Monday, September 28, 2009

refashioned:: t-shirt to little girls top- version two

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i promised a few of you a tutorial for the girls ruffle neck refashion- i finally did it! this top is slightly different but was constructed the same way. i hope it is clear enough. feel free to ask if you are unsure of anything. thanks for reading!

the before:

before: old navy t-shirt i bought for $4 several months ago.


pin the shoulders and the sides where you want the seams to be (this works better if your shirt is turned inside out- that way when you are ready to sew the seams you don't have to mess with moving the pins from the outside to the inside).


cut off the sleeves.


sew the shoulder seams and cut off the excess. do the same for the side seams. don't forget to save the scraps from the sides!


check the fit.


cut the banded neckline off. now we are ready for the fun part!


with elastic thread in the bobbin (hand wound- i stretch mine a little as i wind it) and the shirt right side out sew all the way around the neckline about a 1/4" from the edge. (actually, i didn't sew over the elastic casing on the center front but on a plain shirt you would sew all the way around) also i always start out shirring on a piece of scrap fabric because sometimes the elastic makes my machine jam. once i know it is sewing correctly i start on the garment.


shirred neckline.


check fit again (at this point Sutton was saying "why i put this shirt on 'gain mom?"


pin sleeves- the underside seam and where it will attach to the shoulder.


mark on the sleeve where the shoulder seam will be.


sew underarm seam and trim excess from where the shoulder seam will be (don't forget to account for a seam allowance).

make strips from the side scraps. mine are the width of my ruler about 1.5".

four strips ready for shirring.


with the elastic thread sew down the center of your strips feeding them in one after the other without stopping (you can also overlap the ends of the strips if you want). you are now done with the elastic thread- change out the bobbin for regular thread.


one long ruffle.


attach the sleeves.


pin the ruffle around the neckline having the edge of the ruffle extend past the edge of neckline. sew, trying to stay on the existing shirring stitch.


with the remaining ruffle make two more rows. pin.

sew down the center of each ruffle along the existing shirring seam.


done!!



here it is modeled by my happy girl.









part of DIY day at A Soft Place to Land.

32 comments:

Shanda McKeehan said...

I LOVE IT! And I love the in-action shots of Sutton as the model, plus it really helps.

Maggi said...

That is the cutest result ever! Thanks for sharing the "how to", now I just have to stop being afraid of my sewing machine and actually use it! lol

Mrs. (not) the Jet Set said...

Some how you keep blowing me away with all your cool sewing projects.

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

That ruffle makes ALL the difference. I can't wait to look around your blog a little more!

carrie said...

I don't have kids yet {& I've never commented here before} but that is super cute! Great job!!

Jenn Bennett said...

Wow! I love this! You are so good! I agree with Shanda, the shots of Sutton modeling while you make the shirt make a big difference in being able to understand how the shirt is made.

Mama Thompson said...

That is so cute! I keep wanting to try the ruffle thing, but I am afraid....I don't know why...what's the worst that can happen...I ruin a cheap or old shirt...silly! If you're interested...I'm having a giveaway over at mamathompson.blogspot.com..

Thanks for sharing all your amazing ideas...I love reading them...

Anonymous said...

That is incredibly adorable! I LOVE it!
pk @ room remix

Mauri said...

Thank you so much! I absolutely love this shirt. I can't wait to make one for my little girl. I just went through my closest and I've got a pile of stuff to refashion. Thank you again for the fabulous tutorial. I think you did a great job at explaining and the pictures really helped.

Julie said...

WOW amazing!
I was wondering if you take the elastic bobbin out when you sew the ruffle to the shirt. I would think yes, but I've never used it in a bobbin before so I don't know.
thanks for great instructions! I hope to try this out, and I hope my daughter will wear what i make.

Steph @ Steph Runs On said...

I love the tutorial, thank you for posting it!! I can't wait to give it at try!!

Erin said...

julie- yes, after shirring the strips you are done with the elastic thread. i edited the post to say that. thanks!!

jen said...

you are a natural teacher, e! this tutorial even makes me think I could possibly make this and have it turn out cute enough to wear. Sutton modeling is so so cute. I love the black leggings with it, she's so hip! :)

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

I hate to sew... but if I ever get a grand daughter, you can bet I'll be making some of these!
sew cute! (pun intended)
gail

Vickie Lentz said...

WOW!! That was great!

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

So cute! It makes me want to try to sew.

Steph said...

this is cute enough to make me consider talking my husband into trying for a girl...

very well done. I love it!

Green Me Alison said...

Adorable! Makes me wish I had a little girl to make one for! Now you just need to come up with a way to re-purpose men's polo shirts. I've got at least 3 of my husband's that I shrunk (unintentionally) and they now fit me, but are totally unattractive!

Nicole said...

So cute...Love it!

Mandy said...

So, so cute!
The shirt, too ;)
Seriously, your daughter is adorable. TFS!

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

super cute!

Anonymous said...

Awesome work! It turned out so cute :) I'm new to sewing and very impressed!!!

Grace @ One Craft Girl's Corner said...

Fabulous! I really need to get going on my sewing projects. I just cleaned out my closet and now have piles of clothes I can do a "redo" with. Help!

Ticking and Toile said...

Very cute!!!!! You are very talented!

Shellagh

Petit Elefant said...

I can't handle the fabulous! Will you come live by me and teach me to do those things? I'll give you makeup tips {doubt you need them, I'm just trying to pimp myself here} and you can teach me to refashion my thrift store finds?

Sounds like heaven. Love the shirt.

Tanner Cangelosi said...

this is too precious...I need to learn how to work my sewing machine.

Molly said...

Oh Erin, you make it look so easy. Maybe I'll give it a try.

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

THat is so cute!

Unknown said...

aaack! So cute! I really want to try some of these.

jacque4u2c said...

Just gorgeous!!!! I can tell she was much happier with the end result and not the process results. ;o)

molly said...

this is really incredible! wow.

Unknown said...

That is the cutest result ever! Thanks for sharing the "how to", now I just have to stop being afraid of my sewing machine and actually use it! lol

Funny Teeshirts

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