Business in the Front: An Alabama Chanin Shirt Variation

Basically I went with a mullet concept here ("Business in the front, party in the back"). I took the tee shirt pattern from Alabama Studio + Design and found it to be a little tame. First I cut down the neckline, a super-easy fix. Just cut it to please yourself, as it's simply finished with a strip of binding.

I had actually already gone with a seam down the back, to accomodate the swayback adjustment I needed to make. I left the seam open from the bottom up to the point I wanted to add my "bustle", then cut out a half-circle of fabric (the circle's radius was the same length as the unsewn portion of seam), and added it into the seam as a godet.

For sparkle, and to assist in good draping, I beaded the hand-sewn seam with chop beads. If I had been thinking (which I didn't do apparently until this afternoon on my run, when I thought of this), I would have beaded the bottom edge of the godet as well, for the same reasons. I'll do it tomorrow.

And the neckline is beaded. All these materials, by the way, are from my local Hobby Lobby. Use that 40% off coupon and get bold!

*Sharp-eyed readers may recognize my skirt as part of my "Anna's Garden Reverse Stencil Jersey Dress" from last spring. I found I didn't like the bodice of the dress, and chopped it off. Then I finished the top edge of the skirt with foldover elastic and gave it a new lease on life.