Updated on June 12, 2024
American Girl Upcycled T-Shirt Skirt. Create an easy and fun t-shirt skirt for your American Girl or Our Generation doll in less than 10 minutes. Then decorate any way you like! Perfect project for an American Girl party!
I am participating in the April Mystery box challenge organized by the lovely, Laura Kelly. #tulip #aprilmysterybox
I received a t-shirt and some fabric markers and the challenge was to create something with them. We were supposed to think outside of the box when using the t-shirt and I thought it would be fun to upcycle the t-shirt to create a couple skirts for my daughter’s Our Generation doll (the Target version of American Girl dolls).
This craft comes together quickly and requires only basic sewing skills.
Supplies needed: (contains affiliate links)
- Large plain t-shirt (any color)
- Sewing machine and coordinating thread
- Elastic
- Tulip Fabric Markers
I used the bottom hem of the t-shirt to create the skirts. I cut the bottom six inches off the t-shirt.
Note: Using the bottom hem made for even less sewing. If you choose not to use the hem of the shirt or have an older shirt that does not have a usable hem, you will have to do an extra hem on the bottom.
I then cut this piece in half to create two separate skirts.
You will first sew your side seam. With right sides together, sew the edge of the cut fabric. I used a zig zag stitch really close to the fabric edge since I don’t have a serger. You can also use a straight stitch here about 1/4″ from the edge.
Next, you will create a finished edge along the top. Fold your fabric over once and then once again, about 1/2″ each time. I just eyeballed this and did not even pin it. You can certainly iron and pin your hem if you need to.
Straight stitch around the entire skirt, leaving about a 3/4″ to 1″ opening to slide your elastic through.
The easiest way to get your elastic through your hem is to use a safety pin. Attach the pin to one end of the elastic. You can easily feel the pin inside the hem to pull it all the way around to the other side. Be sure while you are pulling you don’t let the loose end go through the fabric.
Once you have the elastic through the top stitch it together. You can use a straight stitch or zig zag stitch to attach the two ends of elastic together.
Position the elastic inside the skirt, and straight stitch the rest of the seam shut. Now you have a plain skirt that is perfect for your American Girl doll!
However, I didn’t want to stop there. I love to do craft projects with my kids and I thought it would be fun for my daughter and I to decorate the skirts together. We each took a skirt and used our Tulip Fabric Markers to create designs on each skirt.
Note: Place cardboard or wax paper between the layers of fabric so your design doesn’t bleed through to the other side.
I did a polka dot pattern. I had the dual-tip markers, so I used the brush side to create the dots and the fine tip side to outline each polka dot.
My daughter drew a butterfly, a flower and some dots on hers.
They both turned out super cute and it was a fun project for us to do together. I like that the fabric markers are easy enough for my daughter to use and since we are not using paints or dye there was no clean up needed!
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