joelle van dyne: hey mom, look what i made!

for awhile i’ve been trying to come up with a piece of clothing that could be worn under a blazer or cardigan, to add some texture and visual interest to an outfit without creating a lot of bulk when tucked in.

inspired by some rejected white tee shirts (shrunken, too see through, etc.) that have been taking up space in my sad fabric supply because i refuse to throw them away, i came up with the idea of making this… bib? vest? (noel wants to call it a ‘dickie’ but i refuse).

it’s the simplest DIY project imaginable, but since my abilities do not extend much beyond the simplest projects, i made some instructions so it would seem more complicated. read on!

here are the main supplies. i took a tee shirt and cut out the back, keeping the neckline in tact, then cut out the sides to the width i wanted. i left the side pieces on the bottom of the shirt in tact too- these will be used to tie the vest around your back when it’s finished.

here’s what was in the big bag o trim. i felt kind sad using it because it was so pretty sitting on my desk in a fluffy pile. i bought some of it at m&j trimming especially for the project, and also mixed in random scraps i had laying around.

so step one is to start at the bottom of the vest/bib/shirt (so that each successive layer will cover the seam of the last) and pin on your first trim. then, sew it in place.

once you have the first layer on, add the second so that it’s covering your seam. i only had one beige colored thread to use on the whole vest, and it didn’t quite match ANY of my trim- that’s why i wanted to keep the seems pretty well covered. note to self: buy some white thread.

so you keep repeating the first two steps until the whole shirt is covered. basically you’re just sewing straight lines until you get to the trim of the neckline. for that, i only covered about half of the neckline- enough to go around the front of my neck, leaving room in the back to be able to tie the tee shirt off. and i made sure to choose a beige trim for the neckline to match my thread, since the seam would be visible.

the last step (if you want) is to snip the neckline of the tee shirt in the back so that it’s two pieces you can tie together. i did this only because my neckline was too stretched out.

SO. this is super duper complicated, i know. you’re probably all out of breath and sweaty at this point, just trying to follow along. a prolific seamstress like myself sometimes has a hard time simplifying her methods for the masses, you know? but if you’ve made it this far, great! because now it’s time to see the finished project.

voila! i’m so happy with it. it fits perfectly under my lovely target blazer, and does not have to be tucked in because you can tie it right above the waistline of whatever you’re wearing. i hatehateHATE when i tuck something into a pencil skirt, and think i’m looking all sleek and professional, only to look in the mirror later and see a lot of rumpled, lumpy business beneath the skirt around my mid-section. i do NOT need more bulk around my stomach, thankyouverymuch.

here’s a closer look at the finished product. for now i’ll be wearing it with blouses, sweaters and jackets, but i think it will also be cute in the summer over a tank top.

oh, and that crochet thing at the top of my skirt is not part of the skirt OR the vest. it’s a table runner that i bought in a junk shop pinned around my waist.

the reason? i nabbed my white skirt from a thrift store back in Ohio- i was excited that it was my favorite clothing color, and fit perfectly, and was $1. so i overlooked the fact that it’s made of 1. linen and 2. silk. UGH. i sit in this thing for 5 minutes and it’s a crinkley mess. so the table runner is meant to detract from the wrinkles. i think it worked pretty well.

diy vest/bib/thing, target blazer, thrifted vintage skirt, jcrew blouse, chloe shoes, miu miu bag