Forget scrapbooks; this skirt is a monument to your teenager's travel adventures that will also enhance her wardrobe! Gather up all the t-shirts from the places your family has been— the Grand Canyon, a beach boardwalk, that random café in Seattle—and show your teen how to make her own "where-able" creation. It's so lightweight and comfy that she'll want to wear it on your next road trip (and it packs well, too!). This skirt is a trip—literally!
What You Need:
- 6 t-shirts (L or XL, with travel themed graphics)
- Measuring tape
- Tailor’s chalk
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Needle
- Thread
What to Do:
- Measure your daughter's waist. Divide her waist measurement by 6 and then add 1(Example: For a 30" waist, divide by 6 to get 5"; add 1 to get 6").
- Have her lay the t-shirts flat and cut a 24" long (slightly trapezoidal) strip from each one, using the previous calculation for the width of the top of each strip. The width of the bottom of each strip should be 1½" wider than the top. Note: Use a paper pattern if you prefer.
- Have her arrange the strips next to each other in the order she'd like them to appear on the skirt and pin them together along the long edges (right sides together).
- Sew along the pinned edges ½" from the edges using a running backstitch. Remove the pins and turn the skirt right side out.
- Measure 4½" up from the bottom of one of the shirt remnants and cut a strip through both layers, as shown. Trim the strip until it is 1" longer than your waist measurement.
- Sew the ends of the strip together (right sides in) ½" from the edge, using a running backstitch.
- Fold the top edge of the tube down to meet the bottom, wrong sides together. You should have a double-layer tube about 2¼" wide.
- Place the tube around the outside top of the skirt, lining up the unfinished edges with the top edge of the skirt. Pin in place.
- Sew along the pinned edges, close to the edge using a zigzag stitch or whipstitch. Remove the pins.
Have her pull the skirt on to make sure it fits. She's ready to head for the open road!
Tee Trivia: A T-shirt bearing the I ♥ NY logo (designed by Milton Glaser in 1976 to promote the image of the city) was presented to Fidel Castro when he visited the U.N. in 1979.
By Megan Nicolay
Adapted from "Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt" by Megan Nicolay. Copyright 2006 by Megan Nicolay. Used with permission of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York. All Rights Reserved.
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