Ruffle Tank Top Refashion Tutorial

I was so excited add a bit of something special to this plain tank that I bought at Walmart for only $3.50!  This tutorial is extremely simple and only takes a little while. Happy sewing!

Step #1: Gather your materials...

A tank, fabric, thread that matches,a seam gauge, scissors, and a sewing machine.

Step #2: Measure the neckline of your shirt, from each of the shoulder seams.

Step #3: Multiply the neckline measurement by 2. (Mine was 18 and when I multiplied it by 2, I got 32 (18*2=32)). This will be the length of your fabric piece. 

Figure out how thick you want the ruffle to be. Add about 1 inch to it and you've got the width. For mine, I wanted it to be about 3 inches thick, so I cut it to be 4 inches.                                                                            Now, cut your fabric using your length and width.

Step #4: Hemming...

Using your seam gauge, fold over and pin each of the sides (all four) of your fabric piece. Sew, using the side of your foot as the seam allowance, which is clearly showed in the picture below.

Step #5: Once all four sides are hemmed, set your sewing machine's tension at 8 or 9, switch the stitch length to the largest, and sew down, lining the stitch on one of the long sides up with the side of the presser foot. 

Step #6: Using the top thread from the stitch, pull and gather to make the ruffle. Continue until the whole piece is ruffled. Line up the ruffle with the neckline of the shirt to make sure that it is ruffled the perfect amount and that it reaches the shoulder seams of both sides easily.

Pin the ruffle onto the shirt once you know it's the perfect size.

Step #7: After setting your tension back to whatever your normal tension is, sew a large-sized stitch along the ruffle's side. Make sure that you catch the shirt in the stitch.

Step #7: Clip the extra few threads laying around and you're done! How easy was that?

Isn't this skirt cute?