hot pink refashion

I have a huge pile of clothes sitting on the floor beside my sewing machine waiting to be upcycled into something new and fabulous. My sweet husband even knows to throw clothes in there when he's not going to wear them anymore. I take this as a giant compliment - him saying he has faith in my developing skill. I'm getting better. I'm gaining more and more confidence in myself. I had a moment in a fabric store in Preston, Idaho over the holidays that made me realize how into this little hobby I really am. Let me just say, the tears never fully made it past the eyelids, but they were there. It was a little embarrassing. But seeing and touching fabric that I've only ever seen and read about over the internet.... It was a little overwhelming. I was in heaven. If you've decided you don't want to be my friend anymore because I cry over fabric, trust me, I understand.
Anyways, where was I going with this???
The other night I dug into my "to be upcycled" pile and pulled out a hot pink, long sleeved, American Eagle t-shirt that I bought probably 5 years ago. I haven't worn it since I was pregnant with Quinn. I've found that I'm much more likely to wear colors like hot pink when I've got a big belly. Go big or go home!! Right??? (Here's another side note - when I'm pregnant I feel like I look hotter than ever. And Zach plays me this.) (And no, I'm not pregnant.) Anyways, so I stared at the shirt for a while and then started cutting. I'd seen this refashion before, and this one, and I've been wanting to give it a try. Easy. Seriously, easy. Once I had the ruffle made I pinned it on and sewed it by hand. That took a few pockets of time here and there, but it was simple. Really. Oh, and the ruffle was made from the sleeves! And you can't tell, but I used yellow thread for everything. Why not? (And sorry, I always forget to take a before picture. Just imagine the same shirt with longer sleeves and a higher neck.)

So here's the finished product:

I'm quite happy with how it turned out. (I'm sitting wonky in the picture. The shirt isn't actually wonky like that) It's just as I was hoping. Which is nice since there are so many times I start a project like this and it turns out awful and ends up in another pile. Called "the garbage". I'm still not exactly comfortable in hot pink. I wore it on Sunday with a bright yellow cardigan (the one hanging on the door right behind my ear) and an off-white skirt and that made it a little better. I'm a big fan of the cardigan. Excellent way to assure not matching. Which is a must.

And Juli - The whole time I was working on this I was thinking of you, figuring I would send it to you. Now I don't know. Maybe you'll get it. Maybe you won't. Then again, maybe you don't even want it. :)