kojo tutorial: refashion a tshirt into comfy lounge pants
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The various t-shirts in my Goodwill-bound pile (which, I should tell you, has been moved out of the Goodwill box and into a drawer because of the fun I’m having) have been finding new lives as dresses, accents on felt barrettes and ballet flats (I’ll show you soon!) and supercomfy lounge pants for Burke. Since I usually spend my sewing energy on my nieces, it’s been unexpectedly fun to sew for my son!
To make some fabulously comfy lounge pants for your under-sewn-for little boy as well, you’ll need:
-a worn t-shirt (mine was a men’s size L)
-a sewing machine
-scissors
-a pair of ‘template pants’ in the baby/toddler size you’re sewing for
1. Using a fabric pen, trace the template pants onto the front of your (inside-out) tshirt. Fold the pants in half and trace, flip horizontally and trace again. For both sides, extend the top line by about 2-3 inches above the waistline of the template (this will become the drawstring casing later).
2. Leaving your tshirt doubled (so, front and back still together), cut about an inch around your two traced pant sides. You should end up with four panels, two ‘left sides’ and two ‘right sides.’
3. Sew your soon-to-be ‘front’ of the pants together (it’ll use one of each of your ‘sides’) and then sew your soon-to-be ‘back’ of the pants together. Use the template pants as a guide if you need it.
4. Sew the outer seam and the inner seam of the pants, joining the front and the back together. Use your tracing lines to sew along.
5. Roll (and iron) the top of the pants over to make a casing for the drawstring. Remember to roll to the ‘inside’ of the pants, now to the ‘outside.’
6. Sew the drawstring casing (tunnel).
7. Cut three long thin strips from your tshirt. Braid them together. This will be the drawstring.
8. Thread the drawstring through two slits that you make in the drawstring casing.
9. Let your little one wear these most-comfy-of-all-lounge pants for car trips, dashing around the backyard, taking naps. Fantastic, isn’t it?
Dude(ette?) you totally rock. How did you KNOW that my son has exactly TWO PAIRS of pants that fit…and I'm too cheap to spend more than $5 on a new pair for him!
I think I'm off to Goodwill to find some sweatshirts I can hack up. Excuse me.
I love this!!! I have 3 boys and there are never any cute sewing ideas for boys! thank you so much! I am going to go out and find my good will pile. 🙂
cutie-pah-tootie!!
Cute!
Pants are about the only thing I sew for my son, too. Poor, neglected boys!
Color me impressed!! That is so cute and your subject matter is a doll, as well.
I think the only issue I would have is that I'm SURE I would get my old sorority T-shirts and would have my letters smack dab on his hiney… or worse. 😛
That is SO cute!!
What a fabulous pile, I just put this in my…todo at a later date pile. How fun!
OK. I need to learn to sew. And oh, do you make those in MY size? Seriously, how comfy do those look?! LOVE IT.
Fun idea! Oh, and the baby.. so cute! Love the blonde! And I thought my blonde boy was as blonde as they came!
That's so creative, and you have one cute little model!
now this is thrifty!! great job, this would be cute with old college & high school t-shirts for kids.:)
i host a goodwill party every wednesday, stop by and link up! 🙂
This is absolutely the most fabulous idea I have ever seen. Thank you! I will be sewing up a storm for my little man.
This is the cutest thing I've ever seen, the pants and your son 🙂 If I had kids, I'd be all over this project.
What a WONDERFUL idea! This would be an especially great idea for T-shirts that parents have a sentimental attachment to and can't bear to throw away!
That is a great idea. You should post it on the Knock Off next Monday
Tonight is the cut off for the give-a-way at my blog.
Cheri
This is such a cool idea for old shirts! I love how the graphic on the t-shirt becomes more of an all-over pattern on the small pants.
I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-repurpose-a-t-shirt-into-toddler-lounge-pants/2009/09/24/
–Anne
Love repurposing T-shirts. Great job. Loving it!
so so cute! I wish I could sew better!
SMiles!
Michelle
Can you e-mail me your e-mail I have a question for you.
Cheri
Oh man another great reason to relearn my sweing skills. So cute and my hubby has so many old tshirts and my son destroys all his nice new clothes. Now he can destory his dads old tshirts for free! Yay – so adorable!
What a clever idea! I have a new little nephew being born soon – filing this away for future. So cute and easy!
Roeshel
I made these for Siu Jeun, my son! Check it out- http://lolo-craft.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-pair-of-trousers.html
Not as cute as yours, but…hey. I'm not a patient woman. The only part that tripped me up was the actual SEWING them together. I was stumped! I've never sewn pants before…
(Did I lose your e-mail address? I thought I had a way to e-mail you last time we chatted…or at least respond to your comments!)
Anyhow, with the wording…I have NO idea. I don't even know if I sewed the pants up right. The first time, I looked down and realized I had sewn a VERY ugly skirt. LOL So, basically, I had to take out the middle seams and…here's what I'd tell myself next time –
Right sides together, sew the outside "straight" seams together.
Open those two legs up and then put the two legs right sides together. Sew the "butt" and the "tummy" seams, just down to the crotch.
Finally, open the pants up the other way and sew the "U" up one inseam, across the crotch, and down the other inseam.
The tricky part is sewing the "butt" and the "tummy" seams to the right spot!
Is that how you did it?
PS – Could I beg you to add an e-mail address to your profile so I can respond to blog comments there? I suppose I could respond on my OWN blog…but I always assume nobody reads the comments. LOL
OMG these are sooo adorable! Hopefully I will have a little one to make these for soon 🙂 You've definitly gained a follower 🙂 i look forward to checking out all of your other stuff. I found you through that so very cheri, stop by my blog and check it out if you have a chance. Take care!
So cute and you've been FEATURED–button grabbin' time!!! Woo hoo
Cheri
AH! I'm SO doing this during naps today!!! Forget the dishes.
Hiya!
Just wanted to let you know that we've linked to this (using a photo) on dabbled.org today for our clothing refashion roundup… thanks for sharing this great idea!
dot
Link: http://dabbled.org/2010/02/clothes-tutorials-recycle-your-wardrobe.html
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Love them!!!
You have absolutely just solved my Halloween costume problem for my son (who wants to be an orange monster)!! Orange sweatpants = almost impossible to find. Orange adult T-shirts: easy! Yay!
comfy pants are a huge thing in our house. love that i can make some for my kids with daddy’s old shirts! I love that you just went at it. I should have more courage, like you! thanks for the tute!
Haha- sometimes I should probably have less courage (there’d be less craft- fails that way)! I was just thinking that I should make another pair of these, though. Definitely a keeper.:)
Love these! I’m going to attempt a pair for my 4 month old son who just out grew all his other pants and needs something comfy and light for this spring weather.
What a great idea Helen!