Summer Brights: Resize a men’s button up tutorial

Today I’m super excited to be part of the Knock it Off series at Elegance and Elephants.

I’ll admit, I have a hard time shopping for regular priced clothes for my kids. Not only do kids outgrow their clothes ridiculously fast, but seriously… $25 for a pair of shorts that they’re going to get mud all over in five seconds? Um, no thank you.

So with a combination of upcycling and from scratch sewing, I knocked off this GAP outfit for my five-year-old [ahem, five and a half…].

I am loving the bright colors of spring! I had some green denim from JoAnn’s that was perfect for these simple flat-front shorts.And I added some faux back pockets, just for fun. :)The sweatshirt was upcycled from an XXL hoodie that I snagged at a thrift store a long time ago. It’s suuuuper soft. Upcycling tip: use existing pieces of the garment to create your own. I re-used the hood and part of the pocket. I also cut off the waistband and re-attached it onto the bottom of my sweatshirt. Such a time saver!The hoodie wasn’t a henley, so I added the placket and buttons. I did my stitching in a green thread to match the shorts… just because I liked the green so much.The gingham shirt was one that had been retired from my hubby’s closet. Have you ever sized down a button-up for your kiddos?

It’s so easy…. here’s how to do it:

Place a pattern piece [or a folded shirt] on top of the button-up shirt. If your pattern piece is for knit fabric [like mine was], give some extra seam allowance. Cut around the pattern piece, cutting through both the front and the back. DO NOT cut through the button placket or the collar. Leave those in-tact.

Note: Unless you’re making a shirt for something super formal like a wedding, you can most likely get away with leaving the collar in-tact for an older child. Or if you have a smaller child, use a smaller shirt. It will be a little big, but not so noticeable that you need to go through the trouble of messing with the collar.Cut off both sleeves and cut them to match your sleeve pattern piece [or use a shirt that fits your child]. Re-use the hem of the sleeve to make it an even easier sew.

Enter super fancy graphics…

Unfold the body of the shirt and the sleeves – sew the sleeves on. 

Sew along the bottom of the sleeves and down the sides of the shirt. Seriously easy.

Thanks for popping in today! Happy sewing. :)