Summer is here and in my family, that means just one thing, pool time. But while most of the members of my family are content to wrap a towel around them on the way to or from the poolside, we have a little girl who is a little more particular. She needs a DRESS, thank you very much. SO it’s a good thing I whipped up one of these shirred shirts as a cover up. Look for a t-shirt that hangs down to your child’s knees but isn’t too enormous in the neck and shoulders for the best fit. A larger child’s shirt will work better than an adult one for young children.

Things you’ll need:
Old t-shirt
Elastic Thread
Thread
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Sewing Machine

Things to do:
1. Lay your shirt out on a flat surface, and, with the ruler, draw a line just under the armpits across the front and back of the shirt. (Or find a striped shirt and choose the stripe closest to the armpits.

2. Hand wind your bobbin with the elastic thread, keeping the tension fairly tight as you wind. Load the bobbin as normal.
3. With your machine on it’s longest stitch length and a straight stitch, sew along the marked line all the way around the shirt, backstitching at each end.

4. Trim the threads and move the foot of the sewing machine 1/4 inch down. Repeat step 3. Continue to sew around the shirt with your rows 1/4 inch apart, until you have stitched about two inches of fabric and the waist has drawn in enough for your child. The closer the rows are together and the more there are of them, the more cinched the waist will be.

5. If your sleeves are too loose, you can also add a few rows of stitching about 1/2 inch from the edge to gather them as well.