Tee Shirt to Dress

Another project for my imaginary granddaughter.... a dress with a tee shirt bodice! I don't know about you, but a bodice is not my favorite piece to construct. This little cheat takes all the work out of the bodice, and all you have to do is add the skirt. Yay.

You'll start with a sweet little tee to fit your little girl. The one I made is a 3T, so all measurements correspond with this size. You can adjust the length of your skirt section accordingly.

Lop off the bottom of the shirt wherever you want the waistline to fall. I chose an empire waist. Save the bottom pice for another project, like this braided headband.

You can find the tutorial for the headband here.

Your tee shirt is now in 2 pieces.

From the skirt fabric, cut 2 rectangles that measure 14x24 inches. The first measurement will be the length of the dress, so adjust the measurement if you will be adding a deep hem.

I know...the tee shirt is not yet cut in this picture, but yours should be cut by now.

Pin the two skirt pieces at the side seams with right sides facing. Sew with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. You can finish your seams with a serger (which I don't have), with pinking shears, or with a zigzag stitch. I use a zigzag stitch, and it has never failed me.

Along the top of the skirt section, run a gathering stitch. Two rows of gathers are better than one, but if you're in a hurry, one will suffice.

With right sides together, match the side seams of the skirt to the side seams of the tee. Pin in place. Match the center of the skirt front to the center of the shirt front, and pin in place. Do the same with the back pieces.

Now gather the skirt onto the tee, adjusting the gathers evenly around the shirt. Use LOTS of pins to secure your work.

Notice the tee shirt is not visible in the above photo. It is upside down inside the skirt for easy pinning.

Sew your skirt to your tee, removing pins as you go.  If you haven't already pinked the skirt fabric, you can do that now, or finish the seam with whatever method you are using. Press the seam toward the bodice (tee shirt) of the dress. Notice that it's a dress now, not a bunch of skirt/shirt pieces. Yay!

Turn the dress right side out and marvel at how pretty it is already. Don't marvel too long. You still have work to do here. With the seam pressed toward the bodice, topstitch close to the edge of the bodice. This will allow the gathers to fall nicely, and it will reinforce the seam you just completed.

You're almost finished. Pretty quick project, huh? The hem is next. You may choose to short hem the dress with matching thread, deep hem the dress by hand, add decorative stitching, or a lace border. I chose a lace border. This lace was gifted to me by a dear friend. It is antique eyelet from a teester cover. The teester is long gone, but the lace survived beautifully. I'm proud to use it in my imaginary granddaughter's wardrobe.

Isn't it lovely?

Your dress is now completely wearable, but the bodice is a little plain for my taste. I decided to make a rosette to adorn it, using the same lace and fabric that I began with.

You will start with a strip of fabric 24 inches long and 2 inches wide, and a piece of lace 24 inches long.

Fold the fabric strip in half lengthwise, and press it in place.

Then place the fabric on top of the lace, with the raw edges matching.

Using a needle and thread, sew a loose running stitch the entire length of your strip, securing the thread with a good knot at the starting point.

You're not going for perfection here (good thing!)

When you have reached the other end of the strip with your thread, gather the strip onto the thread.

Don't cut your thread; keep it attached so that you can use it to secure the rosette 'petals' as you go. Begin rolling the strip from the end with the thread attached.

Secure the layers with the needle/thread as you roll.

When you reach the end of the fabric strip, secure the end under your rosette. Check to make sure all layers are secure before cutting your thread.

Bottom view of finished rosette.

Use a safety pin to secure the rosette to the bodice of the dress (from underneath).

Say Ta Da! and admire your work! Hopefully you have a real little girl in your world to enjoy the dress. Someday I may have one too. For now, I'll just keep sewing and praying.

Happy sewing, everyone!