How To Alter a Man's Shirt to a Woman's Shape

I love that collared shirts are in style. They are versatile, comfortable, and can easily dress up a casual outfit. Unfortunately, however, I don't have many. And most that I do have are too short for today's style.  So I decided to hit the local thrift store in search of men's shirts (so they'd be nice and long) to alter to my needs. 

Here is the man-shirt pre-altering. I bought this on half-off at Goodwill for $3. Pretty big and shape-less, huh?  But it has good arm length and fun, unusual pockets, so I was hoping for some potential. It's important to choose a shirt that isn't way too big in the collar or arm-length because those are not easily altered.

Now on to the altering process. It is SO quick and easy. If you are a sewing rookie, this would be a good way to get your feet wet.

1. Turn the shirt inside out and flatten along the seam on the inside of the arm and torso. 

 

2. Use chalk to draw a smooth line along the seam the amount you'd like to take the shirt in. Blend the ends of your chalk line into the existing seams prior to the cuff and base of the shirt.  If you are unsure of how much to take in, lay a shirt that fits as you would like this one to, and trace along that shirt's outline.

3. Cut along the lines you drew.

4. Lay the piece you cut out from the first side along the opposite edge to use as a guide to draw another chalk line.

5. Cut along the chalk line.

6. Pin the edges together, being sure to line up the cross seams at the armpit. Sew the new edges closed, blending into the existing seams at each end. I used a serger, but if you don't have a serger, a zig-zag stitch outside your first straight stitch will help prevent fraying.

Here it is all sewn up, but still inside out. It actually looks like a woman's shirt now!

Now I have a "new" shirt! 

Go thrift-store shopping or raid your hubby's closet and enjoy!

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$20 Dining Chair Up-scale

My dear husband asked me to make a birthday and Christmas list a couple of weeks ago. Since they only fall about 1 month apart from each other, he said he likes to get a list in mind so he can plan in advance. I'm glad I married a planner. :)

One of the items I put on the list was a set of two padded dining chairs to be at each end of our dining table. Our table is large enough to seat 8+, but we only had 6 chairs. I had my eye on some at Ikea that are about $100/each. They were the right colors for the room, and would dress up the whole set a bit. 

A few days after telling my husband about the Ikea chairs, he told me about some chairs he saw at Goodwill for $8/each. He even took a picture. I decided to go check them out. To my pleasant surprise, they were sturdy and had a simple slip cover over the back. The seat cover was just wrapped and stapled. So I bought them.

As you can see, they are UGLY. Awful colors, stained. icky. But I liked their modern lines. And their simple (read: simple to change) construction.

Obviously I took this after I re-covered them, but this shows the construction of the chair. Four screws hold the frame to the seat. Three (Alan wrench) bolts hold the seat's frame to the back. Easy to disassemble and reassemble. 

The back was just a big sleeve. I traced the one it came with to make a pattern, then cut out and sewed the new slip covers from that. 

As you can see, the bottom just required a good staple gun and some elbow grease. I did go over the edges of the seat cover with my serger. A simple hem or zig-zag stitch would suffice, as well.  

The third chair was for our bedroom. We were constantly dragging a dining chair upstairs to our bedroom and bathroom for hair-dos, computer use, etc. Now we have one that can stay up there. And it looks pretty! 

And here is my colorful dining room. Before, I had the turquoise chairs on the ends. Now I have more substantial chairs for the "heads" of the table, and they really bring the room together with my tree painting and the rug. I love it! 

Here's the breakdown of the cost: 

3 chairs @ $8.00 each + tax:                                                         $26.16

1 yard Richloom Paget Stripe Slub Midnight fabric (Fabric.com): $ 7.63

2 yards Richloom Marman Slub Spring (Fabric.com):                  $19.96

Shipping:                                                                                           $ 3.00

Total:                                                                                                 $56.75

Add in thread and staples (which are hard to quantify), and these are less than $20 dining chairs! I love a bargain--especially when I get to make it! 

Linking up at these parties.