How To Make The Ultimate Upcycled Button-Up, Puffy Sleeve Top

Hiiii! I am so glad you’re here for this upcycled puffy sleeve top tutorial! I am unbelievably excited about the end result. We not only managed to upcycle a thrifted men’s button-up – using up the leftover material from another project – but we’ll also be busting through some scrap fabrics today.

You don’t need a lot of scrap material for this project. If you went for an even more patchy vibe by piecing small scraps together to create your bias tape and ties that would be a cool look too. Or patch-working the body and pockets would be great! I would love to see what you come up with out of your fabric scraps!

Anyway…are you excited? I’m excited! Let’s get into it!

This post may include affiliate links.

Please read my disclaimer page for more info.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Approximate time put into this project: 2 Weeks with 2-4 hours put in every other day. It probably shouldn’t take that long to make, I was just being a perfectionist with this project.

Disclaimer: I am trying to teach myself the Metric System. I will try to always include both measurements in my tutorials, i.e. centimeters and inches, meters, and yards. I have been using them interchangeably in my everyday sewing life lately, sorry if I switch between the two too often or forget to include them both. Thanks for understanding!

Cutting & Designing Your Blouse Pieces

Start by carefully seam-ripping all parts of your button-up top and any other materials you’re using. Personally, I prefer to use a pair of sewing snips to get this job done. I find it to be a lot more comfortable on my hand and easier to get in and snip all the threads apart between the seams.

This process can take time, as you want to maximize the available fabric, especially if you’re working with half a shirt like I am. It took me two days to do this. Using sewing snips does make this process go a little faster for me, as opposed to a traditional seam ripper, but maybe that’s just my personal experience with a seam ripper.

I’m curious, which one do you prefer?

After seam ripping, I discovered that taking the pieces of the button-up top and turning them gave me almost everything I needed to create the body of my puffy sleeve top. In the picture on the right, you can see that I used the two layers of the yoke, turning them vertically instead of the original horizontal direction. I did the same with the sleeves. This is my main design inspo for the layout of my blouse.

Now let’s get into the details below so you can see how I cut this for my size.

Fold your reference shirt in half and experiment with your available pieces to determine the shapes you can make. As I mentioned above, I utilized the yoke to form the front and back pieces of my puffy sleeve top.

Before trimming anything play with all of your pieces to ensure the top will be wide enough to wrap around your chest. Remember to add the necessary curve for the armhole, as well as seam allowance. The top will be a bit patchworky as we’re working with scraps and limited materials, but if we’re careful with the sewing process we can make it look professional and intentional.

If you’re using the yoke for the top as well, don’t cut it apart at the shoulder, there’s no reason to add a seam here.

When you design the back, try not to move any of the front pieces. Notice how in the picture on the right of the front of the blouse, because of how I’ve placed the yoke for the front, the back will be at a different angle. You’ll need to cut a piece for the back to fill the gap.

Cutting Everything Else

For the sleeves, on the fold, cut two to your desired length and width. The more height you can get, the puffier the sleeves will be. Remember to match the armpit curve on your top when cutting.

I didn’t have enough fabric left to cut my sleeves, so I repurposed two sleeves I cut too short from a previous project. If you want the extra ruffle I added midway through the sleeve, add an extra 2″ (5cm) to the total length.

For the sleeve cuffs, cut two strips of fabric that are 2″ (5cm), tall on fold. The length needs to be the width of your arm/wrist (at wherever the cuff is going to sit) plus 1″ (3cm).

You will also need to cut two small strips of fabric to create a matching bias tape to your sleeve. The length will about 8″ – 10″ (20cm – 26cm) and 1.50″ (4cm) tall.

NOTE: Don’t have enough leftover fabric to make your puffy sleeve in the desired length or with the desired width? Jump to “A Sleeve Detour” below to see some changes I made to the sleeve design.

Lastly, remember to cut two pockets and some bias tape to go with it. You will also need bias tape to go around your entire puffy sleeve top, I cut mine after sewing the top as my material was limited.

Sewing The Main Body

First, assemble the front and back pieces, but wait to attach the yoke/shoulder pieces to the back of the blouse. At this point, you’ll want to sew the front half of the yoke to the turned sleeve and your added side armpit pieces. Sew the back pieces together as well, just not the back yoke part. After sewing, zig-zag stitch or overlock the raw edges, press with an iron, and topstitch for a perfect finish.

After the main body pieces were assembled I found some tiny holes from seam ripping and repaired them by hand.

To attach the yoke/shoulder pieces to the back of the puffy sleeve top, first finish the raw top edge of the center back piece with a zig-zag stitch or by overclocking. Yes, I know, my center back piece is awkward looking, that’s the material we had left to work with and it won’t be seen, so no biggie.

Before pinning, you’ll need to find the top of your shoulder. Since we don’t have a shoulder seam, I recommend draping the front over your shoulder and putting a pin where it hits. Next line up the neckline with the neckline on the center back, you can see this in the middle photo, as well as the pin I put for the “shoulder seam.” At this point, put a pin where the bottom of the yoke piece curve should hit, see the first photo.

Pin the yoke pieces in place, ensuring everything lines up evenly on both sides before sewing. You’ll notice in the second photo I folded the edge under by .50″ (1cm) before pinning. You’ll want to topstitch two lines for a secure finish. Make sure you start with the line closest to the folded edge.

At this point, the body is pretty much done. Now is a good time to customize the neckline or add additional fabric to the side seams for a baggier fit if needed.

Sewing the Sleeves

Because of the next section, I think I should start this one off by saying, please try on your puffy sleeve top before you sew your sleeves in place. Mainly to confirm that A) the main body fits, and B) to confirm you like where the shoulder sits.

Okay, disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into sewing the sleeves into the top.

To create the ruffle in the middle of the sleeve, measure from your shoulder point down to where you want the ruffle to sit. Create a straight line and fold the fabric accordingly, pressing with your iron. I used pins to mark how far down I wanted the ruffle to start, then created a second row of pins 1″ (3cm) above that as seen in the first photo. Fold the sleeve at the first, lower row of pins and remove them as you press it with your iron.

Next, fold your fabric over like in the second picture and remove the second row of pins as you create that 1″ (3cm) fold.

Now pin along the 1″ (3cm) fold to keep the crease in place. Then you can unfold the sleeve so it lies flat like in the third photo. Repeat this on the second sleeve.

Then you’ll want to sew two rows of gathering stitches along the bottom edge of the fold we created. Since my fabric was see-through, I top-stitched as close to the edge as possible. The closer your gathering stitches are to each other, the more ruffle you’ll have at the fold.

Moving to the bottom of your sleeve, find the edge that points toward the back of the top. Measure 2.5″ (6cm) in from the edge and cut a straight line into your top that is 2.75″ (7cm) long.

Take the small piece of bias tape you cut out of your sleeve fabric and fold it in half with wrong sides facing. Then fold the raw edges to the inside, fold the strip in half, and press. As shown in the second photo, take your piece and pin it around the opening, sandwiching the raw edge inside. Sew a straight stitch to secure it in place, straightening the fabric as you cross over the tip of the V, then continuing your stitch. Trim your piece to fit.

To finish, on the wrong side of the fabric, fold the tip of the V together and sew a little straight stitch at the tip. This will help the opening to sit nicer.

Fold your top in half and find the top of the shoulder, mark with a pin.

Sew a row of gathering stitches along the top edge of the sleeve. Fold the sleeve to find the top center of the sleeve and mark it with a pin. Pin the sleeve into the shoulder with good sides facing, lining up the two pins at the middle of the shoulder first. Distribute the gathers evenly across the shoulder, and sew it in place, finishing the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch or by overclocking.

Adjust the gathers on the ruffle in the middle of the sleeve so the width of the sleeve isn’t too small. Pin up the side seams and sleeves, sew in place, and finish the raw edge.

Fold the cuff pieces in half with the good sides facing in. Pin the two sides, then sew them together, but don’t sew all the way to the edge, leave .50″ (1cm) unsewn. Turn each cuff right side out. Press with your iron then fold the edges in by .50″ (1cm) and iron it.

Gather the bottom edge of your sleeve to the desired width, matching the cuff width. On the wrong side of the fabric, pin the cuff around the sleeve opening, making sure to open the ironed edge and stitch in the crease. Finish the raw edge with a zig-zag stitch or by overlocking. Fold the cuff over to the right side of the fabric and pin in place, making sure the folded edge is tucked under. Sew two straight stitch lines to secure the cuff in place.

A Sleeve Detour

If you…

• Don’t have enough fabric to cut a complete sleeve in your desired width or length, this section is for you.
• Or, if you did have enough material for your sleeve, you sewed it into your top and then decided you didn’t like the shoulder width – ahem…me. If you’ve seam-ripped your sleeve and cut the shoulder angle again but realized the sleeve won’t fit quite right now…this section is for you me.

I’m here to say, if you’ve still got a pile of scrap fabrics in the same fabric (or a complimentary color) as the rest of your sleeve, we’ve still got options.

Whether you’re trying to find enough fabric to make the sleeve in the first place, or are fixing a messed up sleeve. Here’s how we can fix the problem. If you’re not seam-ripping a previously sewn sleeve, follow the same steps, but ignore the removal parts.

I started by seam-ripping my sleeve and cutting the new shoulder line. I didn’t have enough material to make a brand new sleeve, but found one piece big enough to cut two matching pieces on fold in my scraps. This piece was also taller than my previous sleeve and gave me an extra 3″ (8cm) above the shoulder! This means I can make an even puffier sleeve than before. Score!

When you cut the top half of your sleeve, make sure you match your new shoulder line and cut this on fold. Remember the taller your piece is the better your ruffles/gathers will be.

After you’ve cut the new top of your sleeve, you’ll need to cut apart the sleeve you’ve already sewn. Unless you’re not fixing a sleeve oops. If you’re piecing two pieces together to create your sleeve, you’ll need to cut two pieces for each sleeve. For the top half follow the steps in this section. For the bottom half, follow the cuff instructions in the previous section.

NOTE: You can make your sleve up of a bunch of smaller pieces patchworked into a long rectangle if you don’t have enough fabric for a full sleeve. You can patchwork together one huge rectangle in the height and width you want for a full sleeve. Or piece together two smaller rectangles like we’re doing in this section.

Since I didn’t want to redo the cuff I made on the previous sleeve, and I only needed to replace the shoulder part, I cut the top half of my sleeve off just below the ruffle in the middle of the sleeve.

To sew them together and create one sleeve, you’ll need to follow the ruffle instructions in the previous sleeve tutorial section. The instructions for folding and ironing will be exactly the same, except you’ll need to create the fold .50″ (1cm) above the bottom raw edge. Make sure you leave .50″ (1cm) at the bottom edge so we can attach the two sleeve pieces together later. You can see this in the middle photo above.

Sew your two rows of gathering stitches the same as before, along the bottom edge of the ruffle. Likewise, sew a line of gathering stitches along the top of the shoulder. Gather the shoulder seam to fit the circumference of your shoulder. Gather the bottom half to fit the cuff half of the sleeve into it. I usually leave an extra 2cm width then tie off the strings.

Now pin the sleeve together good sides facing and sew it closed. Finish the raw edge.

Nestle the two sleeve pieces inside each other with good sides facing. Pin them in place along that extra .50″ (1cm) edge we left, and sew them together. Finish the raw edge with a zig-zag stitch or by overclocking. Optionally you can sew a topstitch to hold the raw edge in place, ensuring the raw edge is secure. If you sew this right up next to that ruffle, you can’t even tell that the sleeve is made up of two pieces.

Finally, pin the sleeve into the top, with good sides facing, making sure to line up the armpit seam. Then sew the sleeve in place.

Last Steps

To finish this puffy sleeve top, we’ll need to do the following:

• Sew a buttonhole on each cuff and hand-sew your buttons in place
  • Learn how in this post, section six
• Add the pockets to the front of the blouse
• Trim any bottom edges if the curves don’t flow smoothly
• Sew the bias tape around the bottom, front, and neckline – add your ties!
• Finish everything with a firm press with your iron

To prepare the ties and bias tape for the puffy sleeve top, iron each strip by folding it in half with the wrong sides facing. Then fold the two raw edges inside and give it a press. Finally, fold the strip of fabric closed, concealing the raw edges inside. Or you can use something like a bias tape maker for this if you prefer.

Take the ties for the front of your top and sew along the raw edge. Fold the raw edge at the start and end of the strap to the inside before you sew it in place. Repeat these steps with your other ties.

Sew your bias tape in place, pinning if needed. Remember to add your ties to the center front. I recommend you try on the top first to determine where you want them to sit. When the two ends of your bias tape meet, you will need to pin them together, good sides facing and sew your tape into a loop. It’s best to wait to sew them together until you’ve reached this spot in your sewing. After you sew them together, simply cut off the extra, fold the tape in place and sew it down.

For the pockets, fold the top edge over twice, and sew it down. Then sandwich the other three sides in between your bias tape and stitch it to the pocket. Pin the pockets to the front of your blouse and sew two rows of stitches to secure it in place. If possible, sew one of the rows directly on top of the row of stitches you sewed to secure the bias tape.

A note on my “bias tape”:

You should utilize leftover bias tape or lightweight cotton for this step! I repurposed an unused thrifted skirt and cut where the fabric was biggest, not specifically “on the bias”. You’ll want 3cm – 4cm wide strips. This gave me enough material to cover the entire puffy sleeve top, with 2″ to spare! Consider using something like a bias tape maker to speed up this process.

Be mindful of material thickness; my denim skirt proved challenging due to its stretchiness and thickness when folded. A frustrating mistake – but she’s still cute. While sewing, I encountered difficulty pinning the thick fabric neatly. After completion, a thorough ironing session improved the overall appearance.

Keep in mind that bulky ties may hinder the front closure.

Finished Results

I am so, so happy with how this top turned out! What do you think?

I hope this post inspired you to think outside the box and get creative with your scrap fabrics.

I would love to see your finished project if you make this. Tag and/or DM me on Instagram @doorsandfloorsblog so I can see what you make! Remember to use the hashtag #DoorsAndFloorsBlog

Explore other recent posts:

• What You Should Know About Your Money Before Moving Abroad
• More Great Sewing Projects To Use Up Leftover Fabric
• How To Successfully Make $0.00 Online While Working A 9-5
• How To Make A Satin Lined Beanie From Fabric Scraps
• The Most Important Travel Items For Your Next Trip

Find us on social media!

P.S. Looking for a fun activity you can do with a friend while working on tedious crafty tasks, download our free trivia here.

Playing trivia is a great way to keep your mind active and have fun with your crafty friends and family while busting out those seam ripping, crocheting, and other time-consuming, but necessary, crafty tasks.