Black tops with a bit of sparkle #1

 BEFORE

This top is a recycling project. The top with the short sleeves and cowl neck looks very pretty on the hanger (perhaps you think nicer than when I have remade it?). I bought it with my mother in a shop selling catalogue returns that had no changing room. When I got back home and tried it on I could not find a way to wear it. The scoop neck at the back coupled with the deep cowl at the front meant that it continually slipped off my shoulders and had to be worn with another top underneath for modesty. I liked the fact that the black viscose knit with applied copper print was not at all scratchy to wear against my skin so I decided to save it thinking I could recut it at a later date.
It went into the box of things which could be altered/upcycled and stayed there for several years.

When I started the Christmas Collection this year I pulled it out again.
I decided that the nice deep scoop neck would be nicer at the front, and that the back should come higher up and have a facing which gave a clean finish. I recut the pieces accordingly. The little short sleeves had never flattered my chunky biceps and were originally slightly dropped shoulder anyway. I used them to cut cuffs which I then used on plain black sleeves cut from plain black viscose knit of a very similar weight to the original top.

AFTER

The end result is still a little crumpled from several years in 'the box' but will come out nice with a little pressing on the wrong side. More importantly this is now a fun top I would wear with black jeans whereas before it just skulked in 'the box'. I don't think it is as pretty on the hanger as the original, but since that was unwearable, it has to be an improvement don't you think?