What could be more Summery than beautiful photographs of must-visit vacation spots? And nothing can herald the coming of this season more than wearing said photos on your person: an apparel-fueled mental vacation, if you will.
Get A Life is a series of photo-printed tops for men, sold at Wal-Mart for very affordable prices (around $9 and up, and now available on eBay by the hundreds). Their pieces are made of a stretchy polyester, which makes them wonderfully-suited for women’s clothing (especially bodycon styles!). These T-shirts, since made for men, are already oversized (read: TONS of workable fabric!)…and very easily remade into something perfect for a woman…and perfect for fun in the sun. Here’s how:
You Need:
printed t-shirt / 1″-wide waistband elastic (enough to go around your waist) / matching thread
Tools: fabric scissors / needle for sewing knits / sewing machine / pins / safety pin (not pictured) / serger (optional)
How To:
1. Cut off the sleeves of the shirt. 
Cut off the neck from both the front and the back, cutting straight across from side to side.
2. Turn the shirt inside out and pin the sides together.
3. Sew the sides on the sewing machine in a curved line that is smaller at the waist area and at the knee area. You may have to try on the skirt multiple times to see how it hangs and if the side seams allow the right curvature for your body and how tight you want the skirt.
4. Once you’ve decided that the seams are how you like them, trim the excess fabric. Here is where you would serge or overlock the raw edges if you have a serger to prevent unraveling.
5. Turn the top of the skirt under about 1/4″, and stitch down.
6. Fold again to the inside about 1″-1.25″, and stitch down to create a casing. 
Leave the last 1.5″ unsewn.
7. Attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic, and thread through the casing, being careful not to twist.
8. Pull all the way around the waist, and overlap the ends. Here you’ll want to try on the skirt and adjust the elastic to however tight you want it (usually you need about 1 – 2″ of overlapped elastic to keep the skirt up).
9. Stitch a rectangle over the ends of the elastic to secure, and slip back into the casing area.
10. Topstitch the unclosed part of the casing to fully cover the elastic. (not shown)
(Optional) If you haven’t serged the inside raw edges at the side seams, you may want to open the seam allowance on the inside hem and topstitch a line parallel to the hem to keep the seam allowance flat.
And there you have it!
An on-trend, photo-realistic printed piece, sized perfect for you and so easy to pull off! 
Pair with a windbreaker for sporty chic, with a bikini top as a cover-up at the pool, or even with a button-down knotted at the waist for 1950’s pin-up glam. However you wear it, it’s already a photo op on its own!
Happy DIY’ing!
xo
Carly
Where to Buy the Materials for the DIY Printed Bodycon Pencil Skirt:
Get A Life Palm Tree printed t-shirt – purchased from eBay
1″ wide waistband elastic – available at sewing stores, or here
Bromeliad did the same thing with these Walmart tees last summer. http://www.bromeliadliving.com/2012/08/my-diy-photoreal-digital-print-skirt.html They make a great material to work with!
Oh gee whiz, I missed it. Woops.
Bromeliad’s tutorial was fantastic!
Genial!!!! Me encanta
Soraya recently posted…Diy clutch azul y blanco
Super cute! I would have never guessed it started out as a man’s T-shirt.
Thank you Kathryn! One would never guess that a company would use this super-stretchy poly fabric FOR men’s t-shirts…it’s way more a woman’s fabric IMHO!
I absolutely love it! I have been wanting to make a pencil skirt from a T’shirt for ages, as firstly I love the shape of pencil skirts and how femine it makes me look and 2) I have tons of patterned oversized T-shirts nicked from my boyfriend:)This idea is even better though, I love the fact that you can take your own prints and wear them, as you are basically designing not just DIYing. It would look amazing with cherry tree blossom print,they are absolutely everywhere and so beautiful at the moment. Or maybe with poppies as to match my blog:)
Keep me inspired Carly:)
Dom x
Poppygoeswild.blogspot.com
Hey, you took it a step further and made an elastic waistband.
I actually have that exact Walmart tee in my closet to make a second skirt this summer. Yours looks fabulous.
Love this idea!!!!! Definitely wanting some tropical print this season. Will have to look for old tees!
Adventures in Dressmaking recently posted…Because I needed another off-white lace dress…
Thanks, Suzannah! Tropical print is so awesome…just wearing it makes me feel Summery and happy, even when the weather is *pbblft* like it has been in Portland!