Sewing Frustration, Downton Abbey Dress & New Projects

Oh. My. Gosh. Why did I think that this shirt was a good idea?

Sometimes an upcycling project starts out one way and then goes another. I picked up these two tops at a thrift store, in love with the colors. However, I realized after washing that the turquoise one has some strange stain on the breast area along with whit splotches on the sleeve (bleach? If so, where'd it come from?!).

Press on, I tell myself, and start snipping and tucking the multi-colored shirt along the bottom of the turquoise one as a sort of extended ruffle panel.

"Roll, roll, roll away, till she starts to cry ..." 

Well, this knit is impossible challenging to work with! It wants to roll. And roll. And roll. Good grief, I'm about ready to dump it into the trash.

But no. Big breaths. Step away for a while. We'll see what happens in the end. (Wrestling hands clenched with shirt material away from garbage pail.)

Enough of that! Here's some happy news: I finished this 1920s dress for the Downton Abbey tea last weekend:

Head cut off purposely as I had a very odd expression that wasn't flattering in the least. 

It was a lovely event held at the local library. I was pleased overall with how the dress came out. Any guess as to what it's made from? If you said, "tablecloth" you win! It was a $1 tablecloth that I'd picked up in my travels but was too long for our dining room table.

I used this 1920s negligee pattern for the dress.

Pinterest, original source: The Midvale Cottage

It was supposed to have a belt as you can see in the photo. I added it and didn't like the look. If I was to make it again I would choose a different fabric (obviously) and shorten it. I think it could even look cute as a dress to wear out with leggings and boots. What do you think?

What are your upcycle/sewing projects this weekend?