Reconstructed Shirt to Sundress

Something I love to do is to reconstruct old things into something new. Remember my tutorial on reconstructing sweatshirts into pillows? (Click here for it) Here, I'll show you how to reconstruct a blouse into a sundress. I picked up the shirt for $3.99 at Goodwill. The fabric was a pique shirt, which I've noticed gave the photographs a weird reflection. I apologize for that.
When looking for a shirt, try to find one that's big, or you will be limited on what you can do for it. This one was an XL and I was able to make a sundress that fit me, even after removing the button placket.

Here's the shirt:

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

1. After washing and pressing the shirt, I removed the front pocket using a seam ripper.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

2. Then, I removed the arms. If you'd like, you can use a seam ripper to do this. I chose to just cut them off with a pair of scissors.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

3. I cut the shirt just under the armholes. The top part will become the bodice of my dress and the bottom will be used to make the skirt.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

4. I removed the collar and then cut the shoulders off as close to the collar as possible.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

5. To make the bodice, I cut off the arm seams and squared up the front and the back pieces. Then, I removed the buttons and cut off the button placket. I sewed right and left halves together where the button placket originally existed.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

I sewed the front of the shirt to the back of the shirt, forming a tube for the bodice. The original front of the shirt is now the back of the dress because of the seam. There are now three seams in the bodice : 2 side seams and the back seam where the button placket was located.

6. To make the skirt, I squared up the bottom half of the shirt. Then, I removed the placket in the same way as I did for the bodice. Like as the bodice, I sewed the front half to the back half, forming a tube for the skirt. There are 3 seams like the bodice, and the original button placket location forms the back seam.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

7. Then, I sewed the skirt to the bodice, lining up the back seams, and gathering the skirt to the bodice.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

8. I cut strips from the arms to make a ruffle for the bottom of the skirt.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

9. On the bodice, I made a 5/8" casing for elastic.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

10. Then, I inserted a 1/2" elastic band, which was about an inch smaller than my bust measurement.

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

11. Where the bodice meets the skirt, I added three rows of smocking, using elastic bobbin thread. (See my Smocking Tutorial, How to Smock
)

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

Ta-da! Here it is! Ignore my white legs - it's still winter here!

From Reconstructed Shirt to Dress

Have any interesting projects? Click here to post them in the Pineapple Damask Flickr Photo Pool!

How to Make a Fabric Scrap Hair Tie

A great way to use up small scraps of fabric is to make hair ties. Here's how I do it.

1. Select a bit of fabric.
Make sure it's bigger than 6 inches long and about 8 or so inches wide.

From Fabric scrap hair tie

2. Sew the scrap edges.

Using matching or contrasting thread and a zigzag stitch sew rectangles that are about 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Sew about 10 of these long rectangles on your fabric. The purpose of sewing (and using a zigzag stitch) is to keep the fabric from completely unraveling. There will be some fraying, but that gives the hair tie a "shabby chic" feel.

From Fabric scrap hair tie

Here, you can see the rectangles sewn onto the fabric.

From Fabric scrap hair tie

3. Cut out the strips.

Ensuring that you do not cut the stitches, cut out each rectangular strip.

From Fabric scrap hair tie

From Fabric scrap hair tie

From Fabric scrap hair tie

4. Assemble the hair tie.

Use an elastic hair band and tie each fabric scrap onto it.

From Fabric scrap hair tie

From Fabric scrap hair tie

When it's finished it should look something like this:

From Fabric scrap hair tie

Isn't that fun? Don't forget to post your projects in the Pineapple Damask Flickr Photo Pool!

How to Sew in an Invisible Zipper

I have always avoided invisible zippers. They intimidated me, and all the instructions I could find made it seem complicated and not worth the effort. Then, one day, I set about learning and realized, it's the simplest thing! Invisible zippers give a polished, professional look to dresses, shirts, and pants. I encourage you to give it a try.

1. Prepare the zipper.
Lay the zipper on your ironing board, and then unzip it all the way and flip it over.

From Invisible Zipper

From Invisible Zipper

2. Iron the zipper.
Using a synthetic setting on your iron, press the coils flat, so that the stitching next to the coils show.

From Invisible Zipper

3. Pin the zipper to your garment.
Pin the RIGHT side of the zipper to the RIGHT side of your fabric, using a 5/8" seam allowance.

From Invisible Zipper

4. Attach your invisible zipper foot.

This is a special foot that does not come with your sewing machine. If your machine comes with a foot, it is for regular zippers. Invisible zippers need to be sewn almost right at the coils and therefore require a special foot. These are usually plastic and can be found cheaply in the same section where you find the zippers. Attach to your machine, according to the directions, and ensure that the needle is positioned directly over the center hole in the zipper foot. Also, make sure that your sewing machine is set for a straight stitch.

From Invisible Zipper

5. Sew.
Position garment so that the right groove of the invisible zipper foot is over the zipper coils. Sew, remembering to backtack at the beginning.

From Invisible Zipper

Continue to sew until the zipper foot touches the zipper's slider. Backtack to secure stitches.

From Invisible Zipper

6. Repeat with other half of zipper.

Pin the other half of the zipper to the other half of your garment, RIGHT sides together. Ensure that the zipper is not twisted. Position the left groove of the zipper foot over the coils and sew until the foot reaches the slider.

7. Stitch remaining seam of garment.

Close zipper and flip your garment inside out.

From Invisible Zipper

Slide the zipper foot to the left so that the needle goes through the outer notch. Pull the ends of the zipper out of the way and lower the needle, by hand, to about 1/2" to the left of your last zipper stitch. Sew for about 2 inches.

From Invisible Zipper

Then, switch to your machine's regular presser foot and finish sewing the seam normally.

Flip your garment rightside out and check out your handiwork!

From Invisible Zipper

How to Make Spaghetti Straps

Spaghetti straps are a simple addition to any top! With spaghetti straps, you can make a halter, one shoulder, cross back, or even a tied top. You can easily vary the width of these straps to suit your garment. Here's how to make these super easy straps.

1. Cut your fabric strips.
Make them as long as necessary and twice as wide as you need. I am making one inch wide straps, so I need to cut them two inches wide.

From Spaghetti Straps

2. Sew.
Fold the strips in half, widthwise, with RIGHT sides together (WRONG sides out) and sew down the long edge. Leave a long tail (several inches) of thread at the end.

From Spaghetti Straps

3. Turn inside right.
To easily turn inside right, attach a safety pin to the tail of thread. Then push the pin through the tube of fabric, using it to pull the fabric through.

From Spaghetti Straps

From Spaghetti Straps

Continue to shimmy the safety pin and the fabric through itself, pulling it rightside out.

From Spaghetti Straps

Once it's right side out, then all you need to do is attach your straps to your garment!

How to Smock

Smocking is one of my favorite techniques! Once you've mastered it, you can use smocking as an addition to many garments. Make bodices for dresses or waistbands for pants and eliminate the need for buttons or zippers! You can even smock necklines and armholes or the bottom edge of shirts for a decorative touch. Don't be intimidated by this technique - smocking is actually quite simple!

1. Wind the bobbin.
You will need elastic thread. It can be found in the notions section of the fabric store right by the elastic waistbands. You need to hand wind it onto your bobbin. Don't pull the elastic tight as you are winding it.

From Smocking

2. Thread your machine
Put the bobbin in your machine and thread as normal, using regular thread for the top thread. Pick a color that will match your material, as this will be visible on the outside of the your garment.

From Smocking

3. Sew the first row.

Place your garment RIGHT side up on your machine. I usually start at the back seam. Leaving a long tail, sew a few stitches then backtack about three times to ensure that the elastic is secure. Sew all the way around the garment, using your guide plate to keep the row straight. When you reach all the way around the garment, once again backtack about three times to secure the elastic. Cut the thread, leaving a long tail and knot the elastic on the garment to doubly secure it. (The elastic should be on the WRONG side of your fabric.)

Note: It is easiest to prehem or finish the top most edge of your project before you smock it, rather than later. In these photos, I am smocking a bodice and I have already sewn it to the skirt and used my serger to give the top edge a rolled hem.

From Smocking

4. Sew the next row.

Sew the second row as you sewed the first, using the right edge of the presser foot as your guide. Some people choose to pre mark their rows using tailors chalk, but I think the pressor foot makes a fine guide and the smocking lines are a aesthetically pleasing distance apart. Remember to backtack at the beginning and end of the row and to knot the elastic. Also, ensure that you are pulling the fabric taut, as it will want to bunch up as the elastic pulls on it.

From Smocking

5. Sew remaining rows.

Sew the remaining rows of your garment, using the pressor foot or guide of your choice to make straight, evenly spaced rows. Remember to pull the fabric taut, and to backstitch and knot the elastic.

From Smocking

6. Shrink the elastic.

After you are finished, use your iron to steam the elastic. This shrinks the elastic and makes the fabric bunch together in the distinctive smocking.

From Smocking

That's it! What have you made using the smocking technique? Add your photos to the Pineapple Damask Flickr Photo Pool!

PJ Pant with Free Pattern Part 2

1. Cut out your fabric pieces.
Each pattern is for 1 leg, therefore, we need to cut out 2 pieces. Pay attention to grain and your fabric's overall pattern.

From PJ Sew Along

From PJ Sew Along

2. Sew the inseams.

With right sides together, line up notches on the inseams and pin. Notice the curved bit at the top of the pants. That is the crotch seam. That will not line up, so don't worry! We are not sewing that right now.

From PJ Sew Along

Sew the inseams, ensuring that you do not sew the crotch. I like to start at the very pointy part at the top and serge down the inseam.

From PJ Sew Along

Repeat with the second leg.

3. Sew the crotch.

Take one leg and pull it outside right. Therefore, one leg is inside out and one leg is oriented correctly.

From PJ Sew Along

Stuff the correct leg (the one on the right in the above picture) inside the inside out leg, lining up notches. The right sides of the fabric should be facing each other.

From PJ Sew Along

Starting at one corner, carefully sew down the crotch and then up to the other side, in a U shape.

From PJ Sew Along

If you choose, reinforce the crotch seam with a straight stitch alongside your serged edge. Or, if you used a sewing machine, then add a second set of stitches alongside your previous stitches.

From PJ Sew Along

4. Make the waistband casing.

Pull the inside leg out.

From PJ Sew Along

Serge the top edge of the waist to prevent it from unraveling. If you do not have a serger, then you would follow the directions found by clicking here to create elastic casing with a sewing machine

From PJ Sew Along

Fold down the finished edge by about an inch.

From PJ Sew Along

Press with an iron and pin in place.

From PJ Sew Along

Sew along the serged edge all around the waist, leaving an inch or so at the end, so you can insert your elastic.

From PJ Sew Along

From PJ Sew Along