Operation Project $0: day 7, upcycling the Tee Times 3 by Blank Slate Patterns

Welcome back Operation Project $0 fans - today I am continuing to build my kiddo's fall wardrobes for $0!!!  If there is one thing that I feel my children always need more of in their wardrobes it is T shirts.  I can always use a few more easy to wear basics that are super comfy for them to play in.  And the great thing is that you can pretty much always make a new T out of an old one ;o)

I was lucky enough to test the Tee times 3 for Blank Slate Patterns this summer (testing= free pattern!).  Let's just start by saying what a VERSATILE pattern this is.  You start with a basic ringer Tee... you then have the option of short or long sleeves, then you have an optional hood, THEN you have the girly version with the Peter Pan collar and key hole back.  All of this in one pattern.  It is perfect for boys, it is perfect for girls, it is made of knit and will quickly become a staple in your child's life!

As you can see I kept it cool and classic with a plain red with grey lined hood for my son, A - for this I used an XL long sleeve men's T (that hubs had never liked, or worn ;op)... which is the only reason I could get long sleeves and a hood out of one shirt - hoods take a large chunk of fabric.  The grey lining of the hood was a super soft work out T of mine that was just too short.

For baby girl, I grabbed an old Shirt of mine - I swear post three babies all of my old tops are just too short on me now ;op  So sorry ladies, that purple knit is indeed an upcycle!  For both shirts I was able to re-use the original hems which equals a professional finish and a super quick sew!  The collar and bindings are made form left over scraps of her pants.  Her pants are made from an old pair of yoga pants that were donated to my stash - so I whipped up the Lily Giggle Petunia Petal Pants to make a complete outfit.  And that perfect purple button - well, it came from my Amish button jar... so I guess technically we could say the button cost $0.01 ;op

Yep - these are the SAME pattern - and here is the funny thing, they are also the same size!  I wanted the shirt to be a little bit big on baby girl and long enough to wear with leggings (anyone else find that ALL girl tops from the stores are cut about 2-4 inches short, or super skinny... even in the toddler sizes ;op).  So you can see that the top hits her at the hip and has plenty of growing room in the shoulders... she is such a big girl.  I did cut the sleeve length to her size so that they wouldn't be too long.  A is my skinny man, he has a couple inches on his little sister...but I'm thinking he might weigh less - tall and skinny this one is ;o)

And look at these smiling faces - yeah these are two kids that LOVE their new clothes.  And yours will too!

What have you been sewing up for $0?!?!?  Make sure to upload your images to the Flickr group so that I can feature you next week!!!