Man’s Flannel Shirt to Button Down Skirt Sewing Tutorial

Today, another salvage project from some of my husband’s old clothes. I’m going to try and turn one of his long-sleeved shirts into a skirt with pockets and an elastic waistband. I will use the buttons in the front to take it off and on.

The skinny:

This was supposed to be a simple project, but unexpected trials forced me to be creative. But that’s okay! That’s what I love about sewing.

I initially wanted to just add a waistband and be able to slip the skirt on and off. When I got to the part where I was to sew the waistband, I tried the skirt on first. I found that I needed to use the buttons on the front of the shirt to be able to get the skirt on and off.

Materials:

• man’s flannel shirt
• 1-1/2″ to 2″ elastic waistband
• matching thread

Skirt Sewing Tutorial

Instructions:

1. Lay the shirt onto the floor. Cut off the arms and across the top just below the neckline. You can use the flannel lines as a guide for cutting. Then, cut along the sides of the shirt to straighten out the edges, and you are left with a rectangle, of sorts.

2. Cut open up the sleeves and use the fabric to make a pair of inseam pockets. You can make your own pattern using this inseam pocket pattern tutorial. Cut out four pocket pieces.

3. First, I will sew on the pockets. Right side to right side, pin and sew the pocket pieces to the sides of the skirt. You want the top of the pocket to be just below the bottom of the finished waistband. I am using 1-1/2″ wide elastic, so I am attaching my pockets 4-1/2″ down from the top.

4. Now, I will sew the skirt pieces together. Right side to right side, pin and sew long the side sides of the skirt and around the pockets. Zigzag or serge the raw edges to prevent fraying.

To reinforce the pockets, turn the skirt right side facing out and sew a 1/4″ topstitch along the front side of the pocket opening. Now do the same thing for the back side of the pocket opening and sew a 1/4″ topstitch along the back of the pocket.

5. To finish the edges around the top of the skirt, unbutton the front of the skirt. Zigzag or serge around the top of the skirt to prevent the fabric from fraying. Fold the top of the skirt down from right side down to wrong side about 1/4″. Stitch and hem in place. This is where a patterned shirt comes in handy. I love to have lines to follow.

6. Now, cutting the elastic for the waistband. Measure around your waist where you want the skirt to sit. If you are going to just slip the skirt on and off, subtract 2″ from the waist measurement, and that’s the length of elastic you will need. If you will use a button opening, subtract 3″ from your waist measurement, and that’s the length of elastic you will need. (I didn’t cut my elastic short enough and added pleats later on fix it).

Zigzag or serge the raw edges of the elastic. I sew for longevity!

7. Now, to sew the elastic onto the waist of the skirt. I need to use the buttons to put the skirt on and off, so I don’t want to obstruct the top button or buttonhole. Keeping that in mind, I am going to pin and sew the elastic to the top of the shirt, leaving enough fabric above it to allow it to fold down over it for the waistband.

I will attach the elastic just on the other side of the button using a straight stitch. I don’t want to sew the button and accidentally break it, which is why I’m attaching the elastic just past it. Then when the fabric is folded over, it looks like this.

Now do this for the other side. Line the end of the other side of the elastic to the corresponding buttonhole line. Attach it just before the buttonhole so the buttonhole isn’t covered, and when the fabric folds down afterwards, it looks like this.

I’m going to add one more supporting stitch. Because the elastic isn’t connected as a loop, I want to make sure it is evenly spaced. Sew a line down the middle of the elastic, again, leaving enough fabric so that the top can fold down making a waistband.

8. Before sewing the elastic casing, I’m going to snip a little square bit off the fabric from the inside of the waistband that would otherwise cover the button. I’m going to serge/zigzag stitch the raw edges.

9. Now I’m going to fold the fabric over the elastic waistband to make the casing for the elastic. Flip the top over, stretch the elastic and pin the casing in place just below the elastic. Sew the elastic casing using a longer straight stitch. I’m going to do sew this twice to really secure it in place.

I’m going to gently sew around the little square area we had cut out behind the buttonhole.

10. To make a ruched effect, I’m going to add two more lines of stitches onto the elastic waistband, sewing the elastic and fabric while gently tugging at it. But first, I’m going to put a stronger needle on my sewing machine.

11. I tried on the skirt and noticed that fabric was a little puffy just out of the waistband, so I am going to add a few pleats or darts on the inside of the skirt. First, I will turn the skirt inside out, then I am going to put three pleats on the back, so the fabric will be shapelier around my bum.

Then I will add two more pleats on the front to help flatter the waist. I also added one on the front patch pocket, which I had kept on from the original shirt.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this Man’s Flannel Shirt to Button Down Skirt Sewing Tutorial. I rescued several more flannel shirts from my husband’s donation pile, and will retry this tutorial, making stylistic variations. Stay tuned!

*A little bit of housekeeping: straight stitch – 00 stitch, 3.5 width, 3.0 length, zigzag stitch – 03 stitch, 5.0 width, 2.5 length, long stitch – 00 stitch, 3.5 width, 4.0 length