Bird of Paradise Shirt Refashion

It’s another “I love this print” refashion.

I knew which thrift store shirt I wanted to make over to wear this spring.  The soft rayon print has big bird of paradise flowers and also a background of vertical blue stripes.  I like it even in its original XL size as an overshirt, although that armhole depth is super deep.

I used New Look 6598, the view on the bottom right with a collarless v-neck and short sleeves, for my pattern pieces. I like the way this style of shirt looks like a jacket.

I had to place the front piece in the best spot to use the existing button placket.  The problem that resulted was a large space in the middle of the bust with no buttons.  If I were sewing a shirt from scratch, a button would be placed at the fullness of the bust to prevent gaping.

What to do?  Lean closer and I’ll tell you: I sewed a secret button.

location of secret buttonhole

I sewed a buttonhole between the buttons and a button on the inside of the shirt on the buttonhole side of the placket. It is invisible when buttoned as the button is on the wrong side of the shirt.

I remembered seeing this technique on Handmade Jane’s blog. It works well, although my shirt should have more ease over the bust.

I sewed bust darts, and omitted the waist contour darts and the back tie. The v-neck was a little awkward so I also added the tiny neck button from the original shirt at the top of the shirt for more coverage.

 

Refashion Using New Look 6598

When I began thinking about what types of patterns I wanted to sew I started out by buying New Look 6598 and New Look 6894.  I was seeking to replicate a v-neck button front sleeveless shirt with princess seams which no longer fit.  New Look 6598 has long contour darts and 6894 has princess seams.

I’ve never gotten around to using most of my patterns.  Instead, I’ve been more likely to head for the refashion pile for my creations.  So this time I decided to try a hybrid.

I couldn’t resist this XL men’s rayon shirt at the little neighborhood thrift store on their half-off Saturday.  It was only $2.50!  I had plenty of material to work with.

I cut the shirt apart at the seams and collar, removed the pocket,  and took New Look 6598 out of the envelope to use the pattern pieces.  Since I would be using the same button placket, all that needed to be done was to stitch up the sides,  cut a new v-shaped neckline, add darts, and facings.

I marked and pinned the two front vertical contour darts on my front pieces for my pattern size and held it up to me.  They were not directly centered, so I pinched were I wanted them to be and sewed them.  I made bias binding for the armholes from the sleeves (instead of using the facing from the pattern) , and used the collar pieces from the shirt for the neck facing.  I turned the bias to the armhole wrong side.  I made 1and 1/2 inch facing for the back of the neck and the v-neckline down to the button placket already on the original shirt.  I had to cut the v-neck to work with the already existing button placement.

I understitched the facing, but later topstitched it as well because I wanted it to stay down and and add stability to the neckline.

I had several buttons left over from the shirt so I decided to make simple shoulder tabs or epaulets using the hem of the sleeves.

I also adjusted the shirt for length.  I kept the side slits from the pattern, which I needed  to add ease at the hips.  I finished my seams with a clean finish: turning and straight stitching.

Did I really need to use the pattern to refashion this shirt?  No, I ended up improvising, and I had to partially draft my own facings, but I did use the instructions to help me understand more about the construction.

This shirt has a sporty feel to it, so I paired it with shorts which also have a button tab and my sturdy, thick-soled walking sandals.