[diy] Thrift-flip/Upcycle to a black lace bolero

 I am feeling the eco-conscious mood this month and wanted to show another thrift-flip/upcycle using my own clothes I was supposed to donate but have been sitting in a box for over a year now because pandemic. Not sure when I bought this black lace top but it was definitely when I was at least 10 lbs lighter, because it's a size small juniors. *studio audience laughter* My arms and neck are indeed skinny which are the parts you can see, but... the rest of my body is not skinny and have not been for like 20 years. 

Here are the materials I used for this thrift-flip: the black knit lace top (Bongo brand), at least 1 yard of black ruffled raschel lace, black grosgrain ribbon, and a paper pattern for a puff sleeve bolero from Otome no Sewing (but you can probably find one in a Gothic Lolita Bible or use a western pattern in your size), sewing supplies.

I cut off the bottom (weirdly ruched) part to the length of the bolero, then snip the front of the shirt down the middle and cut a curved to the bottom edges like in the photo above. Then I cut and trimmed the arm holes wider (basically to the pattern) because the arm holes were way too tight, they may have even been too tight when I was a size "small" in juniors. Then I use the bottom part of the shirt to cut out the puff sleeve pattern, using the hem for the bottom hem of the sleeve. I gathered the top of the fabric of each sleeve and sewed the sleeves to the bolero.

I sewed lace to the front/bottom edges and the collar front (but not the back because no one's gonna look there). By flipping the unfinished edge to the inside and top stitching this helps with any unraveling (but knits don't really unravel too much). I added lace to the sleeves but because the sleeves needed to stretch, I did not connect the edges of the lace together, just left them free so there is a little give and I can fit my hand into the sleeves. Then attach ribbon ties to tie the front edges together into a bow.

Here is how I styled it with a Diamond Honey leopard print jumperskirt in pink. I added a pink Puvithel necklace and a patch from Hot Topic.

Now this bolero fits me (better than the shirt did, anyway) and fills a gap in my wardrobe. I do not have a lolita black bolero, since all I have are brown and beige boleros and a black military knit jacket which is not girly at all.

However, there are some major issues. The biggest problem, initially I wanted to donate this shirt because the lace is so scratchy and uncomfortable lol. So I made this thrift flip for no reason because I don't want to wear a scratchy top due to the fact that I have a sensory issue with fabrics. Ideally, I would wear a shirt underneath but second issue, the sleeves are longer than usual and the overall top is a little tight-fitting, so it won't fit puff-sleeve lolita blouses underneath, I would have to wear either a tight fitting sleeved shirt or a sleeveless top/dress. 

Anyway, I feel like I wasted my time a little, but I doubt anyone is going to wear this shirt as is, so at least I can wear it a few times this summer and give it a new life before it goes back to the donation bin. I hope this walkthrough helps someone else out, though!