Christmas Refashion

Last week, I decided to take a stab at recreating the Corporate Zip Top from the Brassy Apple Blog but I wanted mine to be a Christmas shirt.  So, I dug out this great, red plaid, men's, button down shirt I picked up at the Salvation Army.

  

Here is a picture of the sleeves after I cut them to the length I wanted and then gathered them and sewed a band on to neaten them up.  I can't even begin to try to explain how I did it because I just winged it.  But, basically, I put the shirt on and cut them to a length about 2 inches shorter than I wanted them to be. I cut two strips about 4 inches wide, and long enough to circle my biceps and sewed each of them into a ring. I then folded it in half so use as a 2 inch cuff and pinned the gathered edge of the sleeve inside of the doubled edge being sure to keep all of the raw edges inside to make it nice and neat.  Then I just sewed around the circumference of each sleeve.  I can try to draw a diagram of what I did and upload it if anyone needs help recreating it.

 

I don't know why I thought a shirred bodice would look good on my body, but somehow I made myself believe it and went through all of the trouble to make it only to resign myself to the fact that I will have to wait until next Christmas when I WILL BE at least 20-30 pounds lighter (you heard it here first) to wear it.

If you decide to make this shirt, be sure to buy 2 - 20 inch zippers for the ruffles and 1 30-40 inch zipper for the collar.  The instructions just say 60 inches. It doesn't say how it will be divided up.  Each ruffle is about 10 inches long before it is gathered and there are 4 ruffles.