turtleneck to ruffle neck

I'm often daunted by my daughter's clothing desires. Last year, I worked through my acceptance of pink and purple... even embraced it. This season my work with her seems to be about comfort. Thankfully, I really do understand the need for comfort.

I decided to try something new with a shirt she was never going to wear anyway... it was white, boring, a hand me down from her brother... and for goodness sake, a turtleneck! Turtlenecks are chokey! I had nothing to lose by cutting off the turtle. I left about an inch.
Then I gave it lettuce edging to open it up and give it a little ruffle. The stitching was done with a contrasting salmon-pink thread. The comfy new neckline worked so well that I "lettuced" the sleeves and hem, too. I didn't cut these first, just stretched and stitched to create a little curling edge. Here are my instructions for simple lettuce edging with a standard sewing machine. I thought it was very subtle and sweet. Knowing it would still be a bit boring to a five year old girl who prefers fancy, I stamped on some of my new flowers in PINK! It got the seal of approval: hug and kiss!


I had a white turtleneck that was a bit suffocating for me, too. I used the same trick and feel ready for spring, even though it was 25 degrees when I woke up this morning!