T-Shirt Dresses

I was recently on a roll and made three dresses out of t-shirts.  They are very quick and easy, especially if I use ribbon as the sash instead of making the sash from a coordinating fabric.  I have a couple more of these planned in long sleeve styles if I can find the right color shirts to match some fabric I already bought.

First, I made a Hulk/superhero themed dress for Kevin's cousin's daughter who is obsessed with superheros.  Her mom asked if I could come up with something because she wasn't having any luck finding girl superhero clothing.  I wasn't happy with my first attempt of a peasant dress, so I also made this dress since I had enough fabric left over.  Manufacturer's are really missing a key target demographic here.

 It was really hard to find a shirt that matched the fabric.  I didn't really want a V-neck shirt, but it was all I could find quickly.  I was shopping in that window where the short sleeve summer shirts were all on clearance (I would have preferred a short sleeve shirt), but the store only had the first set of long sleeve shirts in stock.  I'm hoping there will be more options in October because I'm still driving around with one more fabric I'm trying to match.

 The Hulk is the little girl's favorite, so I added an applique of the Hulk fist to the bodice.

I made the sash fairly wide to show the superhero faces as much as possible.  It ties in the back, and I sort of like the over-sized bow it makes.

This was my first attempt at this style and I learned a lot making this dress.  I made a few small changes for the next two I made and I think I have hit on the right combination to get them made just a bit better.  Here are a couple of tips for those who might want to try it:

1.  Iron about an inch of fusible interfacing to the inside of the shirt along the edge where it is cut off.  It will keep the knit material from stretching as you sew on the skirt.

2.  Sew the sash just above the edge where the shirt and skirt meet, sewing through the interfacing and the seam.  I didn't do this for the superhero dress, and I wish I had.

3.  Just sew the top edge of the sash across the front and down the side seams; leave the back unattached.  It seems to lay well this way.  You can tie it tight in the back and you don't have to worry about the skirt gathers being straight since you are not stitching over them.  I have not had an issue (yet) with the sash trying to flip up.  It has stayed put, so far.

 Dorothy wore this on her first day of school.  I started and finished it about two days before she was due to go back.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute!

I found the shirt on clearance for about $2, and it looked great with the school themed fabric I have been hoarding for a couple of years.  I love the detail of the little bow on the pocket.  I put a wide hem in this one, and hope that she can wear it again next year on her first day at a new school.

 I bought this fabric a couple of years ago without a good plan other than, "It would be cute as a first day of school dress."  I'm glad I finally used it.

I gave Dorothy the choice of two different ribbons and she chose this red one with white stitching on the edges.  I think she made a great choice.  I love that I can tie the dress a bit tighter around her waist, so it isn't so shapeless.

 It was fairly cool the morning I made her pose for a couple of quick photos, so she isn't overly enthused here.  She just wants to put on her sweatshirt.  I found this shirt on clearance the same time as the yellow one.  I wasn't sure if I really liked it with this fabric, but I wasn't having any luck finding anything I liked better, so I went for it.  Now that it is all together, I really like it.

 This sash is made with some yellow fabric I already had, leftover from another project.  I like the color a lot, but it is much more difficult to tie tightly than the ribbon, so I don't think the dress lays quite as nicely.  It came untied at school, so I'll have to be sure to double knot it from now on.

I layered the dress with some leggings since it was a cool morning.  I'm hoping that both of these dresses can be worn spring, summer, and fall, with the addition or removal of layers.

This was another fabric I bought a long time ago just because I liked it and though it would make a cute dress.  The little kids remind me of the dolls in the It's a Small World ride at Disney.  I decided that I needed to make a dress with it right now if I was ever going to do it because I'm not sure how much longer she will be willing to wear cute and sweet styles.

I have a Halloween shirt that I need to get working on and add the skirt if she's going to be able to wear it this year.  I want to try a drop waist with a layered ruffle skirt this time though.  Let's see if I can get it done, and I hope it works out well.