Step by Step Guide To Revitalize Your Skirt

Whether you are eager to learn sewing or already experienced, this step by step guide will help you revitalize your skirt into its new block tee shape.

Step 1: Cutting

Cut the pieces using a pair of scissors that is sharp.

Follow the thick, continous lines to cut the shape.

You can look for Scissor shapes to see which lines to cut
Be aware to not cut the dashed lines!

Step 2: Sewing

Centre Back Pleat

With right sides together, fold the back body in half along the centre back notch line. Lining up the first notches on either side of the centre back line, stitch down from the top for 14 cm (5½ in.). Press the pleat so that the stitch line is in the middle, like an inverted box pleat, and pin it in place. This part will be secured when the back neck facing is attached.

Shoulders and Sleeves

2a. To create the front sections, with right sides
together, fold the left- and right-hand side
edges over at the armhole cut-out slits and
align the top edges. With right sides together,
pin and sew the front and back bodies (D)
together at the shoulders. The front neckline
edge should match the outermost notch on
the back body. Stitch all the walls across from
one shoulder to the other, stitching across
the back neckline and pleat, too. Overlock
(serge) the seam allowances together.

2b. With right sides together, pin and sew the underarm seams. Overlock the seam allowances together. Press the seamstowards the back of the sleeves.

2c. With the garment wrong side out and the
sleeves right side out, lift up the centre fronts
and slip the sleeves inside the armholes,
matching the shoulder notches of the sleeves
to the shoulder seams of the body and the
underarm seams of the sleeves to the finished
point of the armhole cut-out in the body. Pin
the sleeves into the armholes. Stitch in place,
then overlock the seam allowances together,
making sure that the underarm point is
finished neatly and is securely stitched
without any holes being visible.

Attaching the Collar and Back Neck Facing

3a. Assemble and attach the collar, following
steps 1-7 of Sewing and attaching a collar
and button placket on pages 25-26.

3b. With right sides together, stitch the back neck
facing pieces (B) together along the centre
back seam. Press the seam open. Finish the
curved edge of the facing with the longer
length of binding. Attach the facing to the back neck.

Front and Button Placket

Fold and stitch the button plackets

Hems and Buttons

5a. Turn under and press a double 1-cm (%-in.) hem around the bottom of the shirt and topstitch in place. Turn under the ends of the sleeves by 1 cm (3/s in.) and press, then turn up the sleeve hem to your chosen length and press again. Topstitch in place.

5b. Work five horizontal buttonholes on the right front placket, placing the centre of the top buttonhole about 1.5 cm (% in.) down from the top finished edge and spacing the remaining buttonholes evenly, Make sure that your front button plackets overlap by 3 cm (1¼ in.). Attach buttons to he left placket to correspond.

References

All text and images are taken from Zero Waste Patterns Book.

Helmersson, Birgitta. 2023. Zero Waste Patterns: 20 Projects to Sew Your Own Wardrobe (London, England: Quadrille Publishing)