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.

**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…

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

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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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.