Overall Dress Thrift Flip
In today’s tutorial, I’m upcycling this men’s velvet blazer into an overall dress. There is nothing better than an upcycle that leaves you with an amazing addition to your wardrobe. As we know, dungarees are really in right now so I was so excited about this fun 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!
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It's adorable! Love it.
Well done!!