MAKE | Lace Panelled Shirt

AS PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN FOR THE MARKS & SPENCER SHWOPPING BLOG AND INSPIRED BY ABEAUTIFULMESS.COM

The catwalks have been swamped with subtle injections of lavish fabrics such as lace, velvet and leather adding a hint of glamour to otherwise classic pieces. One such timeless wardrobe essential is the simple shirt, a much-shwopped item found in an array of materials, shapes and colours and inhabiting the wardrobes of most.
It’s quite easy to give this old faithful a new luxury lease of life while creating a versatile look for both day and night. The opportunities are endless with this DIY technique and you can experiment with different materials and colours to really spice up those shirts.

 

YOU WILL NEED...

• One shwopped shirt
• Lace (we used old lace curtains!)
• Sewing Machine
• Pins
• Paper and Pencil (to trace pattern)
• Tape measure
• Scissors

 

STEP ONE
Cut out the back panel of your shirt leaving a ½ inch gap from the seam as you’ll attach your new lace panel to it later.

 

STEP TWO
Using this removed panel as a pattern, pin it to your lace fabric and cut out to create the new back panel. Again, add a ½ inch to the outline to attach it to the shirt with.  You could also trace around the back panel plus ½ inch on paper to make a pattern.

 

STEP THREE
Now the fiddly bit. Turn the shirt inside out and pin in the new lace back panel matching up the ½ inch around the seams.
STEP FOUR
When it’s all even and looking fabulous, carefully sew into place along the shirt’s original seam and hem the bottom edge. If you want to be really precise you can trim around the excess material on the seams so it’s all neat.

STEP FIVE
Sit back in your ‘new’ shirt and bask in the glory of being a DIY fashionista.
To pick up a shwopped shirt, or material, find out where your local Oxfam shop is.