This charming upcycled dress makes the ideal Valentine's Day gift and looks sweet year-round. As an experienced DIY crafter, I've made dozens of these cozy one-hour projects for kids. Gather your materials and let's begin.
Select an adult T-shirt and cut the bottom hem straight across to your desired skirt length. For accuracy, measure from your child's waist to their knees.
For hand-stamping, slide aluminum foil inside the skirt portion of the T-shirt to keep ink from bleeding through.
Apply fabric ink with heart stamps across both sides of the skirt and shirt. Once dry, iron the stamped areas to heat-set the design for lasting wear.
Measure your child's waist and add 2 inches. Cut elastic to that length, overlap the ends by 1/2 inch, pin, and sew with a zigzag stitch.
Insert the elastic into the skirt's top raw edge, about 1 inch down. Pin at the sides, front, and back while stretching the elastic to fit the wider fabric.
Sew the elastic to the skirt using a zigzag stitch, gently stretching it as you go to match the skirt's length evenly.
Your twirly skirt is now ready for the top.
Pull the skirt up over the bottom of the child's shirt until it sits at the desired waistline.
Pin the skirt to the shirt at the front, sides, and back for a stable hold.
Sew the skirt directly to the shirt over the elastic using a zigzag stitch, easing in the shirt fabric gently as you sew.
Step back and admire your finished upcycled heart dress! Continue below for an optional flower chain accessory.
For the removable flower accent, gather a felt flower, silver jewelry chain, and safety pin. Thread one end of the chain onto the pin, loop another link 12 inches away back onto the pin, then secure through the flower's back.
Pin the flower chain onto the dress—it's fully removable for easy washing.
And that's it: a delightful upcycled heart T-shirt dress ready to wear!
