Oil and water don’t mix.
Either do oil and children.
I’m not sure what kind of greasy mess got on the front of my little girl’s rose-y colored shirt…..but it was something big. And it ruined the shirt. (Some colors hide grease stains well….but this shirt didn’t. D a r n. )
So instead of throwing it away…….I turned it into a shrug.
Complete with a ruffled edge.
Perfect over a longer T-shirt.
And now I kind of wish I had one for me.
(Time to look in my closet for stained shirts…)
Want to make your own?
I started with this cute little slightly puffed-sleeved shirt.
(This was a dark drizzly day, awful for taking pictures, so you can’t even see the oil stains on the front. I promise they’re there. Ha!)
I first cut off the bottom elastic and then cut the shirt bottom off, about 1.5 inches below the arm hole. (You’ll have to decide if you want your shrug longer or shorter and cut the shirt accordingly.)
Then I cut off the neck seam and cut down the front of the shirt and rounded each side and corner to meet the bottom of the shirt. (Make sure to make each side even and symmetrical to the other side, so it looks balanced after the shirt is done. If you need to cut one side and then fold it in half and line it up with the other side and then cut it, that may help…)
Then cut the bottom half of the shirt into strips. How wide you make your strips depends on how long the shirt was originally. But you’ll need to measure around the outer edge of your newly cut shrug and double the length to use as the measurement for your ruffle length. For example, my shrug measured 45 inches around the entire outer edge (where the ruffles would go). So I knew that I needed about a 90 inch long strip to make my ruffle. You can use a little less or a little more….it just depends on how full you like the look of your ruffle.
So I had enough fabric from the bottom of my shirt to piece together enough 2.5 inch wide strips, to make a 90 inch long strip.
Then I folded over one edge towards the inside, a 1/4 inch, then another 1/4 inch, and then sewed it in place.
Then I sewed the two ends of the long strip together with right sides together……making one continuous piece. Then along the unsewn edge, I made a basting stitch a 1/4 inch away from the edge and left the ends long.
Then I gathered and evenly spread the fabric until it was the same length as the outer edge of the shrug. And then I pinned the ruffle to the outer edge of the shrug, with right sides together. (Need help with gathering? Click here for more info.)
Then I sewed right along that outer edge, attaching the ruffle to the shrug, removing pins as I sewed. I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Then I made another seam about 1/8 of an inch away from the edge……just to help keep the ruffle secured in place.
Then press the seam open, pressing that raw edge away from the outer edge of the ruffle and towards the inside of the shrug.
Then top-stitch all the way around the inside edge of that new seam, about an 1/8 of an inch away from the seam. (I actually increased the length of my stitch length, to help keep the knit from stretching as I was sewing.) And as you’re sewing, make sure to catch the raw edges that are underneath, that you pressed over in that direction.
(**If you’d like, you can attach a ribbon to each inside seam, so that the shrug can be tied closed. Just an option.)
And that’s it.
A new ruffly shrug.
Perfect with a skirt.
Darling with cropped pants or capri’s.
Nice and light for the summer.
Brilliant! I want to make one for myself.
I really love how this turned out – Added to my "MUST TRY THIS" list. Thanks!
you are AMAZING! i cannot believe how you come up with this stuff! time to raid my 4 year old's dresser!!
www.cheepmomma.blogspot.com
That is super cute. Oil always seems to just beeline for kid's clothes.
too cute! thanks for sharing your great re-purposing ideas!
That is so cute! You always have great ideas. :)
So I was glancing over the comments and my two cents is: liquid detergent. I think it works better than Shout! I have a generic perfume/dye-free kind for the baby, and it's gotten out everything I've tried so far! Just rub it all over the stain (even a stain that Shout left once–ironic!) and wash. Cheap and easy.
Oh my gosh, Ashley. That is seriously SO cute and so smart and thrifty! How do you think of these things? I bet your cute little lady is a girly girl to the core with all these cute things you make for her :)
Very cute.. you are so creative. I would never think to repurpose in that situation.
I must make one for my daughter! She just peeked over my shoulder and said "I WANT THAT, your machine is out, I'll get a shirt RIGHT NOW!" hahaha
AMAZING! I love being able to take something old and turn it into something new. Your blog is inspiring and practical (and I say practical in a very good sort of way!)
that is super adorable. I should do this with my girls' shirts that are just tooooo short! It looks really simple too, just time in gathering, which I am soooo slow at.
I'm new to your blog. I spent two days going through all of your blogs. You are very creative! So many fun things. This shrug is super cute.
I love it… so crafty
So Clever and So Cute! I might have to cut up a non-stained t-shirt.
super cute shrug…hey if you ever have an oil or grease stain on clothes try putting dish soap on it, honestly it can work wonders. Love your blog.
So so cute and so easy!!
I'm so making one of these for myself! I ruined a shirt the day I bought it and have kept it because it just felt wrong to spend the money on it and then throw it out for a little stain on the front. THANKS!
I love it! Itt's even cuter than the original shirt!!
You really are amazing!
Darling! Love that shrug ;)
You are a genius. You have such an eye for creative solutions. Love your blog
Way Cute! Another tip on getting oil stains out- Coke. As long as you haven't put the stain through the dryer, and nice soaking in coke will pull that stain right out. Love your blog!
This is so cute! What a great way to save a shirt.
I was going to ask for a sewing machine for my bday next month. Now I have a a great project in mind. I have actually saved a couple of my daughters stained tees in hopes of repurposing them somehow. Thanks for the idea!
Adorable! I agree, I cannot do laundry without Dawn for grease spots! It is the best. It even works after you run the clothes through the dryer and then see it!
Adorable…the shrug is cute too :)
Ooooh, thanks for the tips on stains. I understand the kids getting oily stains…..but it frustrates me when I get one on something of mine. Now I have some great tips to try. Thank you, thank you!
Glad you're all enjoying the project!! :)
That is such a brilliant idea! I have been looking for a similar shrug.. now I just may have to make one myself! :)
Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
So adorable! Try "Goop" hand cleaner. You can find it in the home/car area at Walmart. It is for mechanic's hands and works even after you have dried that stain in the dryer. Just use an old toothbrush and scrub a little (or more) into your stain and put through the wash. A staple at our house. I swear my kids use their shirts as napkins….maybe I need to make some cloth napkins!
How do you do it??? See what most would lead to a "toss out" or "dust rag" and turn it into the most amazing treasure!
So cute and so easy!!! I'm looking for stained shirts right now. I usually use them for play or camping or painting, but this is way to cute an idea.
Thanks!
love this!! definitely bookmark-worthy!! mandy, www.craftedition.blogspot.com
Cute shrug!!! very cute! Did you know that dawn dish soap will take out most grease and oil stains? It has saved a couple of my favorites. But I will keep this under my hat all the same, I love it! Thank you!
So CUTE!! I am going to have to make one for the girls and well maybe one for me too!! Thanks!
WAY TO GO!!!! love it so much more as a shrug. I adore that muted pink color too. I have a shirt I love and a bracelet in that color. ;) Jenn
I totally love this — it looks fantastic!
Amazing. I'm thinking now back to all those stained shirts I've tossed mearly because of the stain. :(
You are simply amazing I just love all your projects! Thanks for teaching us all new things!
That is really cute. Thanks for the how-to.
Andrea @ TheTrainToCrazy.com
I like it a lot!! It looks darling on your daughter.
You always amaze me with your creative repurposing but this one takes the cake. I. Am. A.mazed.
Oh my goodness girl that is amazing! I love it!!
So cool! Thanks for sharing.
Here's my almost foolproof recipe for getting oil stains out. First, scrub the area with Dawn Dishwashing liquid, then wash regular. If that doesn't work, you need to "reactivate" the oil with a bit of WD 40, then put Dawn on the oil stain, scrub, then wash.
Truly, it works almost all the time.
But, that shrug is pretty cute – I'll have to look around and see if my daughter has any shirts I can make one for her with.
your blog is my favorite craft blog, i love everything!
This is fabulous, it's super cute and my 3 year old seems to make the biggest messes, she'd love this and we definitely have some oil stained shirts!! thanks!
Beautiful. It's so cute!!!!
So cute! Kinda makes me want to make one for myself!