Rags to Riches – the tale of a favorite t-shirt

Those who have known me for many years may recognize this shirt. I got it in a handmedown bag when I was about 16 (before I had much style sense), and it was a favorite for many, many years. I literally wore it every time it was clean, until it was dirty, and then as soon as it got out of the laundry again…Yeah, it was a favorite. I loved it so much that I had trouble getting rid of it. It sat in a goodwill bag for over a year until…I figured out a way to hang on to it a little longer.

Parts of the shirt were still in good enough condition, I decided to re-purpose it into a dress for Claire.
I trimmed the sleeves and the neckline smaller, and shortened the body of the shirt to make the skirt.

It was a great way to experiment sewing with knits without the expense of buying fabric!

Oh, and it was fast! It took me literally less then an hour to whip up the whole outfit! After all – I didn’t have to do any hemming ’cause I used all the finished edges of the original shirt.

I used a favorite dress of Claire’s for a guide.

Then a pair of leggings was created with a favorite striped pair for a pattern

They matched perfectly…

And there was just enough knit fabric left from the green shirt to make a long sleeved shirt so the dress could be worn both this winter and next spring.

I showed it to Claire when she got up from her nap, and she wore it that evening when we went out.
I am in love with my shirt all over again! 🙂

You can do this too, if you have an old t-shirt and a serger – or even if you don’t have a serger (mine began ailing half way through the dress so I finished the project with a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.) If anyone is interested in more detailed instructions, I would be willing to create a tutorial. Just let me know!