Sew the Cutest Top From an Upcycled Men's Shirt

I found a way to upcycle a men’s shirt to make the cutest ruched top.

You don’t need any special equipment and the instructions are easy to follow, even if you’re new to sewing.

See how simple it is, then do it yourself!

Tools and materials: 

• Oversized men’s shirt
• 1/2” (1 1/2 cm) wide ribbon
• Scissors
• Pins
• Fabric marker
• Safety pin
• Sewing machine

1. Prepare the shirt

Start with a simple, loose-fitting men’s shirt, long or short-sleeved.

Use a dress form if you have one, but it’s not necessary.

Try the shirt on with the button fastening at the back, and mark the finished length you want with pins or a fabric marker.

Cut off the collar and sleeves.

Trim the front of the neckline (the original back of the shirt) straight across but leave the back intact.

Trim the length. I wanted a cropped top so I cut it off level with the top of my hips.

Put the shirt on inside out and pin the side seams so that the top fits you comfortably but not too snugly.

Cut off the excess fabric at the sides, leaving a seam allowance of around 2 inches (5 cm). This is to create the channel for the ribbon.

2. Side seams

With the shirt still wrong side out, sew the side seams along the pin lines.

Sew a second row of stitches down the side seams, outside the first row and parallel with it.

Make sure the space between the two seams is wider than your ribbon.

Fold the edges of the neckline and armholes in twice to make narrow hems and pin them in place.

Sew them on the wrong side with a straight stitch.

You can finish the lower edge in the same way if you want. I left the raw edges on mine.

4. Gathered sides

Cut two long lengths of ribbon.

Pin a safety pin through one end.

Turn the top right side out and feed the ribbon through the channels in the side seams.

Pin the other end in place under the armhole and secure it with a few straight stitches.

Pull the ribbons through to ruche the sides and tie them in a firm bow to hold them in place.