Ruffled Tunic Tee Tutorial
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I have been hoarding these pink and black knit fabrics from Hobby Lobby for over a year. I have decided I need to start using fabrics from my stash before buying anything new. (Wink, wink… Yes, I have an Etsy basket just waiting for me to press “purchase”…) I thought this fabric would look adorable as ruffles, so the Ruffled Knit Tunic Tee was born!
Here is how to make a Ruffled Tunic Tee for yourself:
Materials needed:
-Longish tee that fits (I used a Target Cherokee Tee)
-4 strips of knit fabric 3 inches by x 52 inches (you could use recycled tee’s, just cut into 3″ strips and sew together to get 52 inches)
-1/8 yard of knit fabric for the underskirt (I used the bottom of an old tee from my recycle bin.)
-ruler
-scissors
-thread
-pins
-water soluble marker
-iron
Instructions:
This top is designed to be a longer tunic length top and should hit around mid thigh.
The first step is to cut off the bottom hem off the tee. (This will help reduce bulkiness.)
Fold underskirt fabric in half. Using a ruler, cut a straight edge on the bottom of the fabric. Line up the t-shirt on the fabric and draw out a 3.5 inch fabric extension for the shirt. Then add 1/4 inch on each side as shown. Cut out the pattern.
Turn the right sides together and sew up the side seams 1/4 inch from the edge.
Then, right sides together, line up the bottom edge of the t-shirt and top of the tunic extension piece, matching the side seams. Pin and sew together.
Now, grab the four fabric strips. Line up the short edges, right sides together. Pin and sew. You will have a big circle of fabric. Do this for all 4 fabric strips.
Next, we will ruffle the fabric circles. Switch your sewing machine to the longest stitch length. (Mine goes to 7.) Sew a straight stitch all the way around the top of the fabric circles, 1/4 inch from the top edge. Leave the ends loose, no backstitching. Do this on all 4 fabric circles. Go ahead and move the stitch length back to the normal length.
Keep pulling, spreading the gathers evenly around the circle, until the ruffle is as wide as the bottom of the t-shirt tunic. (I just keep comparing the widths until they are even.)
Measure 7/8 inch from the bottom edge of the tunic top. Mark this measurement all the way around.
Pin the wrong side of the ruffle to the right side of the tunic at this mark.
Place the gathered edge under your sewing foot and sew right over the gathering stitch. (All the books say you should remove the pins as you sew, but when I sew gathers, I usually leave my pins in. I have broken a needle or two this way. So if you sew over the pins, go carefully…)
This ruffle is pinned on differently. Turn the ruffle upside down, with the right side of the ruffle fabric facing the right side of the tunic top. Line up along your markings.
Sew right over the gathering stitch. Once sewn, fold the ruffle down and press lightly with iron.
The next step is to top-stitch the top ruffle down. This process was a little hard to see in my original pictures, so I re-created it in different fabrics that I could photograph better.
I used a lot of pins to hold the folded edge in place.
Sew right along the folded edge of the tunic top. Go slowly and try to keep the fabric feeding through the machine evenly. Remove the pins as you go.
That was the last step, you’re done! Sit back and admire your work. Better yet, have a sweet someone come and try on her dress…
Come back next week and I will show you how I made the t-shirt embellishment…
I hope this tutorial inspires you to make something pretty!
{Here are the measurements for a 2t/3t (Keep in mind this is just a guesstimate based on a 2t/3t
Gymboree t-shirt.)
If you are inspired to create something based on this tutorial, I would love to see it!
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