Redesigning a Ugly Shirt Part 1

  In a past post  I showed a picture of this 80's shirt I said I was going to re-make into something fabulous for me to wear. In honesty, I actually don't know if it is from the 80's or 90's...maybe you can tell...all I do know that it caught my eye in the resale shop.

Ugly shirt $3.99

 I started the process of sketching out my design ideas to see which one would look best. And I have to admit, I started to get scared. The longer my eyes lingered over the shirt's bright, bold pattern and lack of detail in shape I really started to wonder if I bit off more than I could chew. Never the less I have forged on with the remake.

  I looked for inspiration on the net, hoping that something would catch my eye.

like this!

 There were some details I fancied, but in trying to gain added inspiration, there were some things I had to consider:

• Respect the limitations. There are things I can and can't do while working with a already made shirt.  
• Moderation is key with busy prints. I don't want to overwhelm anyone with crazy floral while they are forced to look at me walking by them. Nor do I wan't to overwhelm myself while looking at me. I must take away to gain.

Here are my design sketches. Please do not be intimidated by my awesome drawing skills.

Actually I should say don't let my novice drawing skills distract you from the designs. No your eyes are not tricking you,  its just that I can't seem to draw the shape of the shirt the same three times in a row.

I wanted to do a wide open sided tank. I like the idea of the sleeves becoming pockets, but that means I actually have to lengthen the shirt so the pockets don't hang out at the bottom of the shirt. My answer to that is is crocheting a border. At first I decided to crochet it in dark navy, but as I was drawing I had the thought that maybe dark grey would look better.  

Which one do you like best?

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. What do you like and what don't you like. At this point I'm obeying the rule of measuring twice, cutting once. Even though I'm not measuring, I am planning this out  as much as possible because I would like to wear it for more than one year.

Danielle