How to Re-purpose a Woman's Shirt Into a Toddler Dress
Kids outgrow their clothes really fast, but buying new cloth for them every few months can get really expensive. There is a way to keep costs down: Re-purpose clothes you already own into new clothes for your toddler. You might have a bunch of T-shirts sitting in your closet that you don't wear anymore because they no longer fit right. Transform these shirts into adorable little toddler dresses. It is much simpler than you may think. All you need is a woman's T-shirt and a dress that fits your toddler to use for the pattern.
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Things You'll Need
- Woman's T-shirt
- Pattern dress
- Tailor's chalk or chalk
- Scissors
- Iron
- Sewing machine
- Thread
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Fold the woman's T-shirt in half lengthwise with the front of the shirt on the outside. Fold the pattern dress the same way and place it on top of the T-shirt, lining up the folds.
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2
Trace around the dress with the chalk. Remove the dress. Draw a line 1/2 inch away from the side trace line and 1 inch away at the bottom trace line, for seam allowance. Do not add seam allowance at the underarm. Draw a straight line from the armhole line to the fold, 3 inches above the bottom of the armhole, for the neckline.
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3
Cut along the lines with the scissors through all layers of the T-shirt. You will have one dress front and one dress back. Cut a 2-inch-wide strip straight across the remainder of the shirt. Cut the strip widthwise into two pieces of equal length.
Sewing
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4
Unfold the dress front and lay flat. Fold the top edge of the front neckline over 1/4 inch, with wrong sides facing each other and iron, then fold it over another 1/4 inch and iron. Sew the fold in place close to the bottom edge on the sewing machine with a stretch or zigzag stitch. Repeat to the back neckline.
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5
Lay right side of the dress front on top of the right side of the dress back. Sew the front and back together along the sides with the sewing machine 1/2 inch from the edges.
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6
Fold the bottom edge of the dress up 1/2 inch, with wrong sides facing each other and iron, then fold it over another 1/2 inch and iron. Sew the fold in place on the sewing machine with a stretch or zigzag stitch.
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7
Fold one long edge of each strip in 1/4 inch and iron the fold. Fold the other long edge of each strip in 1/4 inch and iron. Fold each of the strips in half lengthwise and iron.
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8
Place the lengthwise fold of one of the strips on the armhole of the dress, encasing the raw edge. Line up the center of the strip with the side seam of the armhole. Pin in place. Repeat with the other armhole.
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9
Sew down the length of the strip, with a straight stitch, as close to the open edge as possible. Start at the end of one strip; sew down the strip, around the armhole though both the strip and dress, and up the other side of the strip.
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10
Tie the front and back strips together into bows to create the shoulder straps.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
