Kitenge Style

I made a shirt. Seriously.


I had a bunch of amazing kitenge cloth that I brought back from Africa (asante sana SWP!) and it was just dying to be transformed into something. One print will be a future pillow, one has been transformed into a table cloth (not much of a stretch there), and the remainder I will use for sarongs, bedspreads, etc.

This particular fabric I bought with the intention of making something wearable (read: I won't be embarrassed to leave the house with it on, and that includes checking the mail). Remember that episode of The Cosby Show where Denise convinces Theo she can make him a designer shirt for a third of the cost and it ends up looking like this:I was sort of afraid I was going to have a similar outcome when I opened the pattern and felt slightly worried before I had even begun to cut my fabric. Not a good sign of things to come.

The project turned out to be another classic example of a time when I could have made something "simple," yet opted for my first real attempt at using a pattern and sewing machine to involve circular neck lines, gathering, and zippers, ala Denise. I seriously thought I was in over my head, but after 2 days, a gazillion hours of blood, sweat, and tears, and some help from Mom, I had a shirt that pseudo-fit, zipped, and looked pretty darn rad, If I do say so myself.