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I probably changed my mind while making this piece about a hundred times, and honestly? I’m taking you along for every. single. one. of those decisions.
It all started with a thrifted find. I’ve been so inspired by creators who upcycle and reuse yarn from thrifted clothes:
I love the idea of giving material a second life. It’s better for the environment, much cheaper, and luckily for me, the Philippines has a massive ukay-ukay culture! You can find surplus stores or ukay shops almost everywhere you go.
I found this specific shirt for just Php 150. I was immediately drawn to the material because it’s not something you easily find in yarn stores. It’s like a cloth yarn, but not exactly a T-shirt or cotton material—the thickness is more like a thin garter, but without any of the stretch.
When I saw it in the shop, it was a massive long-sleeve shirt, and I was convinced I could turn it into a dress that actually fit me. I brought it home, started winding it with my yarn winder, and ended up with about 185 grams. Since it was such a thin yarn, I thought, “Not bad!” But I quickly realized it wouldn’t be enough for a full dress.
Decision #1: I’ll make a cute, flowy top instead.
Decision #2: Wait, it was already a big, loose shirt. It won’t be as drastic a change I want it to be! (I love drama in my clothes, lol). So, I opted for a short-sleeve fitted top.
I wanted the bust to feature sideways triangles that would hug my shape, and as you can see from the photos, that part worked out beautifully! But once the triangles were done, the “yarn anxiety” set in. I didn’t have enough left to finish a full top; it would have just been a cropped tube top, which I knew I’d never actually wear.
Decision #3: Time to mix it up. I went to my collection and grabbed some black wool I’d previously snagged from a surplus shop. I thought, “Huh, maybe the dress idea is back on!” A white fitted top transitioning into an A-line black skirt.
I crocheted and crocheted and cro—wait. Even with the extra yarn, it wasn’t going to be a dress. But as I tried it on, I realized I had accidentally created a ruffled peplum top! VOILA
For the finishing touches, since I was completely out of the white cloth yarn, I used some Fairia yarn I bought from Daiso for the straps. I even thought about making full sleeves out of it, but I stopped myself. Using three different kinds of yarn in one project felt a bit too “revolting” even for me! Plus, if I really want a sleeve look, I can just layer it with the Lazy Day Cropped Sweater from my previous project.
Overall, I am so happy with how this turned out. I didn’t exactly “trust the process”—I swerved away from it constantly—but it ended with a result I truly love. Would I do it all again? Well, I didn’t plan on the chaos the first time, so who knows!
I hope you enjoyed my roller coaster of decisions. What do you think of the final ruffled look?
Keep a grateful and humble heart at all times!
Lots of love
-My Crocheted World
