But It’s 400 Thread Count.

I was changing the bed sheets a while ago and noticed that it was worn and torn in the middle. It was such a shame as the damage was only isolated to a small part and throwing an otherwise, perfectly fine 400 thread count cotton sheet seemed a bit of a waste. So I gave it a good wash, took off all the trimmings and stored it for a future project.

The future came recently when I decided that I wanted a white shirt for summer. I hate to admit it but I have grown fatter lately and my clothes doesn’t seem to fit as well as it used to. Maybe this is why I had a sudden shift towards looser clothes. That’s when I decided that I am going to make a looser fitting shirt with a dropped shoulder but if I’m honest, it is just for the sake of an easier sleeve to sew.

I started by altering a shirt pattern to remove the sleeve head and extending the shoulder line. It took me a while to figure it out as I was too pedantic about the angle of the shoulder slope. Eventually I settled for something that felt right and proceeded to draft the rest of the shirt pattern. Although the shirt might be loose, I still wanted the neckline and sleeve length to fit me perfectly. I wanted to avoid anything that is ill fitting.

I was quite picky when it came to selecting the areas to cut on the bedsheet. I wanted to avoid any worn area which may tear once the shirt is sewn so I picked the edges which was still structurally stable. The sheet feels like a brushed cotton but as it had been washed so many times, it was much softer. Any areas where the bed sheets had completely worn through were cut into pieces so I can use it to polish the furniture.

Sewing was a much straightforward process and it only took me a morning to piece everything together.

I was glad that the fit, especially around the shoulder worked out rather well.

I liked how the yoke extended past the shoulder.

In someway, I felt extremely gratified when this shirt was completed as I am practicing the circular design that I had always preached about. I made a pledge to use as little virgin fabrics as possible (unless they are sustainable) and instead, use remnants, donated and roll ends. This project meant that nothing was wasted and I can wear it knowing that I did my bit for the environment.