Make It Work

I don't sew clothing from scratch and if you'll allow a broad metaphorical walk-about, I'll explain.  It's like the difference between culinary savants (with the white hats and shapeless coats) and plain home-cooks.  I don't bake cakes from scratch but I'll augment a boxed mix.  (Which is literally not true.  I really like to stick to the box mix in real life and if I'm really lucky, I get The Boy to make it for me.)
So, I still find following patterns to be difficult but if I get my hands on a piece of cheap clothing I have no qualms about ruining it as I try to sew it better.

Such was the case with this little number I found at Target.  The pluses are that it was way too big for me.  (Large garments mean that you can salvage extra fabric in the resizing of it.)  Also, it was really cute.  (Too cute for me?  I don't know.  My attractiveness tends to plummet conversely with the proximity of ruffles to my face.  I call it the Bozo Effect.) But most importantly, it was 75% off.

It was super low cut (Hello America!) and quite long so my first step was to pull the straps up to where I wanted them, sew there and cut off the excess.  That left me with nine or so inches of a double ruffle.
It was easy as pie to attach them to the arm holes.

Another couple of thread passes down the body of the blouse made it a little less likely that friends will begin speculating on impending blessed events.

I call it: Barbecue At Starlings