Velvet Refashion

I've been 😍at the pretty velvet tops I've seen in different boutiques and all over instagram. I wanted to try one out, because I imagine that a velvet tee is uber comfy. BUT I'm not about to fork over $35 for one. SO I thought of another method to get my hands on a velvet tee. I'd just make one...

While wandering through a local thrift store I stumbled upon the ugliest black velvet dress. Shoulder pads, floor length, and weird lace up side seams. It almost looked like choir robes, maybe? BUT, I often shop with my fingertips more than with my eyes and the velvet on that ugly dress was actually so yummy. It was a crushed velvet that had been well cared for; no signs of wear and still clean! I need this, I thought. My creative juices began flowing and I decided upon a solution- I'll repurpose this ugly dress into one of those velvety tees I want! 

​So I bought the dress for $6. Not bad, when purchasing velvet off the bolt can be upwards of $20 a yard or so.

I took a top that I know fits me well to use as a pattern for the shirt. Turned it inside out and lay it out as flat as possible. Then I began to trace it onto large paper.

Start with the back facing you.  Tracing this will create a pattern piece for the back of the shirt. Trace all the way around the shirt.

You can tuck the sleeves inside to get a better shape to follow for the arm hole.

Once you've traced the back you can use a ruler to straighten up a few of the lines.

Remember these lines represent the finished size- so you are going to need to extend all the seam lines to create an allowance for sewing the pieces together.

Use a ruler to extend each of these lines out by 5/8 inch. This should happen for all of the seam lines except the neck, arm hole, and any hems.

However, at this point if you want to make any alterations to the original design now is the time to do so. For example I lengthened my sleeves by 2 inches and lowered the hem of the shirt by about 1 inch.

Trace the new lines with a thick marker to show the final pattern size that you will need.  Cut it out from the paper along the marker lines.

At this point I decided to save my resources and cut this pattern in half. By cutting in down the center front that means I will have to match that line on a fold when cutting.

With the other half I created the Front of the tee pattern. Really the only difference should be the neckline. Use your model shirt to copy again. Measure and trace along the right neckline for the front side. Once a line is determined, use that thick marker to outline it, then cut out.

*Again this center front will need to be placed along a fold when cut from fabric since it is only half of the patter piece.

​Next we will worry about the sleeves. This part is a little tricky without taking apart the sleeve on your favorite shirt, so lets work with half of it.

Trace the half of it that you can get to. Remember where the fold is- this will also need to be placed on the fold when cutting the fabric. Once you get to the rounded part we will call the armhole seam, carefully peal the corners back to follow the seam line with a pencil. Fill in with that thick marker. Remember to extend your sleeve pattern now if you want added length.

See that tiny little under arm seam. You'll need to add a 5/8 seam allowance there before cutting. Trace in marker. Cut out the sleeve pattern.

The last pattern piece we need to worry about is the neck band. Which is going to be twice the length of the diameter of the circle (neck hole opening). SO- Measure across the length of the neck hole and double that measurement. This will essentially be a rectangle and the other dimension is 3 inches. 

For example my neck hole was 6.75in so the dimension of my rectangle is 13.5in x 3in. If it is easier, you can also cut this along the fold to double the length.

So essentially you have these pattern pieces:

• Front (cut on fold)
• Back (cut on fold)
• Sleeve (cut 2 on fold)
• Neck band (remember dimensions)

Now you are ready to cut out the fabric. I was luck to be able to use the skirt of the dress for my hemline, so I did not have to worry about finishing the bottom hem nor the hem of my sleeves because they were already done for me. 

Be careful when pinning to place appropriate lines along folds to duplicate everything correctly.

It should look somewhat like this when you cut out all the pieces you need.

Remember you are going to sew at a 5/8 seam allowance for this whole project except for seam finishes and the neckband.

Pin and sew the shoulder seams together. Remember to put the right sides of the fabric together. And use your preferred method of seam finishing. At this point I used my serger to do so, and velvet worked just fine in it. It acts kind of like a knit because it has a little bit of a stretch but it also has enough structure that you don't have to worry about it getting deformed at all.

Now pin, and sew in the sleeves onto the top. Match the center sleeve to the center of the arm hole. I always over pin just to be safe.

Keep right sides together.

Also you may want a slightly larger stitch length since the fabric is a little thicker and stretches a little. About a 3 should be good.

Remember seam finishes- velvet can shed!

From there you are almost home free! pin along the side seams and the nuder arm. You should be able to stitch that all on one swoop.

​My serger even took this corner well, so no worries, it should be pretty easy.

The neck band can be tricky! So I didn't photograph it. BUT, I always use THIS tutorial to walk me through it:
​http://blog.megannielsen.com/2013/02/briar-sewalong-neckline-binding/

Iron out any weird lines, and press seams to get crisp edges. Clip loose threads and you are done! It only took me about 2 hours from start to finish/

Here is the final product!

​I really like how it turned out and I've been wearing it all day. Next time I find excessive amounts of velvet for cheep (in another color) I'm totally going to do this again.