recylced tshirt top

I've been working on making a successful final product from Lil Blue Boo's recycled t-shirt dress "Sienna Pattern" for a while now.  I have had... moderate success.  Although I'm fairly happy with the end results, I can't seem to get the last step, the neck, to look right. 

Now wait, I guess I should back up a little here :).  The pattern itself is awesome.  Clear, detailed, lots of pictures.  Definitely worth the price.  I hemmed (Ha!  Sewing pun!) and hawed about buying it for a month or so before I finally did, and don't regret it.  My novice sewing skills are just not quite up to the challenge of necklines and topstitching, I guess!

Of course, I used some of my favorite old pieces of clothing to make this outfit, and I'll be one sad lady if I can't work together with my seamripper and hand-me-down Singer to figure this thing out!  That shirt down there...  see it?  Those pieces are my well loved old H&M flower sleeve shirt, sparkly floral Gap tank top, another soft pink shirt from the Gap, and on the bottom, a light pink with sparkly accents shirt from Charlotte Russ.  Clothes that I have not wanted to part with, even though they look pretty pathetic on my post-baby bod.  By "up-cycling" them (I love that term!), I'm hoping I can get as much joy out of seeing them on Raina as I did wearing them myself.

Side note:  I may get just a *tiny* bit emotionally attached to my clothes.  Weird, I know.  But every time I look at certain (most?) items of clothing, so many memories come flooding back, and I love that.  Putting baby clothes away when they are too small has been EXCRUCIATING for me!!  Hopefully, there's another baby girl in my future somewhere....  :).



So, there's my cutie, modeling her Mama's handsewn creation.  She wasn't really in the mood for a photo shoot today, can you tell?  "Hey, Ma!  I'm tryin' to play over here!"  Below it, the whole outfit, modeling itself on my bedroom floor :).  Ta-da!  The pants, by the way, were super-easy.  They're the sleeves of a shirt used in the top, trimmed together, sewn in the crotch, and given an elastic waistband. 

Okay... time to get friendly with Mr. Seamripper...