I couldn’t resist this soft silk fabric and I’m sharing my men’s shirt refashion! I dug this out of my ‘to sew’ pile and gave it a makeover thanks to motivation from Magda in honor of Refashion Month. She blogs at House of Estrela and has so many fun ideas for herself and her daughter. One of her recent refashions was so clever, she is due next month and sewed a nursing nightgown! I work best under deadlines and I’m really happy with how this man’s shirt refashion turned out, would you wear it?
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I picked up this man’s shirt from Goodwill – I love silk but can’t afford to buy it by the yard. It had a perfect boxy shape to give me lots of fabric to work with, and I thought it would be a perfect time to try the Scout Tee pattern from Grainline Studio*.
Another ‘before’ shot; the more fabric the better!
The ‘after’! So, I think many will be cringing at these pictures.. but I swear I pressed, ironed, starched, and tumble dried the heck out of this shirt. TWICE. Not in that order. But still, the minute I got it back on, wrinkles. So if anyone has any secret de-wrinkling silk tips I’d love to hear them.
Flip! I put those buttons to the back. I didn’t do anything revolutionary to refashion with the pattern – just cut very carefully along the seams and then cut and sewed the pattern like normal. The sleeves are a little straighter than the pattern pieces, so I could preserve the original hems. The finished top is also a little longer than the pattern calls for – I didn’t account for the pre-existing hem when I traced.
The spacing worked out perfectly and I didn’t have to adjust any of them.
I used french seams and tried to add some top stitching with varied success. I struggled with the sleeve easing; I haven’t worked with woven fabrics in garments that much and this was my first time with silk. Very, very thin silk.
The pattern came together easily and I’ll definitely tackle it again with a less slippery fabric. I didn’t have enough fabric left to make the bias binding so I used store bought single fold, and it bowed out a bit. I’m not sure if I didn’t stretch it enough, or if the tape was too heavy in comparison to the fabric, but it doesn’t bug me. I’ll totally wear this out and about!
I have sewn a few refashioned tops, my other favorite was simpler with a full tutorial: how to lengthen a tshirt refashion.
Check out my Pinterest board for refashions, here!
Shari Jefferson
Monday 21st of August 2023
You might want to try sizing spray. It's a very light non-staining starch that I use a lot on fabric like silk and similar fabrics. It's NOT the heavy starch that makes everything so stiff.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Sunday 17th of September 2023
thanks, I'll check it out!
mona
Wednesday 29th of May 2019
your shirt is a brilliant job.....i recently tried to do the same but couldnt get the neck right . could you perhaps tell me where you got the pattern from regards Mona
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Saturday 15th of June 2019
Hi Mona! It's linked in the post or here, an affiliate link for the scout tee: http://tidd.ly/79fa774f
Patty P
Thursday 29th of June 2017
Great job on the refashion! I agree with another commenter that the wrinkles came from the dryer, but it's not just that someone dried it on too high a setting. Never run silk clothes through the dryer at all. Silk is a delicate natural fabric that breaks down in sunlight and is heat sensitive. The blouse needs to be hand washed, or washed on the most delicate setting on your washer. Mine has a setting for "hand washing" that is even more gentle than the delicate cycle. Do not let the washer spin on high. The wrinkles are probably fairly permanently set in now, but can likely still be removed. I think a few years back, I wet a wrinkled silk blouse, rolled it in a towel to remove excess water for a minute, then gently ironed while wet for however long it took to remove the wrinkles and moisture. If you try this, do not be tempted to turn the iron above the recommended setting. It will take a while, but worth a shot. Also, never wring out wet silk. That will set in wrinkles too. I was surprised how quickly sunlight makes silk deteriorate with repeated exposure, but they can last for a few years. Good luck!
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Sunday 2nd of July 2017
Thank you so much for all the tips Patty, that makes so much sense!
Martha L
Sunday 23rd of October 2016
an old tailor's trick is to use an old white men's handkerchief (cause they are large & fairly thin) dipped in a 50/50 white vinegar & water mixture, wrung out and used as a pressing cloth...it works wonders on wool...as always, test a small area first
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Friday 28th of October 2016
Martha, of COURSE; I love vinegar & water for everything else so naturally it would help with this problem, too! I'll have to try it - thank you so much for sharing and reading!
Judy
Saturday 13th of August 2016
Thanks for this, Stephanie! Re wrinkles: did you try ironing while the item was still wet? My Gram taught me to roll just-washed silk items in a bath towel, pat gently, then unroll and iron while they were still very damp. You can then (cautiously!) use a setting higher than "silk" to work on those wrinkles. When done, hang to dry. Hope this helps!
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Tuesday 16th of August 2016
Hi Judy! I did not try that - thanks so much for sharing, I'll keep this for future projects! I only iron when I absolutely have to, so your tips are more than welcome, I have a lot to learn :)
Judy
Saturday 13th of August 2016
P. S. Iron on the wrong side of the fabric first!