Last Updated on July 12, 2024 by Team Ideas24
Sometimes we have a favorite shirt that we just can’t wear anymore but don’t want to throw away, either. If you happen to be raising your daughters, then this project is definitely for you.
Got some old shirts that daddy doesn’t wear anymore? Why not turn daddy’s shirts into a dress for little girls?! They’ll love it and you’ll be surprised at how pretty they look!
Old shirts are too good to be left inside the closet, or thrown away! With a little creativity, some accents like ribbons or piping and you’ve got some pretty dresses that your little girl can wear!
This DIY project to turn daddy’s shirts into a dress can be done by any creative DIYer sewer, even an amateur one. The step-by-step instruction is easy to follow if you want to make it your first project. Just look at the various little girl dresses made from old shirts and think of the possible designs you can make out of your old shirts.
If mom and mini-me daughter’s dresses are popular, this one’s for daddy and his little girl too!
Is this going to be your next DIY sewing project of turning daddy’s shirts into a dress?
Check this tutorial by an amateur sewer whose also a creative DIYer below! You can also view the examples below for inspiration.
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Materials:
- 3 Old/Used Shirts
- Pins
- Thread Color of your choice
Tools:
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors
- Tailor’s Chalk
- Ruler or Measuring Tape
- Calculator
Contents
How to Turn Daddy’s Shirts into a Dress
1. Get your measurements to make the dress
I made a makeshift drawing and added in some of the measurements.
- Around the neck
- Side of neck to end of shoulder
- Arm width
- Bust
- Waist
- Spot where the skirt will sit
- Hips (not needed)
- Length from neck, down the back to the top of where the skirt will sit
- Length from where the skirt will sit down the back of the leg to where the skirt will end
For the dress’ skirt choose two shirts. For this, I used the two blue-striped ones in turning daddy’s shirts into a dress Lay them flat.
2. Cut the sides for the tops
Cut up the sides and cut out the sleeves of the shirt.
3. Cut the top
Then cut across the top of the shirt underneath the shoulders to give it a nice flat edge.
4. Create a pattern for the skirt
For this, I measured where she has her skirt sit when she wears it and the measurement was — 34 inches.
Now we have four pieces of fabric so let’s take 34 and divide it by four, that will give us four pieces at 8.5 inches apiece in turning daddy’s shirts into a dress.
Take each piece of fabric and measure along the top. Then, find the total length and divide it in half. Place a mark in the middle.
Now take your measurement of 8.5 inches and divide it in half again, giving us 4.5 four that daddy’s shirts into a dress.
Now measure 4.25 after the mark you made, and 4.25 in front of the mark. This will give you a total of 8.5 inches right in the middle of the piece of fabric.
Now make sure to add 1/4 of an inch to each side of the pattern, this is where you will cut out the fabric, and it gives you your seam allowance.
This is the top of daddy’s shirts into a dress.
5. Cut the two shirts
Now go from the middle mark and measure down 1/2 inch.
From this mark measure down the measurement from the back of where the skirt sits down the leg to the length, you want the skirt at when turning daddy’s shirts into a dress.
In this case, it was 19.5 inches. I then added another 1/2 inch to it.
The extra half inch on the bottom will be where you hem the skirt
And the extra half inch on top is where you attach the skirt to the top.
Once you have the bottom measured out. Cut across the shirt shortening the bottom to its new length.
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