5.21.2010

my first upcycle: tank to toddler dress



when recently going through my clothes i came across a tank that i have had for a number of years.  probably more years than i would like to admit.  i threw it in the "to donate" pile but having just read numerous blogs about upcycling old clothing for toddler clothes i decided to throw it in the "maybe-someday-if-i-get-a-chance-to-upcycle" pile.  and as the weather turned warmer, i grabbed the tank to make into a dress for little miss.  after all, pink is her signature color.  




here i am back in 2005 sporting the tank... with the mister and mr big (back when he wasn't so big!)  i am disappointed in myself that i didn't take any action shots of the project, but i will try to give a little play-by-play of how the project played out.  please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions!  


before......


step 1: i cut the top off the tank right below the yellow lace and cut off the straps


step 2: to resize the top, i put a shirt of little miss' over the recently cut yellow lace top and cut off the remaining fabric leaving just a little extra fabric for seam allowance


step 3: with right sides facing i sewed the sides of the top.  so now the top was finished and ready for the strap again.  


step 4:  i shortened the straps by holding them up to little miss and figuring out how long they needed to be cutting off the extra length.  then using the middle of the dress i measured out equal distance from the middle of the top and sewed on the straps.  i think it was roughly about 1.5" from the middle.  and once the straps were back on that completed the top....


step 5: using a basting stitch i stitched along the top of the body of the tank and ruffled the body of the tank so that it was the equal width of the newly resized top


step 6: with right sides together i lined up the seams on the top and bottom and pined all around the dress.


step 7: i sewed the top and the body of the dress together and voila!  an easy-peasy tank to toddler dress!   

.....after

5 comments:

  1. So cute and precious! I love to think about what I can do with old items and make something totally new.

    Thank you for sharing this with us!

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  2. Ha! So cute and my kinda frugal thinking.

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  3. Stumbled on you from Tea Rose Home and OH MY GOSH I had the SAME tank! Was it Old Navy? Anyhow--that was a while ago, tee hee! Now I wish that mine had stayed in my closet to be upcycled for my girl instead of going to Goodwill!

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  4. So cute and awesome kids dress. well blog post. Thank you very much.....cute and cute baby and her dress...............

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