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Project Upcycle Day 28 - Scrappy T-Shirt Halter Dress
Welcome to the grand finale of Project Upcycle for Heart and Stroke 2010. Every day (or pretty close to that) this February I've made a new creation out of recycled materials. I've put them all on sale at Tawny Bee and half the proceeds from the sale of these items will go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. All of the listings will remain up there for 4 months - so check em out!

For our final project, I am going to make a Scrappy T-Shirt Halter Dress out of this pile of t-shirts we've been collecting.

Since it's the final project, I'm going to keep this one for myself. You'll see how awesome it looks on me. It'll be a nice reward for working so tirelessly all month to make all of these projects. But I will now show you how to make your own, with tons of steps and pictures.

Posted by Tawny B. from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada • Published See Tawny B.'s 20 projects »
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  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 1
    Step 1

    To make the scrappy skirt:

    Cut a long rectangle from the bottom of one t-shirt. Make sure the rectangle goes around your waist, plus as least a few inches. Make sure the rectangle is the length you want for the skirt, or a few inches shorter (you'll add some ruffle to lengthen it).

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 2
    Step 2

    Hem both sides of the rectangle.

  • Step 3

    Cut a bunch of strips of varying sizes, colours and lengths.

  • Step 4

    Select a long stitch on your machine and stitch across the tops of all the strips. Pull on one of the threads to make a ruffle.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 5
    Step 5

    Decide where you want to put all the ruffles. They can go in any order you wish. They don't even need to be in neat rows. You can put them wherever you want on the band you've already cut. Just make sure you have enough to cover the entire band (as little or as much ruffle as you like). Pin all the ruffles (except the top row) upside down so that they look nicer when stitched.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 6
    Step 6

    Stitch all ruffles in place.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 7
    Step 7

    Cut a long strip (3 inches by the width of the skirt) for the waistband. Pin along the top back and stitch close to the edge.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 8
    Step 8

    Flip waistband over to the right side and pin in place. Stitch close to the edge.

  • Step 9

    Wrap the skirt around yourself and mark where you want to attach the snaps, buttons, hooks and eyes or whatever you like as closures.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 10
    Step 10

    Attach snaps

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 11
    Step 11

    And voila! You've got a pretty scrappy skirt!
    If you like you can shred the ruffles, or cut them into strips. You could also finish all the edges with a hem. If you zig zag the hem on a knit (like t-shirt) fabric, the hem will become ruffly as well. There are tons of options to make your skirt unique!

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 12
    Step 12

    To make the Halter Top:
    Choose a t-shirt that you haven't cut into yet. Cut off the sleeves in a rounded fashion like the picture.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 13
    Step 13

    Cut top off of the front (only a few inches)

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 14
    Step 14

    Fold back to where the sleeves were cut and cut straight across. This makes the halter backless.
    *If you're like me, I chose a loose fitting t-shirt. You'll have to adjust the back for fit. Leave that step until the end to get a better measurement.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 15
    Step 15

    Braid some long strands of leftover t-shirts together into a long rope.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 16
    Step 16

    Make a fold over hem at the top of the halter, leaving enough room to thread the braided rope through. Thread the rope through and tie it off at both ends.

  • Step 17

    Try the halter on and adjust the back to the correct size. I cut the excess off in the middle and re-stitched the centre back seam.

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 18
    Step 18

    Hem around the armhole edge and back.

    And Ta Da! You've got a super cute Scrappy T-Shirt Halter Dress!

    From the front

  • How to sew a t-shirt dress. Scrappy T Shirt Halter Dress - Step 19
    Step 19

    From the back

    Thank you so much for following along on my Project Upcycle Adventure this past month. I've had a ton of fun and it was for a good cause! I hope you've also had fun and gathered a whole bunch of new sewing ideas!

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Comments

La roquerita
La roquerita · Dallas, Texas, US · 12 projects
wow ur braid looks so good i tried 2 do it once but it didnt come out nice like urs
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