From Baggy to Beautiful: Refashion a Button-Down Shirt

Hello everyone!  As you can tell, I'm not Stephanie, I'm Emileigh from Flashback Summer, and Stephanie has kindly allowed me to contribute a guest post for you guys!  I've been a follower of Steph's blog for a long time, and I love all the handmade clothing she comes up with.  (So adorable, am I right?!)  I also like to sew, so I thought I'd share a sewing DIY with you guys on how to refashion a too-large button-down shirt into a cute, vintage-style summer shirt.

The DIY will help you draft your own blouse pieces on the too-big button-down.  It's a bit long, but that's just because I tried to be really thorough and include a giant picture for each step!  (Pictures are my best friends in DIY projects.)

This idea is not uniquely mine; it was actually a very common practice "back in the day."  I've found refashion tutorials for men's button-downs from as far back as the 1920s, and the following tutorial is based off a 1940s blouse pattern.  Included in the pattern instructions was a tiny note in the corner of how to arrange them on a man's shirt for refashioning.  How great is that?!  Talk about sewing ingenuity!

Please note that the instructions will work well as a starting point, but much of refashioning depends greatly on the garment being refashioned.  I'd be happy to answer any questions you have in the comment section below!

For this tutorial, here are the supplies you'll need:

a button-down shirt (2-3 sizes too big for you will work best, and men's shirts or women's without bust darts are easiest to work with) - coordinating thread - pencil - bias tape - pins - measuring tape - scissors

Instructions:

1.  First, you'll need to take some of your own measurements to draw out the shirt pieces properly.  You'll need:

2.  Next, cut off the sleeves from the shirt.  This will make it easier to work with.  Flip the shirt inside out.  (For future reference, my shirt has a tiny interfacing patch on the inside, but it's nothing you need to repeat!)

3. Decide how wide you'd like your sleeves to be.  Using your shoulder measurement will bring the sleeve right along your shoulder cap.  (Increasing this measurement a little could make it look like more of a cap sleeve and could be good if you plan to add shoulder pads, for a 40s look, for example.)  Take this measurement and divide by 2; measure out this length from the center of the shirt along each shoulder seam. 
My calculation looked like this:  14 + 1 extra inch = 15 inches / 2 = 7.5 inches each side

4.  Fourth, measure your shoulder-to-bust length and mark with pins.

5.  Next, decide how much ease you would like at the bust.  I would recommend 1-3 inches for a comfortable fit (with non-stretch fabric).  Now add 1" total to account for a 1/2" seam allowance on each side (or more, if you prefer). Take this measurement and divide by 2, then center that measurement on the front of the shirt going through the bust apex pins.
For example, my calculation went like this:
32" bust + 1 inches ease + 1 inch seam allowance total = 34" / 2 = 17" across shirt front

6.  Now take your total length measurement and add 1/2" for a narrow hem (or more if you prefer and can fit it on the shirt!).  Measure this length out on both sides by starting at the shoulder, going through the bust apex pins, and drawing a line at the correct length.  Connect the two marks with a line.

7.  Seventh, draw a line from the bust + seam allowance marking made in step 5 straight down (or if your low waist measurement is larger than your bust, slightly outward to the end of that line on each side).  Extend your lines as necessary here and at the bottom hem line so that the two meet.

8.  Connect the shoulder dots and bust line with a curving line for an armhole.

9.  Cut out the shape you just created with all the lines.

10.  Now for darts/pleats!  Depending on your measurements, this will look a bit different, and you have some options. (It gets math-y here again, sorry!)
Decide how many darts you want and where.  (I put four in the front, but I would recommend 2-4 in front and 2 in back.)
Take your bust measurement and subtract your natural waist measurement.  The difference is the amount of cloth you have to take in at the waist, so divide it by the number of pleats you want.
My example:  32" bust - 24" waist = 8 inch difference
8" / 4 pleats = 2" per pleat
Now around 5-6" from the bottom of your shirt (near your natural waist, or where the shirt would be tucked in), evenly space your pleats/top of darts with marks.  The width of each dart/pleat will be the number you found above.

Now you're going to see how much the dart/pleat needs to narrow toward the bottom.  If your lower waist measurement is larger than your hips, end your dart at 1" above the bottom of your fabric.  If your measurement was smaller than your bust, do the same calculation as above but with your lower waist measurement instead of the natural waist.
My example: 32" bust - 28" lower waist = 4 inch difference
4" / 4 pleats = 1" per pleat
Measure this out at the bottom of your fabric like shown below. Connect the dots with vertical lines.  These are the sewing lines for the darts/pleats.

11.  Sew up all the darts/pleats and press toward the side seams! (I also zig-zagged all the edges at this point to keep them from fraying and to keep the pleats lying in the right direction.)

12. Sew up the side seams.

13.  Now finish the raw armhole edges with bias tape.  Use tape that is wide enough to easily manage and keep the fabric edge tucked inside.  Mine was a bit narrow for this (1/2" across), but I had it in my stash and made it work.  I'd recommend a larger width.

14.  Lastly, turn up your bottom hem 1/2" and sew!

And Voila!  You have a fitted, vintage-style shirt that will take you through summer and easily pair with cardigans for the colder months!

Vintage or Me-Made or Repro?

Vintage or me-made or repro? It's a question that's been bouncing around in my head lately. Deciding between these three categories (or at least two) is an issue that plagues all vintage loving gals (and guys)! In an effort to organize my thoughts, I thought I'd share them with you and see what you think. First up, vintage.

Vintage

An obvious first choice for any vintage lover is actual vintage. The pieces are historically accurate, the fabrics are period and many of them are just darling. If you are good at thrifting and digging through estate sales, you can find things for cheap. If you are not, sites like etsy and ebay are full of treasures someone else has already done the dirty work to find. And, if you are lucky, there may even be a vintage store or two in your area. (There seem to be gobs of them on the west coast.)

But vintage pieces may come damaged or be in delicate condition. They also come in one size so even if you fall in love with a piece, you may have to pass it up. Things can be altered a bit, especially since vintage garments tend to have longer hems than modern garments, but again, they are often in delicate condition so you don't want to have to take them apart and put them together a lot. Plus, professional alterations add to the cost. And, speaking of cost, really fabulous pieces can grow into the hundreds of dollars in cost. They also tend to be rather tiny!

When I opt to add a vintage piece to my collection I consider a couple of things before purchase.

1) It absolutely must fit or be able to be altered to fit. I have made that mistake in the past and it's so sad to have something arrive in the mail and realize that it doesn't fit! Make sure you get measurements of the garment before purchase and don't forget your measurements need to be smaller than the garment! Modern garments tend to have more stretch in them than vintage ones so take that into account.

2) It needs to be in good condition. Look closely at the garment and inspect it for holes, tears and damaged seams. I never buy things I can't fix myself. Missing a button? That's pretty easy to replace with new ones. Giant 4" tear some place prominent? I'll probably pass, even if it's priced appropriately.

3) It has to look cute! This may seem silly, but don't buy something just because it's vintage. It needs to appeal to you aesthetically and look good on you. This is why brick and mortar shops are nice since you can try things on. If it looks bad on you, you won't wear it and if you do, you'll look silly, not fabulous.

I love this vintage dress from Bad Girl Vintage.

Somethings I like to buy vintage: things with unique prints, things that would be difficult to recreate myself (for technical or fabric difficulties), hats, scarves, bags and things that are just really special.

Me-Made

I sew, as you all know, so this category opens up a new world of vintage style for me. Vintage patterns can be found while thrifting and abound on etsy. Plus, there are a growing number of small pattern companies offering multisized reprints of vintage patterns and there are even some offered by the Big 4 pattern companies (though I've heard tales of mixed success with these). Circle skirts are a great beginner project. You can do some really fun stuff with them for much cheaper (and in larger sizes!!) than you'd pay for authentic vintage circle skirts with unique designs. You can make something that isn't nearly as delicate as a vintage piece.

You do have to be able to sew. Some things are just to difficult for me to make. Vintage patterns do have some of the same difficulties as vintage clothing does. Namely, small sizes, can be pricey and may be in delicate condition. They are also one size rather than multisize. Directions can be brief and some patterns are unprinted. It can also be difficult to find appropriate fabrics (especially prints).

Perhaps my favorite Wearing History Pattern!

Some things I like to make are: things that I have difficulty finding premade that fit me well (pants, button front blouses and anything "wiggle" shaped), circle skirts. I find myself mainly limited by finding a good pattern in my size (I hate grading!) and by my skills. I'm not up for winter jackets, jeans and knits.

Reproduction

Many non-sewing vintage enthusiasts flock to reproduction pieces. They offer many of the advantages of me-made garments including durability and are generally available in several sizes and some companies will even make them to your measure. You can find pieces that range from rockabilly and pinup to the more conservative and classic styles.

My biggest problem with reproduction is the sizing. While repro sizing tends to run curvier than modern sizing, it's still often not curvy enough for me. And it can be pricey! There are several really nice repro companies out of the UK but with the difference in currencies and shipping to the US, I don't end up purchasing from them as much as I'd like. Repro items also have a tendency to look more modern than actual vintage. Some companies do better than others on this front.

I have a lovely reproduction of this dress (available here) and so does Mrs. Amber Apple.

Things I like to buy repro: pieces I can't make myself or a particular design I just have to have. As a sewer, I kind of feel guilty about buying repro, but considering how much I wear my one repro dress and how much I already love my Freddies of Pinewood jeans, I'd say the purchases I've made are smart ones.

So which of these categories make up the most of your wardrobe? Is there one you prefer over the others? Is there a particular type of clothing you tend to buy from each category?