Another skirt from a shirt

I didn't make the entire skirt today, but finished attaching the metal buttons. I made this just before Christmas but I haven't made friends with it yet. I was in a rush and didn't do a very good job at lining up the front which is annoying, and I don't wear a lot of this tone of blue, so it will take a bit of getting used to. This shirt was originally from Jaeger so it lovely and soft with a nice drape that doesn't cling at all. In all my previous skirts, I pinned the pleats around the waist individually, but since I was short of time for this one, I (foolishly) decided to baste the waist and pull it into gathers. As a result the gathers aren't perfectly distributed like in my other skirts. The other method takes a couple of hours to get perfect, but the results are well worth it.

Skirt Refashion: How to make a button skirt

I made this skirt one afternoon last week and it's already become one of my favourites as it hangs so nicely is comfy to wear. I refashioned it from a longer skirt that I found in a charity shop (it was originally from Precis, so it's a really nice quality and was worth salvaging). The fabric is a thick, silky polyester with a sheen. I don't tend to wear brown, but the weight and texture of the fabric is just lovely.



The basic idea when making this skirt is to salvage the waistband and reattach it to a shorter length skirt, whilst creating a button front. It might sound like a long-winded thing to do when I could just cut the skirt shorter, but the original pleats were ripped and I like my pleats more ruffly. You could add in a side zip instead of all the buttons down the front, but I just love this look, and it's an excuse to use some of the pretty buttons I have in my stash.



Here's a quick 'how to'...

Daily wear

My favourite kind of skirt is one that twirls as they always make me feel happy. I made this one from a much longer and larger linen skirt I found. I kept the pretty hemline intact and cut off the top half, gathered the top edge and attached an elastic waistband. It's really comfy and I'll wear it lots.

I picked up the cardigan from a charity shop this week. It was originally from LK Bennett (bargain!) and is more of a jacket as it's made from quite a heavy, tightly woven knit. I was worried the colour didn't suit my skin tone (as I've often been told that I shouldn't wear yellow) but I feel the colour is fine. In fact, I really like it!

Cardigan: Charity Shop

Skirt: Self made

T shirt: Marks & Spencer

Tights: Sainsburys

Daily Wear: The 10 Minute Dress

Dress: DIY (Top: Gap, Skirt: H&M)
Necklace: Charity Shop
Belt: Charity Shop
Shoes: TKMaxx
(Feet: Seem to be tanning faster than legs!!)

I got up on Sunday morning and for some reason decided I wanted to make a dress! Or rather, I made a dress from a top and skirt (which incidently used to be a dress a few years ago, but I cut the top off, but never wore it as a skirt). There's something liberating about wearing just one piece: you can just slip it on and not have to fuss about things untucking or twisting around.

I basically pinned the skirt to the top at a comfortable height, then stitched the two pieces together with a zig zag stitch, whilst stretching the fabric (to ensure the waist band is stretchy enough to get over my shoulders). This took about 10 minutes from start to finish.



I think it looks really pretty with the red belt, but as previously explained, I have issues with belts, especially in hot weather. I'd like to make a red jersey sash, or perhaps attach a band of red jersey to the waist band. It definitely needs a splash of red to bring it to life.

The print is really fun with all those goggly eyes! My husband thinks it's creepy...

Blouse Refashion

Last week I found a blouse in the prettiest fabric. It was too big but I could see it had potential. At first I tried to turn it into a loose-fitting sleeveless blouse like the one I made a few weeks ago, but it didn't hang right and was too puffy in the front. So I left it for a few days and had a rethink, and I decided to make it into a strappy camisole. It was definitely the right decision for the type of fabric and I really needed another non-jersey summer top -- about 90% of my wardrobe is jersey - need to break the addiction!



The fabric has the prettiest texture with raised polka dots and embroidery around the scalloped hem. This little girl thought I made it for her to sunbathe on...

Handmade Blouse

I made myself a blouse on Monday. I was very lucky to receive a sewing machine for my birthday and this was my first attempt at using it. It works like a dream - I'm not used to sewing being so quick. I really need to practice sewing in a straight line which seems to be my biggest problem so far!

I picked up this fabric in the form of a large ladies long-sleeved shirt in a Charity Shop a few weeks ago for a couple of pounds. The label stated "Elsie Whiteley" which I've since discovered produced clothes from the '30s - '70s. I was immediately drawn to the intricately printed fabric - it has so much detail and the colours are really vivid.



I simply drafted a pattern from a similar sleeveless blouse I already own and added on about an inch all over to make it slightly looser, then cut out the front and back. I added in bust darts and a couple of back darts which really helped give this loose top a feminine shape. I made my own bias binding out of some navy blue polycotton and sewed it around the neckline and arm holes. I used the original button holes and attached some mother of pearl buttons and a press snap right at the top. It has a few little problems, which were a result of altering the shape after I'd started sewing it together, but I'm actually really happy with the way it came out. It's incredibly comfortable and hangs nicely. It's the perfect thing to wear when it's t-shirt weather but it makes me feel a bit prettier than a standard t-shirt.



Wearing a piece of clothing made to my measurements is such a joy. I'm telling you, it's much better than the feeling I get after shopping! Now I want to make a whole pile of these tops in different prints for the summer. If only I had more time!!



This little person thought I made it especially for her. After steering her away from the blouse she settled on the bag. I don't usually mix patterns but the stripes look quite pretty with the floral.

A dress from a top + skirt

My mum gave me a jersey skirt yesterday as she didn't feel comfortable in the colour for herself. It was too big for me to wear as a skirt so I'd originally planned to reduce the waist and wear it as a skirt, but the fabric is quite thin and it just didn't hang very well on me. I found that it was a lot more flattering higher up on the waist, and decided to attach it to a jersey top and turn it into a dress. It now flows and twirls really nicely :)

It was very easy to do, and doesn't really warrant instructions, but I thought I'd share the type of stitches and basic steps that I used. There's probably a much better way of doing this with a sewing machine, but I don't have one, so this is how I did it by hand:

1. The skirt's waistband was orginally constructed from a length of elastic within a fabric tube. I unpicked the stitches that fixed the elastic in place. Then I made an incision along the inside of the waist band and pulled the elastic out slightly, and reduced the length of the elastic by a couple of inches to make the waistband smaller. This created some subtle gathering around the waist.

2. I then put on the t-shirt and pinned the skirt around me at a comfortable height. I took it off and used a tape measure to check that it was the same distance all around.

3. I stitched the very top edge of the waistband to the t-shirt by hand using a small overstitch. To do this, I pinched the two layers together (see above) and sewed in this position, and when the fabric is flattened out the stitches are along the inside of the seam and hardly show. The stitches allow for an amount of stretch needed for taking the dress on and off. (If I had a sewing machine I would have liked to use a zig zag stitch but these stiches would have been more visible than the overstitches.)

4. I turned the whole thing inside out, and sewed the t-shirt to the internal waistband seam using a loose running stitch (see above) so it stays flat and doesn't roll up when it's washed. Then I cut off the excess t-shirt fabric.

A skirt from a shirt

I made this skirt using a rainbow striped shirt -- I keep coming across such pretty men's shirts! It was too short to make a dress and I thought it would make a perfect summer skirt. The fabric is very light and crisp so it will be cool in the warmer weather.

It was really fun working out how to make it. I was aiming for a somewhat full shape which nips into a fitted waistband, to wear with a top tucked in. I'm generally pleased with how it came out - I asked myself whether I'd want to buy it if I saw it in a shop, and the answer was yes, so I'm happy - but there are a couple of things I will change next time:

1. I'll choose a long-sleeved shirt so there is some excess fabric in the sleeves to form a wider waistband. Here, I had to take fabric from either side of the shirt to form the waistband which was quite tricky. Next time I'd like a deeper waistband and a fuller skirt.

2. I might try gathering the skirt instead of using pleats. I started off gathering this one, but it felt too bunchy. Next time I'll persist with the gathering as it might look OK once it's sewn in place.

* How I made the skirt *

Other tutorials:
A dress from a shirt

A dress from a shirt

On a whim, I bought a men's shirt in a Charity Shop on Friday because the fabric was so pretty. I initially thought I would make a skirt out of it, but soon realised it was better suited to a dress so I could make a feature of the button placket. I really surprised myself with the finished dress, as I had no idea if this would work! I don't have a sewing machine so did everything by hand. I'm really happy with the way it hangs, and it works just as well with a long sleeved t-shirt underneath, as it does by itself. I can see myself wearing this a lot!

The shirt I bought was a size Large so it had the length I needed for a dress. I eye balled all the measurements and continually tried it on and adjusted the pins until I got what I wanted. The dress doesn't have a zip so it needs to pull over your head and shoulders, so I made it slightly loose. The hem of the shirt was already there which made the process quicker. I like the softness of the curved hem and the way the back is slightly longer than the front. Overall, it feels very comfy and casual.

I plan to make more dresses, and I think the shape of each one will come out slightly differently depending on the initial garment. Next time I'd like to use a shirt with buttons all the way up the front. There are so many variations on the simple form and I can't wait to play around!

* How I made the dress *

Other tutorials:
A skirt from a shirt