Everything but the collar

I've been wanting to play more with reconstructing garments but haven't really felt inspired or had the time or had the courage. Tonight, while procrasnating from sewing two other garments I reworked a green wool sweater that I bought from a second hand shop. And here we go with the world's worst photo:

The light green is my own hand dyed cotton. Basically I:

1. sliced up the sleeves,
2. set the cotton into the sleeves (I opted to go with seams out, this may have been a bad move, but I liked the idea of the raw edges at the time),
3. sliced up the front and trimmed to a v-neck shape
4. added the equivalent of a quilted binding along the front edge and up around the collar.

At this point I realized the neckline was way too wide. In this photo you can see how the right shoulder is gaping (the left had already been tucked up):

To try and solve the problem I basically made a huge dart in the middle of the cotton:

I don't like this solution because the sleeves now buldge out in a very unflattering way and the whole thing just doesn't look very clean:

I haven't trimmed the fabric behind the dart because I don't like this solution. I think the sweater is going to be perfect for moderately cool summer evenings. It's surprisingly NOT very warm. It's amazing how much heat gets released along the length of your arms. Generally I'm pretty pleased with how it looks, well pleased with everything but the collar. Suggestions on how to deal with the collar are welcome!

Also today: I made four loaves of fresh bread using flour from the local mill, dropped down to the Quilters' Line for some fabric for some new summer shirts (as far as I know they are the only "local" shop that carries Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics), and put up a hanger in the bathroom for my new glasses. Next on the list: a bit of knitting and then an early to bed.

Update: The flour is from Saugeen Specialty Grains (aka Grass Roots Organics). You can go to Desboro to buy some (they don't do mail order), or you can go over to the 100 Mile Market in Meaford (who probably also don't do mail order). If there are enough people interested in getting good grains from good farmers...you might want to check with your whole food store to see if they'll set up an account with Saugeen Specialty Grains...I know Sean ships world wide and that some (all?) of his products are certified kosher.