EASY Upcycled T-shirt Skirt

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It is no secret I have an obsession with upcycling t-shirts.  Skirts are the most simple project to make using old shirts.  I must admit I am slightly obsessed with making them.  Not only are they unique and adorable, they are comfortable as all get out and take me less than 30 minutes to make once I overcame my fear of my serger.  I think momma needs some of these skirts don’t you think?

All of this fabric came from Lil Blue Boo – including some of her custom designs she screenprinted onto the knit fabric.  I took an infinity scarf class at SNAP last year that she was teaching and grabbed some extra to play with at home.  These skirts are insanely easy to make.  The following pattern is for a 4/5T.  Obviously it would be easy to accommodate for a larger size.

All you need is a waist measurement (my daughter’s is 20”) and a guesstimate of how long you want the skirt to be (11” in my daughter’s case).

Take the waist measurement and divide it by 4.  Since the fabric is so stretchy I didn’t accommodate for seam allowance.  So Kayla’s waist is 20” divided by 4 is 5”.  So I made the top of the fabric 5”.  Then I made the bottom of the fabric 9” so there was a nice A-line flare to the skirt.

2.  Then I cut four pieces the exact same size from four different fabrics.  Next with wrong sides together serge the edges so that the serged side is on the right side.  Do that with all four pieces until you have the skirt constructed.

3.  Serge the bottom edge of the skirt.

4.  Next cut a strip of t-shirt that is the waist measurement plus 1/4”.  So I cut one for Kayla’s 20” waist to 20 1/4” x 4”.

5.  Fold right sides together and sew the edge making it a continuous circle of fabric now.  Next fold it in half lengthwise with right sides together and serge it to the top of the skirt with the seam aligned with the back of the skirt.

The serged seam will be on the inside of the skirt and not on the outside.  I feel like it lays nicer that way even though the rest of the seams are serged on the outside.

6.  If you want to add a t-shirt yarn drawstring cut two small slits into the front of the band (cut through one layer of t-shirt material not both).

7.  With a safety pin, thread the t-shirt yarn through and tie the ends.

If you don’t want to do the drawstring you can always do a yoga pant top.  I did this for one of the skirts.  I cut the width to 8” instead of 4”.  This allows you to wear the skirt frontwards, sideways or backwards depending on the mood.

They are so fun to make and super simple.  You don’t need a serger since knit fabric doesn’t fray but it sure makes the edges fun and funky.

For a little added fun cut and tie scraps to a hair tie for a matching pony tail holder.  Trim the edges.

 

Dress up your little cutie patootie and watch the compliments roll in!

Do you love up cycled t-shirt ideas?  Here are a few more you might have missed.

Upcycled T-shirt Dress, Random Note Sweatshirt, Valentine’s Day T-shirt Scarf, T-shirt to Painted Skirt

Click here to see the pumpkin skirt I made for Halloween.