129. Refashion 15: The Reflex Shirt from Men's Button-Down Shirt

I'm a big believer in the idea that the most growth happens when we head outside our comfort zone, and being a fan of growth, I try to get there pretty often. I don't really associate fear with discomfort anymore -- I can feel uncomfortable and that's not usually intimidating to me. But this 302Designs thing has kept me outside my comfort zone for almost two months, and tonight I craved the comfort and reassurance of something familiar, like... oh... a men's shirt refashion. You know, made from that fabric called a "woven"?

This Izod camp shirt was a men's size M, and because I wanted to cruise on auto-pilot pretty quickly, I decided to keep the collar and go vaguely Grainger.  It was a wonderful couple of hours, with no agony, no big decisions, very few measurements, sleeves from Simplicity 4179 (this seems to be OOP now?).  After sewing the casing on the inside instead of on the outside like the Grainger, I stepped back and thought, Hey, did I sew that on the correct side of the shirt?  I guess an inside casing had been on my mind for so long that it was a reflexive movement.  The whole thing came together like a reflex.  It didn't even occur to me to try on the shirt until after it was done.

Easy-peasy.  Might need to shimmy the gathered fabric around the back more so it doesn't look so much like my bust is drooping.  Drooping would require a more substantial bust anyway so it's just an inaccurate look.  LOL

Outsapop ran a blurb on the runway bunny ears at Louis Vuitton Fall 2009.  I guess I felt inspired.  Judging from the look on my face I could stand to work on my camera presence again for a little bit.  I am hoping the helmet draws your eyes away from my tiredness!

After a few hours enjoying my distinct lack of growth, it's time to head back into the fray, to start doubting my every decision again, to hope I get this whole thing right, to feel a pang of terror as I cut into a 302 t-shirt and know there isn't another one if I make a mistake.  Thanks for taking this trip with me.

[Still some boxes with contents to deal with, shelves to be filled, pictures to be hung around the house, and a ladder to do it with.  This is my life, right now.]