OCTOBER 2021 :: White Dress Shirt Upcycle

This is the ninth blog post (I skipped September) in my 2021 Sewing (+Upcycle) blog series. Click here to see the video where I share my inspiration for each month. My October project was to upcycle a a white dress shirt.

I LOVE wearing a pressed white dress shirt. I always feel confident and comfortable. With this project I wanted to alter the classic with some tasteful upcycle edits. Below are some inspirational images from my Upcycle Pinterest board.

I decided to use the White Overblown Shirt by Push Button from The Frankie Shop (top left) as my ultimate inspiration for this project. I like a good peplum as much as the next person.

As I have done in previous months, I shared my progress in my Instagram stories. Below are glimpses of those stories. View them all in the pinned OCT story highlight.

The peplum part of the shirt is the bottom of the shirt folded up like a balloon skirt. If I had more time I would have tried to figure out how to add pockets on the side.

What I learned on this project:

Last month I observed myself avoiding my project when I was unsure how to proceed. I wasted A LOT OF TIME. This time I didn’t allow myself to linger in avoidance. I just pushed through. This shirt project was rushed and the finishing isn’t great BUT I like to think I’m practicing sewing like a person practicing playing the piano. It’s not really wasted time if I’m learning — is it?

The peplum on my October project reminded me of a project I did years ago. I up-cycled thrifted wool sweaters into dresses for children. It’s sooooo much easier to work with felted wool! I created a how-to slideshow for how to make one. Click here or the image below to go see the slideshow. It has over 8,000 views!

ONLY TWO MORE PROJECTS TO GO! ONWARD

XOXO RECOVERGIRL