T-shirt recycling, Summer Skirts

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So, I've come up with a new use for old t-shirts...summer skirts! I tend to wear skirts all summer since they are cool and breezy. You all know by now that I like cutting up old shirts and putting them back together, so here is a great way to recycle some of those big, boxy t-shirts in your closet.

I did two different versions, the first one, which I didn't take good pictures of, is the 15 minute version. The second, probably took me about 45 minutes (although part of that time was me trying to decide how I wanted to go about things, so the next time I do it, I'm guessing it would only be about 30 minutes). You will need a Large or XL shirt (I usually wear a size medium skirt or medium t-shirt, but a men's Large shirt had the length I needed to make a modest skirt).


Version 1: Drawstring skirt.
1. Lay shirt flat on your quilting cutting board. Line up your cutting ruler along the side of the shirt and cut off whatever part of the sleeve sits outside the "perfect rectangle". Next, use the ruler to cut off the neck hole (as high up as you can so that you have plenty of fabric at the top to turn into the waistband). So you should have a perfect rectangle shape left.

2. Flip shirt inside out and sew up the sides where you cut off the sleeve. So now you have a perfect rectangle tube.

3. Fold down about 1 inch of fabric from the top of the shirt and sew a casing to hold a drawstring.

4. I used leftover knit from the sleeves and collar (sewed together) to make the drawstring.

Version 2: Shaped waistband.


Lay the t-shirt out and use your ruler and rotary cutter to cut off the top of the shirt. I left about 1 inch above the graphic for some seam allowance. You want as much fabric on the collar piece left as possible since you will use that to cut out the waistband.

I used a pair of yoga pants with the type of waistband I wanted as my pattern. I laid the yoga pants on the leftover collar fabric and traced the shape. I then cut out the waistband and sewed the ends together (right sides together) to make the circle for the waistband.
With the wrong side out, fold down the top of the waistband to make a finished edge (if you have enough space, you could possibly add a drawstring, but I didn't). Sew around the top of the waistband.

Next, you will need to lay your waistband piece on top of the skirt and trim the body of the skirt so that it is more A-line rather than rectangle. The waistband is your guide on how much to trim off the top of the t-shirt. Once you trimmed the shirt, sew up the sides of the skirt (right sides together).

Last, you need to attach the waistband to the body of the skirt. Make sure that right sides are together (before you start sewing, pin it on and flip it to make sure it isn't backwards). Sew around and then trim off excess fabric from the seams.

If your t-shirt isn't long enough, you could use a second shirt, in a contrasting color and cut off the hem and sew it on to the bottom of the skirt to add some length. I got my shirts at Thriftown for $1 each, but it is yard sale season and you can probably get them for even less (or raid your guy's closet :)

Close up of the waistband:

Back of the skirt had a player's number, which I think just adds to the character:

Great with a pair of flip flops and shades!