Tee Shirt to Ruffle Skirt Tutorial

Ruffles are everywhere right now, and they're so much fun!!Here is a quick and easy way to refashion some  old tee shirts (In this case, some of Daddy's that he won't stop wearing even though they're falling apart) and make something cute, fun,  and new for your little girl.  When Seleia decided to be a Rock Star for the parade this year, she didn't exactly have any clothes that fit the bill, so in under an hour we whipped together something spunky for her to wear. Want to give it a try? Here is how:

Take the shirt you choose to use for your main skirt and cut it in a straight line just below the sleeves. The bottom will be your hem...can't beat that, since it's already sewn for you!

Take your second tee (in any matching or contrasting color) and cut it into strips the width you desire for your ruffles. Mine are just under 2 inches wide. For some extra fun you can add a second fabric for contrasting ruffles.  I had some tulle laying around, which I cut into slightly wider strips.

And now you're ready to make some ruffles! Set your machine to a gathering stitch (a straight stitch on the loosest tension possible). Cut your tee shirt strips so that they are long strips rather than circles, start at one end and sew up the middle, letting the machine do the work for you.

 

Repeat with your secondary fabric, if using one.

Now with what will be your skirt laying straight, pin the ruffles on where you'd like them to lay. Don't be afraid of twists and turns, they can be a much prettier finished product than if your ruffles were to just lay straight. Weave the ruffles through each other at a few points for added interest and stability.

Now let's sew them on! Simply sew a straight stitch (with tighter tension than your gathering stitch) up the center of each ruffle. Your seams don't need to be dead on the center- on a skirt like this imperfection adds character- but make sure every ruffle is sewn completely on from one end to the other!

Now be sure to remove all of the pins! That may seem like a no-brainer, but they can hide easily in the ruffles once they're sewn in place. I recommend a double check!
At this point the lovely recipient of the skirt will be hanging by your elbow, simply dying to try it on. No fear, you're almost done.  Take the top of the skirt and fold it over twice, sewing in place while leaving a large enough tube to slide your elastic through. Make sure you leave a couple of inches unsewn to insert the elastic!

Cut a strip of elastic one inch larger than your child's waist, put a safety pin on one end, and guide it through the top of the skirt, creating your waistband. once the elastic is through, overlap both ends (making sure it's not twisted!) about an inch and sew them together. Sew it in a couple of places to make sure that it's really secure. Now sew closed those couple of inches of waistband you left open for the elastic. Even out the gathering a little, and voila!

I could barely get this one finished before little miss had it on! There you have it!  One super easy, cute and very comfy skirt plus one extremely happy girl. Who can beat that?