What to do with a t-shirt that is too big to wear anymore?
Make it into a skirt! You can do this on your regular machine. The only special tool you will need is a jersey/ballpoint needle, which you can get at any sewing store or Amazon.
Okay, technically I could still wear this t-shirt, but stripes do not work on my torso. At. All. I didn't want to give up the soft knit fabric though, so I decided to turn it into a skirt.
First step is cutting off the top. You want to get as much fabric out of your shirt as possible, so cut it really close to the neckline! The raw edge will get attached to the waistband, while the hemmed edge will become the edge of the skirt, no further hemming required!
My original plan for the skirt was pretty simple - turn the excess fabric from the back yoke into a waistband.
Typical skirt waistband construction. Sew the ends together...
Fold over...
Sew raw edges to skirt, stretching where necessary. I sewed all of this on a regular sewing machine, using a narrow zig-zag stitch with a jersey/ballpoint needle.
It worked just as I wanted, but the skirt was just a tad too short and tight for my comfort levels. For some people it'd be great, but I wanted a little more ease of movement.
So, I opened up each side of the skirt.
I then inserted a thick black ribbon on each side...
...and I sewed a thick cream strip of lace over the ribbon. These stripes increased the girth of the skirt, allowing for more movement.
I then made a second, thicker waistband to add above the original one, to add length. I used my buttonhole stitch with an embroidery hoop and stabilizer to add bound openings for my drawstring.
I then added the second waistband, just like the first.
The blacks don't match exactly, but I will wear a long shirt over it, so no one will be able to tell.
For the drawstring, I used thick elastic, then attached a ribbon to each end. The elastic will be hidden, while the ribbon will come out of the bound openings.
I drew the drawstring in with a bodkin.
Once the drawstring was inserted, I made a little tack in the center back to keep the drawstring from being pulled out.
And voila, t-shirt to skirt!
I would have had the project done in one sitting if I'd started with a bigger t-shirt. Making the adjustments added two more days of work, but made for an even cuter finished product.
