Polo to Cardigan Upcycle

    I need a hobby!  Brian agrees.  Lately, he's been begging me to find something constructive and fun to do.  When I asked why he was so insistent on me finding a hobby he mockingly muttered something about being bored and begging for a poodle, but I'm sure it was nonsense so I ignored it.  

  I already have a sewing machine and basic sewing skills, so I've decided to put them to good use.  If I'm going to spend the money that a hobby requires, then I at least want to get some use out of it.  This week I've put my sewing skills to the test and I've surprised myself with how decent I am.    Besides the purse I've made and the sweater I've re-done, I want to share my "Polo to Cardigan Upcycle" that I experimented with.  I confiscated one of Brian's old polo shirts that he never wears anymore and I transformed it into a cardigan style shirt for myself.  I like layers!  I didn't take any pictures during the process because honestly I thought it would fail miserably.  Imagine my surprise when it worked!  

So here's the sad little polo before.....

And here's my new cardigan After!

    So basically I cut the body of the shirt down to fit me using a cardigan that I already have as a guide.  Then I cut off the collar including where it buttons and cut a straight line down the front of the shirt.  Where I had cut out the collar I had to create a curved line that blended into the straight line down the front.  I lucked out and was able to use the brown fabric from the collar as the facing for the new split down the front.  I sewed the sleeves to fit my arms and then attached them to the new body.  I added a loop for the button because it was just a little too tight across my bust if I had created a button hole, instead.  I then decided it was a little to loose around the waist, so I added some elastic to gather the back a bit and make a nicer fit.
    

    I'm so excited that this actually worked.  If I find that I really like it then I'm probably going to hit up a local thrift store to find other polo's to reconfigure.  It's a lot cheaper than buying fabric!  And knowing that I got a new piece for my wardrobe while spending next to nothing makes me extra giddy.  You know......cause I'm thrifty.

Thanks for looking!

*Is it just me, or do I have freakishly pointy elbows?*