emerging creativity

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Login |
Signup

Launch Radio

Image by Justina Blakeney

Gallery

1 of 3

Launch in Window

Article Tools
print
email
share
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
- reddit
- Facebook
- Newsvine
- Permalink
save

Urban cowgirl: Turn a boring button-down into country chic

By Justina Blakeney
Published: June 19th, 2008 | 1:31pm

SUPPLIES
• 1 button-down shirt
• 1 long-sleeved T-shirt

1. Lay the button-down shirt flat.

2. Starting at the top shoulder seam, cut down and all the way around to the opposite shoulder until your have a semi-circle. Avoid cutting over buttons or buttonholes.

3. Cut off back straight across as shown in diagram.

4. Cut off the sleeve and cut the sleeve into four, three-inch-wide strips.

5. Sew the strips together to create one long strip.

6. Fold the strip in half so that the strip is 1.5 inches wide and sew the strip closed, creating a "tube."

7. Pin the "tube" around the perimeter of the shirt, making small folds to create a ruffle, as you go.

8. Once the "ruffle" is pinned all the way around the new edge of the button-down shirt (from shoulder to shoulder) sew the ruffle onto the shirt with a straight stitch.

9. Take your long-sleeved shirt and pin the button-down shirt onto it. Use lots of pins to make sure that the ruffle shirt is on stable and straight, in front and back.

10. Carefully sew the button-down shirt onto the long-sleeved shirt along the seem (so that the ruffles stick up).

11. Turn the shirt inside-out. Cut out the part of the long-sleeved shirt that is underneath the button-down shirt.

12. Turn the shirt right side in and go for a dance in the prairie.

—

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Venus Zine’s DIY Editor, Justina Blakeney, and her sister Faith Blakeney are the designers of Compai, a crafty design studio and eco-clothing label. With a focus on sustainable design and DIY, Compai has authored three books, collaborated with companies like Artemide and Elio Fiorucci, and has been seen on the pages of Vogue Italia, Adorn Magazine, Glamour Italia, the San Francisco Chronicle, on The Today Show, and, of course, Venus Zine. E-mail feedback to justina [at] venuszine.com.

View more of Justina Blakeney’s work at on venuszine.com here.