Dressmaking fun!

A bit of background first... we began making these little t-shirt dresses a couple of years ago for some of our little girl friends. They were absolutely taken with them and so were their moms. So, we love this concept of a quick dress for a little girl to play in. And they are pretty simple to make! Could you ask much more out of a piece of clothing? With these you can.... We like to think of it as a way of reusing something that seems to be lifeless. Make these cute, fun dresses with a t-shirt that's streched out at the bottom... or a t-shirt's that has a stain on the lower half of it... or out of a t-shirt that's too short. Make up your mind, find an old shirt, and jump right in!!

Simple T-Shirt Dress

Step 1:: Grab a t-shirt! Measure from your girl's shoulder to where you'd like her dress to stop. Next, decide how long you'd like the t-shirt part of the dress to be. Measure all the way across (from the bottom to the cutting area is easier) and lightly mark with a pencil, and cut. Note: make sure you leave approx. 1/4" seam allowance! (We like to make our dresses slightly empire waist. Usually for a bigger girl the t-shirt part is about 9"-10".)

Step 2:: Now you need to cut the skirt part out of the fabric of your choice. Do so by taking the measurement of the finished length of the dress, subtracting the length of your cut off shirt, and adding seam allowances of 2" total (this will allow room for the hem as well.) For a small girl use only one width of fabric; for a bigger girl use two. It also depends on how full you want it.

Step 3:: Sew  twill tape to bottom of t-shirt to help prevent stretching. Mark sides and middles on the front and back of your t-shirt with pins.

Step 4:: Sew the skirt together at the side seams. (For a smaller girl you may only sew one seam.) Finish with a zigzag or serge stitch. Now sew a gathering stitch around the top of the skirt. Mark sides and middles on front and back with pins.

Step 5:: Pin t-shirt and skirt right sides together by pulling up gathering stitches to fit. Sew at 1/4". Finish with a zigzag or serge stitch.

Step 6:: Mark up hem at 1 1/2". Press. Turn raw edge in to meet crease and pin. Press again. Stitch.

Step 7:: Iron skirt one last time. Stand back and admire!

T-shirt: Lands End

Skirt fabric: Amy Butler's Midwest Modern (yellow martini)

We'd love to see pictures of your simple t-shirt dresses! You can send them to us here.

Comments

[Lisa Sharp]

Your blogs always make me want a sewing machine! :)

There is a giveaway on my blog right now you girls may like. :)

[flower girl dress patterns]

Hi! I enjoyed reading your post. I’ve been looking around for such material as I’m starting my blog on flower girl dresses. I’ll be waiting for the updates.

[Elizabeth]

Hello Ladies!
My grandmother and I just finished making one of these special and simple T-Shirt Dresses today!
Thank you for this helpful and enjoyable post!
Joyfully in Jesus,
Elizabeth