How to Turn a Boring Shirt Into a Cute Skirt for a Fun Summer Look

5 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy

Hi everyone! Today, I have the quickest and easiest no sew tutorial ever. I was going through my summer clothes and I found this shirred top. It’s my most disliked summer fashion style because they’re super uncomfortable! But a shirred waistband is super comfortable, so I'm going to show you how to make a skirt from a shirt for the summer! Let’s get started.

Tools and materials:

  • Shirred top
  • Scissors or seam ripper
  • Dye 
  • Gloves
  • Table salt
DIY skirt from shirt no sew

1. Put the top on

The very first thing you have to do is put the top on and pull it down to your waist area to make sure it’s going to fit. This top is super duper stretchy, so it should fit around your waist. It’s going to end up being a cool high-waisted skirt. 

Removing the straps from the top

2. Remove the straps

Flip the top inside out and either snip off the straps with scissors or remove them with a seam ripper. I’m going to use a seam ripper because I don’t want any of the bulky seam to be left over, but if you use scissors, you’re done in less than a minute. I’m going to hold onto the straps for a future tutorial!

How to dye printed fabric

3. Prepare to dye

You can leave your skirt as is or you can dye it! I’m not into wearing white skirts, so I’m going to dye mine blue. I like to dye my skirt in a sink, but if you don’t have one you can use a great big pot or an old plastic tub. Fill your sink with enough hot water to cover the garment and put on some gloves!

Stirring the dye solution

4. Pour in the dye and stir

Because I’m dyeing a few things, I’m going to be using two dye packets. Use whatever brand you like best and follow the instructions; that’s the best advice to follow. So, dump your dye in and stir it all around until you feel it’s melted. I’m using an old paint stirrer I’ve never used because it’s great for pushing the items down and swirling them around, but you can use whatever you want. 

Adding table salt to dye solution

5. Add table salt

Now, something I always do is pour in about half of a cup to a cup’s worth of plain table salt. In my experience, this seems to help set the dye and keep it from running too much when it’s time to rinse and wash. 

Placing the skirt into the dye

6. Add in your skirt

Once it’s all mixed in and you don’t feel any more grittiness on the bottom of the sink, slowly lower in your instant no sew refashioned skirt. If you’re dyeing more than one item like me, put the heaviest items on top to weigh the other items down. Let’s leave the skirt for about an hour and come back.

How to turn a shirt into a skirt no sew

7. Rinse

After the hour’s up, give your skirt a good rinse and a good wash and it’s done!

Blue high waist skirt

How to make a skirt from a shirt tutorial

How gorgeous is this skirt? It was the most awful shirt, but with just a few snips and a dye job, it’s a super gorgeous skirt! The shirring is so comfortable as a waistband, and you can style it in a bunch of different ways.


This skirt is awesome for the summer; it’s so lightweight and comfortable. It could even work in the fall and winter, thrown over some leggings or some thicker tights and with a blazer or sweater. Let me know what you think! 

Suggested materials:
  • Shirred top
  • Scissors or seam ripper
  • Dye
See all materials

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