So...I got a bag of clothes while visiting a friend last weekend. Among the pile of boy clothes was this black and white paisely dress shirt. It screamed kimono at me...I don't know why...it just did.
So, armed with a little extra black fabric, and a well fitting shirt for a rough pattern, I set to work. I pretty well just made it up as I went along, but it came out fairly close to what I envisioned, so I'm happy! Nothing better than making new clothes instead of doing laundry...haha.
On to the pictures!...
The shirt before
And after!
And on me...
From the side...
And a detail of the fabric
Thanks for looking!
NEW!....Tutorial....
So, I decided to try my hand at drawing my first tutorial. Hopefully it makes sense, and I didn't forget any important steps! Any questions...please feel free to ask.
1. Remove the sleeves of the shirt at their seam...and save for later.
2. Remove the button strips on both sides of the shirt (lay shirt out with remaining sides touching).
3. Remove the front of the collar, leaving the back intact.
4. Using a shirt that fits you well, mark out your cut lines making sure to leave seam allowance. Cut off excess, but do not sew sides back together just yet.
5. Measure an even v-neck shape and cut away, making sure to leave the back collar ridge.
6. Using extra material in a complimenting colour, make a wide binding tape. Pin around the collar and down either sides of the front opening in one continuous strip. A small dart will be necessary where the tape bends into the v-neck. Sew in place. Now sew the front of the shirt together (right sides together).
7. Measure a wide strip of fabric for the front of the "belt". Iron the edges over, as if for a hem, and sew the panel directly onto the shirt. (Slip the shirt over your head and mark where you want the "belt" panel to start). Now sew up the sides of the shirt, and hem the bottom.
8. Measure around your waist and add to that enough length to make your tie. Cut two long strips of your extra fabric the same width of your front panel (have them narrow toward the ends). Sew them right sides together and turn inside out; finish the open end to make a belt. Centre the belt on the back of the shirt and pin in place. Sew onto the shirt, just until the side seams of the shirt.
(If you wanted your shirt to tie in the back, reverse steps 7 and 8 from front to back)
9. Now, grab your original sleeves, and turn them upside down so the cuffs are at your sleeve openings and the wide shoulder part is now your new cuff.
10. Trace out the shape of your sleeve opening onto your sleeves and cut away the excess.
11. Cut the sleeves straight across the bottom and add a strip of your wide binding tape to finish the hem.
12. Attach your sleeves.
13. Put on your shirt, tie it up, and voila!
Hopefully that was helpful. If there is anything confusing, please let me know and I'll try my best to clarify. Thank you for all the great comments!
