Men's Shirt To Cute Summer Dress

Hmm, I'll have to stop by my local thrift shop and pick up a couple of xxxl shirts (leftover fabric works great with other projects, I made a bracelet out of leftover material from a previous shirt DIY)

i have a question: am i supposed to open the seams to the sleeves??

@scout: So true!! I just cut since I decided I didn't need the tiny amount that salvaging the seam allowance would give me, plus the shirt I used had tiny holes where the lines of stitching were, so I figured if I used a seam ripper to take it apart, the holes would show here and there. Great job being thrifty with it, though!!

@Vanessa B.: Oh that's so sweet of you to say! I'm so glad you had great results with the dress. Let all your friends know they can easily make their own, too by following this tutorial! (Or keep it as your own stylish secret;-)
xoxo
Carly

I made this dress and I love it!I wore it to school and people thought I had bought it

i picked up a couple shirts at the thrift store the other and already made 1 dress using my own pattern, and now i'm in the process of making this dress!! one thing i did different was used my seam ripper to take the shirt apart, that was i have just a little more material to work with. it takes a lot longer than just cutting it though!

Thanks Ezme!
Have fun making your dress!
xoxo
Carly

It looks so nicee
I have a spare shirt lying around so I know what I am going to be doing this weekend... ;) xx

Hi C.T.! Thanks for your comment! The shirt needs to be AT LEAST one size larger than you - bare minimum!! You need a men's shirt or a woman's that is cut straght up and down - NOT one that is fitted to your shape. A good way to check sizing? Hold the shirt up to your body with the line that goes straight across from the underarms - at your WAIST. Below that is how long your finished skirt will be, approximately. Each shirt arm (minus the cuff) must go AT LEAST halfway around your torso. (Each shirt arm will be either the front or the back of your bodice piece, so you need enough fabric to go around or you'll have to add one fabric like in Step 6.) I hope I'm making sense!
xoxo
Carly
P.S. I am a misses SMALL and I used a Men's XL shirt and the skirt area is still a little short for me. I'm 5'6". Calculate accordingly!

i love this!
but one quick question: should the shirt be able to fit you comfortably or should it be a size larger when making the dress?

Thank you Siomha R., sparrow is fancy, and harrylaa! It was fun to make - and surprisingly easy! Def. try if you have a men's shirt sitting around needing another life!
Thanks for your comments!
xoxox
Carly

I love this! Must try it,though I'm not so good with measurements!x <3 x

loving it! <3

That is very skillful and clever!