A Dress Shirt Skirt!

I saw this picture on Grosgrain probably a year or more ago and I loved it. I loved it even more when a few weeks later Justin handed me a navy blue with white pin stripe dress shirt and said, "It's ripped. Wanna throw it out?" NO! It was ripped right along the buttons and really, I couldn't have fixed it for him to wear again. But, this picture flashed through my mind and I tucked it into my closet. It sat there for over a year. Then, one day, I felt like making it. So, I did! No rhyme or reason or pattern, just thought about it and started cutting and sewing.

Here is the short version of what I did:

1. Ironed - a lot.
2. Held it up to my waist and decided where to cut it off so I'd have a decent length skirt. I cut it off at the armpits. (If I did it again, I'd cut off right below the collar and then cut off the sleeves at the sleeve seam. You'd have to sew two new side seams to close up the armholes, but it's be worth it for the extra five inches of length.)
3. I turned under twice and then hemmed the top of the skirt, which was the raw edge that I just cut off.
4. I pinned and sewed shut the shirt along the center, where all the buttons are. Left the buttons intact. Stitched in the ditch for this.
5. I shirred the top with elastic thread with 12 rows of shirring.

6. Laid the sleeves out and cut them down so they were only as wide as the cuff at the end of the sleeve. Sewed each sleeve together again and then pinned and sewed the sleeve together in the middle to create one long tube. That's my belt!
7. Sewed 4 belt loops from left over sleeve fabric.
8. Sewed belt loops onto skirt
9. Threaded belt through and pranced around the house saying, "I sewed a skirt and it worked!"

Yes, I was excited. 


Then, I made Justin take a bunch of pictures. I love it. SO comfy. A little short for me, which makes it took a little poofy at the waist, but really cute overall! Next time I'll try to get an extra 3-5 inches out of the shirt before I cut!

Whaddya think?