DIY Pleated T-Shirt

I’ve been wanting a white top to wear with patterned skirts. I found a regular scoop neck t-shirt from my local thrift shop for a buck, but it really wasn’t anything special. I thought a bit of flare would make it much more wearable. I looked through my closets and found a cloth belt from a dress, but any piece of patterned cloth would work. Here's roughly how I made this top:

First, get the necessary materials - a white t-shirt, piece of patterned cloth to your liking, pins, a needle and thread.

Second, if you are using a piece of cloth, you should fold it in half (with the inside of the cloth facing out), sew it together along the bottom, and turn the tube right-side in.  The 2 ends can be tucked in a sewn directly unto the shirt to close them.

Third, pin the cloth unto the shirt.  I suggest that you find the middle of the cloth - then pin that part to the middle of the shirt.  Then make pleats and work your way to each shoulder so you have an even design. 

Fourth, you can hand stitch the cloth onto the shirt using a back stitch.

And you're finished, enjoy!  Check out my site, www.sustainabilady.com .

Comments

[mslaynie]

I love the look of the finished shirt! I'm finally discovering the joys of thrifting, and am absolutely overjoyed at the idea of getting awesome clothes for not much money and then tweaking them to make them my own. Now if I can just get my sewing machine serviced and figure out how to use it!

[sustainabilady]

hahah - it is so much fun and I always feel like I'm "beating the system." I actually hand sew most of my clothes only because I have a cheap 20 dollar mini sewing machine that I'm not very good at using....would love to see what you end up making!

[scoochmaroo]

Love it! I'd love to see this broken out into more steps. Maybe for your next Instructable? :D

[sustainabilady]

Thanks for the advice - I'll be sure to do that for the next instructable, and perhaps for this one at another time!