Add a Feminine Touch to a Plain Button Down Shirt with a Simple Sewing Trick
Contrary to what most may think, sewing doesn’t have to be scary…I promise! Knowing how to sew a single straight line can do wonders. Once you’ve mastered that, nothing will be safe from you and your sewing machine. You’ll want to sew everything onto everything. Even better: you can add a feminine spin to an oversized button down by adding a lace back panel. The method is quite basic, and only requires beginner sewing skills. Actually, that denim button down in your boyfriend’s closet would work really well for this one. Just don’t tell him I sent you.
Supplies:
- Button down shirt (I used a denim shirt from Target)
- Lace (1 yard, just to be safe!)
- Straight pins
- Thread
- Fabric scissors
1) Lay the shirt on a flat surface, front side facing down. Cut out the back panel in a rectangular shape.
2) Lay the back panel on top of the lace.
3) Using the denim segment as a guide, cut the lace into a rectangle measuring 2 inches extra (5.08 cm) on each side. ?
4) Pin the lace to the shirt, filling in the empty space of the back.
5) Essentially, the “right” side of the denim shirt should be facing the “right” side of the lace. Some types of lace might not have a distinguished front and back side, however. In this case, you’ll still want to focus on the raw edge of the lace facing the inwards.
Tip: Pin the right and left sides first, but don’t pin the top – yet! This will decrease the likelihood of the lace awkwardly bunching up in the corners.
6) Sew down each side using a zig zag stitch.
From the other side, it’ll look a little something like this!
7) Add pins along the top. Again, make sure that the right sides are facing each other.
8) Sew straight across the top, right through the corners.
9) Along all three sides, there will be excess lace that needs to be trimmed.
10) Using the fabric scissors, carefully trim away the excess lace.
11) Repeat along the top and opposite side.
12) Fold the bottom edge up 1 inch (2.54 cm). The raw edge should rest right below the actual denim shirt. Pin in place and sew.
13) Fold up another 1 inch (2.54 cm), so that the folded edge lines up with the bottom of the shirt. Pin in place and sew.
14) Triple knot any loose threads and cut away the excess.
Last but not least: rock your new button down!
Talk about a transformation…all thanks to basic straight stitches. You can also try this with plaid button downs (perfect for fall) or even a printed fabric in place of the lace.
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