Fear & Loathing

{button up:  old navy  //  vest: hand-me-down (altered)  //  skirt, shoes: target  //  tights: payless}

The final of the 10 Day Challenge was to wear something I'm afraid of.  

There isn't much I'm afraid to wear, but I do have an unnatural fear of my sewing machine.

I've had it for about 12 years, but never learned much beyond how to thread the thing and change the stitch (it is as complicated as turning a dial; I am a genius for figuring that one out).  Not surprisingly, my sewing skills are beginner at best.

Yet, my extreme cheapness rational thriftiness compels me to have a go at mangling my clothing myself, rather than pay a tailor to do a perfectly professional job of it.

So yesterday I faced my fear.  I had received this sweater as a hand-me-down from a friend a while ago.  When I tried it on the sleeves were all wrong - too long, but not long enough.  I knew it had potential but my fear of destroying the entire thing resulted in this sweater sitting next to my sewing machine, haunting me, for months.

Last night I finally took the plunge.

Here is the result:

A perfectly nice sweater into a perfectly nerdy sweater vest.

 And since this sweater sat, neglected for such a long time, it also happily ties into the ABC's of Style challenge for today, too, which is Orphaned (as in forgotten, abandonded, and ignored).

Oh sweater vest, can you ever forgive me?