Add Ruffles to a Shirt

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make a fun shirt and used a ruffle to jazz up a simple t-shirt. This was a pretty easy sewing project. A beginner could do this easily. Let me show you how I did it. 

  

Before and after.  

I used the ruffle from this blue and white dress. I had to shorten the dress anyway and saved the ruffle for this project. You can also use a ruffle that is pre-made for you. (Similar here.) I used approximately a yard and a half of ruffle on each side of my shirt. I needed a bit less than that, but that is a good estimate. You will need to adjust the measurement based on the shirt you are using for this project. 

 

I cut the sides of my shirt open. I needed the sides open so I could attach the ruffle to the shirt on each side with my sewing machine or serger. 

 

I cut the sleeves and shoulder seams off too. I made sure my ruffle pieces were a bit longer than my t-shirt so I could sew the ruffles and shirt together and have enough extra length in the ruffle to hem it to match the length of the shirt. An extra inch to make a hem will do nicely.

 

I used my serger to sew the ruffles on the sides of the shirt. You can also used a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. A serger and a zigzag stitch will give and stretch a little bit so they are both great for knits like this t-shirt. I sewed my ruffle to my shirt, with the right sides facing each other, from the bottom of the shirt front, up the shirt, over the shoulder, and down the back of the shirt. I did this on both sides. 

 

It looked kind of like this. I liked the shirt in general but this is the time to match the length of the ruffles and the shirt. You might have a long tunic or a more cropped length. You can fold the edge of the ruffle under twice and stitch it down. 

  

I turned the edge of my ruffle under and made a small hem at the bottom. I used my basic sewing machine and a straight stitch to sew this. 

 

When the ruffle and the shirt are the same length, it will be even all the way along the bottom when you lay it out like this. The ruffle will hang down a bit when you wear it and have some movement when you move. It's really lovely.

 

This shirt needs sides and sleeves. I spread out the shirt and made sure all the edges were even, then I pinned the ruffle in the middle, where I wanted the new side seam. I sewed a straight seam on the outside of the shirt, on the ruffle, connecting the front side of the ruffle and the back side of the ruffle. It was hard to see in the pictures, so I put the tools on top of the seam. This seam ends about 5-6 inches from the top, that makes the "sleeve".

 

I tucked the shirt in here but it can be worn out too. I love how it turned out. Adding the ruffle adds to the size of the shirt and makes it more roomy too. Who doesn't love more room? Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.