Shirt Blouse Pattern

August 1, 2017August 1, 201715 Comments

When I first started this pet project / blog, my mini-ambition was also to develop a set of patterns suitable for upcycling clothes, and it seemed to keep falling by the wayside. I did up one last year….and its still on rough paper (but I hope to get that drafted and tested in the next month)

Two months ago, I changed jobs – I went back temping – and wanted to make up some new ‘work’ tops. When I used temp years ago, I would wear skirts more, whereas this year I have pretty much been wearing cigarette pants all summer, and wanted to make up a few ‘prepier’ looking shirts/tops to go with them. One was this butterick shirt, which I made from a pale blue linen. The one think I hadn’t thought of, was to cut the front up-side-down on the men’s shirt as the buttons go the wrong way!

butterick shirt upcycle

Anyway – while it has been a useful addition, I wanted a top with no collar, but still ‘crisp’ looking. I had a white dress shirt from the sewing room in the cupboard and ran this one up. I was very pleased with it, as I managed to get the whole top out of the shirt (and still have some usable scraps left – cuffs and collar). I took off the pique panels and used them for the yokes and incorporated the button holes as a ‘feature’, and did a slash opening at the back.

I was very happy with the construction – its a lined yoke, and slash opening back, and sleeves are sewn in flat, and there are a small amount of gathers at the cuff of the sleeve.

white shirt upcycle

I then wondered how adaptable the pattern would be, and as I had a few stripe shirts in the workroom, so I started to experiment with some mix and match there (I had planned to use these with the teens in the sew summer camp) so started taking them apart and sampled up a few – tweaking as I went along, the main tweak really was adding shoulder darts. I am rather pleased with the patchwork-ed ones and am now foisting some of the makes on friends, as I got carried away with the making…..

shirt blouse - upcycle shirt

So-with the making of the new Irish Dancing Dress looming I spent last weekend drafting and had it scanned yesterday. I put it on craftsy and its free, and hope to have an A4 version up by the weekend. I am hoping the explanations of each step is sufficiently informative without being too simplistic. I have found in the sewing room – that I tend to assume that ‘everyone’ knows this – but then remember or am reminded that not everyone learned to sew in school etc. So if you have any comments tips on the instructions and pattern if you wish to download/read/use, I would be delighted to hear them.

Originally I was to grade it also, but I was running out of time, and if my niece (irish dance dress) finds out I am doing extra-curricular activities – I thought it best to finish what I had, and get onto that!

Quick remakes – T and Shirt

July 11, 2017July 11, 201711 Comments

I was asked to help with a workshop a youth group was running locally. The ‘summer camp’ was going to try and combine fashion along with eco-sensibility – by both discussing the negative environmental and social aspects of fast fashion as well as facilitating the attendees to make their own fashion by handing over a fiver and getting them to go to the charity shops and find some clothes that they would wear or upcycle!

I thought I better do some quick sews to show them pieces that can be done with very little sewing and cutting. I found a shirt and tee in the sewing room box (a lot of unsaleable pieces from the attached charity shop end up here so some have holes some have stains….). The big T had some small holes and the design was badly faded, the shirt had a stain to the front.

The T

The front print on this was faded but was not as noticeable on the wrong side – which I used as the right side,

I cut it up and rough cut a tee-shirt shape from the front and back and shortened the tee shirt
cut a slight curved arm-scythe. I used one of my own tee’s as a guide.
I sewed the shoulder seams together
I trimmed the sleeves into as long a rectangle shape, and joined each to a rectangle made from the front and back trim from the bottom of the tee – with the original hems left intact so they became the finished edge of the new sleeve – I gathered the sleeves and inserted them flat
and over-locked the sides together and twin needled the neckline and hem.

The hem and neckline were turned over and finished with a twin needle! The sleeves in this are very dramatic, but its a great tee, and I have since tried another with smaller sleeves. The sleeves here were made from the 2 rectangles cut from the bottom of the tee-shirt only.

The shirt

There are a few upcycles around for this style of gypsy shirt, but I wanted to show shirring as I find it so useful, effective and fast.

So for this I cut the shirt above cuff and placket, and around the neckline (which was just under the yoke of the shirt at the back, and over-locked all edges.

I then did 3 lines of shirring…. which equated to one bobbin full! I later put in some at the hem.

Both took less than an hour each.

The workshop was last week and it was so interesting and so hectic – I did 3 afternoon sessions of about 2.5 hours and it was non-stop. There were 7 attendees and a great mix of ages and fashion styles, and they were all incredibly enthusiastic.

Few had really sewn before and the nice bit about the making were all were happy with making in general and setting a realistic standard (I think sometimes teaching adults to sew is more difficult as some expect to have a store bought finish and feel defeated when it comes out otherwise.) Anyway this was just as well as they all seems to have picked up very tricky fashion fabrics at the charity shops.

Bianca 1 and Bianca 2 – skirt and shirt upcycle

March 7, 20174 Comments

I have been sewing a lot, and blogging less. Some of my sewing has really been going in circles – normally I like to make something, finish and move on to the next but the last few months I have been sewing a few things at the same time, and dawdling on the finish. Bianca making

I started these Bianca’s ages ago. I used the Wear Lemonade Free Bianca pattern and thought it would be a cute update for this ‘blackwatch’ plaid skirt, which ultimately I think it is. I cut the plaid as usual for the main body, but had not enough to plaid match sleeves fully so I only matched them on the cross grain. Personally I don’t mind this as it looks even. I did not like the Bianca collar and perhaps its because I don’t wear shirts (?) but eitherway I tried doing a more casual collar with notches. I still think the collar is too tight but other than that its a sweet blouse.

bianca finish

At the same time, I decided I really needed a white blouse with peter pan collar so I upcycled a white shirt to make this. To add a bit of interest I tried out a lot of the decorative stitches in the machine in a grey thread. I have yet to put a button and loop close at the back but at least they are both now FINISHED!

white bianca shirt upcycle

Shirt to Sunbather

June 25, 2016June 25, 201617 Comments

Another quick sew, and my summer sewing seems to be taking shape, a lot of the colours I am using co-ordinate well, and I am using up a lot of what was in the ‘press’. I had seen a few of these tops on WeSewRetro, and I got the pattern from Etsy.

I used a charity shop shirt, harvested the buttons, and cut out the top gathered piece in 2 pieces, as well as having to divide the pattern piece for the back wraps in two. I made a grain error (ie cut it off grain) in the end wrap pieces but it makes no difference really. There is enough shirt left over for a button back version of this! I used about 5m of store bought bias binding (2euro), and lined it with left over sheeting (its a thin sheet/like flour bag fabric). My lining was cut the same as the fabric, and sewed to the fabric before the top was constructed.

Very quick make….. however the temperatures here have taken a dive so it may not get worn for a while!

red blouse remake, and a vogue skirt

November 24, 2015March 27, 201610 Comments

Things have been rather hectic lately. I have finished embroidering and sewing an irish dancing costume for my niece and due to go up to bling it on next week, and while that was being sewn, the sew social group started – no photos of either yet!. The sew social group is great, there is a brilliant mix of people and skills, and extra people coming the second week. It is to run for 4 evenings and 2 evenings to go, and I am hoping to be shown how to knit properly there soon.

I made this blouse and skirt a few weeks ago, and have worn both a fair bit, and I am still in the middle of crocheting the sweater (if a crochet project goes on too long there is always the danger of a change of heart and I will unravel it, so I am hoping to finish it this week)
meanwhile………………

The blouse

Red is a tough colour to photograph. The red blouse was on the euro rail. it was a light jacket/blouse with shoulder pads (and a few stains), and its silk

I laundered it, took it apart and thought to make a blouse which would also work as a base layer for under sweaters. I don’t normally like collars, which was just as well as I barely had enough fabric but got their in the end. I had to peel off the fusible which was on the facing of the original blouse to use as side panels in the front – which worked out fine.

I used a 50s dress pattern as a base for the tucks at the neckline, and I was going to face the neckline but used a simple binding instead, and a zip closure at the back.

The skirt

The day after I got the blouse, I was cutting out the denim dress (2 or 3 posts back) and ran into a spot of bother with the cut, so I went out for a stroll to think it out (rather than cut any further), and I strolled towards the charity shop. This tweed was in with some pillowcases, and about .75 of a metre, and 2euro. When I got home, I put it with the ‘pile’ and it looked so well with the blouse – that I figured I had an instant outfit. I had originally planned a box pleat skirt, but there was just slightly too little fabric.

I used my TNT pattern, vogue 7776, and did the version with the front slit. I pretty much did everything as per the pattern except I did a facing for the waistband (petersham is recommended). I left the hem at 3 inch allowance which is a lovely weight for the tweed. Had I known it would turn out so lovely, I should have considered interlining with organza (its a couture technique I think). Its perfect for a long-life tweed skirt as it helps any potential bagging/sagging issues at the seat, and its perfect for holding the hem.

I had some habatoi mock silk lining in a fun orange shade, but I didnt realise until I went to cut how off grain it was……………. I was a bit shocked. So I cut on grain, one piece at a time and just about fitted it in – the photo above shows it laid out and going with grain. I cut the back on the fold and the 2 fronts just about fitted it in.

I did a top stitich on the skirt but only used sewing thread so its barely noticible, and the only other blip (besides the low quality lining) was there was a tiny hole in the weave (probably due to age) in the back panel which I didn;t notice until I was holding towards the light to inspect the dart. I put a small darn in it, and then ironed on some vilene.

so – an outfit for about a fiver – blouse 1 euro, tweed 2 euro, zips taken from other garments, lining would have been about 2euro……

upsew

make it better

Tag: shirt upcycle