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If you like the coziness of wearing a T-shirt, then you’re going to love making that T-shirt into a dress. It feels like cheating, because it is like wearing your pajamas out in public and getting away with it. You’ll never look at used items the same way again! Try to find fabrics of similar content and weight so that the fabric is consistent where they meet at the waist.
Excerpted with permission from The Fashion Encyclopedia: A Visual Resource for Terms, Techniques, and Styles
Supplies:
A T-shirt that fits your upper body and is at least as long as your natural waist
A T-shirt that is at least a few inches wider than your hip
11⁄2 yds (1.4 m) elastic, 1⁄2 in (1.25 cm) wide
Thread
80/12 or 70/11 ball-point needles for sewing knit fabrics
Upcycled 2 T-Shirt Dress
Step 1
Measure down from the shoulder to where you want
the skirt to be attached. Add 1⁄2 in (1.25 cm) to the
measurement for the seam allowance for sewing
on the skirt, then draw a line across the T-shirt at
this point. Cut along the line drawn to create the top half
of the T-shirt dress. Discard the lower half of the T-shirt.
Step 2
On the T-shirt to be used for the skirt portion, draw a line across the shirt just under the sleeve. Cut along that line to create the bottom half of the dress. Measure the opening at the bottom of the top and add 1 in (2.5 cm) to this measurement. Cut a piece of elastic to this length. Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1⁄2 in (1.25 cm) and sew them together with a zigzag stitch. Go back and forth a few times to secure the join.
Step 4
Insert the circle of elastic into the top of the skirt.
Divide the top of the skirt portion into four equal parts and pin the elastic in place at each spot.
Select a zigzag stitch and insert the elastic and skirt into your machine at one of the pinned spots. Lower the presser foot and sink the needle into the elastic. Stretch the elastic from the needle to the first pin, matching the length of the skirt. Sew your way around the whole skirt, keeping the zigzag stitches near the top of the elastic so that there is a little room to the left of the stitches on the elastic.
Step 5
After you’ve gone all the way around, the skirt will be gathered up into the elastic and ready to be attached to the top half of the dress.
Step 6
Turn the skirt right side out and the top half wrong side
out. Slip the skirt portion through the neck opening and
line up the raw edges around the top of the skirt and the
bottom of the top. Because the elastic was cut to fit the
top, the skirt should now be the same size as the top.
Pin in place.
Step 7
Just underneath the zigzag stitching, but remaining on the elastic, stitch the skirt to the top with a straight stitch. Because the elastic has been gathered with the zigzag, the straight stitches will not snap when the dress is put on or taken off.
Step 8
Enjoy your beautiful new dress!
Excerpted with permission from The Fashion Encyclopedia: A Visual Resource for Terms, Techniques, and Styles
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