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Mary's Thrifty Chic

Upcycling thrift shop clothing/sewing

  • Blouses
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  • Refashioned Upcycled Clothing

men's shirt refashion

Upcycled Kimono

June 14, 2020 By Mary Peterson 12 Comments

Hello Everyone!

Summer is here and don’t we all need some fresh new looks to liven things up a bit? I saw this men’s shirt staring at me through the window of a local Goodwill. Someone had abandoned the lovely thing on the t-shirt rack and I could see it from the parking lot. I rushed in and it was mine for a grand total of $5. It was the perfect piece to freshen up the wardrobe a bit. Summer is a great time to use an oversized men’s shirt to create a a beautiful kimono style cover up top.

The outfit possibilities are endless with this piece. It could be worn over a dress, shorts, or pants!
Before: A huge men’s shirt in a gorgeous rayon fabric!

Tutorial:

It was a beautiful textured rayon as you can see by this close-up picture.

Close-up of the texture and print
Step 1 was to remove the collar and placket. After that I took in about 1″ to slim down the sleeves and slim down the body a bit. (The shirt was huge)
I used a yellow ribbon to face the neckline and cotton twill tape to add weight and color to the lapel line
The last step was to make a little pleat in the back using the original buttons from the placket

Well, that’s it for my latest project. Let me know what you think. I am always here to answer your questions!

‘Til next time…

Mary, Thrifty Chic

Filed Under: Blouses Tagged With: men's shirt refashion

One Pattern Many Looks Part 9

February 17, 2014 By Mary Peterson 8 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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BEFORE:This was a recent Goodwill purchase that was begging for help. It was a barely used big man’s shirt with a subtle stripe pattern. There was plenty of fabric to work with here making it the perfect candidate for my trusty top pattern (with just a few tweeks)

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AFTER: Here it is slimmed down and feminized. By itself it is not very impressive, but this white shirt will now be a centerpiece of my sweater and blazer favorites. Check out the outfits below followed by the tutorials for both the white shirt and one of the sweaters.

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Here is the white shirt under an argyle sweater (also a refashion). I have paired it with my leggings, boots, and a favorite necklace. The sweater was from Goodwill as well. It was in the men’s section with the tags still on it.

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This is a picture of the same shirt with my favorite black blazer, black skinny jeans, and sandals. (my necklace is hiding under the lapel)

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I also thought I would throw in a do over of last weeks look with the new top. I like this one much better.

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Here is the how to:

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I started by laying out the pattern for the front and the back. I kept the extra length. All I had to do was cut the side seam straight down. I wanted the shirt longer and that way I got to keep the hem. I also kept the front placket and buttons.

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Here it is cut out. You can see that I also made the sleeves 3/4 by cutting them a little longer than my original pattern.

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I overlocked the neckline, gave it a 1/4″ topstitch and a decorative silver button at the top. This kept the neckline from gaping. This step stabilized the neck but made it a pullover even though I have a button placket.

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The sleeves got a 1″ pleat down the center topped off with a smaller version of the decorative front button.

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My argyle sweater got a 1″ trim off of the length and I took about 1″ off of each side seam.

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Well there you have it!

‘Til later…

Love Ya,

Mary

Filed Under: Blouses, Refashioned Upcycled Clothing Tagged With: men's shirt refashion

Hawaiian Shirt Refashion

July 6, 2013 By Mary Peterson 13 Comments

Hello Everyone,

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Refashion Runway is over and I had a ton of fun doing it. Thank you to everyone who voted, subscribed, and cheered me on. I met so many wonderful new friends. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to watch Season 2 unfold!

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Hawaiian Shirt Refashion1

Here is my latest endeavour. I found this men’s Hawaiian shirt at the “American Way Thrift Store” and fell in love with the print and the colors.

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I love the way the armholes and hemline have totally feminized this once boxy man’s shirt. I always need pretty tops for summer and this will now be a staple for my summer wardrobe. Here I have paired it with black shorts, but it would also go well with denim jeans or even white pants.

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FOLLOW THIS TUTORIAL:

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1) Cut of the sleeves. Turn inside out and make fit changes to the side seams.

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2) Reshape the armhole and sew with 1/4″ topstitch. You can’t see it here but I had to make some darts to keep the armhole from gaping.

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3) Then I changed the hem to the high low style that is popular at the moment. I did this all very quickly within 1 day. Once you have a lot of practice refashioning for yourself you will become very familiar with the shape of you body and how to alter garments to fit. If you are a beginner it takes a lot of practice fitting and refitting. Don’t give up though. It does get easier and it is so rewarding.

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Here is a front view of the finished product.

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Be sure to let me know what you think. I love to hear from you.

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Love ya!

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Mary

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Filed Under: Blouses, mens shirt refashion, Sewing, Upcycle Tagged With: DIY, men's shirt refashion, refashion, sewing, thrift shop refashion, tropical print

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