Go Games Go! - USA inspired refashions

I love the Olympics, perhaps a little too much. As today is the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Games, the I'm finally getting around to posting about a pair or refashions that I did last summer to wear to a Team USA Soccer match.

I used the T-Shirt Corset pattern from Natalie Chanin's "Alabama Stitch Book" (I highly recommend this book, it's beautiful and makes a great gift!)
The blue acquired t-shirt wasn't quite enough fabric, so I made the back outer panels with white and red knit fabrics from my stash. (A little Where's Waldo, I know, but trust me on this design choice)

I used Chanin's reverse applique technique to put USA on the front (after piecing together the front panels). I did the shirt construction by machine, but all the visible stitches were by hand to give the shirt a special touch.
My significant other also requested a shirt for the event... and insisted that it have "3-popped collars". If you knew him you'd find this extremely comical because he's not a flashy or trendy dresser.

So I found 3 polo shirts at the thrift store (red, white, and blue). And used the red polo as the base of the shirt. I cut off the sleeves and replaced them with the sleeves from the white shirt, which allowed me to use the red sleeve fabric on the reverse applique to replace the shirt's original logo.
His shirt was all done on machine (applique included) but I had to hand sew all those collars. Plus I dug into my button jar to find blue and white buttons. If you're going to go over-the-top it's all about the details!

Here's my standard modeling poses:

FRONT:

BACK:

My significant other always says, "My agent prefers that I not appear in photographs." Luckily my good friend Mikey came through Boise on the way to Antarctica (no really), and is always more than willing to model a ridiculous item of clothing for the sake of photography. He even threw in this cheesy pose just for you!

I hope you're inspired to watch the games! Be sure to find time over the next few weeks to cheer on the athletes (especially those from countries other than your own), eat Canadian foods, and remember what the Olympics stand for. With all the political crap and human suffering in our world it's awesome to be able to bring our nations together for something bigger than ourselves. Go Games Go!