Sew a Thrifted Skirt Into an Off the Shoulder Shirt

by Pivot Point Patterns

I can’t get enough of the boho chic trend. When I spied this folk-inspired peasant skirt at the thrift store, I threw it in the cart before anyone else could get their grubby little hands on it. I’m seeing lots of off the shoulder blouses in the fashion blogs and wanted to do a boho spin on it with this skirt.

sew a thrifted skirt into an off the shoulder shirt

In this tutorial, I will show you how to refashion a skirt into an off the shoulder blouse in 2 hours.

Here’s an overview of this project:

Step 1: Chop up the skirt
Step 2: Cut and finish armholes
Step 3: Attach shoulder ruffle to the top
Step 4: Make casing for the elastic
Step 5: Insert elastic into the casing and finish the bottom hem

Step 1: Chop up the skirt

The skirt is made of 3 tiers. I chopped off the bottom tier, which will become the top of the blouse. The top 2 tiers will become the bodice of the blouse. I’ll be reusing the the skinny belt with beads on the end.

Step 2: Cut and finish armholes

I traced the armhole on the bodice using an existing ready to wear tank top. Since this is going to be an off the shoulder blouse, I only traced the bottom 2 thirds of the armhole.

Repeat and cut on both sides. I finished the armhole by folding the edge 1/4″ inch and stitching it down.

Step 3: Attach shoulder ruffle to the top

For the top of the blouse, I trimmed the bottom tier and finished the edge with my serger.

I placed the bodice in the middle of the top ruffle, aligning the edges.

Step 4: Make casing for the elastic

I folded the edge down to create a casing for the elastic that will create the ruffles for the top. I had to make sure it was large enough for the elastic to lay flat, so I used a gauge to measure a casing that was a smidge wider than the elastic.

Step 5: Insert elastic into the casing and finish the bottom hem

I sewed the casing all the way around the top but left a 1 inch gap for the elastic. I “threaded” the elastic by attaching a safety pin to the elastic and mushed it through the casing. Notice how I pinned the end of the elastic to the bodice? That’s a precaution I make so I don’t pull the end of the elastic through the casing. I need both ends sticking out so I can sew the ends together to make a circle. After sewing the ends together, I sewed closed the 1″ gap, completely enclosing the elastic.

And here’s the finished shirt. The bottom tier of the shirt has a peplum vibe to it when it is belted. The shirt is blousy, which I like as my weight can fluctuate quite a bit.