Mama's Gonna Buy You A Mockingbird Refashion Frock Tutorial

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.












Step 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!

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