Check Out My Upcycled Button-up Dress

Tools and materials:

• Button-down shirt
• Ruler
• Marker
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine

To get started on this awesome upcycle, I removed the pocket from this men’s shirt and also cut off the sleeves. 

I then opened the sleeves up and cut off the cuffs because I wouldn't need them for my stunning new dress. 

Next, I used one of my best fitting T-shirts as the pattern. I placed it on the opened up sleeve and made sure to tuck in the sleeves on the T. I then traced the sleeves and the neckline onto the fabric. I used my scissors to cut the fabric. 

I copied my new bodice piece onto the other opened up sleeve and cut it out. 

To get the perfect square neckline for my new dress, I measured 5.5 inches from each shoulder seam and joined the points. I then simply cut out the square. 

I then cut this front bodice piece in two because I really wanted to add the beautiful button-up feature to my dress. 

I hopped on over to my sewing machine and sewed a zig-zag stitch around the edges to protect the fabric from fraying.  

Next, I hemmed the neckline and the sleeves on both bodice pieces for a nice finish.  

I then placed the front bodice pieces, over the back bodice piece, right sides together, and pinned and sewed the sides and shoulder seams with a straight stitch. 

I tried on the bodice and realized it was too small. There was no need to panic! I just measured and cut two extra pieces of fabric and attached them to the front bodice.  

I put the bodice to the side so that I could focus on working on the skirt for my new dress. I cut open the sides of the men’s shirt and removed the collar so that I could make an A-line skirt. 

Working with the fabric from the back of the shirt, I drew two diagonal lines along the sides and cut along them to create the perfect skirt shape. I then repeated the same step for the front piece of the shirt. 

I laid the three skirt pieces, right sides together and pinned them in place. I then made sure to sew the pieces together. 

My skirt was coming together beautifully! I hemmed the bottom to give the dress a nice, clean finish. 

I laid my pieces right sides together and pinned along the edges. I then sewed my fabric into an amazing dress. 

I like to make life harder for myself and I chose to add some bigger buttons onto the dress but you can totally leave the original buttons of the shirt. If you want to see how I replaced the buttons go to 5.43 in the video. 

I am totally obsessed with this upcycled dress! How would you style this piece? Let me know in the comments below!