bistro to boho – the DIY lace top

How gorgeous did this turn out?!

Can ya figure out what that beauteous boho creation once was?

Make your own in about an hour with a lil’ something pinched from a 1950’s cafe…

Grab a lovely lacy vintage bistro curtain that comfortably wraps around your body with some to spare (charity shops are bursting with ’em!)

starting at one end, wrap it loosely around your chest & fold right sides together

chop off the excess fabric & set it aside for now

hop over to your machine & stitch the raw edges of your ‘body-piece’ together to form a tube

lay your tube on a flat surface wrong side out with the seam centered at the back

snag a comfy, loose t-shirt & center it at the top of the fabric tube & mark the sides of the neckline with a couple of pins…

stitch in from each side of your fabric tube towards each pin to create the shoulders & neckline of your new top

tuck the sleeves of the t-shirt inside & once again center it on top of the fabric tube then, using the t-shirt as a guide, chop out  an armhole on one side of the fabric tube

fold your almost-done top in half & chop out the other armhole following the edge of the first

grab the remaining fabric you originally set aside & slice it in half to create your sleeves (depending on the size of your bistro curtain you may have to get creative with your cutting or simply make a sleeveless top)

sew each piece into a tube

and you have some fancy sleeves to add to your top

pop ’em into the armholes, right sides facing & stitch together

as my sleeves were creatively cut I stitched the last remaining curtain lace bits to each sleeve hem to create an illusion of symmetry – the hemline of one sleeve was the top of the curtain & the other was the bottom so they looked completely different

slip into your glorious new top, pop on your bell bottoms & get to know your inner-hippie!

Discover all of my upcycled fashion tutorials here then check out my E-courses right over here:

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13 Comments

  1. Yeay!!! I love it and definitley will try this.

    1. Danke Nina! If you make one be sure to share your version on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsofaRefashionista

  2. This is one of my favorite projects of yours.. absolutely gorgeous!

  3. Super awesome! I saw some table cloths in a similar crochet style at a thrift store and had an urge to buy them, but didn’t. Maybe now I will 🙂
    Zhenya
    http://beingzhenya.com

    1. Spasibo Zhenya! Next time your thrifting grab those crocheted table cloths & curtains, they not only make lovely tops but are super simple to sew into funky skirts as well! ;O)

      1. And if I dye it a different color I think it’ll be pretty amazing too 🙂
        Have a good weekend!

        1. Fabulous idea! I’ll definitely be dying my next vintage curtain project! =O)

  4. Just beautiful! I have a couple of lacy curtains that would work great … I’ll try it sooner or later! 🙂

    1. Grazie Anna! Mi mandi una fotografia quando fa quel che! =O)

  5. This truly is awesome sauce and a great inspiration! Lacy table cloths are always on my thrift store radar.

    1. Thanks Bekka…it’s sooo easy to make too!

  6. Heather R. says:

    How very, very cool! Thanks- this kind of curtain turns up at the thrift stores ALL of the time, here!

    1. I’m thrilled with the result…and the curtain fabric is surprisingly soft too! =O)

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