https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/tartan-shirt-transformation • Posted by Erin H.
These days tartan shirts seem to be appearing everywhere! So why not make the most of the one collecting dust in the back of your closet by turning it into something that you'll want to wear everywhere! You can also use this tutorial for any sort of oversized shirt that you may own.
These days tartan shirts seem to be appearing everywhere! So why not make the most of the one collecting dust in the back of your closet by turning it into something that you'll want to wear everywhere! You can also use this tutorial for any sort of oversized shirt that you may own.
To start with, take your old tartan shirt and try it on. It's good to use a shirt that is oversized, because that way you will be able to cut it down to size and have some fabric left over for decoration! If your shirt is too long, open it out and fold it in half horizontally (right sides together). Now with your shirt folded, sew a straight line right along the fold. The further down the fold you sew, the shorter the shirt will be. You can cut off any of the fabric that remains to the right of your sewing to use later on.
If your shirt is too wide, turn it over to the back and create a series of pleats. Alternatively, if your shirt is made out of a thinner fabric, you can also use sherring here. The pleats help not only to make your shirt smaller, but also helps to give it more shape instead of just being straight from the top to the bottom.
Using the fabric that you cut off your shirt (or you can use a different fabric for this step!) Sew it into one long strip and fold it into the shape of a bow to stitch to the back of your shirt above the pleats you made in step 2.
Once your bow is the right size, you can use your lace to decorate it and make it stand out from your shirt. For mine I wrapped the middle with some lace ribbon and then also sewed lace ribbon to the ends. When it looks how you want it to simply stitch it onto your shirt! It's best to sew down the two loops of the bow as well so that they don't get creased out of shape.
To tie it all together you can also sew some lace along the collar. Simply line your lace up with your collar and sew a straight line along the top and bottom to keep it in place. You are done! Of course there are many other little things you can add or change around to make the shirt more unique, so go wild!