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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

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Time: 2h00

I guess you could call it a tubey-tunic.
This project's too long to be a mere tube top, but it's too short to be called - at least in "polite society" - a dress... So it'd be in your best interest to wear something under it in public. Or, add that something to it and show me how it's done. (I tried to put up some illustrations but there were, ah, complications - sorry for any impending confusion.)

Posted by LiMi from Norfolk, Virginia, United States • Published 15th March 2010 • See LiMi's 5 projects »

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Susan G. added The Half A Dress to Dress 2 02 May 19:55

Step 1
First off, with the scissors, open up the shoulder seams of the shirt, and remove the collar, evening out the edges as much you can. Don't cut into the sleeves just yet. That's step 2.
Step 2
Now, you'll want to remove the seams between the sleeves and the rest of the shirt, and then remove the seams of the sleeve itself. Don't cut through the fabric itself b/c you want as much to work with as possible.
Step 3
What you should have now is a long tube with large half-oval cutouts at the raw-edged bottom and two oblong smaller pieces of fabric. Now, if you like what you see, you can fit this tube top to your body (skip to step 6), hem up the edges, and you could leave it at that. But I'm on a mission and those with me can continue on to step 4.
Step 4
With the iron, you're going to press down 2 small pleats on the top of the curved ends of each of the smaller pieces of fabric. Pin those pleats and sew across them, 1/4 in from the edge, securing them in that shape. It should puff out just a little now when those pleats are spread open.
Step 5
After that, now here's the fun part. You are gonna sew those pleated pieces of fabric BACK onto the tube-top where the cutouts are. Line up the pleated edge with the raw edge of the cutout, right sides together, and sew down, over the pleat seam. Believe me, easier said than done.
Step 6
After that is done and you take a break, you've got to fit this to your body, unless you're naturally a rectangle. Measure your bust and your waist. Mark on the shirt, where you want your bust and your waist to be, with the hemmed edge as the top and the raw edge as the bottom.
Step 7
Now, fold the shirt in half and divide your measurements by 4. From the fold to the mark for your bust, measure the quotient (remember math class?) of that math problem. Repeat for your waist measurement.
Mark a curved line from the top edge out to your bust mark, back in to your waist mark and then to the outer edge of the shirt. Cut along that line through both sides.
Step 8
Now, you have a long piece of fabric with curved edges and a fluttery skirt-like opening in the middle.
Turn the shirt inside out, line up the edges again and pin. Sew down the edges so that it becomes a tube top again - one that fits well. Now you can customize it with whatever you like or just hem the raw edges and go - enjoy your blank canvas!