Happy Fat Tuesday friends!! Now I may not be down in New Orleans for the Bourbon Street festivities, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate Mardi Gras from the west coast, right? The French Quarter is coming to LA today! And, just give today's a chance as I think you may be questioning my sanity when you see the first image...
Yep, those are gross spots on the front of this puppy...but this next pic was the selling point!
It feels more like a scene from Disney's Aladdin, but thanks to the big MARDI GRAS letters written out on top, it's super clear we're talking New Orleans and not Agrabah. Now, the T was pretty much ruined, just by looking at the front of it. I thought about turning it around, cutting it into a V or taking the sleeves off, but I didn't want to sacrifice the artistic masterpiece of the design :) and I didn't want the spots to be visible regardless of where they were located.
Then a little aha moment came and I thought, how about turning it into an accessory...not a scarf, not a sash, but a purse!
First I cut a rectangle out of the shirt (pretty much the width and length of the shirt - cutting off sleeves and collar), on both the front and back sides and turned each piece inside out. I stitched around the whole piece on the edges leaving about five inches open in the center at the bottom.
I turned the newly stitched piece inside out...
...and then turned it around and folded the bottom up to make three equal parts (the bottom will be the pouch and the top will be the flap that folds over).
Stitch/pin/tape (whatever works for you) the edges from the bottom piece to the middle section and then fold over the top. I quickly stitched a little strap leftover from fabric on Day 23 and my purse was almost complete.
All it needed was some Mardi Gras beads, pints of Heiner Brau, zydeco music and a king cake. I was able to pull the beads part off alright, but the rest of those will have to be enjoyed during my next trip down to N'awlins.
I was thinking about using this piece for the Super Bowl, as the NO Saints were playing, however the idea of bringing a crafted purse to a football party filled with men and beer and wings didn't quite click, even though I'm sure they'd be super impressed. I made a game time decision to save it for today, Fat Tuesday, to ring in the first day of the Mardi Gras celebration!
