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refashion sewing sewing for kids
June 17, 2013

easy upcycled pajamas: from t-shirt to nightgown in 15 minutes

Like upcycling? Check out the women’s shirt to easy A-line baby dress tutorial or men’s shirt to little boy pajamas!

It’s garage sale season, which means it’s easy to pick up t-shirts for 50 cents or so – much less than it would cost to buy knit fabric. It’s also summer break for the kids, which means it’s a great time to clean out closets and figure out what can be donated or upcycled into something else. Today’s tutorial shows you how I turned a couple of garage sale tees into cute nightgowns for my daughter – it only takes two seams and less than a yard or so of elastic.

Turn an old tee into a cute nightgown with this super easy sewing tutorial! It only takes a few seams. T-shirt nightgown DIY.

 

 

Here’s how to turn a tee into a princess nightgown:

A navy t-shirt, narrow elastic, seam ripper, safety pin

I used a women’s size S tee from Old Navy for my 2-yr old daughter. If you have an older daughter you’ll probably need to start with a larger shirt. You want to make sure that the shirt is long enough to fit as a nightgown.

You’ll start by threading elastic through the existing neckband and sleeve hems and gathering them up to fit. This gives the nightie a cute peasant-dress look.

using seam ripped to open hole in seam of neckbinding; using safety pin to thread elastic into neckbinding; two ends of elastic sewn together with zig zag

Use a seam ripper to slice a small hole on the inside of the neckbinding, then thread narrow elastic through the neck band and back out the same hole. I used 13 inches of elastic for the neck and about 7 inches of elastic for each sleeve. You’ll probably just want to start with a longer piece of elastic, thread it through, then try on your daughter and tighten as needed. Once you cut your elastic to the right length sew each end together with a zigzag. Repeat on the hem of each sleeve.

Once the neckline and sleeves are gathered, turn the nightgown inside out and lay it on a flat surface. Place a tee that fits your daughter over it, and pin a new seam starting just above the sleeve hem, going up under the armpit, and back down to the bottom of the nightgown as shown below.

girl\'s shirt layered over the larger blue t-shirt, new side seams marked

Sew new seams and try one to be sure it fits. If it does, trim away seam allowance (if it’s too small you’ll need to unpick your seams and sew new ones – not that stuff like that ever happens to me 🙂

At the hem you can fold your seam allowances to one side and zigzag them down flat so they don’t hang out the bottom of the nightgown. You can even use matching thread if you’re less lazy than I am. (Sorry Mom, but the two-year-old isn’t going to notice I didn’t use matching thread.)

Seam allowance sewn down near the hem with a zig zag

Press the side seams open and you’re through!

A little girls nightgown made from a t-shirt

My daughter said it looked like a princess dress, so I added a little crown in silver puffy paint to the blue version:

A little girl standing on a bed in an upcycled nightgown

She likes the pink one as well:

A little girl wearing a nightgown upcycled from a t-shirt

 

I’ve added an even easier version of this same t-shirt to nightgown refashion – find it here!

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Home » sewing » refashion » easy upcycled pajamas: from t-shirt to nightgown in 15 minutes


57 Comments

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Comments

  1. Neva D Dew says

    February 9, 2021 at 7:21 am

    I did this 44 years ago for our daughter! The only addendum I would add to the instructions is I wouldn’t take -up the sides seams unless the shirt is just super huge on the child – it will just be a fuller skirt.

    Reply
  2. Ann Harper says

    October 14, 2019 at 11:58 am

    This was one of the first posts I saw on Pinterest years ago. One of the young college girls at work told me about Pinterest – I was so not into the whole computer thing. Needless to say that soon changed. I have made many of these gowns for my grand daughter over the years – she was about two when I started. She is now six, time flies. I love your posts and have used many of them over the years. It’s so sad to think how old all my little one are getting. Just think you have years ahead of you to figure out new ideas for your future grand kids lol. When my girls were little I used to make them nightgown out of white men’s tee shirts and apply fabric cutouts and puffy paint to the shirts as night gowns. Then a bit of lace and ribbon around neck, sleeves, and hem.

    Reply
    • autumn says

      October 17, 2019 at 5:27 pm

      Time does fly! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed using this tutorial, Ann. Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  3. AndyJack says

    August 29, 2018 at 9:40 am

    It is such a great idea. I loved the idea and she is loving so cute. I would love to do something like that for my daughter.

    Reply
  4. Kristine says

    September 14, 2017 at 12:44 am

    Hi
    I don’t really understand how to cut the seams down to size?
    What happens to the sleeves? Do you cut through them to fit the torso and then sew it back again?

    THanks!

    Reply
  5. Fiordelisa says

    April 28, 2017 at 9:02 am

    Just googling for nightgown patterns and I have to say, those are about the sweetest smiles that I have ever seen! 🙂 What a darling little girl with a sweet spirit. She especially loved that pink nightgown, didn’t she. She is absolutely lovely. 🙂 God’s best blessings…

    Reply
  6. Jen says

    April 23, 2017 at 8:26 am

    Your little girl is so cute!

    Reply
  7. amyinnh says

    March 26, 2017 at 6:42 am

    This little girl is so cute I could squeeze the stuffing out of her! What a little doll!
    Thanks for the tee repurpose idea.

    Reply
  8. Patience says

    February 20, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    Fantastic! You did a great job repurposing those T-shirts and have a darling little girl to model them to boot. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Lorraine Mathis says

    October 1, 2015 at 5:56 am

    So cute idea! Mi girl’s gonna love this. Two of my t-shirt are her favorites and are perfect to be up-cycled this way. Thank you for the nice tutorial!

    Reply
  10. Alexandra says

    September 26, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    Thank you for a great tutorial!! I made two of those tonight watching doctor who – it was my relax time after a long day… I love how they turned out! I made them out of my husband’s te’s that have some drawings and my father in law’s poetry on them – it’s a bit crazy, but it’s kind of familysh (is there such word?…)))))) …
    I made couple of teeny tiny changes, though! Instead of stitching the seam allowance on sleeves’ hem down with the zigzag, I stitched it with decorative stitch – couple hearts – my machine has tons of those stitches and I hardly use them at all! What a shame… So I thought that was the perfect opportunity! And the second thing I’ve changed was the bottom hem – I cut the t-shirt at an angle but so that I didn’t cut of the bottom hem – I left it intact, so when I started sewing the sides down I had kind of a ring of my bottom hem. And then I stitched the sides finishing it as you would a dart! So I have the bottom hem complete intact! I like it so much )))))

    Reply
  11. kajero says

    July 14, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    I am going to make one of these for me! I have some knit fabric and/or another XXL T-shirt that I will use to length the nightgown. Thanks for such a cute idea! Of course, knowing me, it will probably take me all night to actually get it done.

    Reply
  12. Jenna says

    April 28, 2015 at 5:55 am

    I just got a new-to-me serger and ive been trying to think of starter projects to do for practice. THIS IS PERFECT! Why? Because, i’d actually be sewing something useful while getting the hang of my new machine — I was thinking the other day that I needed to go buy my daughter some summer pjs. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  13. Beulah Smith says

    April 6, 2015 at 11:05 am

    love it am now on great grand daughters cheaper for me

    Reply
  14. Lyndy Deal says

    February 2, 2015 at 8:26 am

    I love your projects. You always capture the BEST expressions on the face of your lovely little girl. She is an absolute doll, almost as cute as my own granddaughters! 🙂
    Keep up the good work!

    Reply
    • autumn says

      February 4, 2015 at 4:49 pm

      Oh, thank you!

      Reply
  15. Lynn says

    January 26, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    This looks sooo comfy and your long sleeve version is just adorable. Oh how I wish we could have an adult version ! The boys PJ’s I so have to give a try ! I seen on Etsy toddler lounge pants made from old T-Shirts and finally found the pattern on Pinterest. This is just adorable and my I add so is the model

    Reply
  16. Julie says

    September 30, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    Do you need to have a serger to sew the side seams…or just a regular old sewing machine? I love this idea. My daughter is a tall 5 year-old, though…so we’ll see what I can find that’s long enough. She can always wear little leggings with it, keeps her warmer that way, anyway. Thanks!

    Reply
    • autumn says

      October 5, 2014 at 8:36 am

      A normal machine will work fine – just use a narrow zig zag so the seam will have a little stretch. Good luck!

      Reply
  17. Carly says

    July 20, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    What a fantastic idea! My girls really need some new pajamas. But nightgowns are sooo expensive, and my girls are picky! No scratchy anything and only nightgowns will do. They do actually love to wear my husband’s old t-shirts to bed. This is such a great way to make those old tees into better fitting nightgowns for them. Wow! I’m so excited I might have to raid his drawer right now and give it a try. I have a couple old t-shirts they’d love to wear to bed to. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    Reply
  18. Eliz says

    July 7, 2014 at 2:30 am

    Super creative! Great post! Thank You!

    Reply
  19. Bonnie says

    June 16, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    Wow, what a great, simple idea! I think I will do this for my daughter, thanks 🙂

    Reply
  20. Carina says

    May 30, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Hi Autumn!

    I made three of these for my 4 yr old! She LOVES them!!!!!

    She insisted on wearing one (as a dress) to kindergarden!

    I will be on the lookout for more of my old t-shirts to recycle (upcycle)!!!

    Thanx!

    Reply
    • autumn says

      May 31, 2014 at 7:36 am

      Awesome – thanks so much for letting me know!

      Reply
  21. Megan says

    May 19, 2014 at 8:48 pm

    My daughter needed a nightgown for ‘Pajama Day’ at school. It was late notice and I had no elastic. I used pink shoelaces and tied them in a small bow on the top part of the sleeves. It turned out better than I thought it would! Thank you for this tutorial! 🙂

    Reply
    • autumn says

      May 22, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      Awesome! I bet the shoelace bows were super cute – ribbon would look cute too!

      Reply
      • Megan says

        June 11, 2014 at 9:19 pm

        It turned out really cute! I left the shoelace bows on the sleeves but am going to put elastic in the neck. I plan to make one for our other daughter and maybe a friend’s little girl. 🙂

        Reply
  22. carol says

    April 16, 2014 at 11:17 am

    to think i used to re-cut the t-shirt! making the neck hole smaller… etc… this is so much easier and cute too! i would like to mention, if you cut a U shape at the bottom and finish it off with snaps, you have romper style pj’s….

    Reply
    • autumn says

      April 20, 2014 at 2:35 pm

      Great idea – thanks!

      Reply
  23. Joanne says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:11 pm

    I just love this…it came out sooooo cute!

    Reply
  24. Niki says

    September 8, 2013 at 12:09 am

    Love love loved this tutorial. It made me giggle out loud while reading it, actually. Then, I ran right upstairs and dug a pretty-colored shirt out of my husband’s t-shirt drawer and sewed my daughter, Charlotte, one in no time flat. It just occurred to me that I should share it with you, if you’re interested in that kind of thing.
    http://roonieranching.blogspot.com/2013/06/princess-nightgown-more-or-less.html

    Reply
  25. Ginger says

    August 8, 2013 at 12:08 am

    Absolutly great idea.
    I

    Reply
  26. surfzone says

    August 6, 2013 at 12:08 am

    Extremely easy! I’ll try with my three daughters and my ton of old T-shirts 🙂

    Reply
  27. Sarah says

    July 10, 2013 at 12:07 am

    I just found this tutorial on Pinterest tonight and it was too cute for me to go to bed, which had been my plan for when I was done pinning. So instead I whipped one up from my Supergirl shirt that never fit me right. It’s so cute, I can’t wait for morning to put it on my 15 month old daughter. I was concerned because the shirt had a fairly deep v-neck, but this technique worked perfectly. It still even has a tiny little v-shape to it. Wish I could post a pic for you to see!

    Reply
  28. Jane from Lil Pip says

    June 26, 2013 at 12:06 am

    This is fantastic. I’m going to have a look out for tshirts for my daughter (Miss 4!) and try to make some …. as soon as the weather warms up down here in Australia!

    Reply
  29. Patty says

    June 23, 2013 at 12:06 am

    Hey, your seam ripper cap looks just like mine! 🙂 keeping it real…THANK U!
    I love this idea, btw.

    Reply
  30. Julie says

    June 23, 2013 at 12:06 am

    What a great way to repurpose an old men’s shirt and the kids would love wearing Daddy’s shirts! We would love for you to share at our first Super Summer Saturday party here: http://www.thechirpingmoms.com/2013/06/super-summer-saturday-party.html!
    Thanks!
    Julie

    Reply
  31. domestic bliss squared says

    June 21, 2013 at 12:06 am

    LOVE this idea! I did something similar to this with one of my husband’s old shirts for my daughter, and it’s her favorite nightgown! This would work well for long sleeved shirts too. In the winter it’s always hard to keep her warm enough when all she’ll wear are nightgowns!
    P.S. I’m now following you on FB, pinterest and twitter!

    Reply
  32. Amy says

    June 20, 2013 at 12:06 am

    This is terrific! Can wait to give it a try!

    Reply
  33. Denise says

    June 18, 2013 at 12:06 am

    This is great! All of our jammies in this house tend to be bought in winter, and my sweetie needs some simple night gowns. I think I’ll raid my own yard sale stash to see what I can find! 🙂

    Reply
  34. Denise says

    June 18, 2013 at 12:06 am

    This is great! All of our jammies in this house tend to be bought in winter, and my sweetie needs some simple night gowns. I think I’ll raid my own yard sale stash to see what I can find! 🙂

    Reply
  35. Jacqueline says

    June 17, 2013 at 12:06 am

    Love it! You could easily make this work as a dress, too!

    Reply
    • stacey says

      September 24, 2019 at 10:43 am

      add iron on’s, bows ric-rac so many ideas. great inexpensive gifts for Christmas.

      Reply
  36. Nancy says

    May 5, 2014 at 9:16 am

    Just a reminder that kids sleepwear should be made from sleep rated fabric for fire safety. These are cute for dresses though.

    Reply
  37. autumn says

    May 7, 2014 at 9:11 am

    Thans for the reminder!

    Reply

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I'm Autumn, a mom of five who loves ice cream, Masterpiece Theatre, and clothes that hide the fact that I eat so much ice cream. When I was 18 I got a job at a craft store and told everyone (regularly) how much I hated crafts. Well, things change! Read More…

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