Recycled T-Shirt Holiday Dress

My inspiration for this dress came from Lil Blue Boo and this dress (interchangeable Santa hat, stocking and star).

Take 2 T-shirts of different colors and lay them on top of each other (this will make you two dresses).

I used this pattern here. (adjustments to pattern include that I made the measurements a little extra big to accommodate the extra seams with the stripes and added a armhole.)

The difference is that I made mine with more of an arm hole so that the dress would sit up higher. I just drew a 1/4th of a circle at the outside edge (not on the fold).

Then unfold the two shirts out and then cut across starting at the empire waist area and then evenly space the stripes down to the bottom. I did 5 stripes at 3.5” wide but yours may differ due to the size of dress.

I then staggered the two shirts making one like the one above and one like the one my daughter has on in the first picture. To sew them together I first sewed each tier together at the sides with right sides together so it made a complete circle. Then I started with the bottom tier and laid the wrong side of the upper tier onto of the right side of the lower tier (lining up the side seams) and then used a decorative stitch about 1/8 of and inch from the edge of the upper tier.

Looks like this:

Keep doing this until you have all of your tiers sewn together including the upper body portion sewn to the skirt portion.

Then I cut three 2” strips of each color of shirt making the strips long enough to go around the arm opening to create the strap. two of the strips you will use to make the straps and one you will use to finish the top of the front and back.

For covering the top of the front and back: Lay the right side of the strip to the wrong side of the top lining up the edges this time instead of overlapping. Do a 1/4th inch seam. Then fold over in half making sure that the other half lays over the seam you made. Leaving the edge showing use a decorative stitch to sew it down.

For the straps do the same basic thing as for the top except along the actual strap portion you will have to fold over that seam and lay the other half over.

I didn’t do anything to finish the bottom edge of the dress.

I don’t know if I’m making any sense so if you don’t understand something then let me know and I’ll try to clarify.

To make the interchangeable objects:

I used Wunder Under to adhere a small square of fabric to the center inside of the front of the dress. I then hand stitched a snap to it. Then I used felt to make the Santa hat, stocking and star. I made two pieced of each shape and stitched the opposite portion of the snap to one of the shapes and then used Wunder Under to adhere the two shapes together hiding the stitching of the snap.

I’m participating in: