Knock Off Cheerleader Outfit - DIY / Mini Tute

I wonder if this happens to everyone who has kids? Did you get a TON of clothes with your college / favorite team logo on them? We did! And most of them were SUPER cute!!! I received an "exception" piece .... and it's this onesie right here:

Doesn't look so bad, right? I agree ... here's the deal. It says 12-18 months but it is HUGE!! It only started fitting my oldest daughter when she was 3 years old. And by then, she was potty trained (hallelujah!) so I wasn't exactly down with a onesie and it just looked ridiculous on her (yes even w/ pants or a skirt).

I know these little diddies are expensive, so I started thinking - how can I refashion this?

Close up of the emblem. Go Pack!

I was looking through my huge refashion pile one day and saw this tank from Ann Taylor that I bought years ago. It's too small for me, but with that fun fringe hem, I had to hang onto it.

Do you know where I'm going with this? Are you thinking I should combine cute / awkward onesie with fun fringed tank? Me too! I chopped the appropriate parts off of each item, like this:

Added some little pleats to the black "skirt" part - to make it the same width as the top, and to make it mimic a cheerleader's outfit a little more.

Sewed a basting stitch across the pleats like so:

And then, sewed the top and skirt together (with a zig zag stitch to reinforce it). I think this seriously took me 20 minutes. Maybe less.

Do you have a cute onesie that is refashion / upcycled material? If you do - give this a whirl! My hope? That next year we have a team to root for, in anything. Even if we just upgraded to the NCAA from the NIT, I'd be happy. :)

PS: Even if you don't have a skirt w/ a fringe bottom, anything with an existing hem will still be quick & cute!