Cuteness Ladies T to Toddler Dress

Every once a while my husband turns on the show "Hoarders". Watching this show makes me want to go shopping! Generally I will see something on the show that a hoarder possesses and tell him how much I like it and I should get out and buy one. NOT the reaction my sweet husband was going for.

So, to make sure I don't end up on this eery show, it's high time I went through my clothes and sorted out stuff I won't be wearing again.

I found this TShirt last weekend and decided it had to go. It was Goodwill or my sewing room.

(No, my ego is healthy but not quite evolved to the point where I would have bought this shirt for myself. It was a gift.)

I decided that while I personally couldn't pull off the slogan, I know someone in the house who could. So this shirt was rescued from the Goodwill pile and subjected to my scissors.

I turned it into this:

Here's how I did it!

(Perhaps this way of doing things is not the best way, but if you have suggestions I am willing to learn! My next move is to purchase some TShirt refashioning patterns, but just playing is fun right now))

First, I laid a dress of my little girl's over it, lining up the necklines. I used a dress that is worn over a shirt, so the armholes are large.

Then, using a water soluble marker, traced around the arm holes and bottom of the dress onto the TShirt.

In an effort to cut each side the same, before cutting, I folded the shirt in half lengthwise with an effort to line up the drawn marks as much as possible.

And cut. Cut through all 4 layers of fabric so each side should end up mirroring the cut of the other side.

I held off on cutting the bottom edge at first. I had plans to make ruffles from the excess length.

At this point, turn the cut shirt inside out and sew the new side seams together. I don't know why I didn't take a picture but this is a simple step, right?!

If I had a serger, that is what I would have used. But I don't have one. So I did an overlock stitch. I also stitched an overlock stitch around the armholes. Serging them would be brill. My overlock stitch looks just ok. (I just ordered a new foot for my sewing machine to use with an overlock stitch. We'll see what it does!) I think next time I will fold the armholes under and stitch a little hem around them for a more finished look. You could also just leave the arm holes as is. The TShirt fabric doesn't fray.

Now for the ruffle. I laid down a ruler and drew lines with the marker, 1' wide.

I got three strips of pink TShirt fabric from the bottom of the shirt. After getting the ruffle fabric strips, I considered the correct length of the dress and cut it accordingly.

These had to be sewn together to make one long continuous strip.

Then the fun ruffling part! I set my machine to a wide baste stitch, and turned the tension up the highest it will go. The result, is that the fabric comes off the mahine perfectly ruffled! No pulling threads or adjusting ruffle thickness. It's done! Magic!

Love the ruffle!

Now my absolute least favorite part of sewing. (2nd is cutting) is pinning. But alas, pins are a necessity at this step. Pin the ruffle to the bottom of the dress.

The goal with this pinning is to get the middle of the ruffle about 1/2 in from the bottle of the hem.



Once pinned, time to sew. I used a zigzag stitch in the middle of the ruffle, removing pins as I went.

Spritz off any remaning marker lines and you have a cute statement dress for an unbelievably cute kid.

Can't stop staring. At her unbelievable cuteness.

Apparently this is a good dress to get completely sopping wet playing in a sink outside.

Later skaters,

Janimal

http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/