Yellow shirt skirt

This is a little different from yesterday's shirt skirt because it's made from a t-shirt instead of a button-down shirt. It's much more casual, and I like to wear it to fun events like Houston's Art Car Parade. (That's where the above picture was taken.) I made this out of a t-shirt Jon had from college that said "Drop your pants BBQ." (Oh, college!) This is the first incarnation of the skirt.

As appealing as it was to have a bright yellow skirt that said "pants BBQ," I needed to figure out how to cover that up. I decided to use the sleeves to make a front pocket.

Much better. Once again, I made this long before I had a blog, but here's the general idea of how to make this. Aside from the shirt, you'll need some elastic that is as long as your waist measurement. I think 3/4" or 1" elastic would be a good size. I don't remember what size I used.

1) If you want a front pouch like mine, carefully remove the sleeves and set aside. Cut the neck off of the shirt from the top of one side of the sleeves to the top of the other.

2) Decide how long you want the skirt to be. Add about 2 inches. Measure that distance from the bottom of the shirt and cut the shirt off at the top. Sew side seams, following the curve of your body. The waist should be a little loose. You will be adding an elastic waistband.

3) Make casing for elastic. To do this, fold over 1 1/2" at the top and sew it down on the inside, leaving a 2" opening to insert the elastic. Make sure the casing is wide enough to accommodate the elastic comfortably.

4) Cut the elastic to your waist measurement plus three inches. Stick a safety pin through one end and use it to guide the elastic into the casing. When you've gotten it all the way around, overlap the elastic and sew it together. Then sew the opening of the casing shut.

5) Now is the time to add the pouch, if you want one. Sew the larger ends of the two sleeves together. Position pouch on skirt as desired. Sew top and bottom edges to skirt, taking care not to sew into the elastic.

This is just an outline, and if you don't have experience sewing, you might want to ask someone for help because I don't know if all the steps are completely clear.