A Western Flashback Tee?

Hey everyone!

I'm working on the tutorial for the dress/skirt, but I'd like to give you some great pictures to go along with the text I've already written. It will be soon, but not today!

I've been working on some other projects around here, including a tunic for my older son (his fabric choice, not mine!), my Halloween project, a crocheted shawl (working on the edging now), and bits and pieces.  The family is beginning to complain about the lack of dining table....so I may have to rearrange and slow down my sewing. Boo! This is the clean version from last week. I don't know what their problem is. :)

I decided the other day to see how far I could stretch the Flashback Tee pattern...and I thought you'd like to see how it turned out!

I've made so many iterations of this pattern - see my KCWC roundup for those pictures.

I desperately want to make a button down shirt without the work, so I thought I'd try and use this pattern on a men's shirt, and salvage the button plackets.

Here's the finished muslin - okay, it's a muslin, but I loved the tacky Western shirt. So sue me. (don't really, I'm broke, not worth it!)

There's no pics of A wearing this shirt - when we tried it on we realized there were some spots too tight for him, and he was uncomfortable.  I'll explain the cause in a bit.

I used a thrifted 3XL (huge!!!) western shirt with pearl snaps. I wanted snaps, since my 4yo can't do buttons well yet.  I cut the bodice pieces centered on the front bodice, aligning the buttons as I wanted them to look in the end, and then cut.  Keep in mind if there are chest pockets you may want to unpick those after you cut.  I cut the sleeves, keeping the original cuffs intact.  I cut the original collar off the thrifted shirt, and it fit the 5T version of the shirt. Sweet. I just sewed that on, and hemmed the bottom edge. 

Done!

Here's the back:

Now, it's not perfect. This is a muslin.  The original pattern was made for knits, and it shows.  The shirt was too skinny in the sleeves and body for my kid.  If you want to try this, I'd evenly add a good 4 inches to the bodice of the shirt, and widen the sleeves a bit. You just need more ease.

I plan to try again with the reworked pattern, but at that point, it's not really a flashback tee anymore. That's okay, it's just something I wanted to try!  I did buy another Western 3XL shirt, so when I get around to it, I'm ready to go!

Moral of the story - don't be afraid to stretch the boundaries a bit - you never know what you'll end up with!  Just be prepared to let a project go now and then, and know you are building your skills and knowledge.

Cheers!