Up-cycled fabric top, the best top ever...

I have been working on various up-cycling patterns for the second year of sewing for the LPGS students and this is one that I love.  We go on holiday in a few weeks and a 'wear anyway you like garment' is priceless. Here is the pattern which is both a lovely top and a very wearable skirt! It took me about 2 hours to cut and make up which is another big plus. The pattern is based on a Japanese pattern from this book which has some very interesting ideas. I have amended the pattern to suit.

• One dress, or any bit of t shirt fabric for the top - I cut this from the bottom of a wrap dress . You need two pieces 96.5 Cm's (38") wide by 36 cm (14") long. This is for the TOP of the blouse. (sorry no picture of this, cut this before I thought to take a picture).
• One old t shirt that would loosely fit you. I used an old one I had, cut from just under the armhole about 36cm (14") long. This is for the BOTTOM of the blouse Keep the t shirt bottom hem which saves us sewing a hem!

Old t shirt. 

Cut from under armhole. Keep the hem. 

For the TOP of the blouse, attach the sides together on one short side (put the two 36cm pieces together right sides facing and sew with a stretch stitch).  You will now have one long piece of fabric. Turn over a hem on a long side of the fabric and sew down. This needs to be wide enough  and strong enough to button hole through, I used interlining on mine, on the next one I will simply use another layer of jersey as then it will stretch if I need it to! 

You will now have one long piece of fabric with a hem on the top end. 

 Fold this in half (width ways) and mark the center on both the front and the back. Leave 15 cm on EACH side of the center (30 cm total) and mark 4 button spaces for each shoulder I left about 4 cm between each button.

 Sew in the buttons.I have used some antique gold ones that look nice with the black and white fabric.

 Align the front with the back and mark where the button holes should go. Sew button holes in.  

Sew the other side of the blouse up. You should now have a tube of fabric with buttons and button holes on one side. (ahem, rather messy buttonhole)

Now gather the bottom hem of the TOP of the blouse and make it fit the width of the t shirt IE the BOTTOM of the blouse. I hand gathered mine and pinned as I went along. With right sides of the two fabrics facing each other pin and sew down.  

Turn it inside out. Give it a good iron and you are DONE! 

This garment has lots of options, if you want the blouse neck line to cowl a bit simply undo a button on either side of the neck and adjust and it falls into place. If you don't want a sleeve undo a button from the sleeve side and it falls in pleats by the arm hole. 

If you want to wear it as a skirt, then open all the buttons and use the BOTTOM of the blouse as a waist band. I turned mine over to sit on my hips better and the gold buttons just look like a feature. 

Enjoy!

If you have any question or would like anything explained please mail me.