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Dresses· Lookbook

Spring Look Book: The T-shirt Dress Anyone Can Make (With the How To)

 This is the best thing I’ve made Grace in awhile.
Best as in she likes it the most.  I think that is because I left the skirt long…like she wanted…so she doesn’t have to wear leggings (or any sort of bloomers) underneath.  I had planned on cutting the dress several inches shorter when I hemmed it but…she talked me into the longer length…and I have to agree that it is kind of cute like this.  So the longer length will stay.
Now I said this is the T-shirt dress that anyone can make.  And it’s true.  All you need is a t-shirt pattern…and those patterns are EVERYWHERE.
This is the one that I used:
A vintage boys t-shirt pattern that I picked up at a thrift store for 50 cents.
(But like I said, you can use any t-shirt pattern you have on hand…and if you don’t have one handy, go to your local thrift store and you’ll find one, or two, or twenty, that will work…all for under a dollar.)
Once you’ve found your t-shirt pattern hold it up to your future t-shirt dress wearer.  See where the pattern ends and measure from that point down to where you want your skirt to end.  Now you know how many inches to add to the length of your pattern.
(For Grace I added 17 inches.)
Add those inches on to the bottom of your pattern and you’re done.
Done.
End of tutorial.
If you want to get fancy you can make it an A-Line shape by adding 2 or so inches to the pattern at the bottom hem and then….but…just don’t.  This is the T-shirt dress that anyone can make so just keep it simple.  Add some inches.  Cut it out.  Sew it up.  Call it good.
It’s easy.  And ANYONE can do it.
But, what’s that you say?  You’ll have to use knit to make a t-shirt dress and you don’t have a serger?
Well neither do I my friends and I still sew with knits all the time.
I’ve just learned to become one with the zig zag stitch.  And you can to.
 It may not look as professional as if I had a serger but it does the job.
 And I don’t think Grace looks any worse for the wear having a zig zagged dress instead of a serged one.
So there you have it.  Take a t-shirt pattern and make it longer.
Easiest pattern modification ever.
-liZ
PS–We took these pictures yesterday and it was FREEZING.  I only took like 3 and they all looked pretty much the same with Grace hunched over, ready to jump off the steps and climb into the warm van.  It actually started snowing right when I snapped this photo and we were done…back home we went and turned on the fireplace…in May…what kind of spring is this???

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Comments

  8. Christi says

    Liz, love this dress. But I’m not brave enough to try it on my own. Would you help me make one for Katie? By the way, Katie loved the note Grace left for her on our door. Thanks!!

  9. Christi says

    Liz, love this dress. But I’m not brave enough to try it on my own. Would you help me make one for Katie? By the way, Katie loved the note Grace left for her on our door. Thanks!!