Adding Crochet Edging Refashion

Cooler weather and yarn are a combination that go together well, just like soup and sandwich.  At the mall this fall, crocheted and knitted pieces started appearing  as urban art covering and decorating the plain poles.  I especially like the stripes and the colorful strips cut from t-shirt fabric.

I bought this Villager Sport by Liz Claiborne shirt dress with a printed border from the thrift store.  The fabric looks like a lightweight denim but I think it’s actually chambray.  I didn’t quite like the fit, so I quickly cut it in two, and used  foldover elastic for the skirt, like I detailed in my previous post, “Easy Fix for Too Small Skirt”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made the cut high in order to preserve the inseam pockets with the skirt portion, and had the idea to add crochet to the top piece to make it long enough to be wearable as a little jacket.

I found a tube of unlabeled number 10 thread that matched well, and began by sewing a blanket stitch with a needle.  Then I crocheted a foundation row of single crochet.

Next I started my pattern by crocheting three double crochet clusters in every third chain. On the next row I crocheted in the spaces, which I love because it’s so easy.  The pattern is called granny stripe.

I was happily going along at a nice rhythm when I realized after crocheting two inches that I wouldn’t have enough thread to finish.

Oh no, what now? I went to the store and looked online, but I couldn’t find a match.  The variegated thread was one I already had.  I didn’t like any of the options.

I started crocheting this in June, and it became one of those dreaded UFOs that was cast aside for several months.  When I found it while cleaning, I was determined to finish it.  I should have bought both the lighter shade and the bright blue, and tried them both as well as the variegated to see which looked best.  My idea was to have an equal number of rows of the different shade so it would look like a design plan.

Well, I didn’t do that.  I just started crocheting with the thread I already had, and this is what I ended up with.  It’s kind of strange looking, don’t you think?  I could always rip out and redo with the lighter blue.

Even though I had a problem with the execution of the crochet trim on this project, I love the idea of mixing crochet with fabric and I’d like to do it again, possibly on a yoke of a knit shirt.