Quick and easy girls sewing pattern for a personalised 3-4T toddler t-shirt.
My lucky friend, who came to visit with her 3-year girl old last week, received a huge bag of used kids clothes from my neighbor. It contained everything from darling Spring dresses to blankets, socks, and everything a three year old might need. As my friend lives overseas she did not want to bring everything. And yes, you guessed it, I was stuck with the leftovers: single socks, blue blankets, and a soft, pale-pink 24 m onesie.
Creative-me immediately saw the opportunity in some of these baby items: the single socks could become little iPhone pouches. The blankets could become bases for rugs or quilts. And then there was this baby onesie.
I was initially going to cut it up and make a decorative pillow with fabric and felt flowers with it. But then, I realize that it had such a lovely scalloped collar, that it was so soft and so wide* that really, it had quite a bit of life in it. So, I decided to simply transform it into a t-shirt a three-year-old girl would be looking splendid in. Frankly, it is so long and wide, it might even fit a four-year-old.
* I am sure that all moms have noticed this: onesies have to be the most varying sized baby item ever. Some are so wide that you wonder: just how chubby can a baby be??!!
My 1,2,3 Step by Step Tutorial on how to make a toddler t-shirt out of a onesie
1. Cut off the bottom seam as low as possible. Rather than cutting the back straight, I slightly curved it for it to be even longer.
2. I rolled the hem over twice by 1/4 of an inch. I pinned the hem and sew it.
3. I cut off a bit of the trim of the bottom section, leaving on a sliver of the fabric. I rolled it. Secured it with (quite) a few stitches by hand so that it with stay in shape and be wash/toddler-proof, and sew the little rosette on for a ‘big-girl’ finishing touch.
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Toddler T-shirt Sewing Pattern
Easy, huh?! Well, you don’t need to even have a sewing machine really, to pull off this little trick. If you hand-sew the bottom of the t-shirt, be sure to top- embroider it with some pretty stitches. Or, if you prefer, download this crochet pattern on how to make crochet t-shirt edging.
And there you have it: a recycled onesie into a cute toddler shirt.
From Onesie to Toddler Spring Dress
Now, if you are really feeling crafty, don’t stop here! Sew on a few stretches of ruffled fabric at the bottom of your t-shirt. Then you’ll have yourself a darling Spring dress for a toddler.
Or, if you are in the mood for it, and you do have a sewing machine, consider sewing your little girl this other darling Spring/Summer dress. This free sewing pattern is 4T.
