Ruffled Tee

After seeing a few t-shirt remakes out there in blog land, I decided to make one of my own.  JoAnn's had their T's on sale for $3 this week, so I got pink and white ones to play with.

Here's what I made...

Is't it cute?  It's so much better than a plain old t-shirt, don't you think?

If you want to make one for yourself, or a friend, or one of your munchkins, here's what you do.

You will need:
2 T-shirts
sharp scissors (can't emphasize sharp enough)
rotary cutter  \
cutting mat    /   -or just sharp scissors
quilt ruler     /
disappearing ink marker
pins
thread
sewing machine

I wanted to open up the neck line a little, so I cut the neck out.

Using a styling design ruler, I traced a new neckline with disappearing ink, then cut it out.  I cut just below the neck band in the back.

With the second t-shirt, cut vertically into 3" strips.  (I made a boo-boo in the center, so just discarded that strip.  Note to self *don't cut left handed with a rotary cutter*)  :)

Cut the hem off the end of the strips, and cut across tops to even them off.  (top cuts not pictured)

Now you are ready to make the ruffles.  Baste down the center of each strip, making sure not to back tack at the ends.  I know I should have used a different color for my basting to make it easier to remove, but I was done basting before I even thought about it.

Before gathering the ruffles, mark the center of each strip with a pin, and pin to the center of the neckline.  I placed the top ruffle about 3/4" from the neck edge.  Then you can gather the ruffle evenly from each side to fit up to the shoulder seam.  Pin in place.  If you want to remove your basting stitches, sew just to one side of them.  Since the basting stitch is in the middle of the strip, you will have a double layer to each ruffle.

Fold both layers of the ruffle toward the neckline, and pin the basting line of the second ruffle about 1/4" below the first ruffle.  Start in the center as before, gather each side evenly, and pin up to the shoulder seam.  Sew in place.

Continue pinning and sewing each ruffle in this fashion until you get the look you want.  I used 3 ruffles on my shirt, but you could use as many as you want.

This is what the inside looks like.

Did  you notice my necklace?  That was my Mother's Day present to myself, and I didn't pay a dime for it...I made it, too!

Thanks for stopping by.  Let me know if you make your own version of a ruffled T.  They are so fun!

I'm linking up to Tatertots and Jello's weekend wrapup party.

K

Edit:  OMGosh!  I just got featured by Danielle over at Blissful and Domestic!  This is the first time I've been featured for anything, and you just made my day.  Heck, you made my whole year!  Thanks, Danielle!