How to Turn a Too-Small Dress Into a Top in 6 Simple Steps
If you have a vintage dress that you absolutely love but it’s just a bit too small for you, then here’s a tutorial that will help! Follow along to learn how to turn a too-small dress into a top. You can also use the same technique to upsize the dress instead. Let’s start!
Tools and materials:
- A dress that needs upsizing
- A well-fitting shirt for a size template
- Fabric for side panels (only if you’re making a dress)
- Sewing pins
- Sewing needle and thread
- Scissors
- Stitch remover
- Sewing machine
1. Measure side panels
If you are upsizing the whole dress, then you will need some coordinating fabric for the side panels. But if you are going to turn the dress into a shirt, then you’ll be able to take fabric from the bottom of the dress for your shirt side panels. This tutorial will show you how to turn the dress into a top.
Lay your dress that needs upsizing on top of the dress or shirt that fits you well, with the shoulder seams of both pieces aligned. If both pieces have back zippers, line those up as well.
Measure the distance from the edge of the smallest point of your dress to the edge of the dress or shirt below it. Double that measurement to know how wide your side panel will need to be, because it’s going to wrap from the front to the back.
Add another 2 centimeters (0.08 inches) for a seam allowance.
2. Mark a new zipper end
Turn your dress inside out and lay the template shirt on top of the back of the dress. Place a pin in the back zipper of the dress at the length you want your final top to be.
Hand-sew a few stitches over the zipper teeth to make a zipper stop where you want the zipper to end on your top.
3. Trim your dress
Now you can cut off your dress at the hem length for your new top.
4. Cut the side panels
Use the cut-off dress fabric to cut two side panels in an A-line shape. The top of the panels should be the measurement you took in Step 1 and then make a gentle A-line down from there, on both sides.
5. Attach the side panels
Carefully open the side seams of the shirt.
With the right sides facing, pin your side panels in place to the front and back of your shirt on both sides, and then sew them in place.
6. Finish the hem
Hem the bottom of the shirt.
How to turn a too-small dress into a top
Voilà! My too-small vintage dress is now a perfectly fitting vintage top! I’ve recycled and upsized at the same time.
Please leave a comment to let me know what vintage pieces you will upsize and how you liked this upsizing tutorial.
Grab all of my free upsizing tutorials right here!
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Amazing Results, n ur adorably "Beautiful"!!!!!!!👍️🤩
I was so sad after having made so many dresses I just love, especially the fabric. I've had surgery that made me gain too much weight and now they don't fit. Somehow I need to wear them before they go out of style. Your idea is fantastic! I've printed this and getting ready to make some good changes. Before I do I have one concern. How do you finish the underarm on one with and without sleeves? 🙋🏻♀️