Overall Dress Thrift Flip

Tools and materials:

• Blazer
• Scissors
• Seam ripper
• Measuring tape
• Chalk
• Sewing machine
• Buttons
• Buttonhole foot
• Pins

This is the before picture of the men’s blazer that I decided to upcycle. 

Take the blazer apart

To begin, I removed the sleeves and inner lining of the blazer. 

I then took the blazer apart so that I had 2 front pieces and 1 back piece. 

With the back of the blazer upside down, I cut the bottom to give it a straight edge. 

Work on the skirt section 

Next, I measured so that I would know how much fabric I needed to make the skirt. 

I used a high-waisted skirt I already own to mark the waistline. I left 3 cm (1.2 inches) at the bottom for seam allowance. 

Next, I mark the fabric I would have to cut in order to make the skirt. 

I used that piece as a pattern to cut an equal piece from the other side of the blazer. 

I then went ahead and pinned the two pieces on, right sides facing. 

I measured so that I would know how many more inches I would need to make the skirt. I cut a strip of fabric and pinned it to one side of the skirt, right side facing. 

Cut off excess fabric from the top

Next, I measured and marked the excess fabric that I would cut from the top. 

I then sewed the skirt pieces together with a straight stitch. I made sure to finish off the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch. 

Finish the edges of the skirt 

I went ahead and trimmed the edges of the top and bottom of the skirt. 

I then sewed a double-folded hem along the top of the skirt. I also hemmed the raw edges of the front of the dungarees and, of course, along the bottom edge of the skirt. 

Add the pocket 

Next, I cut the extra fabric from the blazer to make the pocket. I then went ahead and serged the raw edges. I also sewed a hem at the top of the pocket. 

I pinned the pocket to the fabric, making sure the bottom point of the pocket aligned with the center of the dungarees. I made sure to fold in the raw edges as I pinned for a neat and clean finish. I then went ahead and sewed on the pocket. 

Make straps 

To make the straps for the dungaree dress, I cut four strips of fabric. I made 2 pairs by placing two strips, right sides together, and sewing along one short edge. 

Next, I folded the strip in half, lengthwise, and sewed it with a straight stitch. 

To turn the strips right side out, I used a safety pin. I attached it to one side and then pulled it all the way through the strip until the fabric was right side out. I folded the raw edges of the strap inward and sewed. 

Finally, I could sew the straps onto the skirt of the dungaree dress!

Add buttons 

Next, I tried on the dungarees and pinned the straps in the front so that the dress would fit perfectly. 

I then went ahead and sewed buttons onto the straps where I had marked with the pins. I cut off the excess strap fabric and finished off the straps’ raw edges. 

To create the buttonholes, I used a buttonhole foot. I made sure to set my machine to the size of my buttons. I used a seam ripper to open up the buttonholes. 

Add a dart

I tried on the dungarees and realized that when I added the extra fabric to the skirt, I forgot to take my waist measurement into account. I knew I could fix it with a dart! 

First, I marked how big I wanted the dart to be. I also made sure to seam rip the hem where I would be adding the dart. I then went ahead and sewed the dart in place. I cut off the extra fabric and serged the raw edge with a zig-zag stitch. All that was left to do was finish the hem I had opened up. 

I absolutely love this dungaree dress! I had so much fun with this upcycle and I can’t wait to show off this piece! Share your thoughts on this DIY in the comments below!