Jun 13, 2011

Mens' Shirts to Dress Refashion...the sequel!

I found a HUGE shirt at the thrift store the other day.  It was 4XLT!  So needless to say, there was a lot of fabric to work with.  I really liked the print...green palm trees and orange lighthouses.  It kind of had a retro/vacation feel to it.  So I picked it up, along with another shirt.  I paid $2.49 a piece for them.  I would have preferred a 99¢ Monday at Value Village, but I'll take what I can get.  This is what I came up with...a SUPER comfy summer dress that can be worn with or without a belt.


So the first thing I did was to try it on and get a feel for where I was going to cut.  I figured I wanted about a 6" wide waistband, so I placed a pin on the shirt about 3" above my waist.  I laid the shirt out flat and cut it straight across where I had pinned (allowing an extra 1/2" for the seam.)  Then I cut the collar and band off about 1" above the button.  The sleeve seams hung down far enough on my arms that all I had to do was cut them off about 3/4" away from the seams on the sleeve side.  This would allow for me to serge the edges, then fold them under and top stitch the armholes.  I then laid it out flat again and decided how big the arm openings were going to be.  I cut them to size (allowing for seam allowance) and then continued to cut away some of the sides so there wouldn't be so much to gather into the waist band.  (Essentially, I opted for a sleeve/bodice one piece combo instead of a set in sleeve.  My research tells me its called a magyar sleeve!)  The next step was to cut a waistband from the other shirt.  No technical stuff here.  I just cut it 7" wide.  Then I stitched two darts in the front and two darts in the back, along with taking it in on the sides until I got it to fit the way I wanted.  I thought that the darts would give it a little more shape, but if you're going to belt it anyway, you could save some time and skip them.  Then it was a matter of gathering and stitching the top and bottom to the waistband.  This shirt happened to be hemmed straight across with side slits so no further hemming was necessary.  To finish the neckline, I used 1/2" bias tape, stitched, then turned to the inside.  I then topstitched it into place.  I did add an extra button to the waistband, and two more buttons at the bottom of the dress so it wouldn't fly open.  All of these buttons were the extras from the shirts.  I love that its 100% cotton, comfortable, and easy to make!  I will be scouring the thrift stores for more super-sized shirts!  Here's my BEFORE shots...


  



Linking to THESE great parties.

UPDATE:  This happened to be the most viewed link for the week at:

mommaskindacrafty

Thanks!

Also featured on:


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46 comments:

  1. Lorrie@The Victorian Rabbit said....Susan your amazing . You have done it again. Nice work,pretty Dress. Have a great week from The Victorian Rabbit.

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  2. Lorrie@ The Victorian Rabbit said...I thought I was already following you (I know I stop by often, But I guess that was very wishful thinking, so today I'am your newest follower.

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  3. Beautiful space you got here! Nice to find you...hope to see you on my blog:)

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  4. That turned out really cute! I am going to have to try and find aa 4XL shirt to tame down. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Cute dress...AGAIN! I can't wait to see your next one! By the way, this is your daughter, Kim. I really wish blogger would get it's act together and let me post a comment properly.

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  6. How pretty Susan. Love the shoes too. Thanks for sharing with my newbie party. Please add my link or button to your post. Thanks.

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  7. This is amazing! The pictures are adorable and the dress looks really good on you. Love the shoes too.

    I did the same thing, I found a really cute dress at TJ Maxx for $7.00 and put it back three times. It was a Size 3X. I finally decided to get it and try my luck at sewing too.

    I'm your 100th follower!

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  8. Susan you have done it again!! It's a gorgeous new design and I and my friend Lisa also liked it. You have posed well to show your new creation. Thanks for such a new ideas from your gift box, :)
    dress shirts by Justwhiteshirts

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  9. Loving your site! I think this dress is MARVELOUS and a great way to upcycle already used items!

    Wendy@www.remakingitmine.blogspot.com

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  10. Turned out great! I have made little girls dress from men's shirts up never thought to make one for myself!

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  11. One word for you: WOW! Thank you so much for sharing your awesomeness at the link party ;)

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  12. I LOVE a great refashion and this is fabulous! I like the fabric too - love how it turned out!

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  13. This is an excellent refashion!

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  14. I found you on Thrilling Thursday Linky Party. I didn’t join since I haven’t created anything but I had to check out the projects everyone else did. Creative people inspire me and this project is an example of why so I am now following you. Taking a shirt and making a dress, that was smart. And the spam cans, how adorable and creative, I love it. I hope you will follow me back http://talesfrommyjournal.blogspot.com I can be found in facebook too http://www.facebook.com/DeniseMartin.LillaRose and twitter @DeniseLillaRose If you like/follow me there I will do the same for you. When you stop by my blog, please check out my kind of fashion (hair jewelry).

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  15. OMG! Your refashion skill can easily win the 'Mom GOT Talent show..anywhere on earth!!!'.

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  16. I love this idea and I love button down shirt dresses! Thnk you for linking up to Upcycled Awesome!

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  17. That looks just fabulous! You are so smart. I would love to do something like that.
    Hugs, Cindy

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  18. Susan,
    Your dress is awesome! I love the way it turned out -- so fun and summery. Serious props for the sewing skills.

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  19. Wow! I'm glad that you posted the before shot because I didn't believe it. This dress is so cute.

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  20. I just wanted to let you know you were featured over at Blissful and Domestic today. Stop by an grab a button:>

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  21. You did a beautiful job with this! Thanks for sharing!

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  22. That looks so good! The print of the shirt is just fantastic, but I love how you used a different shirt for the waistband, it works so well- very impressed!

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  23. That is so neat I don't know how you do it!!! You are being featured on this weeks scrappy Saturday so come back and check it out, link up your sequel and feel free to brag! :)

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  24. you are so clever! That's a gorgeous dress!


    love~mongs
    mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

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  25. You are so creative and talented!! Not to mention you are rockin that dress!! Great job!!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Kristine
    http://jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/4th-of-july-punch-art-tutorial.html

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  26. Love this one! It looks so professional but your green gingham down below took my breath away! I love your redo's, sooo of course I'm your newest follower!

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  27. Love the dress!! The print is so great. Don't think I could pull it off though.

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  28. OMGoodness! I just love this idea and how cute the dress came out!! Amazing! Love it! I am your newest follower from Midnight Mommy! ;) Hope you will get a chance to stop by and follow me back and take a look around! www.midnightmommy.com

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  29. you're very crafty and pretty. i went through all your posts! I love your blog, new follower here.

    http://momdaughterstyle.blogspot.com/

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  30. I love it, great pics too!

    I am going to feature this on Friday morning.

    Thanks for linking up and grabbing the button at Bacon Time. Hope to see you at this weeks party too!

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  31. Wow! how cool that you could make a woman's dress out of a man's shirt! I have seen lots of little girl dresses from shirts, but never a woman's. Thanks for linking up with DIY under $5!

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  32. Great job on the dress refashion!Thank you for linking to Sew Woodsy last week! Keep on linking great projects!

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  33. Just found your blog and I am your newest follower. I absolutely Love Love this dress....so cute.

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  34. I'm so pleased you found Threading My Way. I'm really enjoying looking at your amazing refashions!!! You really are talented.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Susan, Just letting you know I featured a couple of your Shirt Dresses in a roundup of projects made from shirts. I've also taken the liberty of adding them to our newest linky - Reusing Shirts & Ties. Hope that's OK.

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  35. I'm loving the creativity and style in your blog about refashioning men's shirts! It's like giving new life to old classics. And speaking of style transformations, you might find some fantastic deals when you explore #How to Stack Coupons on Shein for more wardrobe revamps. Thanks for the fashion-forward inspiration!

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  36. Your blog encourages critical thinking and intellectual exploration. It's a catalyst for personal and collective growth.denny's senior discount

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  37. Chose Branded t shirts for men , multiple collections of t-shirts for men. - Crazy colors for all age groups, availability of all flexible sizes, admirable stitching, ideal comfy stuff, and stylish composition are waiting for you.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate the feedback and always look forward to reading what you have to say! Susan