Lisa Comfort customises it!

From old shirt to stylish top

The steps

❶ Try the shirt on. Mark where your waist sits. Lay the shirt flat and cut across in a straight line, 1cm below where your waist sits. This will divide the shirt into a bodice and a peplum. Cut off the sleeves at the shoulder seams.

❷ Pin the side seams of the bodice right sides together and slightly take them in so that you lose the flat-felled seams. Repeat this with the peplum.

❸ Mark two tucks in the front and two tucks in the back of the bodice. Create the tucks by folding the bodice’s right sides together and pinning in a straight line. These tucks will make the shirt fitted to your waist. So, you will need to make sure the bottom edge of the bodice still comfortably fits around your waist. Use a tape measure to make sure they are evenly spaced. You can make them as small or as big as you like – this will be determined by how fitted you want the bodice to be. I took 5cm for each tuck and they were around 7cm from the side seams. Try on the bodice until you get them right.

❹ Once you are happy with the tucks, stitch along the straight pin lines for about 5cm. Iron the tucks flat from the inside, folding them towards the front (for front bodice) or back (for back bodice).

❺ Take the peplum piece and stitch two rows of gathering stitches at 5mm and 1cm from the top raw edge. Pull the threads so the peplum gathers up.

❻ Take the peplum and the bodice and line up the raw edges’ right sides together, adjusting the gathers to fit. Pin in place. Stitch with 1cm seam allowance. Remove the gather stitches and press the seam allowance up towards the bodice.

❼ Make the shoulder seam a better fit by trimming down the top of the armhole – but make sure you leave 1cm for seam allowance.

❽ Stitch two rows of gather stitches around the top half of the sleeveheads and then insert the sleeves, adjusting the gathers to fit. If your shirt is way too big, you may need to take in the underarm sleeve as well. It looks great with a belt!