By Dena Fishbein
McClatchy-Tribune
I have several old T-shirts sitting in my drawer that haven’t been worn in ages. I love these T-shirts for their soft cotton, but sometimes they show their age with teeny tiny holes or snagged threads. This project uses a simple technique to revamp an old, well-loved T-shirt. I used the intricate eyelet border of an old sheet for mine, but you can get creative and use anything you have in your fabric collection, even scraps of soft cotton fabrics sewn together!
Gather:
A fitted T-shirt
Scrap fabric (i.e.: an old sheet with a pretty edge, vintage lace or eyelet cotton yardage)
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread
Pins
A Ruler
Create:
Note: The seam of the shirt and the peplum should fall about three to four inches below your natural waistline. The length of the peplum depends on how long you would like your shirt to be. A shorter peplum reads as more of a ruffle, while a longer once creates a baby doll silhouette.
1. Using a pin, mark the point in which you would like your peplum to connect to the T-shirt. This should be about three to four inches below your natural waistline. Cut half an inch below this point, removing the bottom portion of the T-shirt.
2. Decide how long you would like your peplum to be and add 1 inch to that measurement, allowing for your seam and hem allowance. Measure the circumference of the bottom of your shirt and double. This will give you extra room for gathering. Cut your scrap fabric to those measurements.
3. Stitch along one of the long edges of your fabric, making small tucks to create a slightly gathered edge. This is the top of your peplum.
4. Once your peplum is gathered to your liking, cut it to the circumference of your shirt, adding 1 inch for seam allowance.
5. With right sides together, sew the short ends of the fabric together to form a large loop.
6. With right sides together, sew the gathered edge of the loop to the bottom hem of the shirt. Hem the bottom edge of the peplum and trim any loose threads. Press with an iron and you’re done!
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