Men's Dress Shirt Apron DIY

Turn an old men's dress shirt into a stylish apron with the quick and easy DIY pattern. Sew or no sew...that's up to you.


I'm not exactly sure when my apron obsession began, but at this point, I don't think that really matters. I just know I'm hooked.

There's something very romantic about the idea of cooking with an apron tied around your waist.

Perhaps, it brings me back to my childhood, when everyone cooked with an apron and a set of pearls.

Well, whatever the psychology behind it may be, the fact remains that I've become an apron aficionado and, lately, I've been making them on a regular basis out of some unorthodox materials.

My most recent creation involves and an upcycled men's dress shirt.

I'd seen this one online, in various forms, for a few years and always wanted to try it. Then last fall, I found this men's dress shirt at the thrift store.

Of course, it's taken me several months to find the time to transform it.


All in all, it was very quick DIY. I think it took me about fifteen minutes, including the stitching.

If you don't sew and you like the idea, you could use iron on tape or fabric glue to hem your ragged edges.

Either way, the results will be the same.

One day, I'll have to do a non-sewing tutorial, since so many people ask about it, but you can get the idea, from my skirted chair makeover if you're curious.

In the meantime, let's get back to this apron, shall we?

How To Make A Dress Shirt Apron

Now, as I said, these aprons are all over the place online.

I'm sure there are great patterns out there, but I'm a wing it kind of girl, so here's what I did and it worked out very well.

The key here is to find a shirt that's large enough and long enough to fit as a full apron. My shirt was a men's 3 XL.

1. Cut Off The Sleeves

I began by cutting the sleeves off the shirt.

I cut as close to the seam as I could get. I wasn't really all that careful, because I knew the back was going to be cut away completely.

I also didn't make myself my crazy about a super straight edge on the front, since I was going to cut that away, when I shaped the apron.

2. Cut The Seams At The Shoulders

Next, I began the process of removing the back panel of the shirt, by cutting the seams at the shoulders.

Again, I wasn't too fussy about these cuts. I sat on the floor, listening to a little James Taylor with my trusty Fiskars.

I didn't have a rotary cutter or board. I just snipped along the straight seams and stopped at the neck.

3. Cut Away The Fabric From Collar

Which lead us to my next step...removing the back panel of the shirt, by carefully cutting the last of the fabric away from the back collar at the seam.

Keep in mind that the back collar usually has a very strong support, so it's easy to get very close to the seam and if you do it properly, you won't need to hem anything.

Just cut and go...

4. Creating The Apron Shape

I don't believe in reinventing the wheel.

I'm also a crafty cheater, so when it came time to cut the shirt so it would fit properly as an apron, I grabbed the bunny apron I made earlier this year, and used it as my pattern.

While the men's shirt was considerably larger than my dish towel apron, I folded both of them in half, set the the bunnies on top of the dress shirt and used it as a guide.

5. Stitching It Up

The final steps in my process involved the sewing machine.

I was too busy stitching to take pictures, but basically, I cut about a half an inch above my pencil line.

Then I rolled the fabric over twice and ironed it down to create a finished seam and stitched it up.

I repeated the process along the sides -where I separated the back of the shirt from the front - to create clean edges there, as well.

Then I added two ribbons so I could tie it closed and I was done!

It was infinitely more feminine as an apron than a shirt.

I knew that the gingham pattern would be perfect for spring and summer barbecuing. I actually can't wait to put it on.

Not bad for four bucks and fifteen minutes, huh?

**UPDATE** I decorated it for July 4th with a little bit of paint!


Now, one last thing before I go.

IF you wanted to make this a dress, rather than an apron, it's an easy fix. Just leave that back panel in place.

Don't remove it at the collar and cut the back and front into the apron shape. You could also make it into a halter dress, but that would require a little more finagling.

Like removing the top of the back panel from the collar to the waist.

Or like me, you could just throw your apron on over a tank top and shorts and you'll look like you're wearing a darling dress.

Much easier.

Just don't forget the pearls.