Welcome! This is an incredibly creative and transformative project that turns a simple button-down shirt into a stylish, custom-fit blouse with charming ruffles. It's a fantastic way to give an old garment new life and a completely different silhouette. This pattern is designed for an experienced sewer who is comfortable with upcycling, creating new patterns from existing garments, and working with ruffles.
Materials
One Oversized Button-Down Shirt: A men's shirt or an oversized women's shirt made of a light to medium-weight cotton is perfect. Gingham, a classic check, is ideal for this look.
Thread: All-purpose thread that matches your fabric.
1/4-inch Elastic: A small amount of elastic for the sleeve ruffle.
Basic sewing supplies: Sewing machine, scissors, pins or clips, a fabric pen or pencil, and a seam ripper.
Key Concepts & Deconstruction
The key to this project is to strategically deconstruct the shirt and repurpose its existing panels. You will use the main body of the shirt for the new blouse body and the fabric from the sleeves or a back panel for the ruffles.
Deconstruction: You will use a seam ripper to carefully take apart the collar, the sleeves, and the shoulder seams.
Ruffles: Ruffles are created by gathering a strip of fabric to a shorter length. You will need a strip of fabric that is at least 1.5 to 2 times the length of the seam you are attaching it to.
Sewing Instructions
Note: Use a 1/2-inch seam allowance throughout the pattern unless otherwise noted.
Step 1: Deconstruct the Shirt and Prepare the Body
Lay the shirt flat. Using a seam ripper, carefully remove the collar and the sleeves. Save the sleeves for the ruffles.
Now, you will reshape the neckline. Draw a curved line from the top of the button placket down to a V-shape at the center of the chest. This will be your new neckline. Cut along this line through both the front and back of the shirt.
On the back of the shirt, you will also create a new, lower neckline. You can also simply cut the shirt to be a V-neck in the back as well.
Fold and press the raw edges of the neckline and the front placket to prepare for the ruffle.
Step 2: Create the Ruffles and Bow
Take the sleeves you removed and cut them into long strips, about 4 inches wide. Sew the strips together end-to-end to create one very long strip.
To create the ruffles, set your machine to a long stitch length. Sew two parallel lines of stitching, about 1/4 inch apart, along the entire length of the ruffle strip.
Leave long thread tails and gently pull the bobbin threads to gather the fabric. Continue gathering until the ruffle strip is the same length as the new neckline and front placket.
For the bow, cut a strip of fabric about 18 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold it, sew it into a tube, and turn it right side out.
Step 3: Attach the Ruffles and Modify the Sleeves
Pin the gathered ruffle strip to the new neckline and front placket of the blouse. The ruffles should be facing inward.
Sew the ruffle to the blouse body.
Take the sleeves you saved and cut them to a new, shorter length.
Hem the bottom of each sleeve. Now, cut a strip of fabric for the sleeve ruffle. Make it about 2 times the width of the sleeve opening. Create ruffles as you did before.
Sew the sleeve ruffle to the bottom of each sleeve.
You can also create a channel at the bottom of the sleeve ruffle and insert a small piece of elastic for a gathered, puffy look.
Step 4: Finish the Blouse
To create the cropped silhouette, you can simply hem the bottom of the blouse.
For a gathered waist, you can create a channel at the waistline and insert a piece of elastic or a drawstring.
Pin the bow to the V-neckline you created in Step 1. Hand-sew or machine-sew it in place.
Your upcycled gingham blouse is now complete!
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