewing efforts on the wardrobe I do have versus only adding more new (me-made) pieces. Just recently I refashioned a project I made almost a decade ago, and this has now turned out to be a much more appealing creation for me than when I completed its first iteration!
I sewed up the original blouse in 2013, and it was a success, but never as interesting to begin with as I have turned it into today. As I said in that original post, I struggle to like myself in peter pan collars, and overly sweet styles. I liked it, to be sure, but never felt ecstatic over how it turned out enough to be ranked as a ‘favorite’. I wore the blouse for only a few years after it was made since it quickly became too snug to be comfortable. To be fair, I originally cut it out in a smaller size – I was severely short on fabric. Long story short, I haven’t worn this for the last 8-something years and now that problem has been amended in the most fantastic way I could have ever hoped for!
Measuring the old top as compared to my current body, I realized I needed to add in about 3 inches widthwise to have this fit me comfortably again. My main focus was on adjusting for my shoulders, and I (correctly) figured that a good fit for the bust of the blouse (which had been snug, too) would then follow, as well. Aiming for about 3 inches was ideal because I had no scraps of any worth to use and needed to cannibalize from the current blouse itself. Cutting off that much from the hem meant that the new blouse’s length would be just below my natural waistline…perfect! The puffed sleeves do give a bit of leeway over the shoulders so I didn’t worry about an exact re-fitting. If I would have added in much more than 3 inches my refashion would have been too dramatic and obvious of an addition, anyways.
Most of the original blouse was left untouched, but the little bit I did do made such a bit difference! My first step for this refashion was to cut 4 inches horizontally off of the bottom hem (the 3 inches I needed plus enough for two ½ inch seam allowances). The side seams were cut off to make two rectangular panels. Then I cut vertically down the center front and the center back, separating up the collar. One of the two panels cut from the bottom hem went right away into the center back. With this step, I was able to get my first taste of how my refashion would fit and look and I was so excited! I realized ahead of time that the tiny polka dot print of the back’s added panel would be running oppositely of the main body. The print is so small, I didn’t really care nor did I have much of a choice with what to work with. I rather like the interest it adds to have the print contrast itself ever so slightly. According to my idea, the front was going to have most of the attention so I like how the back is low-key appealing, too.
The front panel required a bit more effort than the back, since I had a grand idea for ramping up the femininity and eclectic detailing to this new version of my old blouse. Luckily, I am quite organized when it comes to my sewing notions (not to brag, but I am proud of this fact). Thus, I was happily able to find the little bit of aqua bias tape leftover from what I used to make the elastic casing on my blouse’s puff sleeved hems. The bias tape was extra wide and double fold, so I found that opening it up fully made it just about 3 inches wide…I suppose you can guess how thrilled I was to discover this! The solid toned bias tape, which was opened up and ironed out as if it was a cut of fabric, was layered over the remaining blouse fabric panel. Doubling up here both used up all of my fabric cut off from the hem and kept the front from being see-through (the bias tape was tissue thin), besides lending some wonderful continuity to the overall look of the blouse.
With the idea that “more is more”, I also sandwiched some vintage cotton lace into the seam when stitching on the front panel. The lace is a slight ivory tone to complement the yellows and greys in the collar. Then, I found a half a dozen vintage ivory pearled ball buttons from my paternal grandmother’s notions stash. The buttons really filled in the big empty front panel and matched with the lace bordering the front. It seemed to be a popular design element to have a decorative-only contrast chest panel to blouses and dresses of the 1960s. I suppose I was kind of vaguely inspired by seeing such patterns in my own stash (such as Simplicity #6801) or through perusing online (see Simplicity 7736). Honestly, though, my refashion was merely the best I could do with what I had available…which wasn’t much to begin with! I wanted to add pintucks or some other sort of extra details to the front panel but I felt lucky to get by the way it was. My blouse is immensely more appealing to me than how it first was, so good enough is as good as done for this refashion project.
I wanted to keep the popover simplicity of getting dressed in this blouse, for all its extra elements it now had. However, it turned so very boxy in shape with the new panels added! I had to sew in four deep, curved, vertical darts to the bust of the front and shoulder line of the back for shaping the blouse. I made sure to not take in enough to necessitate a side zipper. I was trying to ride a fine line of having it fitted yet still staying as a popover-the-head top. I never mind installing zippers (I half enjoy the process, really) yet if I can avoid doing so, I will in no way turn down the opportunity.
Not only is my refashion an improvement on the overall blouse, but I am thrilled over the way I love the collar so much better by it having a wide open neck. Most babydoll style blouses (and dresses) have a peter pan collar that closely hugs the neckline. It takes a very specific interpretation (such as the 1930s; see my “Snow White” dress) in a select few colors (see this 40’s “Candy Stripe” blouse I made) for me to like what a peter pan collar does for my face. I can afford to be picky when I sew my own wardrobe! Then again, taking such an approach helps me hone my taste in fashion and cater to my personality unlike a dependency on ready-to-wear could ever offer.
Re-working something your own hands have already made not only is sensible, eco-friendly, and responsible, but also it requires a greater amount of creativity and determination. I will not deny, there is a dopamine rush from the amazing process of starting a sewing project from scratch and seeing it go from paper laid out on fabric to a wearable garment. Sure, it would be much easier to merely donate and move on, but landfills do not need a single more item added to them when a few extra hours of my time can give me back a new and improved version of my own makes.
I find a more innate sense of personal pride in my every effort to alter, tailor, or otherwise extend the life of the wardrobe I already have. For me, doing such actions also shows me just how far I have come with my sewing skills to be able to add significance and worth to what I have made in the past. I am constantly mending, letting seams out and taking them in, darning sweaters, dyeing, patching or doing some other sort of garment care for me and my immediate family (even for my parents, too, on occasion). This blouse’s refashion is merely the most visually stunning recent example of all the mundane clothing care that I do behind the scenes of my blog! I hope this post has inspired you to “give a darn and mend”!
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