Paganoonoo Patti - Tunic length for summer in linen & cotton
There is something wonderful about the feel of linen; a bit crisp and soft all at the same time, especially when using a worn-in 2nd hand garment. When I ran across this robin's egg blue button-down I knew it would be perfect for a summer version of the upcycled Patti blouse.
I looked through my stash of thrifted garments (about 220, lol) and found a seersucker skirt, another quintessential summer fabric. Lucky me, it was a perfect color match. Kind of ironic that one fabric wrinkles if you only look at it and the other simply will not wrinkle.
I thought adding a layer underneath the shirt's front hem, matched up to the length of the back would look nice and give a "tunic" vibe.Lucky me, I had another skirt in almost polished cotton paisley with a perfect color palette. What are the odds?
I cut a strip from the bottom of the skirt so I could use the existing hem as the hem on the Patti. I underpinned it to the front of the Patti until a had a match on both sides and top stitched it in place. Perfection, except...
There is a pink polo pony and rider emblem embroidered on the front of the shirt. Picking it out would leave a hole so I looked for another way.
I opted to cover it with a Paganoonoo Judy Flower made from the bit of the linen shirt cut away from the back. Subtle and classic.
It did need a bit of color so I added mother-of-pearl/ mixed buttons and bugle beads to the center and attached it with a large safety pin.
These fabric flowers are easy to make and work well for gifts.
And the finishing touch...
I'd purchased some marvelous beetle fabric from Flowerscapes on Spoonflower and was tickled that one of the beetles was perfect for an accent. This particular beetle was from the edge of the fabric so was partially cut off. I used it as-is and with placement that suggests it is crawling out from under the yoke.
I paired the tunic with a pair of linen bloomers made from vintage linen table cloth and a Tina Givens pattern (slightly altered). My new favorite summer outfit!
It has been entered in the Pattern Review Thrifted Contest, if you are a member you can cast a vote until May 12, 2019!
P.S. the shoes are Born oxfords painted "Sassyfeet" style with Jaquard's Lumiere paints. Yes, they work perfectly on leather!
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Happy upcycling!
Michelle