Capelet From Men's Sweatshirt

My poor, neglected blog...how long has it been since I posted?? I think the last time was October 9, almost a full month ago! Needless to say, school devours most of my time, though I have somehow managed to find time for crafting and relaxing (the two are almost synonymous), but not so much for blogging...I think it's mainly laziness, but I'm going to blame it on school. After December 16, I'm free! (for a month, anyway) And that should mean plenty of posts.

Well, where to start? I suppose I should probably explain how I came to have gigantic, ugly gray sweatshirts in the first place. Long story made short, my aunt (well-meaning) asked me awhile back if I'd like some old sweatshirts to cut up. Excuse me, but the first thing that came to my mind were colorful, zip-down hoodies, probably from her kids. Um, no. Three extra-large men's sweatshirts in that odious gray color that I hate so much. I saw them and thought, "What on earth am I going to do with these?!" But I always come up with something, and last month, I saw this lovely capelet on Ruche:



And I thought, "Hmm...now, doesn't that bottom part look exactly like sweatshirt material?" You know how in cartoons they have that little light bulb that goes off when someone gets an idea? That was me. =)

And so I dismantled an extra-large sweatshirt, took the bottom of a jersey skirt I had shortened, and sewed them together, embellishing the top with a vintage button from my mother's collection and some roses from a craft store. When I was making it, I was watching "Squanto: a Warrior's Tale" at the same time, and I was very much inspired by the monk's habits. Which may sound weird, but I loved how they draped. I'd love a habit of my own, though no tonsure, please!

Here's how it turned out:



You can't see it well, but I added ruching at the top to give it that drape-y look.
I wore it to church (a bit nervously, as I've never worn anything like it), and got loads of compliments. It's also very warm, which I hadn't counted on either.

And the back:


Simple, yet elegant.





All photos are courtesy of my lovely sister.(:

Have a lovely day~!