Brother Sews Ambassador
September is the month that hosts New York Fashion Week, so what better way to celebrate couture style than heading to the sewing room to create your own fashion! Since I love to repurpose old clothes this idea is a quick and easy way to give a tuxedo shirt a new life as a flirty blouse for the style-minded.

You can wear it under a jacket for fall, with a pencil skirt or jeans, and dress it up for evening or wear it casual for daytime! Plus, it’s that special piece that will have you looking like you stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine!

---

Supplies:

• Your BROTHER Pacesetter PS 500 sewing machine
• A men’s ruffled tuxedo shirt, any size will work and if you don’t already have one stuffed in the back of the closet, you can typically find a used one at a thrift store or on-line.
• Fabric marking pens
• Scissors
• Measuring
• Straight pins

---

First, remove the sleeves of the tuxedo shirt and be sure to save the scraps because we will use the ruffled cuffs later.
Next, turn the shirt inside out and put it on a dress form or model with the front of the shirt buttoned up. Fitting the shirt close to the body, pin the sides to where you want it to fit. These pins will be the guides for your new side seams.

TOP TIP: Be mindful to leave room for the chest and hips, and pin it closer to the body to form fit at the waistline.

Take the shirt off the dress form and lay it flat. It is still inside out and the fabric won’t be laying flat, but use the pins as a guide to draw a line where the new side seam will be.
Remove the pins, lay the fabric flat and reposition the pins on the new side seam line.

Once the shirt is flat, even out the line with your fabric marker because it’s your guide for sewing.
Cut the sides of the shirt about a half-inch away from your guideline.
When you get to the armhole, cut straight up to the shoulder as we’ll finish them later! On the sewing machine, sew the sides at your guideline and try the shirt on for fit. Adjust where needed by pinning in areas that need better fit and sew in place.
Next, turn the raw edges of the shoulder under and press. Using the sleeves you removed at the start; cut off the cuff. Once the cuffs are removed, cut midway through it, leaving an inch so you can fold the edges in to conceal the raw edges and press. Stitch the folded edge closed.


Attaching the ruffle to the shoulder is easy! With the ruffle facing out, pin the finished cuff-ruffle inside the top of the pressed shoulder. Note, the ruffle only covers about ¾ of the shoulder. Sew it in place in the armhole, and top stitch the remaining folded edges of the armhole.

Finish the ruffle embellishment on the other armhole.

If the tuxedo shirt is too long, you can measure it to the length you want and hem it now. Just double fold the raw edges in, press and top stitch.

It’s a Tux redux for a brand new look in your wardrobe.