Easy Peasy Tee Shirt Dress

And for my next trick, I will turn this tee shirt into a dress!

While browsing the clearance table at Target I came across this tee for $1. I couldn't pass up a bargain like that, so I bought it (and a pink one just like it) in hopes of turning it into something pretty for the babe to wear.

When nap time rolled around today I put the monsters children down, pulled this lovely fabric quarter out of my stash, and got to sewing! This is a very simple sewing project that can easily be completed in a short amount of time. (Which is definitely how I would describe the lengths of nap times these days. Sigh.)



Materials:

Tee shirt (size 6 month)
Fabric quarter
Coordinating thread
Basic sewingsupplies

How It's Made

First, iron your fabric and cut in half down the length. You may need to trim it up a bit to get straight edges on each side.

Next, lay the two pieces on top of each other, right sides together, and sew down the short side on one side. This will give you one continuous piece of fabric for the skirt.

Folding the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together, sew down the length using a 1/4" seam allowance. 

Turn the fabric right side out and press the seam so that the fabric will stay folded in half.

Next, set your sewing machine to the widest stitch setting (mine is 5) and make a running stitch down the length of your seam using a 1/2" seam allowance. Make sure you do not enforce your stitches by back stitching, you will need your ends loose.

Holding one string, begin bunching the fabric until it is roughly half the length you started with. (I determined this length by measuring the width of the hem of the shirt. Bigger shirts may require more than one fabric quarter.)

Line up the running stitch with the seam on the hem of the shirt and sew the skirt onto the shirt, leaving one inch at the start and 2 inches at the end. You can pin it if you want. I found it easy enough to see that I was keeping it lined up.

To finish the skirt, turn it inside out and fold the raw edges in about 1/4".  Line the two edges up and sew them together, being sure to enforce you stitches. Turn it right side out and sew the last few inches down to the hem of the shirt.

Now remove the running stitch. This step is actually optional. I did it because it's no longer necessary to hold it together and doesn't look as nice as a closer stitch.

To finish it off, stitch another time around the skirt about 1/8" below the first. This gives it a little more enforcement and a more finished look.

Easy! And not a bad use of a $1 clearance find, if I do say so myself!

My model is currently still sleeping so I'll have to add some pictures of her wearing it later!