The Irene Tee

The Irene Tee

Last week I had another SIL have a birthday.  She didn't really want HOME or any other word I could make, but she does like the embellished tees I have sewn, so that's what I made for her.   She wears lots of black, with some white and gray mixed in, so I wasn't really surprised when she requested that her shirt be in those colors.  I, however, wasn't really in the mood to make an embellished tee with a black shirt and black ruffles.  The idea felt too boring, and I was afraid any cute ruffles would simply be lost in such a dark shirt. So, I decided to mix neutrals to add some color contrast and yet still keep things in my SIL's preferred color combo.   I purchased this gray tee to start. 

 Then, I took some black lace and cut and pinned strips in a circular "hurricane" pattern. Hence, the name for the shirt, the most memorable hurricane to date for 2011.

 After sewing on the lace,  I ruffled  1" wide strips of a gray, black and white camouflage print knit.   I wanted the colors in that knit more than the camo pattern, so a thin ruffle was perfect.   Next, I pinned the center of the ruffle to the top edge of the lace, creating a layered effect.

 This is what the shirt looked like after sewing the ruffles on to the top of the lace.  I was happy, but it still needed a finishing touch.  The "eyes" of the hurricanes were just a little plain.

 So, I sewed a small gathered flower out of the knit scraps and some black fabric for each "eye".

 And, the shirt is completed!