Mama's Gonna Buy You A Mockingbird Refashion Frock Tutorial

May 14, 2010

I found this blouse at a new thrift shop in town. I can't help myself. I go weak at the knees for embroidery. The blouse was a little too short and I didn't know what to wear it with. But it was only $1 so I thought I might try to use it for a bit of refashioning.

Brian was in Philadelphia attending his sister's Graduation so I had my mother take the photos. I guess it's suiting.

It's a fairly easy tutorial. But if you too have a blouse that you just can't part with but just can't wear try turning it into a lovely summer frock!

Step 1: Find an old blouse that you love.
















Step 2: Make darts in the front of your blouse. Do this by pinning two long triangles that taper to a point at the bust line on the wrong side of your blouse.

Then sew and remove pins as you are sewing in place.












S
tep 3: Cut your blouse at the waistline.















Step 4: Cut back of blouse up the middle to make room for a zipper.
















Step 5: Make a circle skirt. You DON'T need a pattern to make a circle skirt.

a. measure the waist of your blouse. Take that number and divide it by 4.

b. Take two folded squares of fabric about 27"x27" and lay them on top of one another so that you have four layers of fabric. If your fabric isn't 27" wide that's fine. But you will have to shorten your length in step 5d. Keep your fold at the bottom.

c. On the bottom left corner of your square make a shape like in the picture to the left, be sure it is the length of your waist divided by 4.

d. Then measure 21" from each point on the line and connect the dots so that you have 1/4" of a donut shape.

e. cut out.

Step 6: Sew the two pieces of fabric with wrong sides together at the side seams.


Step 7: Make an 8" cut down the middle back.

Step 8: Then sew your skirt to your bodice with right sides together.

Step 9: (optional) I added a trim to the bottom of my dress.

Step 10: Sew in invisible zipper. See this post for a tutorial on how to sew in an invisible zipper.


Step 11: To make the waist belt, take 3 strips of a contrasting color 2.5" x 36" and sew them together at the short ends.

Step 12: Fold the strip lengthwise and sew along the length, right sides together.

Step 13: Turn belt right side out by attaching a pin to one side and pushing it through the inside until it comes out the other end.

Step 14: Tie around waist and VOILA you have a cute new refashioned frock!

32 {comments}:

saadia said... Best Blogger Tips

Lovely work ! Will do the same with the blouses I have in my house that stay in boxes unused.

Corina said... Best Blogger Tips

This is beautiful!!

Jackie said... Best Blogger Tips

You are so creative, thank you for sharing this.
I love your blog.

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow, fantastic tutorial! Thank you!!

Stephanie said... Best Blogger Tips

I LOVE this redo!! I used to have a habit of shrinking tops and sometimes they are just too short to begin with but totally adorable. I am definitely going to try this.

P.S. I just used your elastic waist skirt tutorial to sew up a skirt. It was perfect! ♥

Mumma Troll said... Best Blogger Tips

That is a beautiful bit of refashioning and will be perfect for some sunny weather and Pimms.

Jo said... Best Blogger Tips

That's a beautiful dress! I love embroidery too.

Amy said... Best Blogger Tips

I am amazed by your work everyday I check your blog!!! This is a fabulous dress!! Thanks for sharing how we can do it at home!!!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Lovely!

Kelli said... Best Blogger Tips

I love this dress! My sister laughs at me because I love anything with embroidery on it too and have a couple of blouses I keep around that don't fit for this reason. I'm going to have to dig them out now to see what I can do with them! Thanks for the great idea!

~Kelli @ Smidgens

Heather said... Best Blogger Tips

CUTE!!

so...how about a nursing friendly dress tut...??

Elly said... Best Blogger Tips

Beautiful idea! Thanks for the tutorial...I'll have to give this a try on the tops that I rarely wear because of the length.

Reyna Meinhardt said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the great tutorial! Your dress turned out beautiful!

Vicky said... Best Blogger Tips

That is gorgeous. I want one!
Oh why do thrift store in England only have old lady's jumpers in them?

June said... Best Blogger Tips

Wait, there was a tutorial somewhere? I was busy looking at the cute little baby...

Meredith said... Best Blogger Tips

I love it! I want to do this for my 6 and 8 year old daughters too.

My name is Becka said... Best Blogger Tips

this is so encouraging! Thank you for sharing!

mira said... Best Blogger Tips

My god! I love it!

Tracie said... Best Blogger Tips

Another reason I have got to learn how to sew. This is AWESOME! I had an embroidered maternity top that I gave away and I wish I had kept it. It would have been a great dress.

Tasia said... Best Blogger Tips

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, love your finished refashioned freock!

Meg said... Best Blogger Tips

I love love love this dress! Now I have to find myself a great thrifted blouse to try it for myself!

Ruhammie said... Best Blogger Tips

This is a wonderful tutorial! Thank you for sharing! I'm gonna keep an eye out now for a top I could do this with.

Rose and Ivy said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow, gorgeous dress, great tutorial, beautiful baby!

What beautiful mother/baby photos they are as well

Jose Ramon Santana Vazquez said... Best Blogger Tips

...traigo
sangre
de
la
tarde
herida
en
la
mano
y
una
vela
de
mi
corazón
para
invitarte
y
darte
este
alma
que
viene
para
compartir
contigo
tu
bello
blog
con
un
ramillete
de
oro
y
claveles
dentro...


desde mis
HORAS ROTAS
Y AULA DE PAZ


TE SIGO TU BLOG




CON saludos de la luna al
reflejarse en el mar de la
poesía...


AFECTUOSAMENTE
GROSGRAIM


ESPERO SEAN DE VUESTRO AGRADO EL POST POETIZADO DE CHOCOLATE, EL NAZARENO- LOVE STORY,- Y- CABALLO, .

José
ramón...

Rhonda @ home.made. said... Best Blogger Tips

That is incredible! But I never find great shirts like that at my thrift store... LOL!

Leeya Engel said... Best Blogger Tips

So stunning! Thanks for sharing!

The Green Zebra Studio said... Best Blogger Tips

Oh this is genius! I love embroidered blouses too but sometimes find some that are also too short for me. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea!

Cheilita said... Best Blogger Tips

great idea. i love how yours came out. you always make things look so contemporary and much more fabulous than the original item! sheesh! and i've never made a circle skirt before but i think i have to try it now.

Anne said... Best Blogger Tips

What an absolutely lovely dress!!! I linked to your tutorial over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-mamas-gonna-buy-you-a-mockingbird-frock-refashion/2010/05/16/
--Anne

Erin said... Best Blogger Tips

Thank you SO MUCH for this! I made my version this weekend; I'm wearing right now and it's rather made my day!

Kate said... Best Blogger Tips

Your frock is beautiful! Is the fabric as exact of a match as it looks in the photo? It looks perfect!

clabrazil said... Best Blogger Tips

Fantastic idea. Will try it out, indeed!

 
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