When I ordered my Wonder Woman shirt for Annabel’s birthday party, the company sent me the wrong size. They immediately sent me a new one, but told me I could keep the old one. “Do something fun with it,” the guy on the phone told me. It was too small for me, but too big for Annabel. But, I still put it on her as a joke and realized that with a few simple alterations, I could change it into a cute dress for her. The whole switch look about ten minutes because I utilized the existing hem and neckline (SO much easier!). I have a ton of old t-shirts that I’ve been holding onto for nostalgia reasons, so Annie is going to be getting some cool vintage t-shirt dresses this summer.
Adult T-shirt (knits are best because they don’t unravel)
Fabric scissors or rotary cutter
Fabric marking pen/pencil
Needle/thread/pins
First, try your shirt on you intended recipient so you can get a sense of how the shirt hangs, and make sure it’s long enough.
Fold your shirt in half, lining up the sleeves and seams.
Cut off the sleeves and the side hems. The shirt should only be attached up at the shoulders.
Turn the shirt inside-out and put it on your girl. Pin the sides so the dress has your desired shape. I wanted Annie’s to be fitted on top and flare on the bottom. If I’d made this dress with one of my bigger t-shirts I would have had a lot more material to make a flared/spinny skirt, but this shirt still had plenty to work with.
I pinned it pretty far in at her waist to really emphasize the skirt. Once I took the dress off of her, I grabbed my fabric pencil and, using the pins for guidance, drew a line on the fabric to use as a sewing guide.
Hand or machine-sew the sides of the dress, then cut off any excess fabric.
I wanted the sleeve straps to be neater, so I folded them in and hemmed them. If you’re working with a jersey knit and don’t feel like doing more sewing, you can simply cut the straps because jersey doesn’t unravel (although, it does roll a bit, so take that into consideration).
She loves the dress, and has worn it multiple times since I made it for her.
She also insists on wearing it with a cape, because Wonder Woman. Duh.
Any questions, let me know. Have fun!
Lee Cockrum says:
Very cute!!
Emily e says:
I have a really cute Cubs shirt I got as a freebie at a game that I’ve wanted to do this to. Unfortunately it has a big Budweiser logo on the back I have to figure my way around.
Auntie_M says:
How big is the logo? Could you get baseball themed iron-ons to go over it?
Heather says:
Maybe you could do cut outs, if Auntie M’s iron-on idea doesn’t work!
Kim says:
This is why I started repurposing t-shirts to dresses!!! I love that you are doing it now too. It’s so fun to give new life to some of our old favorites
Kathryn M. says:
So cute!!!! GREAT job!
Auntie_M says:
You are flipping brilliant!!!! Love this!!!!!
Sue G says:
Look at you go! Isn’t sewing great? have you tried quilting yet?
Heather says:
Not yet…I need instant gratification! LOL
Sue G says:
Start small,doll size! Sew Fresh Quilts (Feb 28/14)has a pillow, pillow case and quilt for American Girl dolls. Easy and quick. I made two for my daughters dolls just using a charm pack (5 1/2″ precut squares). Easy peasy!
Meg says:
So cute and creative — great job! Definitely would never have thought to do this.
Nicole says:
Oof, this is the cutest thing ever.
Steph says:
Another idea is to use the part of the shirt with the picture on it & attach it to a skirt bottom!
Kristen says:
ADORABLE!! I hope you saved the shirt sleeves to make write cuffs for her….how AMAZING would that be?!?!?!
Heather says:
Oh, I totally saved the sleeves, because I save everything (pack rat). What are write cuffs? Now I need to make some!
Kristen says:
Dang it, I need to re-read before I submit. I meant WRIST cuffs – like Wonder Woman had.
Heather says:
LOL story of my life!
Peggy Roberts says:
Adorable! What a great idea!
Pattie says:
And here I was just going to slap a belt on a T-shirt for Coraline and call it a dress. I love this idea and now really need to take sewing lessons.
Lisa says:
Such a beautiful dress! I really liked the idea of making dress from t-shirt. I have some old t-shirts and this is the best way to use them. Thanks for the idea.