Most of us have a band tee or 10, and often they're not very figure flattering. You can take in the waist, cut off the neckband, and so forth to make a better fitting shirt. Another option is to turn the tee shirt into a tee skirt.
Before you begin, be sure you know your hip measurement. The waistband of the skirt will need to be large enough to fit over your hips.
Grab your tee shirt. For the first example, I had a VNV Nation tee.
I also had a striped tee.
Cut off the neckband and sleeves, leaving as much of the body of the tee as possible. Cut up the sides to separate front from back.
Now you will cut the tee(s) and other fabric (if applicable) into the skirt pieces. The number and shape of the pieces will depend on the style skirt you're going for. You will likely cut triangular shapes with flat tops and possibly rounded bottoms. Wider triangles and more pieces will create fuller skirts.
Important: The total measurement of all the triangle tops must be at least as large as your hip measurement.
For this example, I made a fairly close-fitting A-line skirt. It's made up of four triangular pieces -- front, back and two sides.
Stitch the pieces together.
Measure around the top of the skirt and make a waistband to that measurement. (See the Turn a Dress into a Skirt post if you need instructions on making a waistband.)
Hem/finish the bottom. In this example, I added black lace.
Done!
For the second example, I had an i:Scintilla tee. I planned to make a skirt with this tee, so I bought the largest size (men's XL) to give me plenty of fabric to work with.
Because I had a large tee, I was able to use the bottom half of a dress pattern to cut the fabric. (Tee is folded in half in the picture below.)
I wanted a longer, fuller skirt, so I cut a total of six triangles -- three for the front and three for the back. The middle front and middle back were cut from the front and back of the tee. The other pieces were cut from plain black knit fabric. (Alas, it wasn't quite the same black as the tee. :P )
I sewed on the waistband and added grommet trim.
Done!
This is awesome! I need to try this next time I have a shirt to spare.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThese are very nice examples of making skirts out of band tees :). I use to make skirts out of my spouse shirts.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I've seen men's button-up shirts turned into cute ladies' skirts (or little girls' dresses). I'd like to try it sometime. :)
DeleteI never thought to try this! I have many, many shirts from my teenage years that I bought in sizes far too large that I can't bear to part with. Thanks, my project list wasn't nearly long enough already.
ReplyDeleteDo I detect a hint of sarcasm in that last sentence? ;)
DeleteOh, never thought about it, but it's now in my "must try" list :D
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see the undoubtedly adorable result if you do. :D
DeleteThis is a great idea, I was thinking most people wouldn't be able to wear a skirt made of a t-shirt, but adding the extra panels makes it work. Yay! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm certainly too big to wear a skirt made of a tee (unless it's sumo wrestler size!), but add in some extra fabric and ta-da! :D
DeleteThose are awesome! It makes me want to go cut up all my t-shirts! But then I wouldn't have any shirts...there are always plenty of skirts at thrift stores but I have a harder time with tops. :P
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have the opposite situation. I'm very limited in the top styles I can wear, so I have better luck finding (or making) skirts. :)
DeleteI'm totally trying this!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Specially for those non fitting shirts lying around! ^^
Thanks! Merchandise tables at concerts always seem to stock about 6 ladies' tees, which of course sell out immediately, and 400 XXL men's tees... so I always end up with a shirt I could fit in twice. This is a good solution for that. :)
DeleteThis is such a cool idea, if I didn't already have so many skirts and not enough shirts I would try this out.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Now I'm thinking about ways to turn a skirt into a top... Hmmm... :)
DeleteWow, these are awesome, such a creative idea! ^^
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
Deletewow these are a lot nicer than the diys I used to do. i used to just force my legs through the head hole and tie the sleeves into a bow...lol these are MUCH nicer
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Well, there is something to be said for simplicity! Though bringing out the sewing machine does give one more style options. ;)
DeleteKewl, must make one someday when flea market gods are favourable :)
ReplyDeleteI always look through the men's tees at the thrift store. Around here, most of them are from cycling events or half marathons. But someday I'll find a good one!
DeleteOh, it's really beautiful ! And such good ideas !
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteNow that is beyond cool! What a way to transform your old t-shirts into a brand new skirt. :D
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteHey, I have that same VNV shirt. ;) Oddly enough, it fits me nicely but their Judgement shirt dies NOT. Hmm... It's definitely going to become a DIY project soon.
ReplyDeleteThese ideas are brilliant, and you never cease to amaze me with your creativity and skills. Thank you for not only contributing some of my favorite Red & Black Week posts this year but also for staying with us all six days!
Aw, thank you! It's been a fun week. Thanks for hosting this great theme. :)
DeleteI'm sure I have some grommet trim around somewhere ... :o)
ReplyDeleteYay, grommet trim! :)
DeleteI love it! I can't find grommet trim anywhere though, and I've actually been searching since last year. Am I doing something wrong? I only find the stuff for curtains. Please help me, I need it for a dozen projects
ReplyDeleteThank you! Try searching for "eyelet tape." I got mine at cheeptrims.com. It's very inexpensive there, but you have to buy 100 yards.
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