A few years ago I did this refashion, and since then, it has become one of my most popular pins on pinterest! I’ve always vowed I was going to make another pair, because I had another blouse, and every time that little notification popped up that my pin was re-pinned, it became a reminder that I have to make another pair. So this Refashion Friday, I’m sharing my other pair – and tips to make your own using a shorts pattern!

The original pair was actually my wearable muslin, because I was saving this shirt from my Grandma’s closet for “the final pair”- so now I have two awesome pairs to wear! I always felt like I would get more wear out of this pair because they are more of a neutral for me (I know, floral print as a neutral?? Floral print IS a neutral!)

Since I started refashioning, I’ve learned that pieces don’t have to look anywhere near what they looked like before. There are a few ways to refashion. You can use the existing garment to alter the piece, or use a sewing pattern to transform the garment into a whole new piece. There are times when I question if using a sewing pattern is actually “refashioning”, since you are basically just using the fabric, but then I think, “oh hey, I just saved a yard of new fabric from being used” and get over my hesitation pretty quick.

Using a pattern can be a lot more work, and take longer than a simple cutting and stitching, but I think it opens up a whole new world of looking at a garment! Especially if you’ve made the pattern before, you can gauge how much fabric is needed – and plan better around existing pieces.

What I enjoy about Seamwork Nantucket is that there are only three pattern pieces. The less pieces, the easier to use smaller amounts of fabric- right?! What I learned from my first pair of Nantucket Shorts was that the back piece had to be cut in two to be able to get the pattern to fit on the garment. No pattern matching here, and if you have a print that you don’t need to match, who cares right? Of course these would look better if the pattern matched up, but it doesn’t deter from the wear of the final product.

I meant to take an actual picture, but just took a video instead. You can see on the front of the blouse, I lined up half of the back piece under the sleeve, and below was the shorts front. I mirrored this on each blouse front to get my “Cut 2”.  The back of the blouse became the second half of the shorts back and the waistband.

When you need to cut a pattern piece in two (or three’s!) don’t forget to add a little extra for seam allowance!

Changes I made to the pattern:

Last time I made this pattern, I said they were too big, and next time I should size down. While I kept the same size this time around (size 0), I figured out a better way to prevent these from feeling too big. I made the waist elasticized instead of drawstring. While I like the look of the grommets in the waistband, I don’t like constantly tying and adjusting the drawstring. It’s kind of a pain since it goes in and out throughout the entire waistband.  (I also sewed buttonholes rather than insert grommets)

I’ve seen a few versions of drawstring pants altered into elasticized waists, and wanted to try it out. I attached the ends of the elastic right before the center front grommet holes. I kept a faux drawstring front because I still like the look, but now I can leave it tied all the time! I’m sure there is a cleaner way to go around this, and I probably should have attached the elastic to the inside of the waistband, but you live and learn. (So if you plan on doing this alteration- learn from me! =p)

The last change I made was adding an extra half inch to the length of the shorts. My original pair was not too short, I’m just getting older and deciding to make my shorts a little bit longer.

These are so easy to wear, and super comfortable. The fabric is 100% polyester, which I would expect out of these fun blouses, but the material works so well for shorts. I’ve been wearing them since I finished them, and will be wearing them the rest of the summer! They are a good lounge short, and will make for a great bathing suit cover up, if I ever get my butt back to the beach… Maybe I should just plan a trip to Hawaii as an excuse to wear these everyday!

Also, look at the fabric I have left! This will go in my scrap bag, which will be recycled into insulation!

Finding a shirt to use:

I am normally an XS to S in blouses, depending on the brand, and I used my Grandma’s size Petite M blouse for this refashion. It was a more fitted blouse, so if you are on the search for what top to use, go with something bigger, to get that fabric amount you need. Another option is to use two smaller tops!

Ready to tackle your own pair?

Inspiration:

I think every single thrift store has those tacky Hawaiian shirts that wives made their husbands get rid of. What better way to give them a new life than turning them into cute shorts! Modernize that dad style! (Shorts from Urban Outfitters.)

If your style is a little more subtle, and some prints may be a little too “out there” for you to wear in daily life, make a new pair of PJ shorts! (Pj’s from Loft) {Bonus points to refashion a dress into a top and shorts pj set!}

Or take a solid blouse and turn it into a chic pair of shorts! (Shorts from Roolee)

For more inspiration, you can search pinterest for “tulip shorts”. This is the style of shorts with the overlapping seams in front. You can use any shorts pattern- but the simpler the style- the easier it’s going to be! Now go raid your local thrift shop for all the blouses/button ups!

Have a great weekend!

Now that we’ve been in the new house a few weeks and have started settling in, I can get back to my sewing and sharing refashions! I’m so happy to have another Refashion Friday to share with you!

I have a confession to make. I LOVE shopping. When I was younger, shopping was a major bonding experience between my grandparent’s, sister and I. We would go on shopping trips all the time. My grandpa would drive the three of us girls to the mall, and sit and wait for us in the parking lot. He would wash his car, or stroll around the mall looking for other guys to talk to. My grandma, sister and I would go through all the sections of the department store, and grandma would let us buy 1-2 pieces of clothing each. My grandma was also the queen of discounts. She never believed in paying full price and even now, I cringe when I don’t see a sale, and get a slight high when I find a great bargain. 

The older we got, the less frequent we went, and the more frustrated I would get shopping because clothes just didn’t fit. When my sister and I started high school, we rarely went shopping with our grandparents- and I went even less when I started making my clothes in college. Since I make so much of my wardrobe now, I go shopping even less, but the urge from my childhood is still there.

Since I’ve become more aware of shopping habits and the fast fashion industry, I’ve still wanted to get my shopping “fix” but without the impact. That’s where thrift shopping came in. I get my shopping desires satisfied, along with my bargain hunting AND I’m not shopping fast fashion.

When I go thrifting, I find all different pieces. A lot of times, I buy items to refashion, but I also buy used items to wear “as is” and (as I previously mentioned) buy items to sell online. I haven’t been thrifting in a really long time, and earlier this week I decided to hit up my favorite spot. I didn’t find too much to wear, but I did find this blouse to refashion!

I see outdated blouses like this all the time, but most of them don’t have this great of detail and I had to snatch it up. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to make, and started on the journey to this top!

Something about summer screams for a cute white tank. It’s like a summer staple and I decided that this would be the top to make my summer dreams come true.

I started doing some pattern research for a woven tank pattern, and came across Megan Nielsen’s Eucalypt Tank, and thought it would be a good pattern for this top and for future tanks/dresses. It’s a relaxed tank, with a ton of opportunities to alter.

I found the waist line on the pattern and added a bit extra to the length to account for adding the peplum. This blouse was very easy to rip apart, and by ripping the front, back and sleeves, I was able to make the pieces flat for the pattern to sit on. I do wish I took a few more progress shots but it came together so quick, I completely forgot!

I decided to leave the button placket (which wasn’t in my original plan) but by stitching the placket shut, I was able to save some of the embroidery without needing to re-position it on the tank.

With the extra fabric I was able to create the bottom peplum. I wanted to keep the front clean, and add some fun detail to the back- which is why I transferred the rest of the pleats to the back. The peplum measurement came to 7″ total in height, and I franken-pieced together some more fabric to get enough material to gather.

I tried to remove the embroidery from the sleeves and collar to use as the neck and sleeve binding on the tank, but after sewing it on and taking a step back, it wasn’t sitting right so I had to rip it all out. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to use all the details, but I was able to keep a majority of the shirt.

This tank took a few hours to make, but doing this from scratch would have taken over double the time with all that detail. Refashioning isn’t always about using fun and funky fabrics (which I am trying to tell myself), so next time you are in the thrift store, look for something with detail!

For today’s inspiration, I decided to share some other blouse refashions! {If you want to see even more inspiration, take a look at this previous refashion post! I swear, my next refashion WON’T be a peplum hah!}

Resizing a garment is always a solid choice, but if you do want to take your refashioning a step further:

Bring that 90’s style into modern times with shoulder cut outs!

Read about a bunch of 90s DIY’s here. 

Use the details that come with the shirt!

(I cannot find the original post for this top- if you know, let me know!)

Top from Pearls & Scissors

Happy Refashioning!