If you do something often enough it becomes a collection

Probably fifteen years ago someone on an early proto-blog posted directions for turning a man's dress shirt into a woman's peasant shirt. I kept the link because I thought that the idea was brilliant and because I wanted to be able to give the author of that blog credit. Soon after I began following the directions on that blog the blog disappeared so I am unable to properly give credit to the source of this idea.

Fifteen years ago, my daughter loved wearing peasant blouses. I made a few for her out of beautiful shirts from the local thrift store. She liked her blouses with a gathered low neck, a gathered waist, and a puffed sleeve.

I had purchased a couple of extra shirts that were awaiting transformation but my daughter has moved on in her desire for peasant blouses. I needed an over shirt to work out in and claimed one of the shirts.

The shirt is made out of delicious cotton. I no longer which high-end shirt maker made the shirt.

This is another shirt that I had begun for my daughter and took over. I made a channel for the elastic with some lace binding. This shirt was not intended to be worn out of the house so I have left all of the loose threads intact. I work out in my living room.

I had purchased this shirt for either my husband or my son at the thrift store. neither wanted it so I had a new addition to my collection. The collar edge had gotten threadbare. I had planned to carefully pick out all of the stitching that held the collar to the shirt-body and then re-stitch the collar edge shut. I had done this with other shirts in the past.

This Brooks Brothers shirt was beautifully sewn with the collar attached with teeny stitches. I started to carefully unpick. It seemed like a task that would take forever. Instead, I took a more drastic route and just cut the collar off the shirt.

I edged the raw edge with a machine stitch that looked more or less like a blanket stitch and then added a few more rows of embroidery stitches to the stand collar.

I still haven't removed the little collar buttons. It's an imperfect job but hopefully it can spark some ideas.

My cousin is a lawyer and often hands down his beautiful work shirts to my son. My son has commented that he is one of the best-dressed men at his office thanks to his elegant cousin.

Most of the shirts my son inherits are in pristine shape. one had a blown out elbow and a collar that had seen better days.

I cut off the collar, hacked the sleeved off above the rips and played with the embroidery stitches on my machine.

This shirt has even gotten worn out of the house with a denim pencil skirt I had made.

It makes me feel like I have time traveled back to 1978.

If you want to convert a man's shirt into a peasant shirt this is how to do it. If you want visuals just ask and I will provide them.

Choose a man's shirt larger is better.
Carefully remove the breast pocket - the top corners are tacked down really carefully work slowly and carefully so you don't end up with a big hole ( Since you ask, I have done this).
Button the shirt.
Pull the shirt front away from the shirt back. Fold the shirt front in half along the button stand.
Cut the folded shirt below the second button in a smooth wide curve to the shoulders.
Repeat with the back of the shirt. You now have a shirt with an insanely wide neckline
If you have a serger, serge the raw neck edge, and then stitch a casing for narrow elastic. Thread the elastic through the casing, adjust to fit and then stitch down the elastic ends.
Cut off the sleeves at the plackets. Edge as desired.
You can use elastic to gather the waist if you wish.

מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים

וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים You are faithful to restore the dead to life. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Resurrector of the dead. That particular line is recited at every single prayer service every day three times a day, unless you use a Reform or Reconstructionist prayer book . In those liturgies instead of praising God for resurrecting the dead God is praised for giving life to all. I am enough of a modern woman, a modern thinker, to not actually believe in the actual resurrection of the dead. I don't actually expect all of the residents of the Workmen's Circle section of Mount Hebron cemetery in Queens to get up and get back to work at their sewing machines. I don't expect the young children buried here or the babies buried here to one day get up and frolic. Yet, every single time I get up to lead services I say those words about the reanimating of the dead with every fiber of my being. Yesterday, I e...

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