Beautiful DIY: Simple Shirt into Elegant Top

This is the simplest wearable DIY you can make in couple of hours that looks like a designer item of clothing. You can use any piece of sheer fabric with embroidery of you liking, or some sheer materials with no embroidery at all.

To upcycle your button down shirt, you’ll need a piece of fabric, scissors, thread and needle or sewing machine. I enjoy hand-stitching so I didn’t use sewing machine for this DIY project and it took me about 3.5 hours to complete. If you’ll be using a sewing machine it’ll probably take you about an hour.

Steps:

First, I ironed the shirt, secured the seems with safety pins and then used a plate to create the round neckline. I like early Dior collections with round necklines, because these are universally flattering and very elegant. The safety pin on the front button closure is where I want the new, sheer neckline to end.

Second, apply the chosen fabric to the right side of the shirt. Secure with pins.

Third, using running stitch hand stitch the embroidered fabric to the shirt around the perimeter of your neckline, then up to the shoulder seem, down to the collar line, and the front button closer. Repeat with the second running stitch. It should be really close to the first one. Then using button hole stitch, go around the perimeter again, uniting the two running stitches. On the photo below you’ll see the two lines of running stitches as well as button hole stitches (on the left).

Alternatively, use sewing machine to make one or two lines of stitches and then a zigzag on a top.

Repeat on the other side of the shirt.

Forth, cut the shirt’s fabric below your embroidered fabric within the boundary of the perimeter that we just  secured with two lines of running stitches and button hole stitches.

Ta-da!

Enjoy wearing your new pretty, elegant, unique, and you-made top.

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