Up until recently, it just kind of never occurred to us that we could use our simple skills to make very nice things too! It’s not that what we were making before wasn’t nice, it was just that we chose things that had a little more flair because we were worried we weren’t experienced enough with sewing or alterations to keep things neat and tidy enough to wear to work, for example. Recently, however, we very carefully tried out the process of making our own blouse and it went absolutely wonderfully! Now that we’ve had a success, we’re practically obsessed with the idea of being able to make our own clothes no matter the piece.
Just in case you’re as intrigued by the idea of making and altering your own blouses as we were, here are 15 of the best and most helpful tutorials for DIY blouses we’ve come across so far!
Do you have no problem with the idea of sewing a shirt from scratch using a clear pattern so long as you don’t have to create anything too tailored and fitted? Then perhaps you’d rather make a blouse in a loose fitting style instead! We’re particularly fond of this fit and pattern outlined on Mood Sewing Network because it’s a simpler shape to create on your own but it still features a drawstring around the middle so you can cinch your waist in a flattering way rather than hiding your curves.
Perhaps you’re still feeling a little to intimidated by the idea of making your very own blouse from scratch but you have absolutely no problem with the concept of altering an old one that you already have? We love altering our old blouses because there are so many ways to look them even more trendy in just a few simple steps. These cropped blouses with shoulder cut outs featured on Z’s Beauty Ideas are the perfect example of what we mean!
When we started talking about a boxy, oversized style of blouse above, were you actually quite into the idea, thinking about how it would look if you didn’t cinch the shirt in the middle? In that case, we have a feeling you’re going to like this loose fitting and light chiffon blouse design outlined on Tombazan better than anything else we’ve shown you so far! Chiffon can be every so slightly tricky to work with because it might pucker and bunch if you sew too fast with your machine, but as long as you keep a careful, steady pace, this design itself is quite simple and great for beginners.
If you’re going to go to the trouble of making yourself a brand new blouse from scratch, would you prefer to create one that’s a little more unique than the average store bought blouse, or at least one that has some type of statement feature about it? In that case, we have a feeling you’ll really appreciate this awesome one-shouldered ruffle blouse outlined on Sewing Rabbit! They show you how to make a bodice that has a casual, relaxed fit without being too big. The part of the pattern that is gloriously big, however, is that absolutely stellar ruffle!
Perhaps it’s an old school uniform or stuffy work blouse you already have on hand that’s got your attention right now? We always feel bad getting rid of those because there’s nothing wrong with the shirts in theory, and it’s always a good idea to have a nice blouse on hand, but the ones we’ve had to buy for work and school in the past simply didn’t have any stylish details about them. That’s why we were so happy to stumble upon this adorable lace trimming tutorial from MondbergTV! Rather than just showing you how to line the button band, neckline, and sleeve edges with lace, however, they also show you simple ways to take the stuffy collar out entirely, creating a much cuter cut up top instead.
We know we’ve been talking a lot about how there are so many different ways to change the regular old tailored blouses you have at home, but what if a classically cut dress shirt or blouse is actually precisely what you need? Well, we often find that the blouses available in stores are a little bit more plain than we’d like and we’re always left wishing we could make ourselves a well fitting shirt in cooler colours and patterns. That’s how we started our hunt for a basic, helpful tailored blouse pattern that would teach us how to cut and sew a blouse from scratch! We found precisely what we needed in this tutorial from Mimi G Style.
Were you very intrigued by the idea of making a large, comfortable, oversized blouse like the one we showed you earlier on our list, but in your opinion, the shirt could be even bigger and still be dressed up like a blouse fit for the office? In that case, we think you’ll be pretty pleased to learn about this awesome cozy square top pattern from Babble! It’s simple to make, simple to wear casually, and simple to dress up. Talk about versatile!
Were you feeling pretty intrigued by the whole ruffle idea we showed you earlier but you’re just not sure that you’re ready for a ruffle that’s quite that big? Then maybe you’d rather try your hand at this slightly subtler ruffled neck blouse idea instead! How Joyful guides you through the process of creating a halter style blouse that, like so many others on the list, can be worn casually and in a more trendy way or dressed up in a glammed way for a work day.
When you think “blouse”, does your brain actually go to fancier tops that you could wear on a night out, rather than just collared shirts that you might wear under a blazer or to a job interview? In that case, we think perhaps you’ll prefer this stunning corset inspired top that features a lace halter style bust and neck with a sassy and stylish ribbon at the top around the neck. It’s certainly not the kind of shirt that requires a necklace for accessorizing! See how it’s made in more detail on Love Maegan.
Have you ever seen a dress that you really like the top of before but you couldn’t help feeling that the bottom of the dress left a lot to be desired? Perhaps you actually just aren’t a huge fan of dresses or it’s chilly where you live. Well, that certainly doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the top part that you liked so much! We’ve actually used this awesome, straight forward tutorial for turning a dress into a cute, casual blouse several times in real life. Check it out on Alligator Toe!
Have you ever found a blouse at a thrift store or vintage boutique that you really liked the fabric or pattern of but it was kind of oversized and just not the right fit for you? Well, thanks to alterations tutorials like this one from extra petite, there’s no reason that you can’t grab the blouse you liked so much and just tweak it a little to make it a better fit! We love the way Extra Petite not only adjusted the size and cut of this cute polka dotted blouse, but also used the spare material to create a tie for under the collar.
Did you know that altering pre-existing blouses and making them from scratch aren’t the only ways that you can make yourself a pretty new blouse? We’ve actually created simple but adorable peplum blouses out of several plain white t-shirts and we’re always quite impressed with ourselves for making it happen to quickly and neatly. Here’s a fantastic tutorial from Love Maegan that provides a step by step guide for adding a peplum to get you started!
Speaking of peplum blouses, do you have one already that you don’t mind the fit of, but you just can’t help feeling like there’s a little something missing? We’ve always loved the peplum style but sometimes, depending on the design, we feel like the top is too plain in comparison to the fun flare at the bottom. That’s why we love embellishing the shoulders, necklines, and busts of our peplum tops and have altered almost every one we own! One of our favourite techniques was this adorable lace shouldered cap sleeve idea that we found on Jennyfer. We recreated this look and we were so happy with it that we wear it all the time!
When it comes to altering clothing, is it nearly always the oversized shirt alterations that catch your attention the most? We’ll fully admit that we find these some of the most fun shirt upcycling projects around. Recently, we came across this tutorial from Carissa Knits that shows you how to turn a short sleeved men’s dress shirt into a sleeve button down with a stunning lace back and we loved it so much that we’ve actually made two of them in different colours. It’s time to raid the XL section of the thrift store!
Are you still thinking about how creating a blouse doesn’t necessarily have to mean creating a formal office shirt but you really did have something a little more frilly, girly, and whimsical in mind than what we’ve shown you so far? Then we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at the way Trash to Couture use some pretty lace fabric to create a sheer lace blouse with lovely, ruffly drop sleeves! We quite enjoy their cropped design underneath, but you could lengthen the layer under the lace if you’d prefer not to show your midriff.
