Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Something cute to wear....
Friday while mapping out the sewing day before me, I added a bright pink corduroy big shirt to my list of "change this" clothes. I have three things on my list, as most clothes are easier to make than to re-make. I have to really like something to re-make it.
This shirt qualified. I waited for this shirt to go on sale. The description said "This item runs very large, so order TWO sizes smaller than your usual size." I did.
Big mistake.
Oh, it fit, sorta, but it didn't button. OK, I should of returned it... I would of too, but I guess everyone else my size wanted one. I either had to go without, or live with it. I wore it as an overshirt. Twice. Large whale bone corduroy is warm. Very warm when layered. So, I thought I could change it, add some here and there so that I could wear it without another shirt underneath. That decided. The pink shirt is added to the sewing plan for the day. Bree sees the shirt on my bed and says "oooohhhh I want a corduroy skirt. I need something cute to wear to the concert." I say "Not in the plan.... No corduroy in our fabric closet." She offers a "quick" (right) trip to Joanns. I counter with the not in the plan... You can see how this is going, there will be a trip to Joanns. While I am asking Tabby what kind of corduroy they have in stock at her store...(hey, I could get something to match) Bree picks up my shirt, holds it to her waist and Click, snap, pop! The idea is born. I ask how she feels about bright pink?
I'm thinkin'... Shirt to skirt. Hey, why not? People make pants into skirts all the time. Holding it up to her to do a quick check for length and width. I decided ... This really could work. The gears in my little seamstress/designer brain are really turning now. We head off to the sewing room.
Here is my disclaimer... For those of you who have done the pants to skirt re-make, you know that most too tight pants turn into great fitting skirts. This conversion is NOT the same. The shirt you pick MUST be TOO LARGE for you.
While the pink shirt was a total of four sizes too small for me, Bree is at least ten sizes smaller I am. So be sure your shirt will go around your hips with room to spare. Also check the length from underarm to hem. If you want a waist band and have a short sleeved shirt the main length will need to be extra long or you will end up with a super short skirt.
That said. Here's how.... Lay your shirt flat. Remove any pockets or the like with your seam ripper. Mark from right underarm/side seam junction straight across to left underarm/side seam junction. Then cut on the line. Now you have two pieces,
1. a shirt upper, shoulders and sleeves
2. a shirt bottom.
If you don't have someone handy to seam rip the sleeves, collar, cuffs and yoke like I did ( thank you very much Tabby). You would do all the seam ripping on piece 1. now. Doing it now will give you an idea of how much fabric your going to have to work with. Depending on how much you have, you can start thinking about extra little touches. Looking at piece 2. You can see how it can be turned into a skirt. Not too tough eh? ( If your in a big hurry, forget all the seam ripping of piece 1. And just turn under the top of piece 2. To form a casing for elastic. Sew casing leaving space, add elastic, sew closed, top stitch and your done.)
Not in that much of a hurry? Good... Let the designer in you out. LOL
Looking at the front of piece 2. I could clearly see where the pockets had been. (Most of the time if your item is fairly new, these needle marks will wash out. You can't count on it though, and certainly not if the shirt has been washed multiple times.) I decided that pleats would be the perfect thing, reducing the extra fabric at the waist line and covering up the pocket marks. I measured both sides, marked, folded, and pinned each pleat, then I basted the pleats' top at the "waist edge" and pined the pleat closed. Then fitting the "skirt" to Bree, it was still too big, we needed darts. Bree has an hour glass figure so more than one pair of darts is a better choice, I used, four pairs of darts on the back of the skirt. I did not sew these down but treated them more like a tuck type pleat. I then stitched the waist line at 1/2" to hold all darts and tucks in place. After checking to see if the sleeve without the cuff will go around Brees waist, I find I am just a few inched shy. So, I matched up the grainline and sewed both sleeves together and cut the waistband out. I had more than enough, so I used the extra to make "V end" tabs to sew over the front pleats as a design extra. I centered each tab over a front pleat and pinned, then top stitched each tab on. Then I add the waistband. Button hole and button. To finish... The hem of course. It originally had a shirt tail hem. I just shortened it in the front, so it would not be too short. Then with the leftovers and a few extras we got carried away! What an outfit! She had people stopping her to ask her where she got it.
Here are the pictures.
lay out your shirt, measure, mark and cut
Mark, pin, baste and sew your pleats. Remember to sew them Closed.
Back tuck type pleats. Basted only along the waist edge.
Get all carried away with the project and forget to take photos... then tada!
Skirt front with the V tabs sewn over the front pleats and extra buttons from higher up on the shirt as accents. Notice the straight hem.
Skirt back with open type darts or pleats if you prefer. Notice the shirt-tail hem.
Get even more carried away with all the extra parts that are leftover, throw in a a shirt already in the "change this" basket and add.... fishnet... What's a rock concert without fishnet? TAADAA!!
And you thought I meant fishnet for your legs....haahaah
Happy Bree
So, if you have some "Big shirts" on hand or a yard sale/ thrift shop/ consignment store shopper keep in mind the shirt to skirt conversion. Think flannel, or wool or denim... ohhhh just right for the up and coming winter. If you want to do this and find my directions a little...ah vague. E-mail me and I would be happy to give you more details.
Sew Creative!
This shirt qualified. I waited for this shirt to go on sale. The description said "This item runs very large, so order TWO sizes smaller than your usual size." I did.
Big mistake.
Oh, it fit, sorta, but it didn't button. OK, I should of returned it... I would of too, but I guess everyone else my size wanted one. I either had to go without, or live with it. I wore it as an overshirt. Twice. Large whale bone corduroy is warm. Very warm when layered. So, I thought I could change it, add some here and there so that I could wear it without another shirt underneath. That decided. The pink shirt is added to the sewing plan for the day. Bree sees the shirt on my bed and says "oooohhhh I want a corduroy skirt. I need something cute to wear to the concert." I say "Not in the plan.... No corduroy in our fabric closet." She offers a "quick" (right) trip to Joanns. I counter with the not in the plan... You can see how this is going, there will be a trip to Joanns. While I am asking Tabby what kind of corduroy they have in stock at her store...(hey, I could get something to match) Bree picks up my shirt, holds it to her waist and Click, snap, pop! The idea is born. I ask how she feels about bright pink?
I'm thinkin'... Shirt to skirt. Hey, why not? People make pants into skirts all the time. Holding it up to her to do a quick check for length and width. I decided ... This really could work. The gears in my little seamstress/designer brain are really turning now. We head off to the sewing room.
Here is my disclaimer... For those of you who have done the pants to skirt re-make, you know that most too tight pants turn into great fitting skirts. This conversion is NOT the same. The shirt you pick MUST be TOO LARGE for you.
While the pink shirt was a total of four sizes too small for me, Bree is at least ten sizes smaller I am. So be sure your shirt will go around your hips with room to spare. Also check the length from underarm to hem. If you want a waist band and have a short sleeved shirt the main length will need to be extra long or you will end up with a super short skirt.
That said. Here's how.... Lay your shirt flat. Remove any pockets or the like with your seam ripper. Mark from right underarm/side seam junction straight across to left underarm/side seam junction. Then cut on the line. Now you have two pieces,
1. a shirt upper, shoulders and sleeves
2. a shirt bottom.
If you don't have someone handy to seam rip the sleeves, collar, cuffs and yoke like I did ( thank you very much Tabby). You would do all the seam ripping on piece 1. now. Doing it now will give you an idea of how much fabric your going to have to work with. Depending on how much you have, you can start thinking about extra little touches. Looking at piece 2. You can see how it can be turned into a skirt. Not too tough eh? ( If your in a big hurry, forget all the seam ripping of piece 1. And just turn under the top of piece 2. To form a casing for elastic. Sew casing leaving space, add elastic, sew closed, top stitch and your done.)
Not in that much of a hurry? Good... Let the designer in you out. LOL
Looking at the front of piece 2. I could clearly see where the pockets had been. (Most of the time if your item is fairly new, these needle marks will wash out. You can't count on it though, and certainly not if the shirt has been washed multiple times.) I decided that pleats would be the perfect thing, reducing the extra fabric at the waist line and covering up the pocket marks. I measured both sides, marked, folded, and pinned each pleat, then I basted the pleats' top at the "waist edge" and pined the pleat closed. Then fitting the "skirt" to Bree, it was still too big, we needed darts. Bree has an hour glass figure so more than one pair of darts is a better choice, I used, four pairs of darts on the back of the skirt. I did not sew these down but treated them more like a tuck type pleat. I then stitched the waist line at 1/2" to hold all darts and tucks in place. After checking to see if the sleeve without the cuff will go around Brees waist, I find I am just a few inched shy. So, I matched up the grainline and sewed both sleeves together and cut the waistband out. I had more than enough, so I used the extra to make "V end" tabs to sew over the front pleats as a design extra. I centered each tab over a front pleat and pinned, then top stitched each tab on. Then I add the waistband. Button hole and button. To finish... The hem of course. It originally had a shirt tail hem. I just shortened it in the front, so it would not be too short. Then with the leftovers and a few extras we got carried away! What an outfit! She had people stopping her to ask her where she got it.
Here are the pictures.
lay out your shirt, measure, mark and cut
Mark, pin, baste and sew your pleats. Remember to sew them Closed.
Back tuck type pleats. Basted only along the waist edge.
Get all carried away with the project and forget to take photos... then tada!
Skirt front with the V tabs sewn over the front pleats and extra buttons from higher up on the shirt as accents. Notice the straight hem.
Skirt back with open type darts or pleats if you prefer. Notice the shirt-tail hem.
Get even more carried away with all the extra parts that are leftover, throw in a a shirt already in the "change this" basket and add.... fishnet... What's a rock concert without fishnet? TAADAA!!
And you thought I meant fishnet for your legs....haahaah
Happy Bree
So, if you have some "Big shirts" on hand or a yard sale/ thrift shop/ consignment store shopper keep in mind the shirt to skirt conversion. Think flannel, or wool or denim... ohhhh just right for the up and coming winter. If you want to do this and find my directions a little...ah vague. E-mail me and I would be happy to give you more details.
Sew Creative!
