What do you do when your old maxi skirt and your husbands even older dress shirt coordinate perfectly? How about make a perfect summer outfit?! That’s exactly what I did. 

I went through a maxi skirt faze a few years ago and bought quite a few of them. However, that craze is over and I now have lots of maxi skirts not getting worn. So when my husband and I were cleaning out our closet and I saw how well these two Items matched, I knew I had to remake them to go together.

I used the Spearmint Set by Blank Slate Patterns. It was formerly called the Peppermint PJ’s. So many people were using this pattern for daywear that they decided to embrace that and revamp it a smidge. It now has 5 & 12 inch shorts inseam length lines, as well as a back patch pocket and an elbow sleeve length. I decided to do the cap sleeve shirt and the 12 inch shorts. Here’s how I did it.

This maxi skirt had slits on both sides of the skirt. So I folded the skirt in half lining up the side slits. I used the top for the bodice and then the darker bottom part for the sleeves. I cut the bodice out first then unfolded the bottom part and placed it wrong sides together to cut out the sleeves.

I used the waist band for the neck band. I had plenty of fabric to work with. I was able to cut out a size medium shirt out of a size medium maxi skirt, no problem. I could have easily made a bigger sized shirt if I needed to.

I’m not certain how big my husband’s shirt was as the size tag wasn’t readable. It was a very old shirt. To give you an idea of what size it was, he normally wears a “tall” button up shirt because he has a long torso and his t-shirt size is 2X or 3X just depending on the maker. So it was a good sized shirt with plenty of fabric.

Before I cut my shorts out, I removed the collar, sleeves and cut through the shoulder seams. Then I folded it in half matching the side seams. I laid the back pattern piece on the back of the shirt and the front pattern piece on the front of the shirt. For the other pattern pieces I had plenty of fabric left. The picture shows two different options I could have used for cutting out the remaining pieces. I ended up cutting out and adding some back pocket too. I didn’t have trouble playing “pattern tetris” with this at all. 

This was probably one of my easier refashions that I’ve done for myself. I sewed these both together easily in one afternoon. It was super fun and I was so happy with how well it turned out! I love the slender fit of the shorts and the comfy fit of the raglan tee. I want to make one with elbow length sleeves next. I think I have another maxi skirt perfect for this too. It’s always such a nice feeling to be able to repurpose some clothes in my closet. Especially when it makes a nice matching outfit like this. 

Happy Sewing & Refashioning my Friends,

Koe

Here’s some more info on the Spearmint Set:

The Spearmint Set is both the shorts set and pajama pattern of your dreams! Our customers told us that they most love to sleep in knit tops and woven bottoms, and the Spearmint Set (formerly the Peppermint PJs) delivers, along with being a shorts set perfect for summer. This is possibly our most versatile pattern!

Spearmint features: 

• Slim fit. Neither snug nor overly loose, for comfortable sleep and minimal bunching
• Raglan knit top
• Cap sleeve, elbow sleeve and long sleeve options
• Elastic-waist woven bottoms with front pockets and back patch pockets
• Shorts and long length options – including two shorter lengths and a longer Bermuda shorts length
• Long cuffs provide cute contrast
• Leave off cuff and use hem for capri length pants

Sizes:

Women’s XXS-3X (bust 30-53″, hips 33-55″)

The Spearmint includes:

• Separate pattern files for top and pants. Each pattern includes:
• 22 pages of illustrated instructions, including pattern-specific directions for personalizing fit
• 22 pages (top) and 27 pages (pants) of printable pattern pieces, with a print list so you print only what you need for your desired size/style. Also includes copy shop files with pages formatted for 36″ wide or A0 size paper

Large Format Print Option