How to Make a Tiered T-Shirt Dress for a Toddler

Add some layers of ruffles to dress up a simple T-shirt.

Create a tiered ruffle dress from a T-shirt and a little bit of your favorite fabric. The dress is made from a plain, toddler-size T-shirt and layers of ruffles are sewn onto the bottom of the T-shirt to make the ruffled fashion essential. Make a short skirt for the dress by attaching narrow ruffles to the bottom of the T-shirt or make an ankle-length dress for the toddler with wide tiers of ruffles.

Things You'll Need

• Toddler-size T-shirt
• Soft tape measure
• Fabric of your choice (about 1/2 yard)
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

1. Try the T-shirt on the toddler. Measure the circumference of the shirt around the hemline and multiply the circumference by 2.5 for the skirt's width.

2. Cut four pieces of fabric for the skirt. Make each piece 3 1/2 inches by the width obtained in the step above. If you want deeper tiers for a longer skirt, adjust the length of the fabric accordingly.

3. Fold each piece of fabric in half with the right sides together and sew the short side seams with a running stitch.

4. Fold over 1/2-inch along one long edge of each of the pieces of fabric and sew a running stitch to make a smooth bottom hem for each tier.

5. Sew a wide running stitch along the remaining long edge of each of the pieces of fabric. Do not cut any of the threads.

6. Pull on the thread from one of the pieces to gather the tier to the circumference of the T-shirt hem. Slide the gathered edge just beneath the hem on the T-shirt and sew a running stitch to attach the first tier to the dress.

7. Tug on the thread from another piece of fabric to gather the tier to the circumference of the T-shirt hem, plus 3 inches. Slide the gathered edge underneath the first tier of the dress and sew a running stitch to join it to the first tier of the dress.

8. Form the third and fourth tiers by gathering the tops of the tiers to 4 and 5 inches longer than the T-shirt hem circumference. Attach the two remaining tiers in the same manner as the first two.

References

• "Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits"; Nancy Langdon and Sabine Pollehn; 2010
• "The Sewing Bible: A Modern Manual of Practical and Decorative Sewing Techniques"; Ruth Singer; 2009