I have a few tops of mine that don't quite fit they way I want them to anymore. But they are still in great shape. So I came up with a way to repurpose them for my daughter to wear.
YOu can use any adult size shirt for this project. It can even be purchased from a thrift store. It can be a T-shirt like I have used here or any other kind of top, adult-sized. Just long enough to get that blouson effect, on a teen-size girl.
There were two main things I did to convert this shirt. The first was to smock the bottom section. I simply filled my bobbin with elastic thread. (You may have to wind this by hand on your machine.) Use regular thread to match the top in your top thread. Lengthen your stitch length to the longest setting. Leave an inch or so of the hem and start stitching above that.
Keep going around and around for several rows (I did about 8 rows.) My rows were about 1/2-inch apart. When you are to the point you want to stop, just intersect your previous row with your last row, and backstitch.
This is what the smocking will look like when finished. Do not stress if it does not look super-smocked at this point. You will need to steam or wash the shirt to get the elastic to fully bunch up and look smocked.
Now you have finished the first step of repurposing. This will create a cute blouson look for your teen.
Next thing is to recut the armholes to fit your teen. Take some measurements beforehand to make sure it won't be too tight. Then simply cut in on the armhole a few inches, curving it out after the seam to taper it about halfway down the side seam. I used a serger on my knit to keep the stretch. You can use a slight zigzag stitch, too.
Now you are finished! A repurposed shirt with a new life!
So cute! And so easy!
Could you do this for the teenage girl in your life?
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