DIY Network

Reconstruction of a Man's Shirt by Tina Sparkles Learn how to transform a man's shirt into a girly blouse. From "Stylelicious" episode DSTY-103

Host Tina Sparkles takes her scissors to a couple of men's button-down shirts and remakes them into a knockout girly blouse complete with lace, princess shoulders and fancy buttons.

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	Tina takes two men's shirts and creates this "girly" blouse.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Materials:

2 men's button down shirts
10 buttons
seam ripper

Reconstruction of a Man's Shirt

1. When choosing a man's shirt, make sure that one of them fits you well (this will be your blouse) and that the other shirt is a few sizes too big. The bigger shirt will be used for pieces of the reconstructed blouse.

2. Remove the sleeves and collar from both shirts with a seam ripper. Cut off one side of the placket (buttonhole piece) from the larger shirt and remove the buttons from the smaller shirt.

3. Serge the raw edges along the sleeve holes on the blouse, sleeves from the larger shirt and both collars.

4. Sew a basting stitch along one edge of the placket and pull the thread to create a gather.

5. Pin the gathered placket in between the two fabric pieces on top of the blouse where the previous collar was located.

   Note: To get a clean starting edge, fold the corner of the placket in at a 90-degree angle so the raw edges are all facing downward.

6. Topstitch along the top of the blouse to secure the placket ruffle (figure A).

7. Take the large sleeve pieces and sew a basting stitch on both sides of the sleeve to create a gather (figure B). Pull loose threads and gather the sleeve to create a puffy princess sleeve.

8. Turn the shirt inside out and pin the right side of the sleeve edge, lining up the bottom seams together, to the right side of the blouse armholes (figure C).

9. Sew at a 1/2" seam allowance.

10. Create sleeve cuffs out of the collars by overlapping the edges and creating a circle.

    Note: The circumference of this circle will depend on the size of your arm and how fitted you want it to be.

11. Sew along the overlapping edge so that it is secure.

12. Pin cuffs to the gathered sleeves by slipping the cuffs over the sleeves with serged edges facing out and right sides together.

13. Stitch along the edge using 1/2" seam allowances.

14. Iron open seam and flip cuff downward.

15. Sew on new buttons where you removed the old ones on the blouse's placket and sleeves (figure D).

    Note: Choose buttons that are the same size as the old ones so they will fit the buttonholes, or increase the size of the buttonholes.

16. Another idea is to make a ruffle out the extra material, gather it and sew it around the bottom edge of the blouse (figure E). You can also add lace on the pocket and around the collar.