From Dress to Trench Coat Upcycle

The Designerquipo
by The Designerquipo
8 Materials
$5
2 Hours
Easy



Hey ladies! Today’s tutorial is a pretty exciting one. I will show you how I refashioned a dress into an amazing trench coat. This coat is not only absolutely stunning, but it has kept me warm all winter.


Tools and materials:

  • Dress
  • Seam ripper
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Tailor’s chalk
  • Pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Needle and thread
Make a trench coat


Save the details 

I love this maroon dress, but I wanted to transform it into a new and exciting piece. For my trench coat, there were a few details on the dress that I decided to keep like the lace by the sleeves and neckline. The dress had a ruched detail on the side. I seam ripped it and put it aside to use later on. 

How to sew a trench coat

Cut down the middle 

Next, I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the dress down the front to make the opening for the coat. I then went ahead and hemmed the edges of the coat opening. 

Basic DIY trench coat

Shorten the coat

Next, I decided to trim the bottom because I didn’t want the coat to be as long as the dress. I marked the new length with some tailor’s chalk. I ended up cutting 7 inches from the bottom. 

How to make a trench coat


Add pockets 

With the leftover fabric, I decided to add patch pockets to the front of my coat. I folded the edges of the pockets in before pinning and then topstitched them on. 

Sew a trench coat


Add ties and buttons 

I took the strip of fabric that was used for the ruched detail on the dress and sewed it across the inside back of the coat. I thread 2 out of the 4 original ties through the strips so that the ties would be at the back of the trench coat. All that was left to do was add buttons to the front. 

Easy DIY trench coat


I love my new trench coat! I used the extra fabric to make a matching scarf that works perfectly with the coat! Let me know how you would style this coat in the comments! 

Suggested materials:
  • Dress
  • Seam ripper
  • Scissors
See all materials

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