Men's Work Shirt = Women's Strappy Top

Before: (with the sleeves cut off)

After:

I used:
- Blue swallow edging
- Shirt
- Thread
- Machine

How?:
1. I first of all cut off the sleeves, as shown in the first picture, because I had planned to make a short sleeved top instead.
2. Then I cut the collar off to see what it looked like.

3. At this point I changed my mind and decided to cut underneath where the sleeve holes end.

4. Then I put it on inside out and pinned straight down the side seams to make it fit. Then I took it off and sewed down that line using a straight stitch.

5. Then I cut off the excess fabric and zigzag stitched the raw edges.
6. I bound the top using the blue tape - I ironed it in half first, then went around the top pinning into place. I then sewed with a straight stitch, but as it began to come apart in places I went over it in a zigzag stitch. At this stage I made the two layers of fabric where the buttons are separate, but as this was difficult, I...
7. ... sewed down the front next to the buttons to permanently close the front together.

8. Then I made the straps (0.5cm wide). I did this by measuring a 2cm width bit of fabric (left over from the sleeves or from the top of the back) of the desired length, then ironing a crease in the centre (1/2 along) (1cm from the edge), and at 1/4 along (0.5cm from edge), and at 3/4 along (1.5cm from edge). I sewed the edges into the centre, folding on the 1/4 line and the 3/4 line. Then to finish I folded on the centre line and sewed straight down to make the strap. Then I repeated this whole process for the other strap.
9. I sewed them in by putting the garment on and pinning the straps on so that they looked right, basically! In the end they were 10.5cm from the centre at the front (either side of the buttons), and 4cm inside the darts at the back.

Make: Women's Top From Old Men's Shirt

Adapted from Issue 14 of Cloth magazine (out of print)

You will need:
- Large shirt, ideally with double cuff - I used my dad's which is from M&S and size 41cm 16in
- Buttons of various colours that are the same shape as the ones on the shirt
- Elastic
- Unpicker
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- Pins
- Hand needle

How to:
(1) Remove the pocket from the shirt if it has one (mine did not) with the unpicker
(2) Place on a tailor's dummy or a helpful friend and button up
(3) Mark the start and end of five to seven pin tucks (depending on the size of shirt) either side of the front using pins. Make them 1cm apart and 25cm long from the shoulder seam.
(4) Press so that the start and end line up and pin in place. Sew 0.5cm from the fold.
(5) Repeat until all tucks are sewn.
(6) Press towards sleeves on both sides.
(7) Top stitch up the centre front of the shirt from the hemline (for about 10cm) to close up the bottom of the shirt.
(8) Lay flat and cut the back level with the front (men's shirts are longer at the back).
(9) Unpick the rest of the hem at the bottom and even out the cutting out. Cut a few small notches along the bottom.
(10) Fold a 2cm double hem and press. Sew closely to the folded over edge.
(11) Measure the hem, divide by four, and cut two pieces of elastic this length.
(12) Pin the centre of one piece of elastic over one side seam (on the inside)
(13) Stretch to middle of the front and zigzag stitch in place. This is quite difficult, so if you find that it helps you can add some tacking to the original pin, then tack the end in place. Then you can half the rest, and tack half way along, and keep halving the sections until most of it is laid out.
(14) Stretch the other side to the middle of the back and repeat the sewing
(15) Repeat these stages with the other piece of elastic on the other side seam.
(16) Unpick every other button. Replace with the buttons that you picked. I personally loved the yellow colour contrasting with the blue of my shirt.
(17) Cut the cuffs off of the sleeves
(18) Sew a narrow double hem at the bottom of the sleeves, so that the sleeves could still be worn down.
(19) Cut one cuff in half lengthways. Turn under the raw edges, press, and top stitch all around. If a single cuff, then allocate one cuff per tab instead of half.
(20) Turn sleeves inside out. Machine one 'tab' to each arm, about halfway down.
(21) Turn right way around. Roll sleeves up to required depth and add a button to the outer sleeve. Repeat for other sleeve. Therefore the button hole from the cuff (now a tab) can be used to roll up the sleeves!