Who Are You Calling Chicken?

Anyone who knows me well knows I love me a good competition.  I enter my kids in the local baby contest (here and here) every summer, though that's pretty much just so I can make cute costumes for them.  Quick tangent: the "contest" has them interact with a couple of judges for about 30 seconds.  No performances or anything pageant-like.  End tangent.  There's less competition in the costume category, so my kids tend to get prizes there.  {insert sheepish blush}  Then there was the recent post for the Pantone colors of the year.  Anyway, I saw a contest (picture below) on the Girl Charlee blog that uses their black and white chevron.  I don't generally enter contests that require I purchase a specific product, but I've never used chevron before and thought it would be fun.

I had a pattern my mom bought me on accident (more on that when I post the finished product) which I figured would be perfect and I chose three fabrics that I thought would make a fun, bold, creative top.  Sometimes the reality doesn't work out quite like the vision.

Unfinished neckline

I was so excited for the ruffle fabric.  It was a good idea that exploded on liftoff.  When I put it on to check the fit I couldn't get past the look of those ruffles.  I came out of the bathroom and said to The Hubs, "I look like a chicken."  He paused a moment to really take it all in.  Then a smirk spread across his face before he said, "Now that you say it, that's all I can see."  He gets points for honesty.

This is what happens at midnight when you realize your project makes you look like poultry.  Buh-gaaak!

So now I'll be redoing the top with something less...feathery.  Not all projects work out on the first try.  Ever happened to you?  How did you fix it?