Upcycling for Jessica

My daughter had several t-shirts from Target that she never wore.  Now they are out of season and will be too small to wear next summer.  I decided though, to upcycle them for her doll, Jessica.  I kept a few other t-shirts that were well worn also just in case I needed a little bit of knit fabric for embellishments.

 

These are some of the t-shirts I had to choose from.  One great thing about using children's t-shirts is that you already have several finished hems and seams to use.  Less work = more time = more goodies!

Below you can see that I was able to make a full short-sleeved t-shirt and a skirt from just one 5-T top.  The pattern I used is from the Scientific Seamstress and you can find it here.  She has other great patterns that I can't wait to try out.

As you can see, her pattern uses finished hems, which she shows you how to quickly make if you are using regular, unsewn knit fabric.  However, I just made use of what I had.  I deconstructed the top, and kept the ruffled pieces for later.  Since the top only has one hem to utilize, I chose to use it for the doll skirt and sleeves.  I just added length to the bottom of the doll top pieces and hemmed them separately. 

I loved the little flower on the 5-T top, so I cut it out and sewed it on to the doll skirt I made from the same top.  The lime-green stitching at the bottom along with the flower is so cute!  I don't think it shows up too much in the photo, but this little top was worn often by my daughter!  But, it has a new home and use and she loves it just the same.  So, don't overlook the gently used clothing you may already have to work with.

I added some trim to this little pink skirt and this little outfit actually went to my daughter's best friend for Christmas.

Another little skirt for Jessica...

The pink t-shirt had the sweetest little sleeves so I cut those out carefully and used them for doll sleeves.

Out of three t-shirts, I was able to make three skirts and two tops in just a few hours.  Hopefully soon, I will have time to use the yellow and green t-shirts to whip up a few more outfits.  

 

I hope you enjoyed visiting today.  Maybe this post has inspired you to upcycle some of your clothing into "new" fun things!  I'll be back soon to show you a quick method to make a doll skirt.