Easy DIY Ruffle Top Dress Tutorial - My Maternity Dress Makeover!

I'm expecting... and when you're expecting there's 2 things you desperately want your clothes to be - comfortable and cute. But that's hard to come by... especially together!

I went hunting at the thrift store the other day and found this gem – a long-sleeved maternity dress that was literally just a giant t-shirt. Talk about comfortable! But not so cute.

Well, it’s summertime and I had a plan… time for a dress makeover!

You could do this with any t-shirt or skirt too.

Step 1: Cut off those long sleeves.

 

Step 2: Cut the sleeve scraps into strips.

We’re going to use the cutoff sleeves for ruffles!

Make each strip 2 ½ inches wide. I wanted 3 ruffles on my shirt. So I cut one strip 14 inches long and the other two strips I cut 7 inches long.

TIP: Cut your strips 2 times the length that you want them to be in the end. This gives your ruffles plenty of “flounce”. Example: Want a 7 inch ruffle? Cut a 14 inch strip of fabric.

Step 3: Sew big stitches about ¼ inch from the top of each strip. The pull one of the strings to make a ruffle.

Step 4: Pin the top ruffle in place (the 14 inch strip). Then stitch it on.

Make sure the ruffle is centered on the shirt.

 

Step 5: Pin the top of the next ruffle about 1 ½ inches below the top ruffle’s stitching. Sew it in place.

Repeat this step for as many ruffles as you like. I made the 2^nd and 3^rd ruffles shorter than the top one just for added spunk. :) 

 

The top is done. YAY! If you’re only doing a t-shirt, you can stop here. But I had an entire dress to doctor.

 

 

Now to fix the bottom of the t-shirt dress…

Step 6: Cut off the bottom of the skirt.

Since it went to the floor, I had plenty of fabric to play with. *Remember not to cut off too much! You can always make it shorter.

Step 7: Make the bottom ruffle.

Cut two strips that are 2 ½ inches wide. Sew them together to make one long strip of fabric. Sew using big stitches about ¼ inch from the top and pull one string to make the ruffle. Then sew the two ends together to make a circle.

Don’t trim those strings yet! You might need to pull the thread again to keep that ruffle “ruffling”.

Step 8: Pin the bottom ruffle in place. Sew across the top of the ruffle.

 

Ok, now you can trim the strings. 

And … Ta Da! Here’s my new cute dress that feels like a t-shirt without looking like one. Happy day! :)