Making PJ's from a Tee Shirt

So sometime last year we took the little man to a Pittsburgh Pirates game and it was a free t shirt game. Knowing that an Adult size Small would still be ginormous on the little guy I tossed it it my sewing room for refashioning at a later date...



Fast forward---> It is opening day of the 2013 Pirates Season this week, Hanrahan was traded long ago and Hunter could use some summer pj's soon.

Guess it is time to get to work huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only cutting the front portion of the tee shirt cut out a tank style. You can free style like me or trace a tshirt that already fits your little one.

 

I originally drew a larger pattern but ended up cutting it smaller as shown in the black lines.

 

 

Then do a neat-o repeat-o and do the back portion cutting the neck a little higher than the front neckline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut out a "U" shape in the crotch area, no need to make one smaller than the other like I did. I cut that portion out later too haha. Serge or stitch up the side seams and the shoulder with the right sides facing eachother.

 

 

 

 

 

Re-using the original t shirt sleeve cut off about 1/2" or so away from it. With the right sides together pin the tshirt hem to the pj sleeve opening. Sew along the closest to the raw edge original stitch line on the sleeve. Turn and topstitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick out the original neck line from the tshirt. and repeat for the neckline the same as you did for the sleeve. Cut an 1 1/2" strip of the tshirt and do a quickie hem on it. Apply to the crotch area, folding in half and topstitching. I did this in a similar method to applying bias tape if that helps. Seems I get too excited to finish at the end to take pictures. Then I applied regular snaps using my Dritz snap pliers.

I keep meaning to buy some of the Babyville ones to try them out but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm sure they would work just as well though.

 

 

 

Last step: Throw them on the little one and watch the hilarity ensue.

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently he felt like dancing!

 

 

Another finish

Chiffon....

I'm so sorry but we can not be friends anymore.

 

I was recently asked to make a couple of costumes. I've already shared one and I thought I would share the other. The second costume is actually a underskirt to a costume dress she already owns.

They requested a chiffon or similar skirt to wear under this that would not look like a second piece. After some thought I decided to use a jersey knit and elastic waist to attach the chiffon to. I figured that way it will be stretchy at the hip/waist for movement. 

Then after some tricky pinning and trimming I hemmed the two layer of chiffon as one. This was to be used as a dance costume as well so it also had to have a slit because I was told she starts the dance on the floor.

I chose to make the slit on the same side as the one shoulder, seemed more balanced to me.

The reason chiffon and I can not be friends..she is a shady one. After all my careful laying out and trimming and hemming. Looked perfect day one. After hanging a day the chiffon relaxed and because I hemmed the two layers as one, one layer was longer than the other creating a bubble skirt look. Not cool Chiffon, not cool. Had to CAREFULLY unpick the offending hem and re-do it in one section.

This is the final result on the little star: