https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/peter-pan-collar-t-shirt-dress-2 • Posted by Rachel's Craft Channel
This dress hangs slightly above the knee, but keep it in mind that I'm only 5'1" tall. I really like the way this dress turned out, especially with the few resources it took to actually make it. What you will need to know how to do to make this dress that may require some skill is do a gathering stitch and attach sleeves. My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mcm3760
This dress hangs slightly above the knee, but keep it in mind that I'm only 5'1" tall. I really like the way this dress turned out, especially with the few resources it took to actually make it. What you will need to know how to do to make this dress that may require some skill is do a gathering stitch and attach sleeves. My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mcm3760
Start out with a basic tshirt that is too big for you. The material list suggests 2 tshirts, but mainly you will just use the one, the other will come on later.
Cut the shirt to where it will hang below your bust. Cut off the sleeves.
Now is time to make the top fit a little better. Take in the sides by cutting and make new (and smaller) armpit holes Also, it will come in handy to cut off the collar, but not necessarily the whole collar, just above the seam where it is sewn on. For my dress, I didn't make the top piece completely form fitting, meaning that it fits around my bust well, but below that it's a little looser.
Now it is time to add the peter pan collar. I painted it on with acrylic paint. I would suggest a matte paint so it "looks" like it's fabric. I cut out a stencil and traced it with a washable marker. I then painted a layer of paint onto the tshirt.
It helps to fold the shirt in half to ensure that it's even. After I took this picture I painted in the white inside part of the collar that is showing.
This is what the result looks like. If you want to, you can make an actual peter pan collar, but it can be more work, and the idea was to keep this simple.
Sew the top piece together on the sides. Now, this is where the other tshirt comes in. Pictured is the top and the bottom from the original tshirt. Next to the bottom are two pieces of fabric from a separate shirt that are about 10 inches wide. I added these because the bottom itself is not wide enough to gather nicely.
To add the extra pieces, cut the sides of the bottom piece and attach the pieces onto the side so that the main pieces are in the front and the new ones are on the side. This will make the skirt symmetrical, easier to gather, and a little poofier.
Next, use a gathering stitch and run along the top half-inch of the bottom piece. Gather the stitch by pulling one of the ending threads until it is small enough to match up with the top piece.
Then, put the right sides of the top and bottom together and attach the bottom and top. Now, if you like this style, you can hem the armholes and you're done, but I also added sleeves.
Take the sleeves from the original shirt and cut them to size. (The top pieces are what I used for the sleeves.) I didn't shorten the sleeves because my intent was to be able to either wear them long, or roll them up. Sew the bottom side of the sleeves and attach them to the dress with the sleeves and dress right sides together.
I hope your dress turns out the way you want it!