Repurposed dress joined to sleeves and neck of T-shirt

My latest refashioned garment is a tie-dyed dress combined with the neck and sleeves of a T-shirt -- specifically with a T-shirt that was used in an earlier project from a book I checked out from the library.

When shelving returns or locating patron “holds” during my work in libraries, my interest is invariably piqued by what other people read. And in August 2011, one of those returns was Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt by Megan Nicolay.

One of the projects involved cutting a scoop out of the back of a T-shirt, snipping incisions along both sides and threading a drawstring through the holes.

The lower part of the scoop was sacrificed during this latest project but I sewed what was left, drawstring intact, to the body of the dress in the back.

(Also visible in the picture are a piece-work hat, assembled from fabric remnants, and multi-colored, hand-crocheted ankle socks.)

Nicolay’s later book, Generation T: Beyond Fashion, 120 New Ways to Transform a T-Shirt, is available through the Jackson County libraries.

Both books provide step-by-step instructions how to refashion T-shirts into a variety of garments and home furnishings. They provide an opportunity to add individual style to garments that are a deep part of our society, and several styles require little-to-no sewing to suit a variety of skill levels.