Lagenlook Paganoonoo "Ellie" t-shirt refashion hack

I bought a unisex t-shirt at one of my favorite seafood eateries, Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing, CA.  I love a black and white graphic T, but found myself not wearing it because even with it oversized on my shoulders, it would hang up on my generous hips. This is a common issue for me. 

The solution is to add flare at the hip.  I used my Paganoonoo "Ellie" refashion instructions with a few hacks and adore the results.

   

The illustration above shows exactly how a unisex T fits me when the shoulders and bust are the right size for my shape - way tight on the hips and belly.

I chose to make a modified version, more of a Lagenlook profile, to go with some of my palazzo / bloomer pants & pencil skirt.

The hacks to the original design include:

1) added bust darts,

2) the front is cut high making a very high-low hem,

3) added ruffle on the hem,

4) made a horizontal tuck in the sleeves and stitched in place to give a cuff-like effect, also shortening them,

5) and added appliquéd circles (from a felted wool sweater, also used on the pants), and bird panel.

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The t-shirt also pairs well with my upcycled vintage linen tablecloth bloomers (modified Tina Given's Jacqueline pattern.) See blog post on bloomers here.

And with a pencil skirt upcycled from a tank top
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Here are some in process shots.  I honestly did not think it would turn out at this stage.  The ruffle seemed too shallow, the bright red too disconnected from the rest of the shirt, the black of the base shirt too dull.  Balancing out the color by adding embellishments solved the problem.

    

I hand stitched the bird patch on.  It had the perfect combination of colors to make the lower back tie in with the upper back.  It was purchased from the Eclipsee Etsy shop (no affiliation or kickback.) Unfortunately this particular bird is now sold out.

I am Michelle Paganini, the designer for Paganoonoo, a company I started that specializes in designing "refashioned" clothing and providing DIY tutorials for home sewists. The "Ellie" is only one of many flattering Paganoonoo designs.  Visit the full collection at www.etsy.com/shop/paganoonoo.