Ruffles and stripes= fabulous t-shirt upgrade

I told you I would give you a tutorial for this one. I loved it so much that I made 3 more for my daughter, and one for myself! The tutorial will show you how to do it to an existing t-shirt, but I will also give you tips on doing it from scratch!

Materials needed:

striped fabric (or other patterned fabric)
old t-shirt or t-shirt material
cotton/jersey/other non-fraying material for ruffles and sleeve trim

 1. cut a strip of fabric as wide as you want, and long enough to be doubled and extend a couple inches from the bottom of the shirt.

2. Sew the strip together down the long sides only. Turn inside out and press.

3. lay it on your shirt and pin it down

4.Cut strips of the jersey/cotton/non-fraying material double the length of your striped strip that is on the shirt already. Mine were about 1.5-2" wide.
5. ruffle your strips. (you can sew a long stitch and then pull the strings to ruffle, or use another method).

6. place the ruffles under the strip and re-pin.
7. Tuck the extended end of the strip under the edge of the t-shirt and pin down.

8. top stitch both the ruffles and the striped strip, using a 1/8" seam. (I just line up the edge of my fabric with the inside of my foot as shown.)

9. cut out 2 sleeve shapes, making the top curve larger (higher arch) in order to give it extra fabric you can gather/ruffle for a puffed sleeve.

10. using a 1/8 seam sew a long length stitch without back-stitching along the curve of the sleeves. Gather by pulling the strings.

 You can put the sleeves in like this tutorial... or you can try a method I saw on this blog! I love this new method and it allowed me to take in the sides of this t-shirt that was too large on me anyway!

11.(if you want to do the new method) cut the sides open on the t-shirt.

12. Carefully cut the sleeves off along the curve.

13. Gather the sleeve until it fits in the cut out sleeve area of your t-shirt and then pin right sides together. Sew along that curve. Repeat for the other sleeve.

14.   Turn the entire shirt inside out (right sides together) and sew it back together, as well as the open ends of the sleeves! Easy!

15. Cut out a 2 in wide strip long enough to go around your arm and have an inch left to sew together the ends.

16. Gather the bottom of the sleeve first (like you did with the top of the sleeve).

17. Sew the ends of the folded over strip together, trim the ends, and then pin it to the gathered end of the sleeve. sew down.

18. press all sewn seams on the shirt and you are done!!!

 IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A KIDS VERSION FROM AN OLD SHIRT:

1.use the bottom seam that already exists and place a t-shirt on top to create your pattern. cut out a sleeveless shirt shape (2 pieces).

2. Make your sleeves the same way, but before you put them in, add the folded over strip first (if you want--it is easier for the tiny little sleeves, but it won't have a gathered bottom).

3. cut another folded over strip--or use the existing t-shirt collar off the old t-shirt--- and pin it to the neck curves on the front and back

4. sew the shirt together just at the shoulders, and then follow the rest of the tutorial the same starting at step #13!!!

My favorite shirt ever!!!!! Sorry I didn't include a photo of me wearing my version, my husband has been too busy and I can't get a photo before the sun goes down! Olivia is much cuter anyway:)