First, the starting point
I found this shirt at a Kilo Vintage Sale last year in Oxford. I loved the vibrant blue colour and the retro black and beige square pattern. Unfortunately it drowned me, but the huge quantity of fabric meant I wouldn't struggle to make something from it. I thought the shirt would make a nice dress as the fabric is lightweight and flowy.
Inspiration
I already had this dress in my wardrobe. The fabrics were similar and there were no zips or darts on this dress, so I used it as the template for reducing the size of the shirt. (The photo was taken after a very sunny bank holiday weekend, I may have spent a little too long outside with no sun cream, hence the slight sunburn).
The point of no Return
I cut the shirt to the same size as the dress (leaving a generous border for seam allowance). It is really important that the garment you are cutting is totally flat or it will end up being the wrong shape and size. I made sure it was symmetrical by folding the dress in half and lining the folded edge up with the buttons of the shirt. I then did the second half the same way, I also used the off-cut from the first half as a guide for the seam allowance. I then removed the sleeves from the side-sections I had cut off.
Made it into something I love!
I started by turning 'the shirt' inside-out so the fabric was right sides* together, then I sewed the side seams. Next, I reduced the size of the sleeves. This was rather challenging, it involved excessive amounts of experimentation and unpicking. I got to the point where the shirt had pretty decent looking sleeves and realised I don't really know how I got there. I thought about making ruffles for the bottom of the dress, but made a tie-belt-thing instead. Sorry this section isn't the most informative.
What was Left?
Answer: Not a lot, this is a picture of the pile of tiny scraps that remained.
The final result...
This is how the shirt dress turned out. It is super soft and comfy and I think it looks really nice. However, it is rather short so I wear it with thick tights or black cycling shorts. I love how it looks with my yellow H&M denim jacket and Dr Martens.
In Future I will...
...look into how to actually make sleeves, this would make them fit properly and be more comfy. To avoid unpicking and re-sewing, I will think ahead a little more. This may encourage me to properly 'finish' clothes I make - this would make them look more polished and less hand-made.
