This T-shirt is a phoenix. It has risen from the ash pile that was an impulse-bought, rarely worn maxi dress lying in a heap in my closet for nearly a year. I really tried to give the maxi/midi dress trend a go last summer, but I ended up feeling kind of silly wearing that much material. Plus, I run warm, temperature-wise, and HOT DAMN maxi dresses do not let your bottom half breathe. Thus, the stripy knit tee was born.

Maxi dresses are probably the easiest thing to upcycle since you have so much material to work with. I was able to cut the front on the fold, but I had cut the back in two pieces. That’s where this ~*~funky~*~ bias-cut back panel came in, and it’s by far my favorite part of this otherwise basic shirt. That’s one of the great things about sewing: a problem often transforms into an opportunity for a unique design element.

As far as fit goes, I used the same sizing as my first Plantain tee, cutting out a straight 40 and adding 1″ to the body. Lacking fabric, I cut the short sleeves this time. The viscose/poly material is wonderfully drapey and comfortable, but its fluidity made sewing the neckband a little tricky. I ended up not catching the band in one spot in the front and had to rip some stitches out and re-sew (SO annoying when you’re using the lightning bolt stretch stitch). I managed to patch it up well enough, and it’s safe to say that this tee will get plenty of wear this spring and summer.

I’m thinking I’ll take part in Me Made May this year, and tops like this will be great to have in the everyday arsenal. Have you taken part in MMM before? What am I in for?