Are you like me? Do you have a box full of old tee-shirts, some are too sentimental to throw away--others are just too big, too stained or too tight? Don't fret, there are so many things you can do to recycle a child's used tee-shirt. I think you would be surprised how many wonderful things! For instance, it can be transformed into a cute little tee-shirt dress combination. I like to call this hobby "Teecycling".
Step 1. Find an old tee-shirt, preferably one that has a defect under the line at which you are going to add the skirt.
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Step 2. Cut the tee-shirt. I chose to do a dress with an empire waist, but you could also do a traditional waist. If that is what you prefer just make the cut a little lower at the waistline. Another idea--don't cut the shirt at all, just add a skirt at the bottom of the shirt for a flapper look. I have seen a couple Carter dresses like this and works well with polo shirts.
Step 3. Choose a fabric for your skirt. I chose a piece of fabric I found in my scrap drawer. You want a piece that's about twice the circumference of the waist you just cut. The length will depend on whether you decided to make an empire, traditional or flapper skirt. Measure from the bottom of the cut shirt to your child's knees then add an inch for allowances. Take those two measurements and cut your fabric, then fold and sew a 3/4" hem at the bottom.
Step 4. Gather the top. In case you don't know how to gather, I'll give you a quick mini tutorial. Set your machine to the longest setting and loosest stitch, then sew from one end to the other--DO NOT BACK STITCH! Knot one end, then take the other end and separate the two pieces of thread. Hold the top thread and push the fabric across, creating a gather. Be careful not to snap the thread. Gather the fabric to the correct length. You can figure out the length by lining it up to the circumference of your tee-shirt's waist, adding about 3/4" for allowance.
Step 5. Once you have the fabric gathered to the correct length, sew the two sides of your skirt fabric together (right sides facing) so that you have a "tube".
Step 6. With right sides together sew the gathered tube to the cut tee-shirt. To do this, turn the tee-shirt upside-down and place it inside the skirt. Be sure that the right sides are together!
Step 7. Turn right-side-out and you're DONE!