A few men – including my sons – have been asking whether I’m upcycling men’s clothing. I’ve mended men’s clothing, but here’s the first creative effort.

This upcycle is a resew of two men’s shirts that were the same brand and size, so the button fronts match exactly. I’d fabric-painted the white shirt (which had a stain) many years ago when the children were little and we did t-shirt painting workshops with friends. I don’t think it was ever worn, partly because it just looked like a painted shirt. I’d kept it as a memory and the cotton is still crisp. 

The blue shirt had a well-worn collar so was ripe for upcycling. Sew 201 is the blend of the two, with the painted shirt being the dominant half (including collar, extra cuff and bottom trim).  I cut the painted shirt about 1cm from the collar and then down the back, off-centre so that the centre pleat remains in place. I’ve discovered a new setting on my sewing machine that does a fancy zigzag with two rows of straight stitching either side. This stitch was perfect for these joins. I’m keeping the rest of the painted shirt as ‘trim’ for another project, while the leftover blue is now a rag.

A quick and dramatic upcycling effect, of which the boys approve. Casey modelled it (day job, rail engineer) last night in front of the fireplace and my favourite award-winning photograph by Fiona Lake called “Danny leads the mob in his chopper“.