Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Tutorial/ Pleated Pretty Shirt with Buttons


This t-shirt makeover is inspired by the Nickleby bib top by J Crew and I fell in love with the shirt several months ago.

I have been wanting something different rather than ruffle shirt to wear underneath a cardigan, this was a perfect design for that! I finished making this a while ago. I enjoyed wearing it and took some pictures. I am sharing a quick tutorial with you today, enjoy!

* You will need


T-shirt

Handkerchief with lace trims (20"x 20"). (Well, that's what I had at hand. You can use whatever fabric and lace for this project, but the thinner the fabric is the better)

Matching thread, various buttons

* How to

1. Mark the middle of the shirt.


2. Cut the handkerchief. I saved the lace trim from the edges to use later. If you are using regular fabric, cut the fabric to 8 1/2"x 18 1/2" to make pleats. If you are working with a bigger t-shirt, you might want more fabric to make more pleats.

3. I wasn't really thinking when I was working on this project, so I don't have a detailed step by step on how to make pleats. Basically, just fold the fabric and sew along the line, repeat then you will have pleats. I didn't even measure where to fold the fabric, I totally eyeballed it... sorry, I will have better instructions when I work on another pleated project in the future... (in the meantime, you can find a bunch of tutorials if you google it).

After you finish making the pleats, lay the pleated piece by the neckline (make sure the center matches), and cut off the excess to make a curve line.

4. Sew the edge of the lace with largest stitch setting on your sewing machine. Pull a thread to gather the lace to make ruffles. Pin it with the pleated fabric in the center of the t-shirt. Sew.


5. Add trim to the seam of the pleated fabric and lace, and neckline.



6. I decided to use different buttons to give something interesting to the shirt instead of matching buttons.


I wore this shirt several times already since I finished making it. In my opinion, it is slightly less feminine compared to the ruffle shirt, but I love this one too.


at

37 comments:

  1. Jeni_ReamDecember 21, 2011 at 11:30 PM

    I LOVE it! You amazing me each time with your t-shirt transformations! I hope you are feeling better, Merry Christmas!!!

    Jeni @Becoming Martha

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christie // lemon squeezy homeDecember 21, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Sachiko! I love this! Great job! You are so talented with your refashions!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. GNIST by Gitte Bettina LauridsenDecember 22, 2011 at 1:12 AM

    So lovely! Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing a great ide. Marry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andriana DraganicDecember 22, 2011 at 2:00 AM

    love what u did with this plain shirt, especially different buttons! i am button fanatic!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BakaraszDecember 22, 2011 at 2:06 AM

    Wow, this is so lovely, thanks for sharing! I have to do this! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. CREATIVE KHADIJADecember 22, 2011 at 2:31 AM

    so cute :) thanks for the tutorial dear Sachiko!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Maya KuzmanDecember 22, 2011 at 3:30 AM

    Sachiko this is absolutely adorable!! I HAVE to make this! And PIN it :)
    You have created the most gorgeous piece!
    Thank you for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. KaraDecember 22, 2011 at 4:19 AM

    So cute. I love the asymmetrical look.

    ReplyDelete
  9. sophia December 22, 2011 at 4:48 AM

    Great idea!!! and i love the different buttons.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AbbyDecember 22, 2011 at 4:49 AM

    This shirt is lovely. Thank you for taking the time to take photos and write a tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 5:12 AM

    Thats so nice! I must try this next summer.

    Lucia

    ReplyDelete
  12. MaryDecember 22, 2011 at 5:38 AM

    Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. {northern cottage}December 22, 2011 at 6:13 AM

    wow so very pretty! i love the mismatched button idea too! You are so very talented - i want to be like you when i grow up!

    xoxo

    www.northerncottage.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jessica at Me Sew CrazyDecember 22, 2011 at 6:48 AM

    Sachiko - this is so GORGEOUS!!! I am in awe of your creativity, simply beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Melissa (Melly Sews)December 22, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    This is beautiful! I always see lace handkerchiefs like that at the antique mall, and I always want to buy them, but then I don't know what I'd do with them. Now I know.

    ReplyDelete
  16. SWDDecember 22, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    cute!

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 7:54 AM

    What a darling shirt!!I will be trying this soon!

    I do so hope you are starting to feel better and will be enjoying your holiday!

    bee blessed
    mary

    ReplyDelete
  18. BizzyMomDecember 22, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    That is absolutely beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  19. JuliaDecember 22, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    Sachiko,
    You are so creative! Thanks for sharing it with all of us.
    Happy Holidays to you and yours, and the very best for 2012

    ReplyDelete
  20. UnknownDecember 22, 2011 at 8:25 AM

    That looks great! I've seen your other tee shirt makeovers and I love them all. I really want to make one and even have the supplies. I just can't quite figure out which one to make! Maybe I need to make them all!

    ReplyDelete
  21. EmilyDecember 22, 2011 at 10:02 AM

    Absolutely gorgeous!! :) The buttons are such a fun touch. I'll have to make one one of these days. :) Merry Christmas!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lynette @ My Craft DiscoveryDecember 22, 2011 at 10:04 AM

    I really like that one. Very pretty, and a great addition/second option to your ruffle shirt (which I absolutely still wear every chance I can. I did it in a deep red and love it. Wearing it for christmas with my new skirt that I haven't made yet! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. G InspiresDecember 22, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    This is really pretty, thanks for sharing! I always make this stuff so much harder in my head and then you make it look so easy!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cris NagawaDecember 22, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    Sachiko....i love it....

    ReplyDelete
  25. velosewsDecember 22, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    That is very clever and lovely. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  26. {natalie}December 22, 2011 at 9:18 PM

    you are gorgeous friend!

    ReplyDelete
  27. CraftcherryDecember 23, 2011 at 6:05 AM

    It looks gorgeous! I can't wait to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  28. RenzaDecember 24, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    Bella questa idea, semplice ed elegante,grazie.

    ReplyDelete
  29. RosaDecember 25, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    No dejas de asombrarme. Eres genial, no cabe duda. Feliz Navidad.

    ReplyDelete
  30. hummingmummyDecember 28, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    That is just so pretty! I want to make something pretty like you!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mikailah Autumn December 28, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    That is adorable!! :)
    I will definitely try that. It looks so easy, too!

    ReplyDelete
  32. UnknownDecember 30, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    This is very cute & goes great with the cardigan, thank you for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Megan OJanuary 5, 2012 at 12:09 AM

    This is just lovely. You are an inspiration with all you do while contending with your medical issues. Your stories and tutorials are wonderful - thank you. Megan

    ReplyDelete
  34. UnknownFebruary 3, 2012 at 7:51 PM

    Ommigosh! I LOVE THIS!

    ReplyDelete
  35. UnknownMarch 14, 2012 at 2:12 AM

    This recon is awesome, thanks for sharing the tutorial :)
    I linked it in a serie I'm writing for my blog (http://rock-n-roll-stops-the-traffic.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-from-head-to-toe-2.html#more) I hope you don't mind!

    ReplyDelete
  36. UnknownJune 22, 2012 at 3:35 AM

    Hello Sachiko

    This is a lovely blouse. Can you tell me how you add the lace to the neckline without losing the stretchiness of it? I tried this with something for my daughter and she couldn't get her head through. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. UnknownJune 20, 2013 at 5:21 AM

    Nice work! If you would like to add pleats to fabric in a fast and easy way, you can give the Mr Pleater Board a try. Pleater board sizes start as small as 12″x12″ and go up to size 26″x26″ The boards can be found at:

    www.etsy.com/shop/TonyGnyc (custom sizes)
    Or
    www.mrpleater.com (amazon)

    ReplyDelete