Summer Neckties

I love repurposing/revamping old things. It's becoming a hobby. I just moved back to Berkeley to begin the school year. As is custom, I brought back LOTS of new goodies to fill up my already exploding Ikea closet. To make room, I got rid of a few things. This linen shirt was in the donate pile before I had a change of heart. 

I bought this shirt used, seeing some really great layering potential for the winter months. But I didn't wear it at all last winter. 

So I decided to stop waiting and wear it now!

 To give the shirt a more summery air, I cut off the sleeves. I have been wanting a shirt with neckties for ages. So I used the sleeve material to make a little necktie by cutting two strips and tying them in a knot.

 I then picked some embroidery thread (coral and pink) to enhance and brighten the olive green material of the shirt. I stitched little x's and ='s to the corners of the collar and changed the button thread color of the top-most button.
To clean up the overall look of the shirt, I stitched the edges of the necktie using a light pink thread before pinning it to the underside of the collar.

And it's ready to wear! What do you think?